I am working on a post about Marrakech at the moment and it made me think: Maybe you would be interested in where I usually stay when I am in Morocco.
It’s a little riad called VILLA FILALI, in the middle of the medina. It’s a private house and chances are, you have never heard about it, but I think it is totally worth to be added to your bucket list for your next Marrakech trip!
Almost 20 years ago my friend Felicia stumbled upon a ramshackle little riad in the oldest part of the medina and immediately fell in love. She put a lot of research, energy (and money) into the renovation and the interior decor. She worked with local artisans and craftsmen using the old techniques for plastering the walls and restoring the ornamental tiling around the house.
And she added her own little twist and mixed and matched traditional moroccan elements with high quality craftsmanship from other parts of the world. You will find a Murano glass chandelier from Venice next to a crazy totally over the top four poster brass bed built in Sheffield/ England for the arabic market and a traditional Swedish stove (shipped from Sweden together with a guy to install it - that crazy girl).
The list of mid century classics in the house is long (including Mategot table and chairs (who had a factory in Morocco) - a Nanna Ditzel chair - a glass Panton chandelier in the kitchen - 70s bright yellow Saarinen Moroccan rip off chairs - the fabrics are Scalamandré and Clarence House). If you enjoy that kind of mid century modern mixed with local flea market finds your will totally be in heaven here.
For me, Felicia’s house is simply amazing! I am a minimalist when it comes to my own interior but that doesn't mean I can’t enjoy a different concept. Villa Filali is overwhelming with colors and patterns - Felicias philosophy is definitely more is more - but since every item in the house is chosen so carefully and in such high quality, it all comes together very beautifully in the end. Here is a quick tour of the house:
You enter the house through a small hallway where you take off your shoes and bags and slip into your babouches (moroccan leather slippers) to get comfortable. The master bathroom, with a big marble tub, is located here. It makes it easy to quickly hop into the shower and wash away the desert dust before entering the house.
The entrance hallway opens to the courtyard, the main feature of the house. The whole riad was build as a reception area so the tiling and carvings in the square courtyard are more opulent then in other riads that size. A water feature, usually decorated with fresh flower petals, is located right in the middle. Four lemon trees shade the sitting area and a huge daybed is build into one wall like an alcove (what Moroccans call a B’hou - traditionally used for drinking tea). On a really warm day, that would be the place to rest between city-exploring-trips, lay down for a little nap or relax with a drink in your hand.<