Marrakesh: and a tale of hope and trepidation

My phone rang.  It was Marrakesh Fed Ex saying I had a package.  

Thank you, I said and I hung up.  

I sat there then for a moment, for several moments, the phone 

in my hand.  

I could hear a bird singing persistantly outside my window.  

But I was quiet.

Later, my son called me from Fed Ex.  

Mom, can we open it up?  he asked. 

No, I replied.  Please don't.  

I want to open it myself, I said.  

In its sturdy cardboard box, the package feels heavy in my hand.  

Like something, maybe, substantial.  

Inside is the first copy of my book, Marrakesh by Design.  

The kind people at my publisher, Artisan Books, sent it to me 

as quickly as they could.  

I feel a strange sort of trepidation about opening it.  

You see, I'm so hoping for 100 points of light.

Please, oh please...let it be so. 

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Marrakesh: and a tale of my home in Elle Decor. Part 1

I'm an accidental stylist.  I don't follow rules.  I mix with abandon. I don't worry decisions. I buy only things that I love.  

My home at Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh, Morocco is in the April Elle Decor.  My architect husband Chris Redecke and I designed, built and decorated it from scratch (with love).  

Take a peek at a few images.

My livingroom. The carpet is from my shop, Red Thread Souk.  My husband designed the Indonesian-inspired couch, and it is upholstered with vintage Moroccan and Malian textiles, and European velvet. I designed the lantern with an ikat fabric.  The Frank Gehry wiggle chairs are dressed with old belts from Rajasthan.  The antique campaign chair is decorated with record beads from Ghana and a vintage carpet bag from Iran.  The Peacock mirror is Indian.  Standing on the back of the couch are African statues and old Koranic book plates. The little round hollow table is vintage Moroccan and filled with my collection of antique Egyptian hand door knockers.

My hallway.  The hallway is polished cement and is inset with light wells, lit from below.  We commissioned the star lanterns in the souks.

My terrace.  The floor is covered with Moroccan cement tile.  We had the Moroccan zillij tile table made  by a Moroccan artisan.  

My guestroom. The wall was done in collaboration with Melanie Royals of Modello Designs and a group of kind Peacock Painters.  The curtains were made by Corinne Bensimon with saris I brought back from Bangladesh.  The carpet is vintage Moroccan Tazenarght.  On the bed is an old kantha quilt with a hand embroidered running stich.  The cushions are decorated with the embroidery of Rabat.  The two small chairs have cushions made out of African mud cloth.  The stools were purchased in Mali.

The Elle Decor April issue is devoted to international homes -- some of them jawdroppingly beautiful. I am in love with the ones from Spain and London, in particular.

Photography by Simon Upton; Photos courtesy of ELLE DECOR

Produced by Elle Decor Design Director Anita Sarisidi

Moroccan design: a tale of red

Did you know that Marrakesh is known as the Red City?  Named after the color of its walls, which glow a rich color when the sun sets.  So it's all about red here today.........all about red.............

Snippet of a vintage Moroccan Boujad carpet.

Red wool hanging on the wall in the Dyers Souk.

Red sardine cans in the Dar Rumi kitchen.

Red tadelakt walls, floors and stairs in the Cafe des Epices in Marrakesh.

Red roses in a hand carved Moroccan fountain at Le Tanjia Restaurant in Marrakesh.

Red walls at Jawad Kadiri's house in Marrakesh.

Red sequined slippers and red calligraphic artwork at Dar Rumi in Marrakesh.

Artwork with former King Hassan II at the home of the designers of Zid Zid Kids.

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 PS There's a whole chapter on Moroccan color in my forthcoming book, Marrakesh by Design -- so you can  use this beautiful color palette (red and so much more!) in your home, no matter where you live:-)

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Morocco: and a tale of Moroccan lanterns

It's been years.  But I still succumb to their beauty.  every. single. time. 

Moroccan lanterns.

 

Made with the tiniest saw blades, with the most careful chisels, with the most precise hammers.  Made by master craftsmen with the most patient hands.  

 

These are no ordinary lights.  Oh no.  This is ambiance hanging from a chain -- the streams of light, tattooing the walls, the ceiling, the floor. 

So you can buy those Ikea lights, those plastic globes, those prefab sconces.  Or you can buy.... Moroccan magic.

 

I side with magic every time.

 

PS There is a Moroccan shopping resource section in my book.  So you can have some Moroccan magic of your very own.