Moroccan Leather Poufs, Set of Two — Tan

A matched pair in natural tan, both whipstitched in cream with a star embroidered on the top face. Tan is the colour the leather starts as before dyeing, and it is the one that darkens and softens most with use — a pair bought together will age at the same rate.

Product details

• Product type: Moroccan leather pouf — a set of two, supplied flat and unstuffed
• Material: 100% cowhide leather, hand-stitched in Morocco
• Size: about 50 cm across and 35 cm high (20 × 14 in), each — a couple of centimetres either way, because each is cut from a hide
• Colour: natural tan, both
• Stitching: cream whipstitch with an embroidered star on each top face
• Filling: not included — zip underneath, fill at home (see below)
• New, made in the traditional way; not an antique
• Care: wipe with a damp cloth and use a leather conditioner now and then; keep it away from radiators and direct sun, which dry and fade the hide

It arrives flat — you fill it at home

The pouf is posted unstuffed and folded into a small parcel, which is why the postage on one is no more than on a cushion. Open the zip underneath and fill it yourself: old clothes and towels are the traditional filling and still the best, a beanbag insert is the tidy modern answer, and wool or foam offcuts sit somewhere between. Pack it much firmer than feels right — a pouf that is loosely filled will slump and never recover its shape. Expect to need more than you think.

Where it goes

Side by side they make a long low table or a bench; apart, one at each end of a sofa. Tan goes with everything and is the safest first pouf. See the other Moroccan leather poufs, or the ikat cushions and suzani cushions that sit well beside them.

How it is made, and where it comes from

This is the one thing in the shop that does not come from Uzbekistan. We keep it because it belongs in the same rooms. Each pouf is cut from cowhide in Morocco, the panels stitched together by hand — the whipstitch you can see running along every seam is done with a needle, not a machine — and the star on the top face is worked into the leather before assembly. They are made in the traditional way, but they are new: we do not sell them as antiques.

Because each one is cut from a hide, the size varies by a couple of centimetres and no two take the dye identically. That is the nature of the material rather than a fault.

Availability

This colour is out of stock. We buy poufs from the same Marrakesh workshop in small batches, so it can be ordered again — tell us which colour you want and we will say when the next batch is due.