Inspiration For A Moroccan Style Kitchen

When designing a new space in your home, sticking to a certain theme can often be helpful, especially when trying to complement the rest of your home’s decor. The kitchen is a great place to introduce a theme as it helps bring all the different elements harmoniously together. In this blog we focus on the Moroccan style kitchen and explore how to modernise it for the contemporary home in five simple looks.

A key element to the style is of course kitchen Moroccan tiles, handmade, rustic and beautifully glazed, they can be plain or patterned depending on your taste. This works well when mixing different eras and styles together in a bold and bright fashion.

When thinking about colour the three primary colours are a good starting point, sultry reds, bold yellows, and lively blues and layering these with interesting architectural details is paramount to achieving the style. Think bold curves, ornate furniture, and decoratively embellished woodwork.

Image Credit: Architectural Digest

Play with dark neutrals and a bold hit of colour, all with a rustic feel, to encapsulate the warmth of Morocco. Choose dark walnut cabinetry and a travertine style work top for a warm feel, continue this on the ceiling with a beige limewash effect for added texture. Opt for a rustic, handmade looking tile on the wall, this can be of bold colour or soft geometric pattern depending on your taste. Just make sure the tile has a high gloss finish and a warm undertone to help it blend with the other tones in the space.

Use bare wood chopping boards, eclectic ceramics, and ornate glassware to further capture the mood. Hints of gold in your lighting and tapware will add a sense of indulgent opulence but if you want something a little more modern, opt for nickel.

Recreate the look: Zellica Forest Green

Image Credit: Mindy Gayer Design

A contemporary take on Moroccan style is to use architectural elements as inspiration and then dress them in cool toned neutrals. For example, a bold arched alcove, use a bright white base as your foundation and then layer neutrals on top, such as a cream crackle tile, bare wood, and a grey based marble work top. We particularly love this bold shade on the units to add that zest of colour that is common in Moroccan style kitchens.

Keep the floor pared back by using a bare toned wood effect tile, this way it only adds texture and not warmth to the room, allowing the units to do the talking.

Finish the look with rattan basketry, stone accessories, neutral linens, and clear glassware. Adding subtle touches of brass will provide a little depth to the look.

Recreate the look: MH Country Rustic Cream Crackle 

Image Credit: The Design Files

Beige is certainly on trend again, but this time we’re not talking boring magnolia, we’re talking about grain, texture and depth whilst providing a relaxing and calming neutral space.

Untreated Pine is a great option for creating a blank canvas with texture, make sure you test different sealants to ensure it doesn’t have an orange tinge so you can enjoy the pureness of pine’s natural colour. If you can, continue the same wood colour onto your door and window frames for a truly monochromatic finish.

For your wall tiles, opt for a subtly decorative tile that adds interest without colour and the same with the floor, for a truly Moroccan feel go for something like a flagstone for that rustic edge. Complete the look with darkly glazed ceramics, walnut wood accessories and the famous patterned rug reminiscent of the souks of Marrakech.

Recreate the look: Flute Terracotta Decor & Amazone Beige Modular

Image Credit: Chrissy Marie Blog

Although black and white isn’t a common theme of Moroccan decor, it can be a great way to add a modern twist to rustic textures. If you’ve got a traditional range hood, make it a feature by adding a textured finish known as ‘orange peel’ so it feels like a rustic wall. Then contrast this with an ultra-glossy but rustic finished wall tile in black. It will create a dramatic hood and set the theme for the rest of the Moroccan style kitchen.

Tap into the traditional by using a quarry tile on the floor but add the twist by choosing a unique black shade. This will offer a matt texture without adding colour to the space. To lift the look, add in touches of brass on unit doors, taps and accessories and hints of natural pattern in accessories, like rattan, wood, and marble.

Recreate the look: Quarry Black

Image Credit: Pinterest

Ornate pattern is typical of Moroccan design however, in smaller spaces like a kitchen splashback it can become a little overwhelming. A great way to combat this is to tile your space up to a certain point on the wall and then paint the rest of the wall, ceiling, and your kitchen units in the same colour. Not only does this make your tiles more of a feature, but the seamless paint will also help the room feel bigger.

We love a neutral spin on a decorative pattern, helping to give it longevity. Pick out a particular colour from your chosen pattern and choose a shade darker for your paint, this will create a harmonious balance.

Finish the look with a rustic floor tile, a concrete effect is a great choice as it has a textured design without introducing too much pattern like a stone effect would. Copper pans, metal trivets and decorative ceramics all add to the look.

Fallen in love with a modern take on kitchen Moroccan tiles? Shop our full range of wall tiles online and try them out via our online visualiser tool in your own home with a couple of clicks on your phone.