Traditional–present · Morocco, North Africa, Mediterranean
Moroccan Interior
Also known as Moorish Interior, Riad Style, Maghrebi Decor
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.
Mike Prince, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Courtyard_with_Chandelier_and_Fountain_%285038922480%29.jpg
About the style
Moroccan interior style draws on centuries of Maghrebi and Moorish craft tradition, fusing Berber, Arab, and Andalusian influences. Its archetypal setting is the riad — a town house turned inward around a tiled courtyard or garden, shielding cool, shaded rooms from the street and sun. Surfaces are densely worked: mosaic zellige tiling in geometric star patterns, carved and pierced stucco (gebs), painted cedar ceilings, and horseshoe-arched doorways. The palette is warm and saturated — terracotta, saffron, indigo, and deep red — layered with patterned rugs, low banquette seating, plush poufs, and metal-pierced lanterns that throw lacework shadows. Brass trays, hand-glazed tagines, and embroidered textiles add tactile richness, while keyhole arches and fretwork screens (mashrabiya) frame views and filter light. The result is an enveloping, sensory interior built for shade, repose, and hospitality in a hot climate.
Notable examples
- ▸Bahia Palace, Marrakech (1860s–1900)
- ▸La Mamounia hotel interiors, Marrakech (opened 1923)
- ▸Jardin Majorelle / Villa Oasis, Marrakech (Yves Saint Laurent restoration, from 1980)
Anatomy of Moroccan Interior
The numbered markers call out the design elements that define this style. Hover or tap a marker to see its breakdown.
Mike Prince, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Courtyard_with_Chandelier_and_Fountain_%285038922480%29.jpg
Hand-cut glazed ceramic tesserae are assembled into intricate geometric mosaics on walls, floors, and fountains.
A brass or copper lantern punched with fine patterns hangs overhead, scattering lacework shadows across the room.
A horseshoe doorway framed in deeply carved white plaster (gebs) marks the transition between richly decorated rooms.
Low cushioned bench seating along the walls, piled with leather poufs and textiles, rings the room for sociable, ground-level repose.
How Moroccan Interior connects
Styles form a network, not a tree. Explore the direct neighbours below — click any to travel the map one hop at a time.
- Regional variant of
- Parallel / cross-current
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Regional variant of Mediterranean Interior — the North African, Moorish wing of the Mediterranean tradition
Parallel / cross-current Chinoiserie — a parallel richly-ornamented exotic-revival decorating idiom
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Describe it like this
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