Are checkered rugs still in style?

Yes. Checkered patterns are a design base and they never die.

How do I style a checkered rug?

Give the grid plain partners and one curve: solid upholstery, one wood tone, then something round, a table, an arched mirror, a globe light. In a maximalist room, pair it with one floral, never a second check.

What colors go with a two-color checkerboard?

Take one of its colors into the room and leave the other on the floor. Repeating both everywhere makes a room look themed rather than chosen.

Is a checkered rug too busy for a small room?

Not when the squares are large and the contrast soft. In a narrow room, a runner laid lengthwise turns the grid into a path.

How can I tell a checkered rug is knotted by hand?

Look at the edges and the back: on a hand-knotted grid each block edge drifts by a knot or two, and the pattern shows on the back, knot for knot.

Where does a grid rug work hardest?

In rooms with traffic and crumbs: a kitchen runner, an entry, under a dining table, where the pattern hides dust between vacuums. A bedroom meant for rest is the one room to think twice.

Where are Dama rugs made?

In our workshop in the Middle Atlas, by hand, in 100% natural wool. A check is unforgiving, so Dama is knotted densely enough to keep every edge clean.

Can I customize a Dama rug?

Yes: the size follows your floor, so the grid becomes a runner in a hallway or gains a curved edge as a round. For your own colors, change them on the rug's page and see a preview of your rug at once.

Tamment handmade Berber rug in a living room

Dama

The board, set free. Checkered Berber rugs named for the Darija word for checkers, their squares changing size and rhythm to give your room a playful pulse. Pair it with plain upholstery and one curve, a round table or an arched mirror.

Shipping and duties included

Bahia

From $317 USD

Khamsa

From $317 USD

Tirra

From $317 USD

Afrag

From $317 USD

Ammas

From $317 USD

Borj

From $317 USD

Zellige

From $317 USD

The first pattern

In Morocco, dama is the elders' game, two players leaning over a checkered board for as long as the conversation lasts. Weavers once carried that board into wool, and the check became one of the first patterns a rug could hold. Zarbish keeps the game and loosens its rules.

Inspiration

Order, then play

Every pattern starts with a grid, and in Morocco the grid is underfoot: a riad floor of light and dark squares, a fountain at its center, tea poured on the cushions beside it. That is where these rugs begin. Zarbish takes the board off the patio and lets it breathe.

A riad patio seen from above, a green and white checker floor around a fountain under banana leaves: the board behind the Dama collection

CUSTOM MADE RUGS

Your size, your colors

Bring a color, a sketch or a size: our design team creates the rug, and the weavers bring it to life. You approve the mockup before the first knot.

every day, 10:00 to midnight, Morocco time (GMT+1)

Start your custom rug

Our collections

Jnane Pink & Green hand-knotted Moroccan rug, in a loft living room beside a white sofa

BloomColor as the joy of the house: freehand, asymmetric marks that make the rug the one thing a neutral room is built around.

Jidar handmade Moroccan rug in a living room

MozaikZellige and architecture in wool, a floor laid like tiles.

Adrar Pink & Purple hand-knotted Moroccan rug in a mountain living room, its peaks by a green velvet sofa and a plaster fireplace

JibalThe mountains, rocks and sky of the Atlas, worked into diamonds and lines.

Bejmat coral sculpted Beni Mrirt rug in a living room

TerrainTexture first: pile carved by hand into relief, like earth after a river has dried.

Nila solid deep blue Beni Ourain rug in a living room

DuneThe quiet field: calm, open ground for a room that needs rest.

Dama or Mozaik

Dama leads with pattern: the checkerboard, set free in asymmetric squares of every size. Mozaik leads with architecture: zellige-like tiles and color combinations set in series. Choose Dama for one bold rhythm across the floor, Mozaik for detail that rewards a closer look.

The grid, explained

From the Journal

Tamment Rust & Ivory hand-knotted Berber rug, a rust and ivory checkerboard under a cognac leather sofa on a terracotta tile floor

How to Style a Checkered Rug in the Living RoomCheck size, color, pairings and price for a checkered wool rug.

Tadla Dusty Rose & Peach round hand-knotted Beni Mrirt rug under a cream sofa and two coral chairs in a green-tiled sunroom

What Colors Go With a Pink Rug? Pairings by Shade and RoomGreen, rust, navy, ivory and wood, for living room, bedroom and nursery.