Interior design duo Kelley Lentini and Berkeley Minkhorst of House of Nomad share a love of travel and design. They have traveled all over the world and agree that Morocco is their favorite destination for sourcing tribal-chic items for clients and their Myers Park store.
“Berkeley and I are obsessed with Morocco—everything about it, the entire vibe,” Lentini explains. “We walk through the markets and visit with the artisans and feel completely energized.” After starting House of Nomad three years ago, Lentini and Minkhorst began traveling together to source items for their clients.
They had been to Mexico and South Africa on buying trips but kept hearing about the incredible markets in Morocco. They embarked on their first trip there in 2018. “We started exploring the medina in Marrakech and found inspiration at every corner,” Minkhorst says. “The sights, the sounds, the smells—whether you’re a designer or not, it’s so cool.”
The medina is the ancient, walled city within Marrakech. Bustling with activity from donkeys to scooters to food vendors, it is home to many souks—or markets—where local artisans sell handmade wares such as intricately designed baskets, tiles, rugs, poufs, and bone-inlay furniture. The items are from all over Africa, so Lentini and Minkhorst are able to stock up on the travel-inspired items sought after by their clientele.
“During that first trip, we made a lot of contacts and found amazing things,” Lentini shares. “We felt like we had just dipped our toes in and couldn’t wait to go back and bring back more.”
Morocco is home to a wide variety of artisans who are eager to sell to tourists, but you have to trust your source and know how to negotiate. “You have to have the right relationships,” Minkhorst explains.
“There’s a language barrier, there’s a currency exchange, there’s the challenge of shipping—a lot of time and effort goes into acquiring the pieces we want, but it’s what we live for.”
The pair will return to Morocco in April for their third excursion to the exotic African country, and they are ready to shop. “We hope to ship back a container full after this trip,” Lentini says.