Marrakech: and a tale of Valentine's Day in the Peacock Pavilions dining tent

Maryam Montague

February 14, 2012

Design, My Musings [and Muses]

Ah Lovelies, it's Valentine's Day. Could there be a better reason for making things pretty? I think not.

I set our table in the Peacock Pavilions dining tent, in honor of the special occasion, with objects culled from around the house.

A vintage sculpture study in porcelain.

Faceted vases made from Moet & Chandon containers. Branches from our own Moroccan olive grove. Porcelain leaves commissioned from Caroline Douglas.

Vintage German glove molds in porcelain.

Romantic antique Victorian porcelain figurines

Large vintage birds with long swishy tails and old Swedish Dirigold dessert spoons.

Happy Valentine's Day:-) Here's hoping you're spending it with someone you love.

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PS The Instant Love photography retreat is at our place and I set this table just for them! If you're a fan of Polaroid photography, their book is a must!

Maryam Montague

February 1, 2012

Morocco, Buying + Loving, Design

Marrakesh: and a tale of my book, Marrakesh by Design

Maryam Montague

February 1, 2012

Morocco, Buying + Loving, Design

I didn't mean to fall in love. No, I didn't mean to fall in love. You see, prior to Morocco, there was Namibia. A place where the sun was so strong that I had to squint to see the stretches of desert, colorless and stark. The cities and towns were quiet and organized, neat and tidy. Everything seemed to have its place. Even the sand dunes were perfectly arranged.

And then..... then came Morocco. And with it, all of its gorgeous madness. All of its colors, all of its patterns, all of its textures. Its souks bursting to overflowing. Its houses opening to secret gardens and fountain filled courtyards. Arches and tiles cascaded as far as the eye could see. Rooms were decorated with a kind of seductive loveliness that was as tantalizing to me as the endless cups of Moroccan mint tea

And I wanted to share some of that with you, you see. I wanted to give you some Marrakesh. So you could put it in your pocket. So you could take it home with you. So you could add a little Marrakesh to your own living room or bedroom or kitchen. If I couldn't lure you to Morocco then I wanted to lure Morocco to you.

So here it is. Yes, here it is. My book. Marrakesh by Design, to be published by Artisan Books.

Available now for pre-order. At IndieBound. Amazon. At Barnes & Noble. Please, oh please like it. {I think you will. I wrote it -- and photographed it -- with you in mind:-)}