‘Marrakech is a city shaped as much by memory as by movement,’ says Touria El Glaoui, founding director of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. It’s a perspective that has come to define her platform: one rooted in heritage yet insistently forward-looking, committed to positioning African contemporary art and its global diaspora within the wider cultural conversation.

Born in Casablanca and raised in Rabat, El Glaoui grew up between two very different worlds: the daughter of painter Hassan El Glaoui and the granddaughter of Thami El Glaoui, the last Pasha of Marrakesh. Time spent at her family’s riad in the Ochre City, surrounded by horses, gardens, colour and light, connected her to Marrakech from a young age.

She launched 1-54 in London in 2013, shortly after leaving her role as head of Cisco Systems’ sales in Africa. The position had taken her frequently across the African continent and the Middle East, sharpening her interest in artistic production across regions. During this period, she also co-curated exhibitions in London and Marrakech, exploring her father’s oeuvre.

Following the success of the London fair, a New York edition followed in 2015. With 1-54’s core mission centred on ensuring African artists are visible within major institutions, collections and critical discourse, a Marrakech edition felt inevitable. It also addressed a deeper ambition: to challenge the cultural disconnect between North Africa and the rest of the continent. Since its inception, the fair has presented more than 600 artists and collaborated with over 250 galleries.

As the fair prepares to open its seventh Marrakech edition, El Glaoui shares her favourite addresses in the city. ‘For those arriving during 1-54, or discovering Marrakech beyond the fair,’ she says, ‘these are places that reflect how the city lives today: between heritage and contemporary culture, social life and ritual.’

What to see and do in Marrakech, Touria El Glaoui’s tips

Where to stay

La Mamounia

‘La Mamounia is inseparable from Marrakech’s cultural rhythm. Beyond its gardens and architecture, it remains a natural meeting point for the city’s creative and social life, especially during 1-54, when conversations unfold as easily over dinner as they do between exhibitions.’

La Mamounia is located at Avenue Bab Jdid, Marrakech 40040, Morocco

What to do

Guéliz

‘Guéliz is where Marrakech feels most urban and immediate. A busy, lived-in neighbourhood, it’s anchored by galleries such as Loft Art Gallery and Le Galerie 38, which together offer a clear reading of the contemporary art scene, confident, international and rooted in the city.’

MACAAL

‘MACAAL anchors Marrakech within a wider continental dialogue. Among other projects, it will present ‘Statues Also Breathe’, a major sculptural installation by Prune Nourry, a powerful collective work developed with Nigerian art students, women potters and the families of the girls from Chibok, celebrating shared memory and resilience.’

MACAAL is located at Al Maaden, Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Le MAP Marrakech – Monde des Arts de la Parure

‘A discreet but essential stop, MAP highlights the artistry of adornment and craftsmanship. The Museum will feature the beautiful exhibition Entre Lieux by Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux, which resonates deeply with the idea of movement, memory and in-between spaces.’

Le MAP Marrakech – Monde des Arts de la Parure is located at 39, 40 Ksibat Nhass, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Quartier Industriel Sidi Ghanem

‘This is Marrakech in production mode. An industrial area turned creative hub, Sidi Ghanem brings together studios, designers and galleries, such as MCC Gallery. I often stop for coffee at Jajjah by Hassan Hajjaj, before browsing Topolina or spending a design-focused moment at Maison Sarayan.’

Where to eat and drink

Bacha Coffee

‘Set inside a magnificent palace in the Medina, Bacha Coffee is as much about atmosphere as it is about ritual. The experience is immersive and a pause shaped by architecture, ceremony and an exceptional coffee culture.’

Bacha Coffee is located at Dar el Bacha, Rte Sidi Abdelaziz, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

La Grande Table Marocaine, Royal Mansour Marrakech

‘For a refined expression of Moroccan cuisine, this is the address I return to. The experience is precise, a respectful dialogue between tradition, technique and time.’

La Grande Table Marocaine, Royal Mansour Marrakech is located at Rue Abou El Abbas Sebti, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Sahbi Sahbi

‘Warm, contemporary and deeply rooted, restaurant Sahbi Sahbi reflects a Marrakech that feels generous and confident. It’s the kind of place that quickly becomes habitual rather than a one-off discovery.’

Sahbi Sahbi is located at 37 Bd el Mansour Eddahbi, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Where to shop

Boutique El Fenn

‘A carefully curated space where design, craft and contemporary sensibility meet. The selection feels personal rather than decorative objects chosen for how they live, not how they perform.’

Boutique El Fenn is located at 2 Rue Fatima Zahra, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Scented boutique hotels and floodlit, concrete skateparks haven’t traditionally appealed to the same crowd, but behind the walls of Marrakesh’s historic medina, one eclectic riad suggests otherwise. With an experimental model, the four-bedroom hotel run is part of skater-turned-hotelier Louis Devereux’s plan to galvanise Morocco’s rollerblading scene.

Check in, roll out: Riad Alena

Riad Alena opened not long after Devereux launched Skate to Create (STC). The charity introduces Morocco’s youth to inline skating by offering free lessons and equipment, while partnering with other non-profits such as Concrete Jungle Foundation to build skateparks across the country. ‘STC initially started as a UK charity,’ the animated 34-year-old explains, ‘but when I arrived in Morocco five years ago, I realised a free school was needed far more here than in London.’ The riad is the engine behind the operation, with five per cent of its revenue directed towards the project.

Any skater – or guest donating rollerblading gear – a 15 per cent discount is given, and for the more hardy clientele, surf-skate tours to STC’s Jams – large-scale open competitions held several times yearly across Morocco – can be booked. Since its soft launch in late 2021, pro skaters including Joe Atkinson, CJ Wellsmore and Adrian Anne have stayed, joining the tri-weekly open skating sessions at Marrakech’s Menara Park or at the Centre Fiers et Forts orphanage skatepark in nearby Tameslouht.

‘You get such a different experience staying at a riad,’ Devereux notes. ‘So by being in the medina, we attract the curious, well-travelled guest who wants to connect to, rather than take from, Morocco.’ And with only four rooms, the intimacy of Riad Alena makes it impossible to shake the feeling you’ve walked into a friend-of-a-friend’s stylish living room.

The 19th-century riad has the air of a jewel box, unfolding around a tiled courtyard and upward through the floors toward an open skylight, white bougainvillaea trailing after it. Rooms with stitched-leather floors and copper lantern lighting are dotted with mid-century design pieces sourced at antique fairs and reupholstered in striped Moroccan kilims. There’s a ground-floor salon lined with plush Amazigh rugs and a glowing open hearth, while upstairs, a rooftop solarium has hosted an al fresco dinner for forty.

‘I looked for something as close to the walls of the medina as possible,’ Devereux says. ‘It was the first riad I saw, but I knew it was the one.’ Otherwise relaxed, his only hard line was regarding sustainability: the riad runs on solar-heated water, features no baths, and uses grey water for plants. All eight artisans who executed the renovation were born and raised within the medina’s walls.

If it all sounds a little like El Fenn, Marrakech’s iconic luxury hotel just five minutes away, that’s because Devereux was previously a manager there. It has even been nicknamed ‘El Fennito’ by Devereux’s mother, Vanessa Branson, who not only lent her design consultancy but also a few of her expressive modernist artworks that grace the tadelakt-plastered walls.

This winter, the riad hosts two Moroccan artists in residence: Yassine Sellame and Salaheddine Elbouaaichi, both producing work to be exhibited as part of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in February. Instrumental to STC, Yassine – a great skateboarder himself – has been documenting the skateboard scene for the past decade, and nobody knows the culture as he does. While Salaheddine documents the hip-hop scene and city life. ‘Their joint show is called Wheels in Motion, exploring how the wheel is such an integral part of life in urban Marrakech,’ Devereux explains.

The rolling Riad Alena Artist Residency (RAAR) runs three shows annually, but this artist pairing is the first to link back to STC, in the circular, mutually-beneficial way Devereux so appreciates. ‘I always think about the difference between simply observing, and being part of, the city,’ he says, excitedly, ‘and Alena is here to be part of Marrakech.’

Riad Alena is located at 35 Derb Jdid, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Vancouver-based Obakki is a lifestyle brand that connects its customers to the world around them through human stories and handcraft. Founded by Canadian designer and humanitarian entrepreneur Treana Peake in 2005, within two years it was already ploughing profits into international development through the Obakki Foundation, the retailer's philanthropic arm: funding earthquake relief, creating access to clean water, drilling wells and building schools, helping roughly four million people to date.

Peake finds every product by travelling: tapestries by Gujarat weavers, Oaxacan clay objects, and glass plates inspired by the slow flow of fog through Osaka. For her latest collection, she travelled to Morocco, where she discovered sustainably harvested prickly pear oil, ancient Tadelakt pottery, and naturally dyed Moroccan rugs that seem to have soaked up the shifting amber light of the desert.

With her unique business model based on empathy, Peake has an origin story that bears repetition. Raised by a single mom in a small Alberta town, she grew up in financial straits. One day, someone pushed an envelope of cash under the door. The envelopes arrived, year after year, paying rent, furnishing Christmases and birthday parties.

'This envelope was everything when there was nothing,' Peake said during a 2015 TEDxVancouver talk. It became a model for how she wanted to live her life. Even after, in fairytale fashion, marrying the guitarist for Nickelback, Peake made sure that hers remained a story about the virtuous loop of a pay-it-forward world view, in which people are privileged over products, success is savoured by giving to others, and the thank-you loop remains in perpetual motion.

An interview with Obakki founder, Treana Peake

Wallpaper*: What experience enabled you to create Obakki?

Treana Peake: I studied psychiatry with a focus on rehabilitation services. But I really took my education from the field, spending the past 35 years working in conflict zones, receiving hands-on training from the UN and various others in the development sector. My first trip was to Cameroon when I was 17 years old.

W*: Obakki was originally a fashion label, can you tell me more about that?

TP: Yes. Obakki exhibited all over the world, selling in department stores, but from the start, fashion was never just about clothes for me. We used it as a platform for creating change and despite the extreme differences between fashion and development, we were successful. In Bidi Bidi, one of the world’s largest refugee resettlement areas, I met women who told me, ‘These hands are made for growing rice, not for receiving bags of rice.’ That moment changed everything for me. I handed them paint and paper and asked them to tell their stories visually. We printed their designs on textiles, sold them globally, and reinvested 100 per cent of the profits back into their community. This funded agricultural farms, tailor shops, soap-making collectives, and clean water projects. It was the beginning of merging fashion with impact.

At the same time, I spent years drilling wells in South Sudan and other countries. After each well, I’d gather the villagers and ask, ‘How do we create long-term economic security?’ Women would bring forward pots, textiles, or handmade pieces, items they had been creating for generations. That’s when I realised that creativity and craft could be a bridge to sustainability. My philanthropic work and my creative outlet merged naturally. Today, we work with artisans in more than 19 countries.

W*: Why did you leave the fashion industry?

TP: Even with all our efforts – local manufacturing, natural fibers, reuse of materials – the fashion system itself just isn’t built for sustainability. The entire supply chain is misaligned: buying calendars, fabric production schedules, and marketing timelines rarely sync up. You’re often forced to overproduce fabrics or overcommit without confirmed orders.

Then there are the realities of big retail such as buyback policies, penalties, and products that never even make it onto the sales floor. It became clear that even as one of the 'sustainable' brands, we were operating inside a system that fundamentally wasn’t. I needed to take all that creative energy and put it into something more transparent, lasting, and ethical.

W*: Where did you find Obakki's first collection?

TP: Our first collection came from Mali. I travelled deep into the north, crossing rivers on small boats to meet artisans creating indigo-dyed textiles, mud cloth, wooden bowls, and pottery. Those pieces became the start of everything. They sold out quickly, but more importantly, they set the tone for how we would work: through relationships, respect, and preservation of heritage techniques.

W*: When you were a child, your family experienced a repeated act of generosity in a time of need. What did that anonymous kindness mean to you then?

TP: Every year, someone would slip an unmarked envelope of money under our door to help my family get through the year. We never knew who it came from. I used to lie awake wondering what kind of person would do something like that without ever expecting anything in return.

That experience made me believe in the quiet goodness of people, and it became the foundation of the Obakki Foundation. I could never close that thank-you loop and I’ve spent my life trying to pay it forward. Now, when someone says to me, 'How can I ever repay you?' I get to say, 'You don’t have to. Just pass it on.'

W*: How do you form partnerships and bring a product to market?

TP: It always begins with trust. I spend time in each community, learning their process, understanding their challenges, and identifying how we can build on their existing strengths. We enter every relationship with a long-term vision.

In rural regions, or in communities where our foundation is also active, we first focus on ensuring there’s a strong local market in place. This step is essential so that artisans are not dependent solely on us as an international buyer. After many years of development work, I’ve seen firsthand the harm that can occur when external influence disrupts local economies. Sustainability only exists when our involvement holds the same weight as local demand.

Once a healthy market balance is established, we begin purchasing their work and reinvesting profits back into the community through our foundation. This support takes many forms – clean water access, livelihood initiatives, education, healthcare - always defined in collaboration with the artisans and their villages.

W*: Do you have any favourite Obakki products?

TP: My favourite pieces aren’t necessarily about the design itself but about the story and the person behind them. When you understand that there’s a person behind the object – sometimes a woman who’s walked miles up a mountain to gather clay, then spent weeks moulding and firing it in her outdoor kiln – you begin to view things differently. And when you fill your home with these small memories, your space starts to feel global, layered, and alive with meaning and authenticity.

W*: You must see suffering and hardship during your travels. Where do you find hope?

TP: Hope is something I see in people every day. I’ve spent much of my life in the field, travelling to some of the most remote places on earth – from refugee camps to small rural villages that take days to reach – and what I always find is connection, love, understanding, curiosity. For me, hope lives in those human connections. Sometimes I need to turn off the noise and simply be present with others.

This minimalist Moroccan villa was crafted to cater to seemingly opposing needs – the owner's desire for a calm retreat, but also a space that can come alive with dinner parties and vibrant conversation when he’s entertaining creative friends who visit from all over the world. It was a tall order, but one that French-Moroccan architect Othmane Bengebara pulled off. The resulting private house, DDAR, set in the north African country's region of Essaouira, balances ease with poise, and was conceived by Bengebara as an ‘observatory of time and nature’.

Tour this minimalist Moroccan villa in Essaouira

DDAR extends across 300 sq m within a 25-acre site that overlooks sleepy agricultural land. The completed home contains a series of lounges for different moods and occasions, a bar, bedrooms, art-filled gallery rooms, a kitchen and a dining room. Plans to extend the property with independent pavilions for guest homes and activities, a pool area and a wellness centre are part of the scheme's second phase – currently in development.

The owner says: 'This project began during Covid. Like many, we felt the urge to have more space, live healthier, focus on wellbeing, and reconnect with nature and our cultural roots – while also creating a place to inspire and gather with our friends, who are mostly creatives from all over the world. It was very important to us that the local human fabric should be included in the project as much as possible for it to have a positive impact, and that the house should be a place that would foster dialogue between our circle of creatives and the locals.

'From the beginning, we wanted it to be a project by and for our generation: we looked for an architect of our age living in Morocco, worked exclusively with local artisans, commissioned objects from local artists, hired local staff, and even collaborated with a Moroccan photographer our age to shoot it when it was finished. Another key value was sustainability, as we were acutely aware of scarce natural resources – especially water – so it became central to the design process.

'Our architect Othmane Bengebara brought in young bioclimatic engineers as soon as he started drawing. They introduced strategies such as using the wind as natural AC (this informed a lot of the orientation of the house and the placement of openings), choosing materials and techniques that eliminated the need for heating, and building robust water management systems.'

The client's passion for culture and design is also reflected in their collection of artworks, objects and rare books, mostly 20th-century and contemporary. These are now hung or placed across the home, elevating the architecture's rich, textured interior with a layer of sophistication and celebration of local and international creativity – connecting the interior to its context, while inviting the world in.

The owner adds: 'The space we had in mind was quite large, but we wanted it to remain humble. The solution was to integrate it as much as possible into the landscape, using the colours of the earth and the volumes of the surrounding trees. We conceived it from the outside in: elements of the landscape determined where windows would be placed and how they would be scaled, framing views like living paintings from inside the house. Also, as the first drawings took shape, we started sourcing furniture, focusing exclusively on designers from the region and its diaspora, or international designers who had worked in North Africa in the 20th century. It took nearly three years to build a collection of around 200 pieces.

'It includes, among others, Mathieu Matégot, who had factories in Morocco in the 1950s and made furniture for various projects in the country; Ronald Cecil Sportes, who designed pieces for hotels and embassies here too; Charlotte Perriand and Jean-Louis Bonnant, who worked in Mauritania; and Algerian pioneers like Chafik Gasmi, Abdelkader Abdi, Cherif Medjeber, and Yamo, who are the first generation of North African designers who emigrated to Europe.

'Every element and detail in the house is a celebration of local life and of the North African art of hosting: bed linens embroidered by women here, tableware we commissioned to artist Khalid Boualaam, who is the son of a great Moroccan ceramicist, cutlery we commissioned to Sara Moukhles, vintage coffee spoons from Royal Air Maroc, slippers crafted from fish leather tanned by women at the port, and more.'

Bengebara's architecture draws on the local vernacular in its tactile nature and colours, which help it blend effortlessly into the surrounding landscape. It also demonstrates principles of site-specific, sustainable architecture. With the aid of solar panels, the home produces its own energy, while smart placement of openings and ventilation strategies mean that it requires no artificial heating or cooling.

The architect, who is based between Casablanca and Paris, works holistically across the fields of building and interior design and art, having also co-founded New South Collective in 2015, 'a platform dedicated to addressing contemporary challenges in the global south and cultivating new design practices'. He has led his independent practice, Othmane Bengebara Studio, since 2020.

Bengebara writes of DDAR on his website: ‘The house unfolds like an observatory open to time and the events of nature, welcoming and magnifying the energies of each person. The interior is reassuringly monumental, and houses a wonderful collection highlighting art and design from North Africa from the 1960s to the present day.'

@ddar.house

Marrakech has long been a source of inspiration for creatives, and so it’s no surprise it has also become a hub for design hotels, which embody so well the city’s colourful style. Jnane Rumi is the latest to open its doors, housed in an architecturally significant villa in the tranquillity of the Palmeraie.

Wallpaper* checks in at Jnane Rumi, Marrakech

What’s on your doorstep?

Jnane Rumi sits in the well-heeled Triangle d’Or quarter of the La Palmeraie district, where the King’s mother once lived and where Paloma Picasso still does. Driving through, you’ll spot high walls and grand arched doorways guarding some of Marrakech’s most prestigious properties. The hotel itself is surrounded by a 100-year-old garden filled with olive and pistachio trees, twittering birds and crowing roosters. You’ll also occasionally hear resident rescue donkey Zwina, who is now the mascotte de la maison and lives a much happier life roaming amongst Jnane Rumi’s palms.

Who is behind the design?

The villa was originally designed by famed Tunisian architect Charles Boccara, the name behind the Marrakech Theatre Royal and another La Palmeraie address, Hotel Les Deux Tours. Dutch art lawyer Gert-Jan van den Bergh and his wife Corinne came across the property as they were looking for a family home; its potential made them shift plans and embark on the adventure of becoming first-time hoteliers. To keep a connection with the building’s past, van den Bergh tapped architect Nicolas Bodé, a student of Boccara’s, alongside painter and sculptor Jacques van Nieuwerburgh to add a second floor to the house in the same style as the original build.

The interior design was a full team effort by van den Bergh, appointed artistic director of the property, artist Samy Snoussi, and manager Armir. The outdoor pavilions present a seaside chic theme – think turquoise painted shutters and pink and white striped walls, whilst the larger suites in the main house feel grander and more eclectic. Each space is filled with a mish-mash of European antiques and contemporary design pieces, note the rugs and chairs by Mina Abouzahra and furniture from Marrakech’s Maison Blaoui, all mixed in with Moroccan design elements such as arched doorways and latticed woodwork.

A standout feature is the often-forgotten bathroom, which at Jnane Rumi ranges from a walk-in shower tiled with earthy brown zellige tiles and finished with a traditional kouss en bois wooden archways, to a huge sunken tub sitting under a nine-metre vaulted ceiling. As a finishing touch, Snoussi curated the selection of rotating artworks, with a particular focus on Moroccan artists, and also added some of his own paintings into the mix, including a gold hand-painted fresco on the ceiling of the tea room.

The room to book

Out of the 11 guest rooms, seven suites are located in the main property, while three pavilions and one annexe are set apart from the house. In terms of privacy and space, the annexe stands out as the clear winner. The one-bedroom house, positioned away from the main building, features its own living room, plunge pool, and garden, making it ideal for more intimate evening dinners. It also has a door connecting to the three pavilions, which can be reserved for larger groups. That said, each room has its own charm and selections shouldn't be made based solely on square footage. Choose whichever you feel most drawn to.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

Dutch chef Karin Gaasterland, who previously did a residency at Marrakech’s El Fenn, has designed the menu to give a European twist to the traditional tagine, prepared in the kitchen by Moroccan chef Moula and his team. Lids are lifted tableside to reveal not a slow-cooked stew, but slices of lamb and merguez sausages, whole fish topped with anchovies, pistachio, coriander harissa, and tiny petit poussin chickens bathed in a lemon, tarragon, and black olive sauce.

The idea is to order a few and share, but one will suit solo travellers along with a side of buttery, tajine mashed potato. There is a small menu of wine and champagne, but the mint tea, iced tea, and fresh green juices are so good you might be convinced to try a detox. Breakfast is a small feast of Moroccan-style eggs spiced with cumin, msemmen bread, local cheese, and yoghurt sweetened with almonds, honey, and dried fruits. Like dinner, it’s served wherever you wish to start your day, although poolside in the early morning sun was very special.

Where to switch off

Whilst Jnane Rumi will be opening a hammam and treatment room for massages, relaxing here isn’t really about spa time. Lounge around the huge sea green tiled pool under gold-edged parasols, pick up a book in the Library, or take yourself off to the tea room for an afternoon refreshment (which could also be something stronger than tea). But, as well as switching off in whatever works for you, the property hopes to ‘switch on’ guests too, by introducing them to new artists, books and Moroccan culture.

The verdict

If you thought Marrakech didn’t need another design hotel, think again. Visually, Jnane Rumi is rather stunning, a rich and colourful tapestry of Moroccan art, craftsmanship and design, but it’s also the warmth of the service and the beauty of the gardens that set this apart as a truly special place. Come to be inspired, or to simply retreat and relax around the beautiful blue pool.

Jnane Rumi is located at M24H+GVW, Rue Assawssan, Marrakech, Morocco.

Marrakech has always attracted visitors for the serene beauty of its gardens, the ritual of its mint tea, the ancient symbolism of its architecture and the intricate designs found in the ever-teeming medina. But modern-day Marrakech is now offering travellers something more: it is rapidly emerging as a global centre for contemporary art.

This transformation is encapsulated by the January 2025 reopening of the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), which unveiled one of the most significant collections of its genre ever assembled following its two-year refurbishment. With MACAAL at its core, Marrakech is positioning itself not only as a cultural capital of Africa, but as a city of global artistic relevance.

With dynamic gallery programming across the city, and thanks to events such as the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Marrakech is now a meeting point for artists, collectors and curators from across the world.

This cultural momentum is mirrored in the city’s hospitality sector, where landmark hotels such as Es Saadi and Riad Madani house museum-quality private collections, often featuring works by European modernists as well as Moroccan and pan-African artists. Here are the best artful addresses to book now.

The best Marrakech hotels for art lovers

Amanjena

The hotel – the first Aman resort on the African continent – was designed in 2000 by the late American architect Ed Tuttle, who was inspired by Arabic architecture and the Berber practice of creating rammed-earth structures, as well as more ornate Moorish building styles. A central reflective lake is surrounded by shady gardens dotted with 40 standalone guest pavilions and maisons: one- and two-bedroom villas featuring private heated pools and gardens, outdoor gazebos or open fireplaces for chilly evenings. (Team Wallpaper* visited for a fashion shoot in 2024, How to wear black in summer.) Upon request, the hotel can organise a range of guided excursions to explore the souks of the medina and the Djemaa el-Fna, as well as the palaces, gardens and museums of ancient Marrakech. Sofia de la Cruz

Amanjena is located at Km 12, Route de Ouarzazate, Marrakech 40000, Morocco;

Es Saadi Marrakech Resort

Located in the Hivernage district, Es Saadi is a sprawling resort that includes both the main hotel and the more exclusive Palace wing. Known for its eight-hectare park and acclaimed spa, it has long drawn European jet-setters seeking relaxation and wellness. It is also home to one of the city’s oldest casinos and frequently hosts cultural events. Its central location makes it ideal for art lovers exploring Marrakech on foot. But the hotel also contains its own gallery, in which modern and contemporary art from Morocco and the wider region, collected over decades, is displayed to museum quality. Contemporary artists featured include Mahi Binebine, Mohamed Mourabiti, and Moa Bennani.

Es Saadi Marrakech Resort is located at Avenue Quadissia, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

El Fenn

Featured in our guide to the world’s best art hotels and one of Marrakech’s most storied boutique hotels, El Fenn occupies a trio of interconnected riads in the medina. Known for the quality of its interiors, rooftop terraces and art-filled rooms, the hotel was founded by Vanessa Branson, sister of Richard and a major patron of the arts. El Fenn has long championed Moroccan artists, such as Hassan Hajjaj and Yto Barrada, with works displayed throughout the property and a gallery space on site. Its bohemian spirit and dedication to design have made it a favourite among creatives and collectors alike.

El Fenn is located at Derb Moulay Abdullah Ben Hezzian, 2, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco;

La Mamounia

Opened in 1923 and recently renovated, La Mamounia is among the most iconic hotels in Africa. Known for its lush gardens and art deco-meets-Moorish interiors, the hotel blends tradition with luxury, hosting visiting artists and often collaborating with the city’s major cultural events. 1-54 Marrakech, the continent’s most prominent contemporary art fair, is held here annually. This year’s edition brought together 30 galleries (eight based in Morocco) representing artists from 14 countries.

La Mamounia is located at Avenue Bab Jdid, Marrakech 40040, Morocco

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Set amid olive groves and landscaped gardens, the Mandarin Oriental Marrakech blends modern luxury with Moroccan design. The hotel occupies 20 hectares and includes 58 villas and seven suites, many with private pools and hammams. Interiors combine Berber influences with contemporary styling, while the multiple fusion restaurants elevate the sense of indulgence. Located just ten minutes from the medina, the Mandarin Oriental offers a tranquil counterpoint to the city’s addictive chaos, and is increasingly popular with visitors seeking a restful, art-centred escape. The in-house MO Studio is a space dedicated to cultural dialogue founded by Carmen Haid and Moroccan artist Idriss Karnachi. During the day, guests can discover seasonal exhibitions, curated in collaboration with Galerie 208, and, in the evenings, engage in art-infused celebrations and events.

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech is located at Rte Golf Royal, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Riad Madani

In the midst of the medina, Riad Madani is a historic residence formerly owned by a French diplomat and now reimagined as a boutique hotel, with rooms and salons that retain their original character. The riad is filled with art, including pieces by Picasso, Dufy and Miró. Antique furnishings, traditional zellige tilework and landscaped gardens add to the atmosphere. Lanterns light the garden in the evenings, and the suites are rich in artefacts.

Riad Madani is located at 64, Derb Moulay Abdelkader, Marrakech 12287, Morocco

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women made up 51.2 per cent of the hospitality workplace in 2023, making it one of the few sectors where they outnumber men. As you move up the organisational hierarchy, however, the numbers paint a different picture, with only 30 per cent of management and leadership positions being held by women.

The representation of women in the upper echelons of hospitality is improving, with a cohort of influential hoteliers changing the guard. We spotlight five of them below; these women are doing brilliant things in their fields, and represent the driving forces behind some of the world’s best hotels.

Top women hoteliers on the changing face of hospitality

Amanda Hyndman, Mandarin Oriental

The chief operating officer of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is a big name in the space, having occupied it for over 30 years. Hyndman was promoted to her role in November 2024, and retains her position as chief people and culture officer. She has worked at Mandarin Oriental for 18 years, holding senior and management roles all over the world, from the UK, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Washington DC to Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland and China.

Wallpaper*: Have you ever felt that working in a male-dominated industry has held you back?

Amanda Hyndman: When I began my career, hospitality was pretty male-dominated, especially in leadership roles. However, I never saw it as a limitation, but rather an opportunity to prove my capability and carve out a path for future female leaders. The key for me was to build great teams and lead with both confidence and kindness. A number of people gave me opportunities and I always had a strong group of peers who had my back. There were also times that I had to advocate for myself and ensure my voice was heard.

W*: Do you feel that the state of the industry has changed?

AH: I dislike the word industry – it sounds like car manufacturing. Hospitality is a profession. There has been progress in gender representation, particularly in recognising the value of diverse leadership, but not enough. At Mandarin Oriental, we see diversity as a core strength that enhances creativity and performance – our business is built on human connection, and there is an increasing recognition that diverse leadership fosters richer, more meaningful experiences.

W*: What does the future hold for women in hospitality?

AH: I would love to see more women not only in senior management but also in operational and ownership roles, shaping the future of luxury hospitality at every level. It’s not just about breaking barriers, but about ensuring that the next generation of female leaders has the support, mentorship and opportunities to thrive.

mandarinoriental.com

Catherine Malouf, The Calile

The Calile is named after Catherine Malouf’s great-grandfather, Calile (originally Khalil) Malouf, who left Lebanon for Australia in 1892. While the family-owned hotel opened in 2018, it was in 2021, under the co-ownership of first-time hotelier Malouf, that it went stratospheric, dubbed Australia’s first ‘urban resort’ and earning a place in the prestigious World’s 50 Best Hotel Awards in 2023 and 2024 (being named Best in Oceania in 2023).

Wallpaper*: Have you ever felt that working in a male-dominated industry has held you back?

Catherine Malouf: Being the eldest daughter in a patriarchal Lebanese family, and born in an era when women were told that they could do anything, I have been personally and professionally defined by challenging gender roles. Not one to conform, I fled the limiting belief that women’s place was in the kitchen with the children and had a humble start in hospitality in my twenties.

With the opening of The Calile Hotel, the opportunity arose for me to become more involved in our family company, initially managing client relationships as project liaison officer. Since then, my role has expanded to include brand development, marketing, cultural programming and partnerships, human resources, charity and philanthropic endeavours.

W*: Do you feel that the state of the industry has changed?

CM: The hotel industry has changed since my start in the mid-1980s, with women taking up ownership and director-level positions. Some of the world’s greatest hotels are owned by women. However, while there are almost an equal number of women and men now working in the industry, there is still a notable underrepresentation of women in senior management, especially in the larger hotel groups. It is pleasing to see women like Marlene Poynder (MD of The Carlyle in New York) become the first woman to lead the 95-year-old hotel, but this is not the norm. [According to the 2023 Women in Hospitality report] one major global hotel group reported only 19 per cent of leadership and C-suite roles being filled by women.

The hospitality industry is very demanding, with the need for its leaders to be available to relocate and be available for night and weekend work and emergency situations. I think that there’s a lack of flexibility for women to prioritise family needs, especially through their child-bearing years. Flexible working hours or working from home are rarely offered – all making it difficult for women to manage a work-family life balance and restricting their ability to rise through the ranks.

W*: What does the future hold for women in hospitality?

CM: I would like to see the industry redefine convention and provide more opportunities and support for women and their career development. We need to provide specific leadership programmes for women, an inclusive work environment, provide pay equality and consciously support gender diversity in our senior management teams. A progressive and supportive human resources department is a good start but, as an industry, we have a long way to go.

thecalilehotel.com

Thelma West, Casina Cinquepozzi

Nigeria-born, London-based Thelma West is co-founder (with former Apple executive Stefano Liotta) of the incoming Casina Cinquepozzi hotel in Putignano, Puglia, which will open in April 2025. Her background is in jewellery design and she has spent over two decades in the diamond industry; West is now applying that eye for detail to the restoration of the 18th-century manor house, preserving its history while blending in contemporary design.

Wallpaper*: Have you ever felt that working in a male-dominated industry has held you back?

Thelma West: I come from two decades in the diamond and jewellery industry, a world steeped in legacy, tradition, and, historically, male dominance. I stepped into hospitality with my eyes wide open. But the road was smoother, not because the challenges had disappeared, but because the world is evolving, and the industry is making space for a more balanced, collaborative approach. It’s not about one gender replacing another, it’s about a broader, vision where creativity, craftsmanship, and leadership aren’t defined by who you are but by what you bring to the table.

W*: Do you feel that the state of the industry has changed?

TW: Did I face resistance in my early career? Absolutely. But the energy now is different. There’s more room for both men and women to thrive. That’s what true progress looks like: an industry where the best ideas win, regardless of who they come from.

Over the years, I’ve come to realise that the best spaces, the most remarkable projects, are created not by one perspective, but by many. I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible women: architects with a vision that challenges the status quo, stone and marble experts whose craftsmanship is poetry in form, restorers who breathe life into the past. These women are rewriting the blueprint.

W*: What does the future hold for women in hospitality?

TW: I see a future where hotels aren’t just businesses, but deeply personal, immersive experiences, shaped by the kind of detail, intuition and vision that women bring effortlessly. More women at the helm means more spaces that feel intentional, not just functional. Going forward, I want to see more women owning, designing and defining what luxury means. Less permission, more power. The doors are open now – let’s walk through them like we built them.

casinacinquepozzi.com

Vanessa Branson, El Fenn

Vanessa Branson’s love affair with Marrakech began in 2002 when she bought a boutique hotel, El Fenn, in the Moroccan capital. In 2005, she became the president and founder of the Arts in Marrakech Festival, now known as the Marrakech Biennale. Over the past two decades, El Fenn has grown from a six-bedroom riad into a labyrinth of 41 individually styled, jewel-toned suites. Branson, who is the sister of business magnate Richard, also owns and runs Eilean Shona, a private island off the west coast of Scotland.

Wallpaper*: Have you ever felt that working in a male-dominated industry has held you back?

Vanessa Branson: I began developing El Fenn with my friend and now-business partner Howell James back in 2003. To be honest, and maybe it was because I was not a local, I was utterly unaware of any gender-based disadvantages. The other person pioneering the industry by developing a riad hotel at the time was a woman named Meryanne Loum-Martin, who now owns Jnane Tamsna.

W*: Do you feel that the state of the industry has changed?

VB: I don’t believe gender is an issue for any western hotelier these days. I imagine a disproportionate number of terrific boutique hotels are owned and run by women.

W*: What does the future hold for women in hospitality?

VB: More of the same, I hope. Women are natural hoteliers – we love building nests and creating comfortable, beautiful spaces. We are exacting in our standards and enjoy working with a young team… and we love to feed people!

el-fenn.com

Valentina de Santis, Passalacqua

Valentina De Santis spent her childhood summers running around the halls of the legendary Grand Hotel Tremezzo, a staple of Lake Como since 1973. Following in her family’s footsteps, she eventually took on the role of CEO at the hotel and later opened Passalacqua, an intimate 24-key boutique property that has earned a reputation as one of the best hotels in the world.

Wallpaper*: Have you ever felt that working in a male-dominated industry has held you back?

Valentina De Santis: I was blessed with a father who taught me that being a woman in a male-dominated industry was not something to overcome, but something to celebrate – that the ‘something extra’ women bring to the table only serves to enrich the conversation. The industry just didn’t seem that male-dominated to me when I first joined the family business: I was lucky enough to be in a work environment where women have always occupied key roles. So, basically, since I can remember, I’ve always been driven to think that I could get wherever I wanted.

W*: Do you feel that the state of the industry has changed?

VDS: I started in the hospitality industry about 15 years ago, and I’m so inspired to see a new generation of women coming up in my industry (and elsewhere). Today, I’m proud to say that women hold most of the key roles at the top of our company – even areas that used to be very male-oriented, such as food & beverage or conciergerie. What a joy to see that their dreams and what they will accomplish just keep getting bigger.

W*: What does the future hold for women in hospitality?

VDS: I’d love for the whole world to see exactly what I see: that the core values in hospitality are feminine (elegance, sensitivity, nurturing) and that the value added by women in this industry is unparalleled. For all the women in hospitality and hotels, as well as my own daughter; the sky is the limit!

passalacqua.it

With the flurry of art fairs coming up, there’s no shortage of masterworks to delight, inspire and seduce us. From Frieze Los Angeles 2025 and Contemporary African Art Fair Marrakech this February to Art Basel Hong Kong in March, the art world and its patrons have shown that if you love art, you must travel for it. So, if art is life and life is art, why not embody the avant-garde sensibility and turn even your sleeping quarters into a Gesamtkunstwerk (German for ‘total work of art’)? From contemporary art at New Hotel Athens to surrealism at the Broadwick Soho and modernism at The Fife Arms in Scotland, the following art hotels make sleeping feel like a night at the museum.

The best hotels for art lovers

The Broadwick Soho, London

The Broadwick Soho is a wild, decadent hotel in the heart of London that draws on 1970s-era discotheque opulence and smoky, velvet backrooms. Yet its maximalist design, masterminded by interior designer Martin Brudnizki (also behind the makeover of members’ club Annabel’s), is thoughtfully supplemented by an impressive art collection. Selected from hotel owner Noel Hayden’s personal collection, a series of 300 original artworks curated by Jonathan Brook match the Broadwick’s eclecticism, ranging from iconic masterworks like Andy Warhol’s shoe sketches, À la recherche du shoe perdu (1955), that were once part of David Bowie’s estate, and works by Francis Bacon and Bridget Riley, to flea-market finds and works by contemporary artists such as Faye Wei Wei and Casey Moore.

The Broadwick Soho is located at 20 Broadwick St, London W1F 8TH, United Kingdom; broadwicksoho.com

Château Voltaire

Smack dab in the centre of Paris’ 1st arrondissement, between Opéra and Tuileries, Thierry Gillier, founder of the French fashion brand Zadig & Voltaire, brought to life a five-star, 32-room hotel that feels as personal as the art on its walls. At Château Voltaire, works from Gillier’s personal collection dot the space – each room is unique, so you might wake up under a piece by Picasso or Cy Twombly, or see works by Marlene Dumas, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Stephen Shearer and Francis Picabia in the lobby and lounge. With artistic direction led by Franck Durand, and interior design by Festen, the mood is one of highly curated contemporary eclecticism with elements of elegant gothic design, in buildings that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

Château Voltaire is located at 55 Rue Saint-Roch, 75001 Paris, France; chateauvoltaire.com

El Fenn, Marrakech

Co-owners Vanessa Branson (sister of Richard), Madeline Weinrib (and her husband Graham Head, president of ABC Carpet & Home), along with El Fenn’s creative director Yann Dobry have all had a hand in defining the hotel’s eclectic art and interiors that blend Marrakech style with bohemian luxury. As a collector and gallerist, Branson’s taste in art has appeared throughout El Fenn’s hallways since it opened in 2004: pieces by William Kentridge, Antony Gormley, Bridget Riley and David Shrigley remain on display. The hotel, whose name means ‘house of art’, remains closely tied to culture – many contemporary Moroccan artists, such as Hassan Hajjaj and Yto Barrada are featured in the space as well.

El Fenn is located at Derb Moulay Abdullah Ben Hezzian, 2, Marrakech 40000, Morocco; el-fenn.com

The Fife Arms, Braemar

When two of the art world’s most powerful players open a hotel, you know that the art collection will be worth the visit alone. Owned by Iwan and Manuela Wirth of the famed gallery Hauser & Wirth, The Fife Arms offers artwork to rival many major museums. A 19th-century Victorian coaching inn located in the picturesque village of Braemar in the Scottish Highlands, just about everything at the Fife Arms is extraordinary. Its jaw-dropping collection is made up of nearly 16,000 pieces that range from Pablo Picasso’s Mousquetaire Assis (1967) and Lucian Freud’s Child Portrait (1962) to a painting by Gerhard Richter, and a piece by Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Younger. The Russell Sage-designed interiors incorporate Scottish heritage with tweed and tartan accents and antiques in keeping with the property’s history. Where else can you stay with two full-time art historians who were brought on board to research Scottish history, Victoriana and contemporary art?

The Fife Arms is located at Mar Rd, Braemar, Ballater AB35 5YN, United Kingdom; thefifearms.com

New Hotel, Athens

Owned by Cypriot Dakis Joannou, one of the world’s preeminent contemporary art collectors and founder of the Deste Foundation, the New Hotel in Athens is a hub for supporting and showcasing contemporary art. Revolving exhibitions feature contemporary artists from the Athenian scene, while 20 pieces from Joannou’s personal collection also dot the walls. Works by major artists such as Jenny Holzer, Laurie Simmons, Jeff Koons and Barbara Kruger are in the hotel’s permanent collection, and there's an installation by a Greek artist in every suite. For the bibliophile, 2,000 art books are on display in the hotel’s Art Lounge. Designed by Brazilian brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana, the 79-room hotel with views of the Acropolis harkens back to classic Greek architecture but is infused with hand-selected luxury design details that nod to a forward-thinking, eclectic sensibility.

New Hotel, Athens is located at Filellinon 16, Athens 105 57, Greece; donkeyhotels.gr

Pompey Jamaica

Located in Portland Parish on Jamaica's north-east coast, Pompey is a private estate owned by American DJ and music producer Diplo, surrounded by dense rainforest on 50 acres of land. The brutalist complex designed by Freecell Architecture in collaboration with designer Gia Wolff is complemented by an art collection that includes work by artists such as Sofia Londoño, Pedro Reyes, Lucas Muñoz, Asafo Flag, Garnett Puett, Veronica Ryan and Vince Skelly. Composed of a main house, a music studio, a yoga studio, a spa and a lagoon, the interiors by Sara Nataf and Katelyn Hinden and landscape design by Geoponika provide a homely contrast to the stark concrete structure that seems to be swallowed up by its jungle surrounds – a metaphor for the hideaway that Diplo envisioned.

pompeyjamaica.com

Rhinoceros Roma

If having artwork on the walls of your hotel isn’t enough, how about sleeping above a gallery? Rhinoceros Roma in Rome’s ancient Velabro district – home to Fondazione Alda Fendi Esperimenti, the contemporary art foundation of Alda Fendi, youngest daughter of the Fendi family – allows just that. Restored by architect Jean Nouvel, the 17th-century palazzo houses 25 apartments that exude luxury with ultra-modern, Italian minimalist chic (think: lots of chrome and concrete floors). On the bottom floor, an art gallery hosts rotating exhibitions, including a partnership with the Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg that has shown works by Picasso, El Greco and Michelangelo.

Rhinoceros Roma is located at Via del Velabro, 9, 00186 Rome, Italy; rhinocerosroma.com

Les Roches Rouges, Saint-Raphaël

Set on the splashy landscape of the French Riviera, Les Roches Rouges in Saint-Raphaël embodies classic Côte d’Azur style with minimalist furnishings that ooze elegance. Interior design studio Festen Architecture gave the hotel’s 1950s modernist architecture a fresh vision in sun-drenched colours reminiscent of vintage Mediterranean style. Antique dealers Hélène Breheret and Benjamin Desprez selected furniture from designers such as Pierre Charreau, Willy Guhl and Charlotte Perriand, while sculptor Guy Bareff created custom Alpilles terracotta wall lamps. American artist Rosemarie Auberson made colour-block paintings based on a palette of blue tones, while artist Caroline Denervaud’s colourful abstractions add a light-hearted energy to the space.

Les Roches Rouges, Saint-Raphaël is located at 90 Bd de la 36ème division du Texas, 83530 Saint-Raphaël, France; beaumier.com

These days, the Swiss Alpine chalet typology – a sturdy wooden house resting on stone foundations with shutters and a gable roof – is often celebrated as the epitome of off-the-grid luxury. Yet its roots are humble: chalets emerged in 14th-century Switzerland as practical dwellings for goat herders and dairy farmers seeking shelter during the summer grazing season. Derived from the Old French term chahtelèt, meaning ‘shepherd's hut’, these buildings were utilitarian at heart. By the early 20th century, with the rise of ski culture, these modest homes transformed into sophisticated winter retreats, conjuring nostalgia, warmth, and camaraderie by the fireside.

Inspired by the chalet's storied evolution, Moroccan rug brand Beni Rugs has created ‘Chalet’, a seasonal collection of ten tall-pile, heritage-quality wool rugs designed to evoke the warmth and comfort of the Swiss chalet.

'Much like the old-world techniques of chalet construction, the process of Moroccan rug-making speaks a language of sturdiness and longevity,' says Robert Wright, who co-founded Beni Rugs with Tiberio Lobo-Navia in 2018. 'There’s an inarticulable allure to this kind of craftsmanship where memories are held in objects and spaces that persevere.'

The collection reimagines Alpine symbols with painterly designs in a distinctive Moroccan palette of burnt terracotta, Rhassoul clay and saffron flower hues. The collection's ivory wool was chosen to recall softly packed snow, while abundant pile heights offer an opulent, enveloping aesthetic.

'In the medium of rug-making, there’s a lot of conversation around pile-heights and how they play into the feeling of a space,' explains Tiberio Lobo-Navia. 'With Chalet, we were excited to dive feet-first into the opulence of abundance – with every rug’s wool piled high, it’s as if the material is reaching out to the interior and those within it.'

To launch the ‘Chalet’ collection, the team enlisted London-based photographer Billal Taright to photograph the new pieces in furniture collector Emmanuel de Bayser’s chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland. Taright's images showcase the rugs draped over chairs and layered across balconies in a series of cosy Alpine vignettes that also provide a peek at de Bayser's impressive collection of mid-century furniture.

'Beyond the Alps – and Bayer’s beautiful home as the collection’s backdrop – these rugs have a transportive quality about them,' comments interior designer Colin King, who serves as Beni’s artistic director at large. 'To rearticulate an everyday object, a rug, into something that reminds you to daydream, is a powerful tool in creating a space for yourself.'

Each rug is made at the brand's HQ outside of Marrakech where Beni operates the first vertically integrated production facility of its kind in Morocco. Here, rugs are designed, hand-made by a team of weavers, and sold under one roof. All of the wool is sourced locally, sheared humanely from live Moroccan sheep grazing in the Atlas Mountains, before being cleaned, spun, and dyed in state-of-the-art facilities to ensure the its quality, softness, and consistency.

The release of ‘Chalet’ follows Beni Rugs’ recent partnership with designer Athena Calderone, which resulted in ‘Salon’, an art-deco-inspired collection that introduced a new 'low pile' rug typology. The partnership reflects the brand’s ongoing engagement with diverse creative influences, including the appointment of King.

benirugs.com

If there’s one place where the spirit of Marrakech’s bohemian history and the heights of today’s art world seamlessly converge, it’s Izza. The new riad, situated in Marrakech’s historic medina, channels a distinct vision rooted in the legacy of designer Bill Willis; the American expat who redefined Moroccan interiors with his lavish, Moroccan-meets-modernist style.

The owners of Izza have brought his opulent, organic look back to life with a 14-room property that marries traditional Moroccan craftsmanship with modern luxury and an unabashed love for digital art, positioning Izza as one of Marrakech’s most compelling new destinations.

Izza Marrakech: ‘intimate, exclusive, and unapologetically lavish’

Izza immediately grabs attention with a facade inspired by traditional Moroccan tadelakt plaster, with intricate zellij tilework and cedar wood carvings that echo Willis’s reverence for local materials. The hallways are adorned with digital projections that shift as guests move, making each passageway an immersive, modern take on the classic riad courtyard. Each room is a homage to one of the iconic ‘freedom seekers’ of Marrakech, paying tribute to artistic pioneers like Grace Jones, Jack Kerouac, and Cecil Beaton, among others.

There’s also a special suite honouring Christine Alaoui, whose friendship with Willis and undeniable influence on Marrakech’s social landscape in the 1970s gives the space a personal connection to the city’s cultural past.

The design of Izza’s interiors is undeniably Willis-inspired: the colour palette is awash with rich blues, ochres, and emerald greens, amplified by the curves and arches that Willis famously revived from Islamic architecture. Velvet-upholstered divans, filigreed lanterns, and larger-than-life mirrors capture the sensual opulence he adored.

The art alone is a draw, with over 300 framed pieces, a collection estimated at £5 million. NFTs rotate on digital frames around the riad, giving collectors and casual admirers alike the chance to witness this unique melding of tech and tradition. For guests who prefer a more tangible art experience, the in-house curator offers private tours that explore each piece’s backstory and connection to the overarching theme of freedom.

Beyond the art, Izza ensures that every aspect of the guest experience feels bespoke. Its hammam offers private sessions in an ambient, candlelit room tiled in deep neutral tones. The rooftop terrace, with expansive views over the Medina, serves as the setting for sunrise yoga and evening cocktails – try the signature rosewater gin martini, which complements the local flavours.

Food-wise, Izza’s newly opened restaurant Noujoum, taking the name from Willis’ residence, offers a refined menu inspired by both Moroccan and Mediterranean flavours. Breakfast is a standout: house-made msemen flatbread with orange blossom honey, pomegranate seeds, and whipped olive and persevered lemon butter. Dinner, though, is where the culinary prowess shines.

Guests should sample the seared fillet of beef tagliata with rocket, parmesan and chimichurri, which is cooked to achieve that perfect tenderness and is presented with a flourish on a traditional ceramic disk as well as the Izza house couscous which offers a lighter airy option to traditional couscous you’ll find in the region.

At Izza, the allure of Marrakech is distilled into a property that feels at once intimate, exclusive, and unapologetically lavish.

Izza Marrakech is located at 46 Driba Laarida, Sidi Ahmed Soussi, Marrakech 40000, Morocco, izza.com

If Marrakech’s Jemaa el Fna square is the city’s heartbeat, then DaDa, the new multilevel art-meets-dining hub in the Medina, is an extra beat, adding a rush of colour, sound, and flavour. Set in a reimagined concrete modernist shell that once housed a bus station, DaDa is the latest creation from restaurateur Kamal Laftimi, known for his ventures such as the Pétanque Social Club. For Laftimi, DaDa is more than just a new venue – it’s personal. His grandfather once worked as a bus driver at the very spot, and DaDa is as much an homage to Marrakech’s past as it is a vision of its future.

DaDa Marrakech

‘Dada is a restaurant and artistic project embedded in the Jamaa el Fna ecosystem, offering a fresh perspective on its already vibrant, dynamic energy,’ Laftimi explains. The venue is an audacious ‘hybrid space’, where guests can eat, drink, dance, and discover art from both local and international talents. Aiming to become a crossroads for cultural exchange, DaDa is part art gallery, part bookshop, and part culinary playground, ‘reflecting our vision of Marrakech – open, rooted, surprising, and highly creative’.

Each floor of DaDa reveals a new chapter in the story Laftimi is telling. The ground floor opens into a sleek restaurant and bar, where modern Moroccan cuisine mingles with international flair. But, as Laftimi would say, DaDa’s culinary aspect is just one dimension of its appeal. Guests are invited to roam, with each level offering a distinct experience. From the art gallery that showcases pieces from local and global artists to a bookshop stocked with carefully curated titles, there’s a sense that DaDa is creating a mini-ecosystem of its own, one that redefines what hospitality means in the Medina.

DaDa’s design, by longtime Laftimi collaborator Anne Favier, draws heavily from the vibrant Jemaa el Fna below. ‘Anne incorporated concrete, glass, and mirrors to craft a space that is both raw and contemporary,’ Laftimi says. ‘In the spirit of Jemaa el Fna, each area in DaDa tells its own story, much like the tales narrated by the storytellers in the square below.’ Favier’s design weaves Marrakchi tradition into a modern aesthetic, using touches like the iconic orange – a symbol of the square – as a motif throughout. Concrete seating in the shape of oranges graces the main façade, while zellige tiles and vibrant orange hues saturate each level. There’s a storytelling quality to each room: the lighting fixtures twist like the movements of Jemaa el Fna’s snake charmers, and the geometric shapes in Tadelakt and intricate zellige reflect a fusion of Moroccan craftsmanship and contemporary lines.

‘Dada evolved naturally from my previous projects,’ Laftimi says, ‘driven by a sense that the future of Marrakech must embrace a strong cultural and artistic dimension.’ Upstairs, visitors will find a factory where master artisans from the city collaborate with designers to create DaDa’s exclusive furniture and decor, making it a tribute to both tradition and innovation. In the downstairs bar, the walls are adorned with a woven masterpiece by the Lahandira family, renowned for their Moroccan rugs, grounding the modernity of the space with a sense of history.

DaDa is located at 2 place Jemaa El Fna, 40000, Morocco, dadamarrakech.com/

Centuries-old tile-manufacturing is kept alive today at Mosaic Factory’s vast plants near Tangier, where armies of highly skilled craftspeople fabricate its zellige, terracotta and terrazzo tiles. Founded in 2002, the company has not only tapped into this resource but collaborates with contemporary designers, some of whom relish channelling its traditional, hand-crafted aesthetic.

Dubai-based architecture and interior design practice Verhaal has recently collaborated with the firm to create its ‘Jawhara’ collection of zellige tiles, whose delicate, linear motifs are painstakingly hand-chiselled, a uniquely Moroccan technique. Mosaic Factory’s zellige tiles are made of unrefined clay sourced near Fez, cut into a selection of simple shapes, sun-dried, fired and glazed in one of 88 colours.

Mosaic Factory x Zyva furniture collection

By contrast, French architectural designer Anthony Authié, founder of Paris-based Zyva Studio, has exploited the punchy patterns of terrazzo to dream up the comparatively artificial-looking, ultra-pop Mosaic Factory x Zyva furniture collection. Authié, who spent much of his youth in Biarritz, enjoying the freewheeling life of a surf dude, dyes his hair neo-punk fluoro green, while creating commensurately flamboyant interiors and products.

The new collection – a chair, a table, a stool, a coffee table and lamp – will be unveiled at Maison & Objet in January 2025. Mosaic Factory presented the chair alone this month at Dubai fair Downtown Design as well as the ‘Jawhara’ tiles.

Mosaic Factory’s terrazzo tiles and slabs are available in myriad designs. In some, the marble chips are randomly embedded in their cement or granito base, recalling confetti on a pavement or tutti-frutti ice cream. Authié chose a specific terrazzo called M10, whose crowded, busy mass of relatively small chips resembles white noise flickering on TV screens.

The collection’s intersecting terrazzo slabs and metal components inevitably recall Memphis furniture, which was often fashioned from plastic laminates jazzed up with graphic terrazzo patterns. Authié says he was inspired by 'cartoons from the 1990s and 2000s', although when asked for examples he cites older classics, from Looney Tunes duo Road Runner and Wile E Coyote, popular from the 1950s, to 1980s animated TV series Inspector Gadget.

The pieces come in six colour combinations, including black and white terrazzo teamed with apple green metal and a more offbeat pairing of ochre and bubblegum pink. 'Some combinations are more accessible, while others are more punk for those who like adventure,' he says. 'I use contrasting colours that identify elements and their functions in my designs.'

The brightly hued aluminium rods strengthening the chair’s legs draw attention to and celebrate their functionality. All metal parts are fixed to the furniture by chemical and mechanical means, says Authié: 'Holes are first milled into the terrazzo slabs. Threads are inserted through the holes and an adhesive resin is used to strengthen the joints between the terrazzo and powder-coated metal elements when the latter are bolted on.'

The biggest challenge for Zyva Studio was ensuring the furniture is fully functional and stable, says Authié. 'Terrazzo is a massive, very heavy material requiring significant support. So it was important that all elements were as light as possible. We started out using 30mm-thick terrazzo but reduced this to 20mm-thick slabs. We used lightweight aluminium for all the metal elements.'

Says Mosaic Factory’s creative director Louisa Alice, 'Our decision to take on Zyva Studio’s proposal was partly driven by an innovative, ultra high-performance mineral binder we’ve developed, used to make the terrazzo, which makes it stronger. The binder has opened up new possibilities, allowing us to create furniture and other objects made of terrazzo.'

Authié sometimes incorporates boldly patterned terrazzo into his characteristically out-there, colour-saturated interiors, and this collection echoes his non-conformist approach to design. The influence that the imaginative, surreal world of cartoons has on him can’t be understated.

'Cartoons have had a strong impact on my imagination because they twist reality, taking us into a world where everything is exaggerated,' he says. 'I welcome this kind of augmentation of our world and daily lives because it allows for so much creative freedom.'

zyvastudio.com mosaicfactory.com

You hardly notice Pétanque Social Club at first. One of Marrakech’s hottest new hangouts, it has no external signage and nothing to indicate that you’ve arrived other than a handful of creative types disappearing behind an unmarked blue wooden door.

It’s all part of the allure of the Pétanque Social Club – or PSC, as it’s known around town. The latest venture from pioneering restaurateur Kamal Laftimi, creator of much-loved Marrakech venues Le Jardin, Café des Epices and Nomad, PSC is a revival of an old pétanque club dating back to the 1930s.

Discover Pétanque Social Club in Marrakech’s former French quarter

‘This was one of my favourite places in [the neighbourhood of] Guéliz, and I used to come here with my friends all the time,’ says Laftimi. ‘We wanted to keep it like this, and were afraid that someone would come in and change it.’ Many of the neighbourhood’s handsome early 20th-century villas have been bought up by developers to be demolished, with the land used for new apartment buildings. To save the spirit of Guéliz, Laftimi obtained the building and decided to return it to its roots – as a social hub for the neighbourhood.

He worked with Diego Alonso and Alexeja Pozzoni of DiegoandAlexeja Art & Design Studio to bring the club back to life, working with custom, upcycled and recycled materials to create their vision and to incorporate the studio’s ‘Magic Totalism’ philosophy. Old shutters now function as table tops in the dining room, and windows were flipped 90 degrees to create different forms and allow more light to enter the space. The duo sourced vintage pieces from around Marrakech, including 1970s club chairs from the storied La Mamounia hotel, and worked with local artisans to create other items.

During the renovation period, old photographs of members of the original club were found in a safe, and have now made their way onto the walls. ‘Maybe one day you’ll see our pictures too,’ says Laftimi, smiling. The safe now sits between two lounge chairs in the library, beneath shelves of vintage books.

Terrazzo floors, velvet curtains, crystal chandeliers, beaded fly screens, a marble-topped bar, mirror balls and floral couches all find their places in Pétanque Social Club’s interiors. The old butchery room’s walls have been painted with a mural by Moroccan artist Yassine Balbzioui, a colourful, kaleidoscopic vision inspired by what he imagined goes on inside Laftimi’s mind. While all of this may sound like a seemingly unconnected collection of items, there’s a sense of harmony that works. It’s a fitting tribute to the dynamic spirit of Marrakech, and an ode to the past that feels completely current.

Outdoors, the mood is boho chic-meets-traditional Moroccan. A large courtyard sits between mature trees that provide shade, a bar counter features beach club-style straw lanterns, crenellations top the building and stand out in sharp relief against bright blue skies, and a dramatic wall of geometric bricks references the walls of the Kasbah. This is the place to sip a Sahara Spritz, a riff on a typical spritz with added saffron, and to dine on healthy dishes that centre on fresh Moroccan produce, like avocado tartare, crisp salads, and the PSC burger. It’s also in this courtyard that the original pétanque court has been brought back to life, and there’s a stack of metal boules ready for those who want to have a throw.

All combined, it’s a convivial spot that maintains the spirit of the original club, but with a new mood that is pure Marrakech, drawing on the electric energy that runs through today’s city. ‘The tradition of creativity in Marrakech goes back centuries,’ says Laftimi. ‘We’re seeing an evolution, and I feel that this is just the beginning of the beginning. Guéliz is getting more exciting, and we need to protect the old buildings and traditional villas and houses like this one.’

Laftimi is paving the way for similar projects that will contribute to this burst of new energy in Guéliz. ‘We want to encourage more artistic people to stay in the city,’ he says. With the new Pétanque Social Club, he has offered one more reason to do so.

Pétanque Social Club is located at 70 Bd el Mansour Eddahbi in Marrakech, pscmarrakech.com

Marrakech riad Dar Al Dall, the latest luxury residence from hospitality company This Time Tomorrow, is built on Moroccan authenticity. Located in the buzzing heart of Marrakech, it captures the essence of the city through its sensitive architectural restoration and its nod to traditional interior design.

The restoration was a collaboration with a trio of interior design and architecture practices: Recdi8 of Barcelona and Trab Design of Marrakech. The tapping of creative minds from both Europe and Africa has led to a rich narrative being woven within the property, embracing local heritage with contemporary flair.

Inside Marrakech riad Dar Al Dall

The restoration process involved the design studios immersing themselves in the rich tapestry of Moroccan culture, with a focus on tactile elements and colours. The interiors draw inspiration from the rainbow of spices in local markets, and the colours and patterns of textiles.

As you venture inside the riad, rich and eclectic details are unveiled. Mosaics inspired by the historic Royal Alcazar palace of Seville are scattered throughout, while the kitchen floor features designs reminiscent of the Institute Suédois in Paris (dedicated to Franco-Swedish cultural exchange). The suites offer a warm colour palette, which reflects the surrounding context, while further detailing touches on the 19th-century Orientalist movement.

Photographs of Egypt, Syria and Iraq and refurbished antiques from Europe give the space a distinguished personality, encouraging curiosity and wanderlust.

‘Preserving the architectural essence of the property was the leading factor in each step of the restoration,’ says Bruno Melotto of Trab Design. ‘Our use of locally sourced materials like zellige [tilework] and carved wood, as well as intricately carved plaster, showcased our commitment to this. The whole team is very proud of the work achieved over seven years to keep history alive in Riad Dar Al Dall.’

thistimetomorrow.io

Farasha Farmhouse is only 40 minutes away from the centre of Marrakech, but the change of pace on the drive there – from frenetic to soporific – is a taste of what’s waiting on arrival. A passion project for Fred and Rosena Charmoy, founders of Marrakech-based events company Boutique Souk, the 3.5-hectare property is centred around the ochre-walled former home of French painter Patrice Arnaud, flanked by 450 mature olive trees. It’s an idyllic enough spot to inspire anyone to get the brushes and easel out.

Retreat to Farasha Farmhouse

‘What first drew us was the artist’s room that had been used as an atelier,’ says Rosena. ‘When I walked in and saw the light and mountain views on both sides, I wanted to sleep there immediately.’

The Charmoys aimed to create a countryside escape from the city, a rustic agriturismo-style experience with music and art where they could also curate events. They enlisted Dorothée Ricard, Sylvain Ragueneau and Vincent Mahieu of Marrakech-based architects Aire au Carré to make the dream a reality. ‘We found great energy here,’ says Ragueneau.

But it wasn’t without challenges. When the architects began the renovation work, it quickly became clear that the house was poorly constructed and needed to be rebuilt with anti-seismic measures. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted the nearby High Atlas mountains in September last year, the house survived unscathed. ‘We didn’t lose even a single lightbulb,’ says Rosena.

The original house was designed like a riad, centred on an open courtyard with a single domed roof. For the rebuild, Aire au Carré enclosed the courtyard, creating a rooftop terrace and adding a second domed roof to create what Ragueneau describes as a ‘reassuring feeling’ of symmetry.

The domes top two 62 sq m suites with bathtubs that look out over the olive groves. Vintage furniture and pieces from local designers – hand-woven textiles from Beni Rugs and ceramics from LRNCE – complement the spaces, along with vernacular materials like Tadelakt polished plaster and Bejmat tiles. A third suite sits on the ground floor, and an additional ‘shepherd’s cottage’ lies adjacent to the main house. Six more rooms will be added later in 2024.

The Charmoys also have an extraordinary book collection, gifted to them by Freck Vreeland, a former US ambassador to Morocco, CIA agent and son of iconic fashion editor Diana Vreeland. ‘We’re still placing them as we have so many,’ says Rosena. ‘It’s lovely to have a real library made up of a family collection.’

Outdoors, traditional Moroccan breakfasts, cooked by two women from the neighbouring village, are served beneath a pergola, and lunches revolve around barbecues and salads made with ingredients from local farms, friends and neighbours. Eventually, the Charmoys plan to supplement this with produce from their own gardens.

Landscape designers Marius Boulesteix and Abderrahim El Hout of Pan Priape have stuck to using only local materials in the gardens, like the pathway of argan nut shells used in place of gravel, their husks clinking and crunching underfoot with an almost metallic sound. They’re also experimenting to see what will grow here. Dead leaves, kitchen scraps and waste from MC Hammer the donkey and the farm’s chickens, whose enclosure is so fancy that Fred has christened it ‘Amanpoulet’, add nutrients to the soil. ‘The animals here are not just for decoration,’ says Boulesteix. ‘They’re part of the garden’s ecosystem.’

But perhaps the most unexpected element of Farasha Farmhouse is the 50m swimming pool that stretches between two rows of olive trees through the centre of the property. ‘We didn’t move a single tree, and even added bigger trees to give more shade on the pool, playing with the wind and sun to create little intimate spaces,’ says Boulesteix.

As iridescent dragonflies and butterflies – farasha in the local Darija language – flit over the surface of the pool and the breeze rustles the olive leaves, this all feels very far from the mêlée of Marrakech, yet is still imbued with its magic. ‘We were charmed by the project from the very first moment,’ says Ragueneau. Anyone who visits Farasha Farmhouse is likely to feel the same.

Farasha Farmhouse is located at KM30 Route de Fes, Jaidate Marrakech

farashafarmhouse.com

Following the pandemic and its restrictions, the world finally seemed to open up for travel again in 2023, resulting in a hospitality renaissance. With a certain vibrancy driving the design of many new openings over the past 12 months, Wallpaper* travel editor Sofia de la Cruz has selected these 10 colourful hotels – from mountain retreats to city boltholes – to inspire your 2024 holiday plans.

10 colourful hotels to inspire your 2024 escapes

01. Otro Oaxaca, a hotel embracing its Mexican region’s traditional textures

Grupo Habita’s property in Oaxaca proves that this southern Mexican city is a bona fide hot-ticket destination. Set on the edge of the pedestrianised plaza of the 16th-century Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the high red terracotta walls of the 16-room Otro Oaxaca give little hint of what lies beyond – which is an intriguing sequence of interlocking pavilions, shadowed corridors, narrow Jenga-like staircases, and courtyards and terraces that local architects RootStudio have clad with brick, limestone, raw concrete and reclaimed wood to reflect the textured mood of traditional Oaxacan design.

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02. W Budapest, an eclectic mix of neo-Renaissance architecture and Hungarian heritage

In all its splendour, the Drechsler Palace, a 140-year-old neo-Renaissance building located in the city centre on Andrassy Avenue, has an imaginative new life – a W hotel with 151 rooms and suites, plus a perfect-to-people-watch restaurant, a chummy lounge, a deep underground spa, and even a speakeasy.

Right across the street from the State Opera House (where Angelina Jolie was recently spotted filming the Maria Callas biopic), this palace, originally designed by architects Ödön Lechner and Gyula Pártos, had previously been a fabulous café spilling out to the street and also the HQ for the Hungarian Institute of Ballet. After an extensive renovation, interior design studios Bowler James Brindley and Bánáti + Hartvig have now morphed the property into a delightful fit for the 21st-century traveller.

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03. Hotel Drei Berge, a dream-like retreat in the Swiss mountains

Hotel Drei Berge is nestled in the cliffside of the Bernese Oberland Alps in Switzerland, some 1,638 meters above sea level. The idyllic property is courtesy of Ramdane Touhami, the multi-dexterous creative force best known for his work at Officine Universelle Buly and his Parisian art direction agency Architecte Recherche Industrie, who discovered the picturesque village of Mürren in 2022 and then acquired the historic hotel, formerly known as Hotel Bellevue, shortly after.

Utilitarian yet filled with finesse, Hotel Drei Berge exemplifies the thoughtful ethos that Touhami is known for – elevated and desirable yet remaining true to its intrinsic identity, which in this case is the traditional mountain community.

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04. Infinito Suite at Palazzo Avino, sea views with elegant minimalism

The Infinito Suite at Palazzo Avino is an unmissable penthouse designed by Neapolitan architect Giuliano Andrea Dell'Uva. Perched on the picturesque hillside that makes up the town of Ravello in Italy’s Amalfi coast, luxury hotel Palazzo Avino first put down its cliffside roots in the 12th century, when it was constructed for an aristocratic local family. 

Over the centuries, it has changed several hands and undergone a host of renovations and expansions, but it functioned mainly as a private home until 1997, when it was transformed into a stunning boutique hotel by the Avino family, led by sisters Mariella, Attilia and Maria Vittoria. It now boasts a Michelin-star restaurant, a spa, a rooftop lobster and martini bar, a boutique (The Pink Closet, designed by Cristina Celestino), a heated pool overlooking the coast, and a penthouse suite.

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05. Aldo Rossi's Hotel Il Palazzo in Japan, where architectural extravagance reigns supreme

In Fukuoka, situated in Japan’s far west, Aldo Rossi’s Hotel Il Palazzo still stands today — and it is just as otherworldly as when it was first built in 1989. 34 years later, the building finds itself under its third ownership since its founding, with a redesign launched by the hotel’s original interior design studio, Uchida Design Inc, who centred their approach on ‘softness and natural materials'. Established by the legendary late Japanese designer Shigeru Uchida, the studio is now led by Kiyoshi Hasebe — who worked closely alongside the founder and stands as studio director since Uchida's death in 2016.

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06. Martin Brudnizki’s Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York, striking spaces set within an original mansion

The freshly minted Fifth Avenue hotel and its 153 rooms cleaves close to the real estate adage about ‘location, location, location’. Set on the corner of 28th Street and, well, Fifth Avenue, it’s within walking distance to Madison Square Park, the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings, and a clutch of tent-pole museums and galleries such as the Gagosian, Lisson Gallery and Fotografiska. 

The hotel occupies two buildings – a handsomely restored 19th-century brick and limestone manse, and a new 24-storey glass tower. All of which, given the small number of guest rooms, translates into an unusually spacious interior with the most striking spaces set within the original mansion, every corner reworked and reimagined over a seven-year renovation project.

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07. Il Capri Hotel, an intimate and elegant neo-Gothic Venetian-style pink palazzo

Intimacy and elegance are the order of the day at one of Capri’s newest boltholes. Il Capri Hotel, housed in a neo-Gothic Venetian-style palazzo, stays faithful to the traditional codes of the property, first converted into a hotel in 1899.

Graziella Buontempo and Arnaud Lacombe of the Parisian Savoir Vivre Group respected the original building in contemporary detailing. The nightclub in the basement joins other amenities including a large roof terrace, swimming pool and outdoor terrace overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. ‘It’s timeless Capri meets Italian vacation home,’ the duo note.

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08. Locke am Platz, a design-led city escape in Zürich

Locke, known for its trendsetting lifestyle aparthotels, recently debuted in Switzerland with its 15th property, Locke am Platz. Nestled in Zürich's Enge neighbourhood, the launch marks the brand's entrance into the Swiss market.

In collaboration with London-based Sella Concept, led by Tatjana von Stein, Locke am Platz embraces Zürich's cultural identity and local flair through a distinctive and sophisticated design. Positioned amidst greenery and botanical gardens, the aparthotel is spread across six floors, comprises 80 units, and offers an idyllic city break.

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09. Broadwick Soho, an independent luxury hotel in London

It is fair to label London's Soho as the beating heart of the British capital. With its 90 colourful streets, longstanding hospitality, pulsing nightlife, and eccentric street style, this vibrant area in the West End surely ensures a good time, every time. Broadwick Soho, an opulent contemporary 57-room retreat, including nine suites and a penthouse, is nestled in the neighbourhood's buzzy centre.

Brought to life by interior designer Martin Brudnizki, there's no other way to describe the hotel but as a sensory feast. The establishment combines Jazz Age opulence, Italian influences from travels around the country, a dash of English eccentricity, and a sprinkle of disco fabulousness.

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10. Rosemary, a textural haven and contemporary Moroccan escape

Located next to Palais Bahia, the oldest neighbourhood in the Medina, Rosemary is a five-room riad that was five years in the making after its previous owner, a Frenchwoman called Rose-Marie, convinced Leenaert and her husband Ayoub to buy her three-storey manse – which had been renovated by the Belgian architect Quentin Wilbaux who’d been appointed by Unesco to map the Medina in the 1990s.

Following the traditional silhouette of a riad – sheltered rooms and loggias spilling out onto a central patio anchored by the arching branches of a 40-year-old Jacaranda – Rosemary is a thoroughly contemporary reimagining of a Moroccan fantasy, Leenaert tapping over 40 local artisans to rework the interiors with bespoke furnishings and finishes such as zellij (or zellige) tiles and tadelakt, a natural lime-based plaster common to the area.

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Moroccan architect Mohamed Amine Siana found the perfect solution for his clients in this newly built residence – the family was in search of a home combining both the functionality and robustness needed in daily life, as well as the comfort, escape and ambition of a weekend retreat. Located in one of Casablanca’s up-and-coming southern neighbourhoods, it aims to harness local conditions to create a practical dwelling that brings daily joy to its users.

Known as Villa XY, the expansive contemporary home was conceived to house three generations, producing a model of 21st-century Moroccan living. ‘The family wanted to change course, from a house in downtown Casablanca to its suburb Dar Bouazza, which is close to the sea, in order to fully enjoy it as a primary, as well as a holiday, residence,’ says Siana. ‘It’s a fast-developing suburb that combines private villas and seaside residences.’ 

Mohamed Amine Siana on privacy and openness

Some of the project’s key challenges included integrating elements of both traditional and modern Moroccan lifestyle, focusing on a sustainable architecture construction that would embrace local weather conditions (the Casablanca coast can be hot all year round), and keeping to a sleek, minimalist architecture aesthetic. ‘The other challenge was to produce attractive architecture while maintaining an opaque and protective appearance in order to preserve the privacy of the family, as well as having a modern and open interior,’ says Siana. The architect focused his efforts on ensuring a balance between spaces that foster communal activities and gathering, as well as parts of the home that promote seclusion and privacy. This harmonious coexistence was pivotal to the success of the design. 

In order for the house to tackle both the required level of privacy and manage the region’s high humidity levels coming from the sea, the volume was designed to be introverted. Reflecting the architecture of traditional kasbahs, it features tall walls with few openings on the outside, and a secluded courtyard garden at its heart.

From the outside, it looks like a geometric sculpture, mysterious and still. An internal staircase is hinted at by the outline of ascending steps carved on the façade. A third layer of interest is added by the planting on site – all local species, native to the wider region, such as the jacaranda tree that creates shade near the entrance, and the aloe vera plants lining the perimeter of the plot towards the street. Meanwhile, smaller openings in the east and north-east façades, which face prevailing winds, help with air circulation and natural ventilation. 

Inside, the narrative shifts, as interiors transform to open up towards the garden at the plot’s core. Swathes of glass frame the planting and swimming pool, connecting with the outdoors visually and physically – a feeling supported by a continuous reclaimed redwood skin that clads the ceiling. The double-height, open-plan living, dining and kitchen space is located on the ground floor, while the principal suite is tucked away directly above it on a mezzanine level. The grandparents’ ground-floor bedroom features its own private patio, while further bedrooms for the children, as well as a guest room, are located on the top floor. 

Siana’s clever spatial arrangement and openings work with the region’s wind directions and sun orientation, meaning that the home’s energy needs are significantly reduced. On-site photovoltaic and solar panels also help minimise consumption. 

The architect, a Casablanca native, set up his own, six-person-strong practice there in 2007 (often joining forces with two of his former classmates, Saad El Kabbaj and Driss Kettani, for larger projects). His extensive local experience means he had plenty of time to learn and experiment with construction methods and design techniques that fit the specific environment. Siana’s first personal project was Villa Z, a private home completed in 2013, and he has gone from strength to strength ever since, with a series of residences that make the most of the opportunities provided by the local conditions. 

The architect’s site-specific approach, peppered with a refreshing simplicity, has carved out a cohesive dwelling that displays a soft minimalism firmly placed in the 21st century, and highlights a smoothly operating, pleasant home environment, which delights beyond its aesthetics.

@sianaarchitecte 

A version of this story appears in the December 2023 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!

The 2023 World Bank and IMF village in Morocco has been unveiled, revealing a circular structure of light canopies creating a space of alliance and celebration. 

Set within a 40-hectare site adjacent to the walls of Marrakech, the structure was designed by architecture studio OUALALOU + CHOI, whose fresh thinking crafted a vision of contemporary city planning for the village. Following the same canopy design principles shown in their design for COP22 village, the architects aimed to create a facility to host some 14000 people for the duration of a week. The project envisions a second life for the buildings after the annual meeting is over, expanding the idea of what sustainable architecture could be for large event spaces.

Step inside the 2023 World Bank and IMF village in Morocco

Tradition is at the heart of this design, and architects and studio co-founders Tarik Oualalou and Linna Cho knew it was important to integrate the nomadic tradition of mouseems (annual harvest, religious, and cultural festivals) in The Moroccan Pavilion embedded in the centre of the village's Town Square; encouraging visitors to explore and learn about Moroccan history and the country's rich culture. 

The pavilion was constructed from rammed earth panels attached to a steel structure. It houses a variety of exhibition spaces, as well as four Moroccan gardens inspired by the country's kasbahs.

The building itself is constructed of vibrant local red earth. The arch-shaped walkthroughs have a ceremonial essence with the wooden framework showcasing the raw inner workings of the space.

The village is united under a draping grand canopy, in keeping with authentic Moroccan design, which creates a shaded path for the main area of circulation to the event space. The canopy subtly divides the village into four neighbourhoods, to host different events. Each neighbourhood is uniquely designed and inspired by the ecology and geography of Morocco, with flora indigenous to each region planted in careful horticultural orchestration.

The delegates have a choice of 650 office spaces that are housed in wooden structures mirroring the exterior design. OUALALOU + CHOI took repurposing of the building to another level making it a space that benefits the community. Each of the 48 wooden structures will be dismantled, transported, and readapted as educational buildings in Morocco.

oplusc.com

The September 2023 earthquake devastated Marrakech, but left Rosemary, a new riad about to launch, relatively unscathed; owner Laurence Leenaert doesn’t take this miracle lightly. ‘We had two friends staying at the riad when the earthquake happened. Many vases fell and broke, but the structure didn’t sustain any damage,’ says the Marrakech-based Belgian artist.

The fact that Rosemary was literally due to open that week is even more remarkable. ‘The timing doesn’t help but we can’t do anything against nature. Marrakech is a city that lives mainly thanks to tourism, and we can only encourage visitors to come to Marrakech to support its economy.’

Not that one ever needs a reason to visit Marrakech, but Rosemary certainly is a balm for the senses. Located next to Palais Bahia, the oldest neighbourhood in the Medina, the five-room riad was five years in the making after its previous owner, a Frenchwoman called Rose-Marie, convinced Leenaert and her husband Ayoub to buy her three-storey manse – which had been renovated by the Belgian architect Quentin Wilbaux who’d been appointed by Unesco to map the Medina in the 1990s.

Journey through Rosemary: a contemporary riad

Following the traditional silhouette of a riad – sheltered rooms and loggias spilling out onto a central patio anchored by the arching branches of a 40-year-old Jacaranda – Rosemary, named after the previous owner, is a thoroughly contemporary reimagining of a Moroccan fantasy, Leenaert tapping over 40 local artisans to rework the interiors with bespoke furnishings and finishes such as zellij (or zellige) tiles and tadelakt, a natural lime-based plaster common to the area.

There is a compulsion to reach out to touch everything, whether a burl veneer wooden table with a terrazzo top, a carved cedar door, and a wrought-iron chair, or a carved sandstone table with a mosaic table top, and sandstone and goatskin lampshades.

Probably the best room in the house is the rooftop terrace. Here, shaded by the Jacaranda and looking out to evocative views of the tiled roofs of the neighbourhood and the nearby Medina, sun beds are laid out, alongside zellij-tiled tables all set for lunch. 

From the kitchen, the in-house chef Touria sends out a moveable feast from a breakfast of Moroccan pancakes and homemade yoghurt, and avocado granola bowls, to dinners of fragrant beef tagine nuzzling caramelised pears. 

For Leenaert, Rosemary is obviously a labour of love, more so now as Marrakech begins the long and difficult business of rebuilding. ‘Rosemary is the continuation of our interior brand, LRNCE, which comprises mostly handmade products,’ she says. ‘With Rosemary, we have pushed that concept into creating spaces where our guests can experience our lifestyle and art-de-vivre.’

And that, in our books, is reason enough to visit.

rosemarymarrakech.com 

With the newly launched Villa Mabrouka, British designer Jasper Conran has turned his attention to Tangier for his sophomore property, which follows hot on the heels of the success of L’Hotel Marrakech. Cocooned amid one of the white city’s most enchanting gardens, with sparkling views of the Strait of Gibraltar, the tranquil 12-room hotel is a world away from the heady delights of the nearby Kasbah and Medina. 

Villa Mabrouka: a history

Once the secluded sanctuary of legendary couturier Yves Saint Laurent and his business partner Pierre Bergé, the house’s simple 1940s architecture serves as a clean-lined backdrop for Conran’s vision, which as he says, was always to protect both the magic of the house and its ravishing gardens. ‘Saint Laurent wanted Villa Mabrouka to reflect the elegance and beauty of his 1940s childhood home in Algeria, so I have taken many of the cues from that. It is glamorous in its purity and simplicity,  imbued with a European style compared to the ancient Moroccan mood of my Marrakech hotel and its history as a riad.’ 

An elegant blend of past and present

The result channels the romance of the Riviera’s early 20th-century golden era of travel, layered with the eccentricity of an English country house, along with a quiet dose of Conran’s contemporary and bold aesthetic with lots of texture and weaves that don’t detract from the beauty of the garden and views outside.  Against a simple backdrop of whitewashed walls, decorative details include locally-made furnishings like velvet slipper chairs and generous white sofas. These are embellished with 1930s lighting, Mauritanian rugs, Roman mosaics and rugs, and beautiful traditional Moroccan handmade bejmet and zellige glazed clay tiles. Outside, Conran has restored the ravishing garden, replanting over 6,500 new plants, shrubs and trees to the already abundant sweeping lawns, banana palms, ferns, bamboo, citrus trees, hollyhocks, nasturtiums, roses, bougainvillaea and agapanthus.  

This all comes together over an intimate, serene space that Conran has revamped to include new additions such as a series of rooms and garden cottages, a rooftop terrace and coffee bar, a second pool and hammam, and three private dining pavilions. The three restaurants and kitchens meanwhile, serve an all-day Mediterranean menu infused with the subtlety of Moroccan spices, using market fresh ingredients. Expect flavourful salads alongside daily caught fish and seafood that has been simply grilled, served as a crispy fritto misto, or in a light bouillabaisse broth. 

Amid Tangier’s unique and  intoxicating blend of cultures and influences, Villa Mabrouka is a secluded and quiet escape. A destination in itself, Conran says: ‘While some will come to explore the city and its coastline, many people will want to come because it's going to be a very soothing experience.’ 

villamabrouka.com 

As the prospect of summertime sojourns looms on the horizon, Paris-based photographer Zachary Handley and French stylist Benoit Martinengo travel to the sun-soaked streets of Marrakech, Morocco, with the spring/summer 2023 season‘s best menswear collections, part of the Wallpaper* May 2023 Milan Preview Issue (on international newsstands now).

Taken in and around the ancient desert city’s Medina – from colourful sun-lit souks and busy car-filled streets in the heat of the day, to sprawling rooftops and quiet whitewashed courtyards at dusk – the photographic series captures the mood of laidback eclecticism which suffused the spring/summer 2023 menswear season, epitomised by collections from designers Grace Wales Bonner, Véronique Nichanian at Hermès and Alessandro Sartori at Zegna, among others.

Summer menswear photographed by Zachary Handley in Marrakech, Morocco

Whether a vivid pink hooded cardigan by British designer Molly Goddard photographed against a bright blue Moroccan sky, the easy line of a wide-legged Prada trouser worn with a gently oversized chequered blouson, or an array of lightweight, colourful summertime knitwear – striped Lacoste, crocheted Hermès and argyle Wales Bonner among the mix – it is a rich and eclectic blueprint for dressing for the warmer months which lie ahead.

Discover Handley and Martinengo’s transporting series, featuring model Anass Bouazzaoui, below. 

Model: Anass Bouazzaoui at The Claw Models. Special thanks to Riad Jardin Secret hotel, Marrakech, Morocco. 

A version of this story appears in the May 2023 Milan Preview Issue of Wallpaper*, available now in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

riadjardinsecret.com

Marrakech is an alluring destination. Situated in the west of Morocco at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, it is one of the country’s four imperial cities and a major economic centre – an evolving metropolis that melds the ancient and the modern. 

Passing through one of the eight gates to this historical place, you will discover a densely packed labyrinth of alleyways, souks and hidden gardens, in which you could lose yourself for days.

The Fairmont Royal Palm succeeds in encompassing all that Marrakech has to offer while placing its guests in a tranquil and relaxing environment that is a mere 12 km (a 20-minute drive) from the city and the exciting maze of the Medina. Set over expansive grounds (including a beautiful 18-hole golf course) the hotel rises into view as a dramatic series of interlinked cubes, fronted by glittering oasis-like pools, and it offers 134 rooms, suites and villas nestled amidst lush orange, palm and olive trees.

The Fairmont’s location allows for decadently spacious accommodation, with rooms that open onto shady terraces, and huge, lavish, bathrooms that are a pastime in themselves. There is a wonderful sense of space and light in this setting, with its panoramic views over the Moroccan landscape, dotted with palm trees and with the purple haze of the Atlas Mountains on the horizon.

The opulent interior of the hotel is the vision of French designer Marilin Spataro and celebrates Moroccan culture in luxurious contemporary style. The Fairmont nurtures close relationships with skilled local artisans and the soaring spaces of the hotel afford a fabulous backdrop for an array of carved wood, marble, and extravagant textiles, to create a richly layered and glamorous environment.

Should you wish to stay within the restful calm of the resort, your time there would be well rewarded. There is the aforementioned golf course (one of the finest in Morocco, designed by American golf course architect Cabell Robinson), a selection of pools, tennis courts and a spa with a traditional hamman. The estate also features an organic farm, whose produce supplies the hotel’s kitchens.

The Fairmont offers gracious hospitality and outstanding cuisine at its variety of bars and restaurants; including the Al Aïn, where you may discover traditional Moroccan food in sumptuous surroundings. Enjoy the stunning views al fresco over a pool-side lunch at L’Olivier, and later, you could settle into a sofa and contemplate the diverse sensory delights of Marrakech over a cocktail or two.

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Morocco, particularly the ancient desert city of Marrakech, was a place of particular resonance for the late Yves Saint Laurent. During his life, the designer – himself born in neighbouring Algeria – spent large swathes of time in the country, first travelling there in 1966 with partner Pierre Bergé. They stayed at the then-dilapidated La Mamounia, now one of the city’s most luxurious residences, beginning a love affair which would last until Saint Laurent’s death in 2008. Of waking up in Morocco on that first day, Bergé wrote: ‘the birds were singing, the snow-capped Atlas Mountains blocked the horizon, and the perfume of jasmine rose to our room. We would never forget that morning, since in a certain way, it decided our destiny.’

Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello S/S 2023 menswear in Morocco

Indeed, Marrakech would become the house of Saint Laurent’s spiritual second home, the pair first purchasing Dar el-Hanch, a small house in the Medina, and later Sar Es Saada, close to the blue-walled Jardin Majorelle (by then it was the 1970s, when an influx of bohémiens arrived in the city from around the world). Marrakech began to seep into the house’s collections; Saint Laurent found growing inspiration in the cuts of traditional Moroccan dress, and the colours of its landscapes. ‘Once I grew sensitive to light and colours, I especially noticed the light on colours…  on every street corner in Marrakech, you encounter astonishingly vivid groups of men and women,’ he said.

This past weekend – half a century on – current Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello staged a return to Marrakech, inviting attendees to view his S/S 2023 menswear collection in a special runway show (following in Saint Laurent’s footsteps, guests stayed at the now-transformed La Mamounia, while also invited to view the various landmarks of the designer’s time in Marrakech during their stay). Taking place in the Agafay desert just outside the city, it was a dramatic spectacle befitting Vaccarello’s tenure at the house – in Paris, his womenswear shows take place in front of the Eiffel Tower, often timed for the landmark to erupt into flashing lights at its finale. 

In the Moroccan desert, a different monolithic form provided an equally dramatic finale – a vast disk created by London-based artist and designer Es Devlin, which rose from the ground at the show’s end, emitting clouds of smoke onto the circular outdoor runway (the runway itself circulated a pool of water, like a desert mirage). The house noted that the show’s set was a reference to Paul Bowles’ 1949 novel The Sheltering Sky; ‘a ring-shaped luminous oasis amid the vast, arid unknown.’ In Bowles’ own words: ‘We think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really… How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.’

The collection itself referenced what Vaccarello said was the ‘elegant dissolving’ of masculine and feminine codes, which he linked to the city of Marrakech, and Saint Laurent’s own inspirations from the city. The tuxedo – an intrinsic element of the Saint Laurent wardrobe – was reinterpreted across the collection, ‘imbued with possibilities’. He said it drew inspiration from his women’s collection earlier this year: sharp and wide across the shoulder, single or double-breasted, shapes also riffed on in boxy outerwear. Befitting the setting, the silhouette was louche: diaphanous shirts open to the naval, an elegant shawl-collar jacket and matching trousers in silk, tops which crossed over at the chest or tied at the neck with a pussy-bow. 

But there was also a more personal element for Vaccarello, too, a look backwards not only into the house’s rich history, but his own life, and the clothes he wore as a student in Belgium. ‘It was how I dressed in 2000,’ he said of the collection’s elongated tailoring, trousers which sat high on the waist and wide on the leg. ‘It was a look that I loved, and I wanted to recreate that spirit; I was missing that.

INFORMATION

ysl.com

The Mövenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi in Marrakech was once by-passed by tourists. Its 503 rooms and its location next to the Palais des Congres makes it the largest conference hotel in North Africa, but a $100,000m renovation by French practice Studio MHNA is now drawing leisure-seeking visitors. Saudi businessmen in dazzling white dishdashas and Ghanaian ministers in Kenke prints still have power lunches in the hotels many restaurants but now families and tourists lounge in the spa, the outdoor pools and the lush gardens created by American landscape designer Madison Cox.  

Assigned the tricky task of combining business and leisure, Studio MHNA set out to create showcase of Moroccan savoir-faire a rather than ‘a touristic perception of Morocco’. ‘It’s a dynamic country in terms of art and fashion so the hotel had to be contemporary,’ explains MHNA co-founder Nicolas Adnet. With his partner Mark Hertrich, Adnet has spent more than 20 years designing hotels, many of which are in Morocco.  

Most of the hotel is bespoke, made using local techniques and materials. The black marble is from Kenitra; Adnet sourced bejmat and zellige tiles and techniques such as tadelakt – a traditional chalk wash – appear on walls which are decorated with equestrian artefacts (referring to the past grandeur of the sultans), pottery from Fez and Safi and ancient kaftans. Finding craftspeople was not difficult, says Adnet; the challenge was to ‘combine fantasy and elegance’ in a large, bustling hotel.

ADDRESS

Avenue Mohamed VI

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Wrapped with terracotta brick and earthen-coloured terrazzo, the new and much-anticipated Yves Saint Laurent museum in Marrakech melds effortlessly into its ochre surrounds. Its understated façade, with its blend of swooping curves and straight lines, is a fitting tribute to the elegance of the late designer’s couture creations. Upon its opening tomorrow, the museum is set to become the jewel in the crown of the French couturier’s Moroccan legacy, which also includes the neighbouring 12 acre Jardin Majorelle, and the Berber Museum, which opened in 2011. 

The Jardin Majorelle is already one of the most visited tourist sites in Morocco: 800,000 visited last year and 9,000,000 are expected to have passed through the gates by the end of 2017. Opened to the public in 1947 by Jacques Majorelle, the late Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé fell in love with the Jardin during their first trip to Marrakech in the sixties. When they realised it was at risk of closure in the 80s, Bergé and Saint Laurent bought and restored it. After Yves died, Bergé donated the Jardin Majorelle and the Villa Oasis to their foundation in Paris. Quito Fierro, the garden’s public relations director, says that visiting numbers have dramatically increased in the past decade to the point where a timed entry system will have to be introduced.

In that time period, the city has seen the arrival of five-star destinations such as the Royal Mansour – a jaw-droppingly opulent medina – one equipped with private riads and a lobby that has to be seen to be believed. Also drawing in the well-heeled crowds is Sir Richard Branson’s captivating Moroccan hideout, Kasbah Tamadot. Nestled in the Atlas Mountains, just an hour’s drive away from the heart of the city, the Kasbah serves as a luxurious escape from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech.

As the first fashion museum in Africa, the institution will dramatically boost the Marrakech’s reputation as a cultural hotspot. ‘When Yves Saint Laurent first discovered Marrakech in 1966, he was so moved by the city that he immediately decided to buy a house here,’ the late Pierre Bergé told us before his death last month, when we went to document the museum’s construction for our September issue (see W*222). ‘It feels perfectly natural, 50 years later, to build a museum dedicated to his oeuvre, which was so inspired by this country.’

Designed by Paris-based Studio KO, the museum was Bergé’s personal project. He was its mastermind and driving force, overseeing every aspect of its design, construction and programming with his exacting eye. Visiting the site each month, Bergé lived to see the completed exterior, which was finished in July this year. ‘Pierre had worked with Studio KO previously on a 20th-century villa in Tangier, so he already knew them well,’ says museum director Björn Dahlstrom. ‘They are young and talented and I think they were absolutely the right choice for this project. Working with them was like working with family – very easy, they were dedicated. I think it would not have been so easy with a big-name architect.’

Inside, the museum comprises a 400 sq m permanent exhibition space designed by Christophe Martin, a temporary exhibition space, a research library with over 6,000 volumes, a 150-seat auditorium, and a bookstore and terrace café. Its interiors are an elegant reinterpretation of traditional Moroccan materials such as local brick, brass, black granite, laurel branches and oak. All of the door handles and hardware are made locally by metalworkers in the medina. ‘The architects wanted to take these very traditional materials but use them in a very contemporary and modern way,’ says Dahlstrom. ‘Pierre insisted on materials such as the terrazzo, and in every shade – nougat, black, grey, pink, white – as well as the stained glass that you see in the entranceway.’

In the main exhibition hall, Martin has conjured an atmospheric show of 50 carefully chosen pieces that are displayed on mannequins lined up like regimented troops. The chosen pieces revolve around themes dear to Saint Laurent – masculine-feminine, black, Africa and Morocco, imaginary voyages, gardens, and art.

Spotlit in the darkness, the garments are backdropped by catwalk film and imagery, which are projected onto the walls. Upon entering, the designer’s drawings, fabric samples and sketches glide by across a wall of video screens that invite visitors to immerse themselves in Saint Laurent’s working process.

The museum will not only display the garments but also become a world specialist in conserving extraordinary collections. The museum’s basement levels will store 1,000 couture garments and accessories lent by the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, as well as 3,000 non-exhibited pieces from the Berber Museum at the Jardin Majorelle. 

In the temporary exhibition space an inaugural show – titled ‘Jacques Majorelle’s Morocco’ and curated by Félix Marcilhac – will offer the public the chance to view thirty important works by the artist that have been lent by private and institutional Moroccan collections. ‘Pierre Bergé saw all of the sketches and paintings,’ says Dahlstrom of the three-month-long exhibition. ‘He signed off on all of it, everything. He was here on the ground overseeing every step of this project.’

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Musée Yves Saint Laurent website, the Royal Mansour website and the Kasbah Tamadot website

ADDRESS

Rue Yves Saint Laurent
Marrakech 40000

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No building better sums up the passions of its patrons than the new Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech. Its form evokes the restrained elegance that defined all of the late Saint Laurent’s designs; its modernity satisfies Pierre Bergé, his partner in work and life; and its red brick façade echoes the sun-soaked palette of the country that the pair fell in love with.

‘When we first discovered Marrakech in 1966, we were so moved by the city that we immediately decided to buy a house here,’ explains Bergé. Twice a year, in December and June, Saint Laurent would head to Marrakech for two weeks to design his haute couture collections. His Moroccan hideaway also became a legendary den of hedonism, and in 2002, when he retired, Marrakech became his haven. ‘It feels perfectly natural, 50 years later, to build a museum dedicated to Saint Laurent’s oeuvre, which was so inspired by this country,’ says Bergé.

The construction of the building was undertaken by Bymaro, the Moroccan subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, which handled all aspects of the project and managed the various tradesmen, while respecting the detailed technical requirements for the conservation of the collection.

The new museum’s permanent gallery features YSL classics – the pea coat, the Mondrian dress, ‘le smoking’ and the safari jacket – as well as 50 rarely-seen pieces, all loaned by the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. French architect Christophe Martin has designed the displays around themes close to Saint Laurent’s heart, among them Masculine-Feminine, Black, Africa and Morocco.

With its library, auditorium, gallery, bookshop and café, Bergé predicts the museum will become a cultural hub. He is well versed at kickstarting cultural activity in Morocco; in 1980, he and Saint Laurent saved the neighbouring Jardin Majorelle from ruin. The museum’s minimal gardens will, like those of its neighbour, be filled with native succulents, tiled pools and palms.

Bergé knew exactly who he wanted to design the new museum in Marrakech (there will also be a sister museum in Paris, designed by regular Fondation PB-YSL collaborators, architect Jacques Grange and scenographer Nathalie Crinière, which will launch at the same time as the Marrakech one).

Olivier Marty and Karl Fournier, founders of Paris- based Studio KO, opened a satellite office in Marrakech 15 years ago and worked with Bergé on his private house in Tangier. Like Bergé and Saint Laurent before them, the pair went to Morocco on a whim and were also captivated by its colours and textures.

As originally featured in the September 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*222)

INFORMATION

The museum opens on 19 October. For more information, visit the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech wesbite and the Studio Ko website 

What do you get when you cross a grand 19th-century Marrakech riad that was once part of a palace with British design, specifically Jasper Conran? You get the head-turning L’Hôtel Marrakech.

As owner, Conran was in the enviable position of having carte blanche with the renovation and interior décor. The result is a covetable collection of five suites centred around a courtyard garden, adjacent to a narrow swimming pool, suffused with orange and lemon trees, where the whitewashed walls are draped with honeysuckle and the only pressing item on the agenda is just in which space you should spend the day lounging.

Conran works in soft Occidental touches – a blue and white striped rug and sunny orange armchairs here, and billowing white drapes over towering four poster beds there – but the décor is unmistakably North African, a combination that’s effectively set off by the dark-stained double height timber doors and windows, mashrabiya details and geometric tiled floors.

The heaving Jemaa El Fna square and souk are within easy reach, but why spend that effort when the kitchen offers traditional Moroccan home cooking which includes a chicken tagine hit with preserved lemons, and seasonal fruit gleaming with syrup; and the pergola on the roof terrace offers bracing views of the Atlas mountains and Marrakech’s unchanging skyline?

ADDRESS

41 Derb Sidi Lahcen ou Ali
Bab Doukkala
40000 Marrakech

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At COP22, this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, delegates talked sustainability while experiencing sustainability – meeting throughout a reusable, recyclable village designed by Paris and Morocco-based architects Oualalou+Choi.

For two weeks in November, over 40,000 delegates from 195 countries met in the COP22 village, a mix of temporary structures which were spread out over 30 hectares of land on the southern edge of Marrakech. Using locally-sourced materials, Oualalou+Choi’s design reflected the climate summit’s focus on sustainable development, and at the same time incorporated local architectural traditions in new ways.

Taking local, post-harvest festivals as a starting point, the architects constructed a communal space that ran as a seam down the centre of the village under a succession of canopies. 'The design of the exhibition grounds is based upon a temporary urbanism created by the installation of a village of canopies, entirely demountable and reusable,' the architects explain. The tent-like structure covered 12,400 sq m, linking together two sides of the village under a translucent and waterproof covering.

At the gateway to the summit, an impressive, remixed Moroccan archway greeted visitors. Dubbed ‘ark22’, the traditional arched design emerged from a puzzle of interlocking locally-sourced timber. At 12m high and 50m in length, the installation was comprised of identical, lightweight layers that could later be disassembled and reconstructed elsewhere in the city. 

Inside the village, a series of verandas, patios and atria with accessible rooftops reflected the rural architectural traditions of Morocco. Named ‘agora22’, the structures housed two restaurants and functioned as communal meeting spaces for delegates, where they could chat comfortably outside of the formal meeting sessions. In keeping with the summit's recyclable remit, ‘agora22’ was comprised almost entirely of reusable particle board, down to the tables and chairs, all of which will be dismantled and reassembled for future projects.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the COP22 website

The opening of the Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay boasts at least a couple of firsts: the first all-pool villa resort in Morocco, and the first outpost of the Singaporean brand in Africa and along the Mediterranean. 

Set along Morroco’s north-eastern coastline within sightline of the Rif Mountains and the Martil Valley, the resort ticks all the boxes of an idyllic beach retreat – though more adventurous types might prefer day trips to the nearby UNESCO towns of Chefchaouen and Tetouan, or the haul of antiquities at the Museo Municipal in Ceuta.

For the rest, a sedentary mood beckons. All the more because, in many ways, Banyan Tree’s in-house design team, Architrave, did not stray too far from Middle-Eastern tropes, specifically Andalusian Moorish themes of arabesque and Mashrabiya patterns, long corridors of arched doorways, hand-cut mosaic tiles and wrought ironwork. Meanwhile, the 92 villas and public spaces are clad in a warm mix of travertine, cedar, and brass.

The spa, styled after an Andalusian courtyard, is stuffed with hydrothermal thermal therapies, hammam and body scrubs on hot marble slabs. Meanwhile, the dining options are happily schizophrenic. At Tingitana, chef Georges Roche serves up a seafood paella, while his counterpart Sukkasem at Saffron turns out a mean red curry with tofu, basil and aubergine. 

ADDRESS

Route Nationale 13
POB 526.
93100 Fnideq
Morocco

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Tangier may be the mythic Moroccan haunt of artists, writers and the old-school glam jet set of the 20th century, but just down the coast the new Sofitel Tamuda Bay hotel hopes to make M’diq the newest luxury destination for the discerning traveller. 

For starters, Lebanon-based Galal Mahmoud of GM Architects has blended the glitz of the French Riviera and the cool tranquillity of the Moroccan Mediterranean to create a modular jewel box on the sea, while inside, his dive into M’diq’s aesthetics results in a colourful haven with swathes of northern Morocco’s striking signature combination of cobalt blue and white. 

Set against a backdrop of the majestic Rif Mountains and perfectly framing the panoramic vistas of the inky Mediterranean Sea, the the 104 guest rooms and villas are either vibrantly decorated with bold art and furnishings, or subtly decked out in elegant blonde wood. The lobby and lounge spaces meanwhile, are resolutely 1970s mod in marble and vivid colours. 

ADDRESS

Route de Ceuta

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The Mandarin Oriental group have set foot in Africa with a property in Marrakech, just 10 minutes' drive from the medina.

Designed by French duo Gilles and Boissier - also behind the slick New York Baccarat Hotel and Parisian Hexagone restaurant - the hotel’s décor is in keeping with the group's signature linear East Asian style, while subtle Berber and Andalusian touches add a hint of spice.

54 villas with private pools are scattered across a fragrant garden of 100,000 roses while nine suites in the main building come with plunge pools that look out to the snow-capped Atlas mountains. Three restaurants - from traditional Moroccan to Mediterranean - have all gastronomic requirements covered, while the spa experience, offering exclusive massage suites, has two hammams, an indoor pool and an option to enjoy outdoor treatments under the shade of the olive trees in the adjacent garden.

ADDRESS

Route du Golf Royal 40 000 Marrakech

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After the successful launch of the Park Hyatt in Zanzibar, the Chicago-based Hyatt hotel group continues to expand into the vast African market with its latest located in Taghazout Bay, a sustainable resort sandwiched between the gentle foothills of the Atlas Mountains and the rolling surf of the Atlantic. The hotel is a winning combination of breezy local charm and relaxed, effortless interiors courtesy of Moroccan firm Karim Chakor, who integrated local elements into the property’s design - delicate reed basket weaves ensconce guests in the hotel’s bar, while rooms are adorned with intricate patterned mosaic prints that reference the region’s Islamic heritage. The spa, in particular, takes pride of place, with dark marble and granite stunningly illuminated by hanging brass Moroccan lamps that create a gentle intimacy for enjoying its authentic hammam or a session in one of the six treatment rooms. Travellers of a more active persuasion will find plenty to occupy them in an 18-hole golf course designed by renowned architect Kyle Philips, as well as a surf camp taking advantage of the region’s un-crowded waves and crisp sea breeze.  

ADDRESS

Station Touristique de Taghazout Km 17
Route d'Essaouira
Agadir
Morocco

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A cool urban sanctuary with a pop art edge, Riad Goloboy is the first of its kind in Marrakech’s labyrinthine medina. Wrapped in cheerful hues inspired by the colourful works of artists Henri Matisse and Serge Poliakoff, the interiors of the eight-room property are designed by owner and art collector, Béatrice Faujas. Lacy arabesque archways and 50s Danish-style furniture mingle with bold pop art and pieces by French street artist Kouka, while the Moorish romance of the building's typical riad shell reflects Faujas’ longstanding love for Morocco. Sample the kitchen’s mouth-watering organic offerings from one of the cosy nooks in the hotel’s lounges and patio or unwind on the rooftop terrace where idyllic vistas of the nearby gardens and the Koutoubia Mosque are set against a spellbinding backdrop of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.

ADDRESS

Derb mbark 40000
Marrakech
Morocco

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Marrakech's newest hotel, The Pearl is located in Hivernage, an increasingly buzzy part of the new town filling up with boutique hotels and destination restaurants. The Sky Lounge, with its wraparound roof terrace, pool and open-air Japanese restaurant, Namazake, is a particular draw, along with Pomiroeu, which dishes up beautifully crafted Italian cuisine. Jacques Garcia's interiors strike a dramatic note from the moment you enter the lobby, a soaring white atrium that riffs on the traditional riad. In the 71 rooms, a rich purple and maroon colour scheme creates a lavish feel, but the edge is modern, with contributions from contemporary Moroccan artists such as Noureddine Daifallah. The Pearl spa has a striking mosaic pool and private hammam.

ADDRESS

Avenue Echouhada
Rue des Temples
Marrakech

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A 16th-century converted church in the Unesco heritage city of El Jadida, this 13-suite jewel is the latest project from French-born Jean Dominique Leymarie, the man behind Marrakech's Beldi Country Club. Leymarie took on the interiors as well, which marry French-influenced Art Deco furniture (the Mathieu Matégot chairs are a pleasant surprise) with old radios, hats, bags, mirrors, chandeliers and rugs handpicked from the souks. Intricate decorative detailing and vaulted ceilings add to the drama - as does the rooftop terrace, overlooking the historic Portuguese ramparts and the Atlantic coast.

ADDRESS

Eglise Espagnole
Cite Portuguaise
El Jadida
Morocco

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Surrounded by narrow, bustling streets and quintessentially Moroccan stone alleyways, Riad Mena stands discreetly on the eastern edge of Marrakech’s legendary Medina. Art pundit Philomena Schurer Merckoll took three years to transform the traditional Moroccan house - originally a private residence - into a sleek five-room lodging, featuring polished, modern interiors by local designer Romain Michel-Ménière, interspersed with traditional gems such as vintage kilims, original tiles and leather poufs. Unwind in a traditional hammam or sit under the stars on the terrace where vegetable tagines, couscous and teas are served to a backdrop of old movies. The hotel also boasts a permaculture farm. Located just outside the city in Ourika Valley, two small guesthouses, a hammam and natural swimming pool will be available by the end of the year.

ADDRESS

73 Derb J´Did
(off Place Douar Graoua)
Marrakech
Morocco

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