Exotic Hotel Therapy Is Good for the Designer's Soul

(Hotel Amiris, Marrakesh, Morocco)Janet Ramin - One of my main thrills in traveling abroad is the hotel experience. Sure, tasting new cuisines and meeting the natives is always exciting but I look forward to kicking off my dusty shoes and just relaxing at my lodgings too. First, there’s the small but important detail – the room is already clean and neat – you don’t have to deal with personal messes. Then there are the amenities that you may not have in your own home – the powerful jet spray in the shower or the spa toiletries on that dual sink marble vanity. And of course, there’s that menu near your phone – cocktails and midnight snacks ready to be ordered in a moment’s notice. 

Besides service amenities, you have the lifestyle aspect. You may live in a cramped city apartment but for a few days or so, you can experience life in a lakeside rustic cabin or a petite villa by the sea. Then there are the grand old palaces that some enterprising soul converted into hotel rooms – borrowed luxury to be remembered for a lifetime. I personally look forward to checking out the hotel designs, especially those in foreign countries.

(Courtyard, Riad Amiris, Marrakesh)My first stop on my trip was behind the walled medina of Marrakesh. I opted to stay at a traditional riad, instead of a regular hotel. Riads are converted courtyard palaces – the word “ryad” comes from the Arabic word for garden. These traditional Arabic homes featured small windows on its exterior – to keep the hot sun out – and inner courtyards to maintain Islamic beliefs of privacy. 

Above are two photos of the Riad Amiris in Marrakesh. The courtyard has an opening above – with a retractable canopy - to let the light in but still allow for privacy for its guests. The walls and doorways are decorated with traditional Moorish carvings of intricate geometric designs. The low tables are also set with the traditional tea glasses and silver, ready to serve mint or verveine tea - a verbena-infused tea. 

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Celebrating Morocco's Majorelle Gardens

Blue Workshop, Majorelle GardensJanet Ramin - The deep cobalt blues and contrasting bright lemon yellows that compose the color palette of the Majorelle Gardens appear to have stepped out of a Matisse painting. Every scene, every vista, everywhere you look could be the setting of an unforgettable painting. The Majorelle Gardens were the brainchild of French artist Jacques Majorelle, a contemporary of Henri Matisse. Majorelle envisioned a green, cool oasis amidst the hot red Marrakesh desert and proceeded to turn a mirage into reality. 

Despite a fruitful association with Morocco, Jacques Majorelle was not a native of the country, nor did he start his artistic career there. He was born and raised in Nancy, France, of a very artistic family. His father was the famous ebeniste or cabinetmaker, Louis Majorelle. His father helped found the School of Nancy – a group of designers, artists, and cabinetmakers famous for their Art Nouveau style sculptures, glasswork and cabinetry. With this background, Jacques easily moved through French artistic circles, coming into contact with many of the artists of the early twentieth century. 

(Art Nouveau style building)But when he developed tuberculosis, Majorelle was forced to move to sunnier climes, first stopping in Spain, then eventually further south, into Egypt and Morocco. This move became a turning point in his artwork – the tribal and desert scenes he encountered became the source for his Orientalist period of work. He painted Bedouin natives and life behind the walled medina. 

(Casbah by Jacques Majorelle) Majorelle eventually immersed himself with the French community in Marrakesh and by 1919 decided to settle down there. He also began to plan his oasis in the desert, the Majorelle Gardens. 

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