Chinoiserie vs Moroccan Interior
Moroccan Interior is the cross-discipline counterpart of Chinoiserie — a parallel richly-ornamented exotic-revival decorating idiom.
Chinoiserie
The European fantasy of the East — lacquered panels, hand-painted pagoda-and-bird wallpapers, blue-and-white porcelain and fretwork, an imagined China for the salon.
- Hand-painted papers and silks of pagodas, birds and blossom
- Black, red and gilt japanned lacquer cabinets and screens
- Fretwork and lattice, including Chinese Chippendale furniture
- Massed display of blue-and-white and famille-rose porcelain
- Bamboo (real or simulated) and pagoda-form canopies
Moroccan Interior
A richly ornamented North African style of carved plaster, zellige tilework, jewel-toned textiles, and intricate lanterns centred on the inward-facing courtyard of the riad.
- Mosaic zellige tilework in geometric, star-based patterns
- Carved and pierced stucco with painted cedar ceilings
- Horseshoe and keyhole arches and fretwork screens (mashrabiya)
- Saturated jewel-toned textiles, poufs, and low banquette seating
- Pierced-metal lanterns casting intricate patterned shadows
At a glance
| Chinoiserie | Moroccan Interior | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1670s–1900s | Traditional–present |
| Discipline | Interior Design | Interior Design |
| Region | France, Britain, Germany, United States | Morocco, North Africa, Mediterranean |
| Family | Chinoiserie, Exoticism | Islamic, Mediterranean |
| Formal traits | exotic, patterned, lacquered, fanciful | ornamented, geometric, saturated, arched |
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