After the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century, Islamic Spain became a cultural mix of influences that shaped both private homes and religious spaces. Moorish design was the name given to this style, which evolved through the 15th century with vibrant tile work, horseshoe arches and lavish ornamentation, most visible at sites such as Granada’s Alhambra and the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. Moorish furniture was often similarly ornate, and featured pieces inlaid with wood, ivory and bone.
When European designers began studying Moorish art and architecture in the early 19th century, it led to a Moorish Revival. Appropriating the style’s decorative flourishes and architectural elements, it promoted a romantic view of Islamic design. Travelers could bring home a memento of what they witnessed in the Middle East, a trend that aligned with a fad for themed interiors. Men’s smoking rooms arranged with ottomans, divans and settees and inlaid tables were especially popular, as were cafés where coffee was served amid bead curtains and colorful floor mats. (Handwoven rugs are a centerpiece of Moorish interiors.) Octagonal rooms with domed ceilings were created for wealthy homes, frequently with furnishings like pipe stands, filigree plasterwork and arched doorways. The horseshoe arch is an iconic attribute of Moorish architecture that, in addition to Spain, can be found in Sicily, Morocco and elsewhere.
Several late 19th to early 20th-century movements featured Moorish touches. The American and English Aesthetic Movement, for example, borrowed liberally from global decorating styles, as seen in furniture designed by Lockwood de Forest, a New York-born artist who mixed Eastern and Western forms. The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau also references the elegant use of geometry in Moorish design, with Milanese Art Nouveau furniture designer Carlo Bugatti drawing inspiration from the style. The Arts and Crafts movement, which prized expressive yet simple design, incorporated Moorish influences; hand-painted furniture and tile work created by William De Morgan, a British designer and potter who made furnishings for the likes of Morris & Co., were informed by techniques from Moorish Spain.
Find a collection of Moorish lighting, decorative objects, folk art and more furniture on 1stDibs.
Thai Painted Altar Table or Console
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Antique Thai altar table or console with a strong architectural form. Crafted in wood with three arches supported by four turned wood columns. The ...
Paint
$6,800Sale Price|20% Off
Asian Finely Hand Carved Sideboard from Java, Indonesia
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Very special and unique, fabulous Indonesian sideboard, great quality and very fine hand carved chest of three drawers with two doors. Very interesting work, Anglo-Indian style flow...
Wool
$7,002 / item
Rustic Brown Moroccan Sideboard
Located in Westwood, NJ
Crafted from carved reclaimed pine, featuring a distressed, hand-rubbed, and antiqued brown finish. Six cabinet doors open to reveal a painted interior with removable shelves, combin...
Wood
$8,400
H 36 in W 73 in D 21 in
Tall Bleached White Wash Painted Walnut Marble-Top French Sideboard Console
Located in Rockaway, NJ
French circa 19th century white paint wash marble-top sideboard console. Standing 36" tall on elegant legs connected with beautifully carved stretcher. The sideboard has three d...
Marble
Finely Carved Renaissance Study Set, Late 1800s
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Neo-Renaissance studio, late 1800s early 1900s, carved on solid walnut. Lombard origin. Origin Villa Campari. Study sideboard 224x62x121H, serving sideboard 183x50x132h, table 185x8...
Walnut
$2,400Sale Price|29% Off
H 36 in W 66.5 in D 23 in
Antique Rustic Louis XV Style French Provincial Sideboard
Located in Sheffield, MA
The French Provincial style sideboard has two smaller side drawers and one larger middle drawer, all dovetailed. Below are two panelled doors flanking a centre panel all a la French ...
Wood
$5,331
H 48.82 in W 53.75 in D 17.33 in
Antique Northern Swedish Solid Pine Classic Gustavian Rustic Sideboard
Located in Kramfors, SE
Gustavian early 1800s sideboard made around 1820 in northern Sweden. The sideboard is made in solid pine with a classic straight gustavian shape with flutes at the corners. Old histo...
Pine
$5,720
H 43.71 in W 58.67 in D 15.56 in
Antique Spanish Rustic Sideboard in Solid Wood with Hand-Forged Iron Hardware
Located in Miami, FL
**Description** This impressive antique Spanish sideboard is a remarkable example of traditional craftsmanship, combining architectural eleg...
Walnut
1930s French Provincial Hand-Carved Oak Three-Door Sideboard
Located in Kaštel Sućurac, HR
French workshop, three door enfilade, oak, France, 1930s. Each door carries a pyramidal diamond point cut in high relief, the four faces meeting at a raised central peak, set within...
Iron
18th century Italian Rustic Sideboard
Located in Charleston, SC
A long, very patinated with original brilliant blue color Italian 18th century rustic sideboard with three paneled large doors and drawers under natural rounded shape blank top. More than ever...
Iron
Large French Country Console Table
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Large French Country console table. This beautiful table has a natural top with a lightly distressed painted finish in soft sage green. ...
Wood
Large Hand-carved Sideboard, Oak, Spain, 1940s
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
J.A.D.A Galerie present: Spanish workshop, four door sideboard, oak, Spain, 1940s. Four drawers run in a frieze across the top of the case, and below them four doors carry the whol...
Wrought Iron
Fabulous Aldo Tura Brown Goatskin Sideboard
By Aldo Tura
Located in Munich, DE
Fabulous lacquered goatskin sideboard with nice brass details, designed by Aldo Tura, in 1960s. Illuminated and two glass shelves inside on a wooden tanned pearwood base.
Brass
Sideboard Walnut Carved
Located in Toronto, CA
Walnut sideboard three drawers and four doors, carved pillars and back splash.
Walnut
Vintage French Carved Sideboard
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Transport your home to the French countryside with this stately vintage sideboard, a masterclass in French Provincial design. Drawing inspiration from the Louis XV era, this piece fe...
Brass
Antique White Arabesque Sideboard
Located in Westwood, NJ
This exquisite piece boasts a tranquil white finish, gently distressed to reveal undertones of natural wood for a perfectly aged look. The front fascia is adorned with arabesque mosa...
Wood
Antiqued Sage Arabesque Sideboard
Located in Westwood, NJ
This exquisite piece boasts a tranquil sage green finish, gently distressed to reveal undertones of natural wood for a perfectly aged look. The front fascia is adorned with arabesque...
Wood
Whitewash Painted Moroccan Sideboard
Located in Westwood, NJ
Carved from reclaimed pine and finished in a distressed and antiqued whitewash, this piece exudes rustic charm. Six cabinet doors open to reveal a painted interior with removable she...
Wood
Blue Painted Moroccan Sideboard
Located in Westwood, NJ
Carved reclaimed pine in a dark blue distressed and antiqued finish. Six cabinet doors open to reveal a painted interior with removable shelves. Dimensions: 98" W x 19" D x 35" H
Wood
Antique White Moroccan Sideboard
Located in Westwood, NJ
A dynamic piece of furniture suitable for use in a large hallway, in the den, or the dining room. With four doors that open to a painted interior with shelves and made with carved pine and a hand-rubbed antique white...
Wood
Dark Moroccan Sideboard
Located in Westwood, NJ
A dynamic piece of furniture suitable for use in a large hallway, in the den, or the dining room. With four doors that open to a painted interior with shelves and made with carved pi...
Wood
Antique Late 1800s Moorish Inlaid & Carved Sideboard / Credenza
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Elevate your living space with this Antique Moroccan-Style Handmade 19th-Century Sideboard Cabinet, a masterpiece of Moorish craftsmanship that exudes exotic beauty and intricate det...
Bone, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Sold
H 34.5 in W 40 in D 20.5 in
Jasper Cabinet Co Mid Century Flip Top Server Buffet Dry Bar Cart Wine Credenza
Located in Dayton, OH
"Mid Century Jasper Furniture Company buffet or dry bar. Made of oak featuring a moorish quatrefoil / celtic / clover shaped accents with flip open top and lower cabinet with storage tray for barware and liquor / wine bottle slots. The Jasper Cabinet Furniture...
Oak
Mother of Pearl Inlaid Middle Eastern Cabinet
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Mother of pearl inlaid and bone Moroccan style cabinet, made in the middle east, early 21st century. The overall dimensions are, height 38.75" width 52.5" depth 16.5". The dimensions...
Bone, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Sold
H 40.75 in W 36.5 in D 16.25 in
1920s Moroccan Commode, Chest, Cabinet or Sideboard with Arch Design
Located in Plainview, NY
An early 20th century unique piece that was acquired in a Riad of a private collector in Marrakech. The chest, commode to cabinet features high quality inlay of white camel bone and brass. The ebonized wood will make this piece seamlessly blend in any design. The craftsmanship is just astonishing. The Taj Mahal / Moorish arches design...
Metal
Asian Finely Hand-Carved Sideboard from Java, Indonesia
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Very special and unique, fabulous Indonesian sideboard, great quality and very fine hand-carved chest of three drawers with two doors. Very interesting work, Anglo-Indian style flow...
Syrian Mother-of-Pearl and Tortoise Sideboard
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Fabulous large Syrian mother-of-pearl inlay, bone and tortoise chest of drawers. Sideboard buffet with 4 drawers on each side and one drawer and two doors in the middle. Fabulous i...
Bone, Mother-of-Pearl, Tortoise Shell