Proving not everyone comes to the Chelsea Market for a brownie or celebrity chef sighting, this packed-to-the-rafters home décor emporium is the passport to a swirling North African fantasy. Owner Mohamed Elmaarouf shuttles between New York and Morocco, importing the custom work of artisans from clans that his family has worked with for generations. (The lack of a middleman keeps prices down for his clientele.) Imports from Marrakesh specializes in dazzlingly patterned, brilliantly hued floor and accent tiles: mosaic, painted, hand-carved, or “pressed” with marble and pigment. A thicket of fanciful nickel or brass lamps swinging overhead are rigged for either bulbs or candles; leather pouf ottomans and deep-piled, white-wool Beniourain rugs set the stage for a sexy Casbah lounge. Less expected is the fact that all this exotica may be rented for Casablanca-themed parties.
