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You may remember that last year I stayed with the wonderful Maryam from My Marrakesh fame at her beautiful guest house Peacock Pavilions just outside of Marrekesh.

peacock pavilions,marrakesh,morocco,hotels

At the time I couldn’t post about the interior of Maryam’s amazing home because it was soon to be photographed for Elle Decor.  But the issue is out and so now I can!  So drink in all this gorgeousness and believe me when I say that the photographs, beautiful as they are, still don’t do it justice.

This is just a small corner of the main sitting room, looking through to the dining room.   The centre of the room has a large indoor fountain that is filled with roses.  This is where we sat as Maryam revealed the secrets of Moroccan design and shared the provenence of her collections. 

The terrace is where we had breakfast each day.  A feast of fruit, yoghurt and homemade tarts and bread.  A huge olive tree that was in situ before the house was built offers welcome shade.

Every single corner of the house is filled with treasures and objects of interest.  Every story is incredible and awe inspiring.

I like to dress the pieces (furniture) up with throws and belts and beads and sometimes a combination of everything,” she says. “I have a very fashiony approach to design.”

Isn’t this corridor striking?  It looks out onto the pool.

And this is Maryam’s bedroom, which we didn’t actually get to see but looks exactly as I would have imagined it.

And if you do decide to visit Peacock Pavilions, which I cannot recommend highly enough, you may get to sleep in the guestroom above.  If you don’t, worry not,  every guest room is equally stunning.

You can read the full story of how Maryam and Chris created this beautiful retreat over on Elle Decor and if you are craving more tips on Moroccan design Maryam has a book out coming out called  (Marrakesh by Design, published by Artisan Books, available mid-May).

Personally, I can’t wait to go back!

Celebrate the patterns and shapes of Morocco in silver, metal and icy white.

morocco,design,accessories,rugs,poufs,lanterns,trays,wallpaper,tiles

From top left: Hanging lanterns, Svpply. Bronze, metal, tassel glasses, Liberty. Star lantern, Clayton Gray. Porcelain tiles, Overstock. Silver pouf, Calypso.  Wall plaque, Berber Trading. Lace lantern, The Cross Design.  Silver hanging chandelier, Just Morocco. Flock, foil wallpaper, Brocade Home.  White pouf, Serena and Lily. Printed mirrored tray, Calypso.  Tower candle lantern, Amazon. Beni-ouarain rug, Mosaik.

Located in possibly one of my favourite cities in the whole wide world…

Dar Darma is undeniably beautiful but it is also a little bit different.  Soaring, painted ceilings and decadent furnishings maybe, but it is also more like a private home than a hotel.  Guests are invited to take their meals at whatever time they choose and where ever they choose.  “We are able to serve the meals in the suites or on the terraces, anywhere we can set up a table and make it special.”

When the heat gets too much there is a rooftop pool and beauty treatments can be taken in the hammam.

I think I might find it hard to leave.

via Welcome Beyond

Well you didn’t think I’d come home empty handed did you?

Marrakesh really is a shoppers dream.  From the bustling souks in the medina, to the new town, to La  Zone Industrielle there is temptation at every turn.  Everywhere there is a spectacular blaze of colour, tantalising scents and beautiful workmanship.  Get the hang of haggling and you might even pick up a bargain.

I was always going to buy a wedding blanket.  It was a done deal.  And I absolutely love it.  Authentic and heavy and with a satisfying tinkling sound from all those sequins every time you shake it.

I’m also a sucker for anything that glistens. So the small glass and silver tray for serving tea to guests was soon in my shopping basket.  Perfect for holding perfume bottles on the dressing table or in the bathroom.

The embossed mirror is beautiful.  Small but perfectly formed.  It doesn’t have a home yet but I’m working on it. 

The scented candles with beaten metal lids and colourful tassels have pride of place on the coffee table and smell divine.

The dusky beauty in the black and white photograph was waiting just for me.  Provenance unknown, but she will be a constant reminder to me of mint tea and the sometimes comfy, sometimes not, tradition of reclining on cushions.

And if I use the essential oils daily – good for eye bags and wrinkles, or so I’m told – I may become as beguiling as she.

The slippers are a present for a friend….maybe :-)

But oh, the things I had to leave behind.  The Ben Ouiran rug (too big for my suitcase and just a little out of my budget), the silver teapot, silver tray and rainbow coloured glasses, the punched metal lanterns (also too big but so very tempting) the leather pouf and so much more…

*sigh*

I’m so in love with Marrakesh!

It was my second trip and it most definitely will not be my last.  Just everything about it is inspiring…

From the shopping…

 To the architecture…

To the food…

And especially the magical Peacock Pavilions

I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Truly.

But most of all I was inspired by this most incredible woman and I feel privileged to have been able to know her a little better…

You can read more about her here.

Oh, and did I mention that Arianna and I made a whole bunch of new friends?

More on that to follow…

Seems I’m not the only one obsessed with all things Moroccan lately.

This stunning house belongs to swimwear designer Liza Bruce and her husband, artist Nicholas Alvis Vega and is featured in the current issue of Elle Decor.

The three story house boasts gardens, terraces, a swimming pool and a hamman steam bath.  Vega calls it their ‘pleasure palace’ and I can see why.

Who wouldn’t like to while away the day on these pink sunbeds in this verdant oasis with occasional cooling dips in the pool?

Or enjoy a few sun-downers on this roof terrace whilst watching the sky turn from blue, to purple, to star studded black?

Wouldn’t this room catch every breath of a breeze? And don’t you just love those angled mirrors placed high on the wall.

To see more and read the full story pop over to Elle Decor.

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