What's the best Moroccan gift for the home or decor lover?

Decor lovers are spoiled in Morocco, and the dream gift is a hand-knotted rug. A creamy Beni Ourain, a vivid Azilal, or a riotous recycled boucherouite transforms a room, and the souks of Marrakech and Fes are full of them. Small accent rugs start around 600–1,200 MAD ($60–120); a statement room-sized piece runs into the thousands. Buy from a co-operative or a reputable dealer, take your time, and be sceptical of every 'genuine antique Berber dowry rug' speech — much of it is recent production, which is fine, just not the heirloom the patter claims.

The lantern is the most photogenic gift in the country and far easier to carry home than a rug. A pierced-brass or coloured-glass lantern throws extraordinary patterns on a wall, and a small-to-medium one is 150–500 MAD. I buy mine in the Marrakech metalworkers' souk where you can watch them being hammered and punched. Pair it with a tealight and you have given someone an entire evening atmosphere in a single object.

For texture and colour without the rug-sized commitment, I love poufs and cushion covers. An unstuffed leather pouf — bought flat and filled at home — is 250–600 MAD and packs completely flat in a suitcase, which is the trick most people miss (never buy one pre-stuffed to fly home). Embroidered or kilim cushion covers (80–250 MAD each) are even lighter; buy a stack of mixed patterns and the recipient can scatter a whole sofa with Morocco. A tadelakt (polished-plaster) bowl or a ceramic vessel adds the final sculptural touch.

Honest packing wisdom: the secret to gifting decor from Morocco is choosing the flat-packable versions. Rugs roll tight and vacuum-bag down; poufs ship empty; cushion covers and throws fold to nothing; lanterns survive wrapped in clothes. Ceramics are the one fragile category — pad them well in laundry, or have a reputable dealer ship larger pieces, which the established rug and ceramic shops do routinely. Build the gift around what travels, and you will get it home intact.