Marrakesh: and a tale of Moroccan design at Red Thread Souk {oui, Peacock Pavilions}

Did you know that I have a little shop at Peacock Pavilions?  It's only for our own guests {ie staying at Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh} but there are some pretty treasures in there.

18 inch African pregnant body masks,: $225, sequined cushions, vintage Ethiopian long tribal transluscent horn spoons: $95

Beautiful blankets

My own hooks {featured in House Beautiful magazine} in silver or gold, $165 for 3 and very substantial!
. Vintage Moroccan caftans.

My starry night sequined cushions {$150} in gorgeous recycled market bags {$45}.

Our signature Peacock Pavilions cocktail napkins made with handmade beading {$48 for 6 napkins}

Sublime inlaid boxes with calligraphy {$135} and strand of large bone beads {$95}.

Hand embroidered Egyptian cushion {$125}, hand embroidered bags from Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.

PS Email me at moroccanmaryamATyahooDOTcom, if you'd like to make something lovely yours!

Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh: and a tale of inspirations

Feeling inspired by many things at Peacock Pavilions these days.  Here's a few:

Talismanic hands of Fatima from a favorite jeweler. 

Some new bones and Simon Winchester's book on skulls (interesting, perhaps, for only the most ardent skull enthusiasts).

A collection of antique embroidered Moroccan bags from Khalid Art Gallery.

A new chair covered by a Moroccan wedding blanket.

One of the most beautiful design books that I own, The Divine Home by Peter Vitale.

A new but old Moroccan carpet from Red Thread Souk for my dining room.  Can you see that I have also upholstered my chairs in Moroccan rugs, too?

Collections of odds & ends everywhere.  Here some entomology pins from Merchant & Mills, a packet of gold sequins from Figue, a notebook from my friends at Imperial Black, and photography by Alexis de Vilar. I bought the wood arrow in South Africa.

My family peacock, Maurice, at Peacock Pavilions. I'm still in awe of his splendour.  Really.

What's inspiring you these days?  I want to know.

Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh: a tale of what you need and what you want

Sometimes you put off the things that you might need…the new car, the juicer, the life insurance, the pair of sneakers.

Yes, you postpone the useful things…the microwave oven, the briefcase, the additional hangers, the waterproof boots.

You lay those aside:  the things you might need, the useful things….

And instead you get the thing that you want….

Just for the peace, just for the beauty. 

Just for the few minutes when you forget all that is expected of you and all you must do. 

The outdoor pond at Peacock Pavilions in Marrakech.  Serving no practical purpose….no practical purpose at all……

************************************************************

PS New stock of the very prettiest Moroccan wedding blankets in Red Thread Souk.  Treat yourself to something you'll enjoy every single day.  (The cushions are so nice, too.)

Marrakech: and a tale of Peacock Pavilions in the news

 You know, it wasn't a fairy tale building Peacock Pavilions.  To the contrary. There were disasters.  

There was the contractor who spent all of our money, leaving us with a building site only a third complete. There was not one, but two mortgages.  There were our retirement funds cashed in in their entirety because we didn't know what else to do.  There was a foreign government who wouldn't issue us permits for reasons we couldn't understand.  There was a building crew that spoke a different language than we did.  There were windows put in upside down and staircases torn out because they were wrong, all wrong.  

Yes, there were bodies strewn in the wake of the making of this dream of ours.  There was depression.  There was a desperate wringing of hands, over and over and yes, over again.  

So remember....Peacock Pavilions wasn't made from fairy dust but from a mixture of hardship and folly. Don't let the pictures in the glossy magazines fool you.

And speaking of those.....

An 8 page feature in the February/March 2014 Elle Decoration, the Netherlands. 

Thanks to Laura van der Linde for sending the images above our way.

My tips for Moroccan-style entertaining at Peacock Pavilions are on Lonny in March.  Check out the floor that was done by Melanie Royals and her team.  My inspiration for that project was African wax resist patterns on cloth. See the Lonny story here.  

Images by Patrick Cline

Peacock Pavilions is mentioned in Vogue Italia this month as a great place to stay in Marrakesh:-) Take a peek at the story (in Italian) right here.  Many thanks to Alessandra Turci.

PS It's finally Spring time in Marrakech. Sometimes the Spring is all the more beautiful when the winter has been especially cold, yes? Hope you are managing to thaw out wherever you are.