Marrakech: and a tale of a Raven & Lily Spring jewelry collection

They came with their selection of shoes

And their long legs to wear them.

And they came with their pretty dresses....

And their plans for styling them...

And of course, they came with their photographer (who doubled as a model).

But mostly, they came with their jewelry.  

{And the hopes & wishes of the women -- the marginalized, the trafficked, the ones with HIV -- who made them.}  

We dressed up Peacock Pavilions for the occasion...

with penants....

  with cushions....

And with stripey blankets...

Until all there was left to do was smile for the camera....

Raven & Lily's Spring collection is out!  So very covetable.  For those who love jewelry and the special hands that made them....

See the lookbook shot at Peacock Pavilions:  right here. And don't forget to shop.  {You'll be glad that you did.}

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

 PS  Subscribe to My Marrakesh here  and receive it in your inbox.

Marrakech: and a tale of an {exciting} little news round up

Dear friends,

It's been busy here at Peacock Pavilions, and there's so much I've wanted to share.  A few tidbits:

• I'm thrilled that My Marrakesh won Best Writing on a Design Blog in the 2013 Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame Awards.  The winners were determined through a combination of ratings by a panel of judges and the public vote.  Many, many thanks to those of you who took the time to vote for this blog. And my sincerest congratulations to the other three blogs that won in their respective categories! 

• I feel so lucky to have just had talented writer Dominic Bradbury and *amazing* photographer Richard Powers (the duo behind The Iconic Interior and The Iconic House) come to Marrakech on behalf of House & Garden magazine to do a feature on architect husband Chris and me, as well as Peacock Pavilions .  The story involved entertaining, a little road trip and a wander through the Marrakech souks!  The issue should be out this Summer. 

• In a moment of madness, I tried out for a (tiny) role as an American journalist in an award winning French sitcom called, Kaboul Kitchen.  It seems (can it be?!) that I got the part.  Apparently, they were impressed that I had actually been to Kabul (& just recently!).  View snippets of last season here:-)

• Very excited that Anthropologie has bought my book, Marrakesh by Design, for its US stores.  You might head over {if there's one nearby} to flip through the pages and pick up a copy, if you like what you see!

• So flattered that My Marrakesh is a finalist in the category Best African Weblog in the 13th Annual Weblog Awards, also known as the Bloggies.  Please take a peek and vote for your favorites! 

• You'll find me on AlHurra TV's Eye on Democracy show on March 8th, International Women's Day.  I'll be speaking about women and education as a source of empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa. Such an important topic.  (This is related to my day job -- which I don't much discuss here on this blog but am passionate about!)  Please tune in if you can at 2:10 pm GMT!

        Your faraway friend in an olive grove in Marrakech,

        Maryam

PS  Subscribe to My Marrakesh here.  Let's be friends on Facebook here or take a look at my Pinterest boards here.

Manhattan: and a tale of Scout Designs

When it comes to design and interiors, I always value interest over beauty.  I am drawn to artifacts {with their hidden histories} and to curiosities {with their strange tales}.  I like unexpected juxtapositions and intrigue.  And I like details. I am happy when people pick up things and say, What is that?  Because really, life is too short to keep seeing the same old thing. 

I decorate Peacock Pavilions myself.  But if I were to hire a firm to do that, the place that comes to mind is Scout Designs, run by Nicki Clendening and Callie Jenschke. These two have a fantastic and very personal design aesthetic.  And it's no surprise {to me} that they're drawn to ethnic details and items from farflung shores.   I also confess to having asked them if they would, Please be my best friends. {Ahem, I'm still waiting in line with several others on that request.}  Because honestly, they're just that cool.

Whenever I'm in New York, we spend some time together.  Here is Nicki in her beautiful appartment in Harlem.

And Callie 

And more importantly, here is some of their work.

 Photo credit: Liz Banfield

Photo credit: Liz Banfield

Learn more about Scout Designs and Callie and Nickie

Scout Designs
info@scoutdesignsnyc.com
And take a peek at their blog, Scouting and their shop, Mercantile.

*********

PS So nice to see this lovely blog post on Peacock Pavilions. 

Marrakech: and a tale of dinner at the Royal Mansour

Yes, it was at the Royal Mansour in {of course} Marrakech.

A gate fit for, well, a king.  

The Moroccan restaurant seemed straight from an enchanting old film. All marble floors, mosaic tiled walls, and filigree lanterns...

{The bottles with their amber elixirs gleamed.}

In pristine Moroccan jellabas and ivory silken caftans, they played their part to, well, perfection.

With the lanterns casting mesmerizing patterns on the walls, he took our order.

and {with white gloves} we were served...

on an inlaid table with cut crystal, porcelain pedestals and golden rims.....

only the most beautiful fish....

Yes, the Moroccan restaurant at the Royal Mansour in Marrakech.  Supervised by the celebrated three-Michelin-star chef, Yannick Alléno

Be forewarned....only for those with the sparkliest jewels, the highest heels, and the fattest wallets.  

www.royalmansour.com
info@royalmansour.ma
T: + 212 5 29 80 80 80. F: + 212 5 29 80 80 91