Talking Shop With Suad Cano
BERBERE WORLD IMPORTS
How long have you been in business?
For the past 40 years, we’ve been sourcing exotic furnishings for Southern California collectors.
What inspired you to move the showroom to Inglewood, California?
We had lots of inventory in Culver City, but you couldn’t see it all. Now you can see what we have, down to a teacup from Morocco. The space includes offices and a showroom, the second floor is just for accessories and outside is spectacular–Buddhas from China, Indonesia, Thailand and India, antique doors and architectural pieces.
What can visitors expect to find?
One-of-a-kind items: stone troughs from all over the world, Ottoman Empire pottery, carved-wood screens and inlaid black-and-white furniture.
Tell us about your custom offerings.
We’re doing lighting now, huge brass pieces, and we do custom pillows made from Egyptian, Turkish, Moroccan and Indian textiles.
What are some recent projects?
Avra, a Greek restaurant in Beverly Hills, used a lot of our old pieces like our Mesopotamian pots. Martyn Lawrence Bullard was here for a new hotel he’s working on. But not all of our clients are designers–Lionel Richie visits, too.
