Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
A Bill Willis-designed fireplace at Dar Yacout
Right
Palais Rhoul with its trendy domes
Modern Moroccan Styles
!
Coloured
tadelakt
£
Mud-hut chic
Traditionally, this silky
plaster finish with its water-
resistant qualities
(see p36)
was
reserved for bathhouses, but
interior designers have now
begun applying it for all sorts of
rooms. The range of colours has
also broadened; now it's
common to see
tadelakt
in pink,
green or even black.
@
Bill Willis
The term was coined by
style magazines and refers to a
new generation of highly
designed buildings that advance
the art of constructing in
pisé
(see p37)
. They enhance
traditional forms by adding new,
vibrant colours and cool, modern
decorative touches.
$
Lanterns
One of the essentials of any
modern Moroccan riad is an
ostentatious lantern. Known in
Arabic as
fanous
(see p16)
,
these large lanterns are
fashioned from beaten metal
laced with cut-out patterns, and
they have historically been
connected with the celebrations
for Ramadan. One whole area of
the souks has been given over to
their manufacture.
%
Modern
zellij
Willis, a Tennessee-born
designer, first accompanied Paul
Getty Jr.
(see p35)
to Marrakech
in 1968. He worked on the Getty
house, then designed one for the
Rothschilds and another for Yves
Saint-Laurent
(see pp 26-7 &
34)
. He continues to reside
in the medina and has been
enormously influential in the
reinterpretation of traditional
Moroccan crafts and styles for
the modern age.
The traditional art of laying
zellij (see p36)
has evolved in
new and exciting ways in the last
two decades. Contemporary
designers use new colours and
striking colour combinations.
Earlier limited to wainscoting,
zelije
is now applied to a greater
variety of surfaces.
^
Charles Boccara
Born in Tunisia, educated in
Morocco and professionally
trained in France, Boccara is an
influential Marrakech architect.
He was one of the first to take
traditional Moroccan elements
Carved plaster, Riad Farnatchi
38
