Hassirate, handwoven palm-leaf mats, find their natural setting among the gardens of Villa Erba
Some places seem made to welcome beauty. Villa Erba, on Lake Como, is one of them. During the 2025 edition of Orticolario, in the lakeside park reflected in the water, this corner of Lombardy was once again transformed into something rare: a meeting point between art, nature and craftsmanship unlike any fair, market or exhibition we had ever visited before.
When we decided to bring Casa Amar to Orticolario 2025, we knew it was the right choice. And we already knew what to bring: the Hassirate.
More than a memory of an event, this article begins with a simple realization: some presences continue to make sense long after the moment has passed. And these handwoven mats still have something precise to tell us about the relationship between material, nature and interior design.
What are Hassirate? Handwoven palm-leaf mats
Before telling you about Orticolario, we want to pause for a moment on these extraordinary handmade pieces, because they deserve to be known.
Hassirate (singular: hassira) are handcrafted mats made by weaving the dried leaves of a dwarf palm known as doum, a wild plant that grows naturally in the coastal regions and plains of northern and western Morocco. They are not rugs in the traditional sense: Hassirate belong to a category of their own, that of natural Moroccan mats, an ancient craft tradition.
The weaving technique has been passed down from generation to generation by women in rural Moroccan communities. The leaves are gathered, sorted, sun-dried and then woven by hand with remarkable precision, creating patterns of extraordinary beauty. The result is a one-of-a-kind object, scented with nature, that changes slightly over time and develops an even more beautiful patina.
Why are Hassirate considered rare objects?
Because the entire process is done by hand, the making time is long, and the artisans who still master the most elaborate techniques are becoming fewer and fewer. Every hassira is one of a kind. Dimensions, weave, decorative motifs: no two are ever exactly alike.
To explore the cultural and material value of these handmade pieces in more depth, you can also read "The Last Saharan Mats: Nomadic Art, a Heritage to Preserve".
Hassirate at Villa Erba
Setting up a stand at Orticolario is already an exercise in care in itself: the people who attend this event have a trained and discerning eye, they notice every detail, and they want to feel welcomed into a space that tells a story. That is exactly what we tried to do: create a corner where Hassirate could be seen, touched and understood.
What surprised us most was people’s reaction. They would come closer, stop, bend down, smell, touch. There is something about the weave of natural straw that invites physical contact.
It is a living, vegetal material, carrying with it the scent of the earth and the Moroccan sun.
One of the things we appreciated most about bringing Hassirate to Orticolario was discovering how immediately gardeners and landscape designers perceived them as mats for covered outdoor spaces: pergolas, terraces, transitional spaces between indoors and garden, orangeries, unheated greenhouses.
That is a fair reading: the dwarf palm is a resilient plant, and the mats made from it have a natural sturdiness. But Hassirate live beautifully indoors as well: on terracotta floors, in Mediterranean, boho or minimalist interiors. They work just as well in a loft with light parquet as in a villa with vintage cement tiles.
Moroccan mats and natural interiors: a growing trend
For the architects and interior designers at Orticolario, Hassirate offered an answer to a very specific question: how do you bring into a home a natural element that is authentic, not synthetic, not industrial? Something with a real story behind it.
We are not the only ones to have noticed a growing interest in natural materials in interior design. After years of lacquered finishes, resins and synthetics, the interior design market is shifting towards natural fibres, raw materials and organic textures.
In this context, natural-fibre mats — whether made of palm straw, rush, sisal or jute — are enjoying a moment of strong interest, both in the high-end residential segment and in contract projects such as hotels, resorts and boutiques. Hassirate fit into this trend with one distinct advantage: they are not an industrial product imitating nature. They are nature, with nothing artificial about them.
For those looking for natural rugs and mats for interiors or handcrafted mats for outdoor spaces — two phrases our clients often use to find us — Hassirate are probably the most authentic choice currently available on the market.
On our website you can explore our collection of Hassirate, all one-of-a-kind pieces.
The meaning of being there
People often ask us why we take part in fairs and events when we already have a showroom in Milan and an active e-commerce site. The answer is always the same.
Mats, like rugs, need to be experienced in person. Photography — even the most carefully art-directed kind — cannot convey the scent of a new hassira, the tactile freshness of woven palm straw, or the surprising weight of a large piece. These are things you have to feel.
And then there is the other reason: we believe there are communities worth showing up for. Orticolario is one of them: made up of people who love beauty and fine craftsmanship, who prefer the artisan to the industrial, who choose carefully what they bring into their homes and gardens.
They are our kind of people.
Discover Hassirate on our website
Casa Amar’s Hassirate are available at our showroom in Via Pestalozzi 4, Milan, and on our e-commerce website. Each piece is hand-selected by us in Morocco, with great care for the quality of the workmanship and respect for the artisans who make them.
If you are an architect or designer looking for quantities or custom sizes, get in touch here: we are always happy to work on bespoke projects.
Matteo & Jihane Casa Amar | Milan · Rabat · casaamar.it
