Interior designer Francois Gilles, already well known for his vintage Moroccan rugs, has launched a new range of woven- to-order contemporary Moroccan fabrics. We visited him at home to have a look at the collection…
His ‘Black Trellis with pom poms’ is used here as a bedspread and the same design with blue pom poms is used on the cushion at the back on the right. The cushion back left is in the ‘Pale Blue Bumble Bee’ design. All these fabrics are woven to order. There are different widths and colourways available. Minimum order is 3 metres. Price and delivery on application.
His striped fabrics can be ordered in black, black and brown, with wider or narrower stripes.
The brightly-coloured lightweight fabrics are ‘Mahlafas’, or mountain veils.
The Bumble Bee design is shown here in yellow, hanging behind the bed.
Francois Gilles with one of his ‘Merzouga’ rugs, woven in the desert in the south of Morocco from recycled wool.
Francois Gilles is the UK’s most respected importer of Moroccan rugs. He has over 30 years’ experience in Morocco and sources his rugs from all over the country. His Chelsea showroom holds a vast collection of up to 300 rugs, ranging from the small and affordable, to large vintage pieces – collectors’ items dating back as far as the 1930s. As well as the new range of contemporary Moroccan fabrics shown here, he stocks some beautiful antique and one-off textiles that he has collected on his travels.
Visit his showroom (by appointment) at Studio 5, Fairbanks Studios, 75-81 Burnaby Street, London, SW10 0NS. Tel: 020-7803 237217