Marrakech design inspiration: a tale of a rose-filled Moroccan dinner party

In the prettiest of all pretty houses in Marrakech, there was a dinner.

 
Imagine a fountain filled with Moroccan roses.......

 
Could it be any lovelier? 

 
    There were roses quite literally everywhere.

    Like here.

 
   And blooming plants in vintage Moroccan repousse pails........

 
 Girls in beautiful dresses sat on tufted velvet cushions....

 
at a table that was like pure magic.......

The hostess, a personal chef, prepared delicacies in the kitchen. 

Her beauty in a lace dress was dangerous - a bit like looking at the sun.

 
The dark evening.  Everything so delicious.

  
 
 No detail forgotten.

And at the end of the evening, far past midnight, a tiny boy came to say goodnight.  His father, a British photographer, looked on amused. 

 
 And by the light of a  Moroccan lantern...

 
in a courtyard with a rose-filled fountain, all crimson .........

 
 we bade farewell to the loveliest of all lovely evenings in Marrakech............

Marrakech: a tale of Moroccan interior design, bathroom-style, at Peacock Pavilions

Feeling blue?  Me too.  But maybe not in the way you'd expect:-)

Take a peek at the bathroom of the Room of the  Moorish Muse at Peacock Pavilions.  Ahem, continuing with the exuberantly Moroccan tiled theme........Because really, life is meant to be exuberant, no?

 
 Moroccan bamboo cement tiles by Popham Design, made with love in Marrakech by cool LA expat couple, Caitlin & Samuel Dowe-Sandes. 

PS More and more on Twitter these days.  Follow my exploits and odd musings by clicking here and clicking follow.

Marrakech: and an interior design tale of a Moroccan tent at Peacock Pavilions guest house

Anyone who knows me knows that I love hand embroidery. I've been collecting pieces for more than 20 years, and my passion for embroidery shows no sign of waning.  It's an obsessional kind of thing.

Morocco has an incredible embroidery tradition, and I was crazy about the idea of having a Moroccan dining/party tent at Peacock Pavilions inspired by old embroideries of the mysterious Moroccan city of Fes.  The original pieces of these Fes embroideries are, sadly, more than my wallet can bear.  But no matter.  I chose the color scheme and then I sent uber-talented designer Melanie Royals of Royal Design Studio some inspiration.  She whipped up several designs for me to choose from.  The one I selected is so lovely it makes me want to weep.

Here's a little glimpse.

I designed the Moroccan tent with architect husband Chris -- it took weeks to make!  Then Melanie designed a series of stencils that fit together like a gigantic puzzle.  Using the stencils, the designs would be painted on the interior of the tent.  The tent is double layered so that the painting is protected.

Here's a stencil:

And another stencil taped to the window of the tent.

 
I loved every single Peacock Painter whom Melanie brought on her trip to paint my Moroccan tent.  I am so grateful to Melanie and each of the painters (Nancy, Angela, Maggie, Lisa, Lulu).  These are women with beautiful souls and beautiful hands.  They will forever be a part of Peacock Pavilions.  *I will never forget them.*

Hard at work stenciling.....

 
Here's adorable Maggie.  And you can see part of the tent! 

 
I happened to have a velvet evening dress (Diane Von Furstenberg) that matched the tent (purely coincidental! incredible, no?).  I hung it in the corner of the tent for inspiration:-)

 
I think I may now be the owner of the prettiest tent in the world.... What do you think?

*

PS There is a mention of Peacock Pavilions and this little blog in New York Magazine today!  Here and here. Thank you sweet writer Joshua Stein!

PPS And merci to all of you who ordered sultry slippers in my flash sale!  I will have a different flash sale next week.  So stay tuned!

Marrakech: and tale of a flash sale of the world's very prettiest slippers

 It's Summer here in Marrakech, yes Summer!  There are friends over at a moment's notice, there are cocktails on the carpet covered terrace, there are late night dips in the pool.

To celebrate, I am having a flash sale on the very prettiest Moroccan slippers, made just for me (and ahem, just for you). 

Oh, I could have had them made in baby blue or pale pink.  But really, life is far, far too short for that sort of thing. 

So instead, I had them made in sultry (What? you say that is not a color?).  Yes, they're a sort of burnished silvery, bronzy, pewter.  Subtle and elegant, and yet sexy in the very best way.  Somehow (and really, it's just inexplicable) these seem to change color depending on what you wear. 

 
And if that weren't enough, sewn on there are deep lavender-looks-like-charcoal-in-certain-light sequins and the most petite beads.  We're talking pure glamour here (with frankly, a tiny bit of danger mixed in)  All made by hand, all made in the very softest leather.  With a cushioned insole so that you feel like you are walking on air.  (And you just might be).

For you, for your mother, for your sister, for your best friend.  Or perhaps for your wife (if you happen to have one).  Really for anyone who wants to feel a little bit pampered, a little bit seductive, a little bit more than just pretty.  Perfect for wearing indoors.   I wear mine hostessing my dinner parties in glimmering comfort. 

These are the slipper equivalent of a Marrakech evening under a canopy of stars.

But since this is a flash sale, these slippers will magically be gone in a flash at the stroke of midnight on Thursday May 27 (ie the start of Friday morning).  So if you want them, please buy them now.  The last time I did a sale like this was three years ago and I am not likely to do it again. 

$38.50, shipping included. 

Offer valid only for those in the US or Canada.  Please email c_redecke@yahoo.com (the husband)with your foot size and you will receive payment information.

 
Prepare to get noticed.