Timeline

Album Published May 31, 2025

House & Garden - Tom Morris chose Larusi rugs for a London Georgian home. (1 new item)

Interior Designer Tom Morris complimented the furnishing of this London Georgian home with a vibrant Larusi rug for the dining room, a vintage Anatolian kilim in the lounge and spare room.

Album Published May 31, 2025

Elle-Deco: Larusi tips for buying vintage (1 new item)

Album Published May 31, 2025

AD-Larusi rugs, bedlinen and table linen compliment the serene atmosphere at Potters House - Mallorca (3 new items)

Album Published May 31, 2025

Conversations In Colour | Shades Of Morocco exhibition - 2020 (2 new items)

Turmeric, saffron and sandy hues meet clay, dusty rose and the softest shell pink in Souad Larusi’s installation of vintage tribal rugs and textiles, which is inspired by the colours of her native Morocco.

The Installation
A longing for the warmth and vibrancy of her home country inspired her to curate this one-off edit of her collection, which embodies the Larusi founder’s layered and tonal approach to colour.

The Palette
The idea came from the deep-yellow hues of one of Souad’s favourite rugs from the Azilal region in the Middle Atlas Mountains, which has been part of her personal collection for 15 years.‘I wanted to share its beauty with people,’ she says. ‘So I used this rug as the starting point and built the palette around it, adding in earthy pinks and deep rose tones, as well as ecru, sandy browns and darker accents.’ ‘For me, the installation evokes the south of Morocco: the colours and textures, the climate, the kasbah and the landscape,’ says Souad, who has an expert eye for colour as well as handcrafted textiles. ‘The shades I’ve chosen are rich and complex, and yet so easy to live with. And, when natural dyes are used, the pieces fade and wear so beautifully.’

Exhibition curated and designed by Alex Kristal. Photography by Kristy Noble.

Press coverage of the exhibition:

Selvedge magazine: 2020

Album Published May 29, 2025

Sale Intro (1 new item)

Sale

From time to time our roving acquisitive eye gets the better of us and stocks run too high for our studio space. So this sale section is great to steal a bargain!

Content Published May 29, 2025

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Content Published May 28, 2025

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Larusi’s client list reads like who’s who in the worlds of fashion, design and architecture. Larusi is the go-to for authentic Moroccan Berber rugs, which are sought after for mid-century modern interiors. Larusi established itself from 2000 as the destination for Beni Ouarain pile rugs, Persian and Turkish tribal kilims, Tuarag reed mats and Boucherouite rag rugs

— THE MODERN HOUSE

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Content Published May 28, 2025

Album Published May 28, 2025

The Felix Project - St Cuthbert's, London

Charity also starts closer to home; Souad donated a rug to The Felix Project, London’s largest food redistribution charity, working alongside Food for Soul. Ilse Crawford, one of Larusi’s long standing clients, designed Refettorio Felix, a welcoming community kitchen in south west London. The brief was to create a pleasant environment, so often missing from social projects with a restricted budget, and bring a sense of pleasure and dignity to the space. From a pragmatic perspective, the well designed space and furnishings also makes it more attractive to hire out after hours to help meet on-going costs.

Images by: Tom Mannion

Content Published May 26, 2025

Content Published May 26, 2025

Content Published May 26, 2025

Content Published May 26, 2025

Album Published May 26, 2025

Album Published May 26, 2025

Four (1 new item)

Hire service now available

View Hire

Album Published May 25, 2025

Testimonials

Content Published May 25, 2025

Content Published May 25, 2025

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Content Published May 23, 2025

Album Published May 23, 2025

About Us (1 new item)

About Us

Larusi was founded by Souad Larusi, a passionate curator of textiles and handcrafted homewares, inspired by her Moroccan heritage and a lifelong love for craftsmanship. Born and raised in Fez, Souad grew up surrounded by the rich traditions of textile-making. After moving to the UK and working in human rights at Amnesty International, she followed her creative calling and established Larusi in 2000 to bring the artistry of Berber rugs and tribal weavings to a global audience.
Through her deep appreciation for modernist and contemporary design, and how this chimes with the haptic qualities of indigenous craftsmanship, Larusi has become a trusted source for exceptional vintage and contemporary rugs, textiles, and home accessories.

Souad personally selects each piece, working closely with artisans and Berber families to ensure authenticity, quality, and ethical sourcing. From rare vintage Beni Ouarain rugs to bespoke commissions for renowned designers and architects, every item in the Larusi collection tells a story of tradition, artistry, and timeless beauty. Beyond rugs, Larusi has expanded into home furnishings and one-of-a-kind decorative objects sourced from Morocco, Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and beyond. Each piece reflects a commitment to quality, sustainability, and the belief that well-made, handcrafted objects bring warmth, texture, and soul to a space.

Read more:
Homes & Garden - 2019
House & Garden - 2010

Content Published May 23, 2025

Content Published May 23, 2025

Content Published May 23, 2025

Album Published May 23, 2025

Waste Knot – The Art Of The Zindekh exhibition 2019 (1 new item)

Exhibition at Larusi - January 2019

Our new studio space was launched with an exhibition of Zindekh mats. The exhibition was very well received and announced with a feature in the World of Interiors by Ros Byam Shaw introducing these unique pieces to the UK.

Press coverage of the exhibition:
World of Interiors - Feb 2019
More or Less: Zindekhs featured
Corriere de la Serra: Living - Feb 2019

World of Interiors

Happy Scraps, by Ros Byam Shaw

From blue plastic sacking to bits of old twine, anything and everything can be turned into a zindekh to zhoosh up a dimly lit mud house in Morocco's Middle Atlas mountains. But for the dwindling band of Berbers who still make them, these joyous mats are not only an exercise in frugality and recycling - they're often a lifeline too. Now, thanks to Souad Larusi, the woman who triggered the trend for Beni Ourain rugs, change could be underfoot for the indigent weavers. Their tufted wares put a smile on Ros Byam Shaw's face.

Twenty years ago, Souad Larusi single-handedly sparked a fashion for a particular style of Moroccan rugs. Though a native of the country herself, born and brought up in Fez, she first spotted them in books belonging to her husband, a Dutch architect, in old photographs of the interiors of seminal Modernist houses. 'I had never seen them for sale in Morocco,' she says. 'And I have no idea how architects like Alvar Aalto or Le Corbusier got hold of them.' Thickly tufted, monochrome and with simple, irregular patterns of dark often zigzag lines on pale creamy backgrounds, the rugs were made as dowries, and most stayed in the remote mountain villages where they were handwoven by the women of the Beni Ourain tribe ( Wol March 2003 ).

Souad decided they were what she wanted to insulate the wooden floors of the Victorian house in north London she and her husband had just bought. She set about finding them, visiting village markets in the Middle Atlas mountains, until she stumbled across someone who could source them. She bought enough rugs for her own house, and more, and decided to see if she could sell them back in London. Her business, Larusi, has since become well known for authentic vintage and bespoke Berber rugs, and more recently for other textiles with a handmade feel.

Souad has always sourced stock herself, travelling, making contacts, forming friendships and paying fair prices. She can tell you the life stories of the Berber families she buys from. 'This man built his own house, not with traditional mud but with breezeblocks. These people had to move because their house was about to collapse. That beautiful 15-year-old girl left school, and now works as a maid. Sadly, most of the young people are leaving the mountain villages,' she says. 'Old skills and crafts are dying out.’
One of those dwindling skills is carpet weaving, another is the crafting of small mats, known as zindekhs. 'These are also made by women, nowadays usually the older women,' says Souad. 'They use them as door mats, or folded up to sit on. Unlike traditional rugs made from valuable wool, these use rubbish - scraps of worn-out clothing, including underwear, unravelled jumpers, bits of string and plastic twine, packing materials - all hooked through a foundation of used plastic grain and flour sacks. You don't need a loom, just a special needle. Perhaps because they cost nothing to make except time, the patterns are inventive and spontaneous, and because the materials are modern, often synthetic, the colours are really bright, sometimes even neon or glittery.'

A traditional Beni Ourain rug is made from the finest, most lustrous wool, lovingly collected over months and years from sheep that graze high in the mountains. No dyes are used, and designs are handed down from one generation to the next. Zindekhs could not be more different. Free from the constraints of tradition, and with a· paintbox of modern chemical dyes with which to play, women indulge themselves with riots of cheerful colour and pat-tern. 'Their designs can reflect anything, from their moods and aspirations - the house they would like to live in - to motifs from the local environment,' says Souad. 'Sometimes you will see the domed outline of a mosque, sometimes stylised trees, rivers, flowers and animals. They might put in a hand of Fatima, as a charm against the evil eye. Or they may come up with something completely abstract that looks like a modern painting.' While dowry rugs are sold only out of necessity- a drought some years ago forced farmers to raise cash to feed their animals, for example - these mats are not treated as such treasured possessions. Souad found people willing to sell several at once. 'I have now collected about 30 of them, all completely different and original,' she says. 'I want to highlight their beauty, so I am displaying them in a selling exhibition. Used as wall hangings they look so contemporary. The women who make them may have had no education, or contact with the outside world, and yet they have this tremendous creativity. Zindekhs are a genuine, unselfconscious means of self-expression for them.' Made entirely from bits and pieces no one wants and ingeniously transformed into something useful and desirable, they are also brilliant examples of imaginative recycling. 'I am always fascinated by how materials are kept and reinvented in these remote villages,' says Souad. 'People will hang old plastic sacking across their doors, make it into shower curtains and cushion covers, or storage bags that they will hang on hooks on the wall. Necessity is the mother of invention. If you can't afford to buy things, you make them, and waste nothing,' she explains. 'My mother has this same attitude. She brought up six of us, supporting us by working as a master embroiderer, making wedding veils, ceremonial babouches, kaftans. Even now she never throws a piece of fabric away if she thinks she could make something out of it, whether an old cushion or a worn-out apron. She has even made tote bags from the plastic packaging of my rugs.'

The Beni Ourain rugs that were Souad's first retail success have become such a popular interiors accessory that originals are now a rarity. And as so often happens when fashion gets a hold, the market has been flooded with copies. 'I walk round the medina in Marrakesh and see them everywhere,' says Souad. The quality is not good, and many have been treated with harmful chemicals.' 'Upcycling' is a more recent fashion, and also open to abuse. These bold, vivid splashes of what Souad evocatively calls 'chaotic beauty' are the genuine article. Like the rag rugs and patchwork quilts our ancestors used to make from clothes that were no longer wearable, they are a timely reminder that there are better things to do with rubbish than pile it up in holes in the ground, or let it wash into the sea ■

Album Published May 23, 2025

Shifting Sands | Rare Vintage Tuareg Rugs - 2023 (2 new items)

During 2023 London Design Week, Larusi presented a rare collection of vintage Tuareg mats handcrafted by nomadic tribes from across the Sahara desert, using reed and leather. Their understated geometric patterns make them a harmonious match for contemporary interiors and highly sought after by taste makers and design aficionados.

Interiors photography by Michael Sinclair. Styling by Alex Kristal.

Press coverage of Larusi exhibition:

Remodelista: Object Lessons: Tuareg Rugs. by Nell Card - June 2, 2023

Salon Privé: London Design Festival: Explore Larusi’s Vintage Tuareg Rugs - September 2, 2023

Design Anthology -15 - Shifting Sands

Content Published May 21, 2025

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Content Published May 21, 2025

Album Published May 21, 2025

Conversations In Colour | Shades Of Morocco exhibition - 2020 (6 new items)

Exhibition curated and designed by Alex Kristal. Photography by Kristy Noble.

Press coverage of the exhibition:

Selvedge magazine: 2020

Album Published May 21, 2025

Reasons to choose vintage

Why choose vintage?

“Larusi rugs are wonderful, they bring a layer of life to a space. They are earthy and expressive and tell the story of the people who made them” Ilse Crawford.

If like me you have a love of stories and of authenticity then vintage is the way to go. I personally find that vintage pieces often have more soul - their individuality shines through as they bear the personality and mark of their maker. They are made with intuition, un-designed and created from the heart. There’s an honesty and an integrity that I find missing in most modern copies. And, of course, you can be guaranteed that you have a unique piece - no going into another person’s house and finding they have exactly the same thing! Another reason for choosing vintage, and an increasingly important one, is its sustainable credentials. At Larusi, with over two decades of experience, I'm discovering a rug and then finding a new home for it with no mass-production line. I love rescuing beautiful rugs, carefully washing them without the use of chemicals and skilfully restoring them using wool sourced from local Berber markets. By buying a Larusi vintage rug you are giving new life to a handwoven rug that was made to last and, each time you choose vintage, you’re making a positive impact on the environment and everyone’s future. Be aware that most modern rug production from Morocco now comes from ‘co-operatives’ and commercial workshops that are profit driven. So, for example, Beni Ourain style rugs are now being produced either by machine or by non Beni Ourain weavers who rely on copying patterns, may use inferior non Berber wool and perhaps different, quicker knotting techniques. Local weaving families use natural soap to wash their rugs but these set ups may also use chemicals which pollute the rivers and affect the vegetation and animals.

Read more:
Elle Decoration - June 2017

Content Published May 21, 2025

Tom Ford

"Dear Souad, Thank you for the beautiful samples of the rugs for Santa Fe”

— TOM FORD

Content Published May 21, 2025

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Album Published May 21, 2025

Elle Deco - Graphic vintage Berber rugs shot at the Hayward Gallery

Album Published May 21, 2025

New English Interiors - Larusi rug for Designers Guild's Mark Homewood

A boucherouite rag rug takes centre stage in Designers Guild's Mark Homewood's 16c farm house.
New English Interiors by Elizabeth Metcalfe.
Photography: Dean Hearne.

Album Published May 20, 2025

Homes & Gardens - Movers & Shakers - Berber rugs and textiles specialist Souad Larusi (1 new item)

Content Published May 20, 2025

Album Published May 20, 2025

AD-Larusi rugs, bedlinen and table linen compliment the serene atmosphere at Potters House - Mallorca

Album Published May 20, 2025

Living-Etc-Interview - Souad Larusi advises on colour

Album Published May 20, 2025

Elle-Deco: Larusi tips for buying vintage

Album Published May 20, 2025

Milk Decoration - Larusi rugs in Iceland hotel

A large Beni Ouarain rug in Deplar Farm hotel on Iceland's north coast, where luxury meets rugged wilderness.

Album Published May 20, 2025

House & Gardens - Contemporary and vintage: Larusi rugs

Larusi vibrant red pile rug in this Victorian home

Interior Designer Tom Morris complimented the furnishing of this London Victorian home with a vibrant Larusi Berber pile rug for the play room and a vintage Tuareg mat for the kitchen dining table.

Album Published May 20, 2025

House & Garden - Tom Morris chose Larusi rugs for a London Georgian home.

Interior Designer Tom Morris complimented the furnishing of this London Georgian home with a vibrant Larusi rug for the dining room, a vintage Anatolian kilim in the lounge and spare room.

Album Published May 19, 2025

Textiles feature (1 new item)

Textiles

Our magpie eye can never resist a beautiful and unusual vintage textile whether fine examples of ‘handira' (a Moroccan woman's cape), hand stitched Anatolian blankets, quilted Bangladeshi kanthas or West African Yoruba fabrics. Each piece tells a story of identity, heritage and artisans tradition. Larusi's approach is instinctual, led by a sensitivity to materiality and an appreciation for the tactile and the timeworn.

Depending on size and fabric, just add curtain clips to hang or throw over a table, sofa or bed for an instant change of scene.

*Read more: Souad Larusi shares insights on how to use textiles at home* - the Modern House Journal

Content Published May 19, 2025

Album Published May 19, 2025

House & Garden - Larusi specialist profile

Album Published May 19, 2025

Elle Deco: Beni Ouarain rug featured.

Content Published May 19, 2025

Album Published May 19, 2025

Homes & Gardens - Movers & Shakers - Berber rugs and textiles specialist Souad Larusi

Album Published May 19, 2025

Design Anthology 15 - Shifting Sands Tuareg show

Shifting Sands Tuareg rugs show at Larusi studio, London.

Album Published May 19, 2025

The World of Interiors - Maharam New York apartment (1 new item)

Textile specialist Michael Maharam chose Larusi vintage Beni Ouarain rugs for his New York apartment.

Content Published May 19, 2025

Album Published May 19, 2025

Elle Deco - Colourful Larusi rugs in the home of designer Irenie Crossey

Album Published May 19, 2025

AD - Larusi rug selected by Ilse Crawford for a stylish Manor House in Somerset

Content Published May 19, 2025

Album Published May 19, 2025

RUM - Larusi Berber rugs at The Apartment, Copenhagen

A selection of Larusi monochrome and colourful rugs at the Danish gallery the Apartment in Copenhagen.

Content Published May 18, 2025

Album Published May 18, 2025

The World of Interiors - Maharam New York apartment

Textile specialist Michael Maharam chose Larusi vintage Beni Ouarain rugs for his New York apartment.

Album Published May 18, 2025

The World of Interiors - Larusi rug in Retrouvius founders' London penthouse

Album Published May 18, 2025

The World of Interiors - Vintage Larusi Berber blanket featured

Content Published May 18, 2025

Album Published May 18, 2025

The World of Interiors - Happy Scraps: Souad Larusi showcases Zindekhs (5 new items)

Happy Scraps, by Ros Byam Shaw

Thanks to Souad Larusi, the woman who triggered the trend for Beni Ourain rugs, change could be underfoot for the indigent weavers. Their tufted wares put a smile on Ros Byam Shaw's face

Album Published May 18, 2025

The World of Interiors - Larusi Beni Ouarain rugs feature (5 new items)

Rough with the smooth - Deep-pile rugs would seem to hold little sway with the sleek, hard-edged aesthetic of the Modern Movement. But with their graphic-abstract patterns, the homespun creations of the Beni Ouarain tribe of Morocco indulged the underlying primitivist proclivities of all the modern masters. Jeremy Melvin explains