5 things about Tangiers

By Laurence of  L'Atelier de Laurence Tanger

Tucked away on a quiet street just above the medina of Tangiers is the concept store of Laurence Guitard-Bezos . . . L'atelier de Laurence. It sits alongside the La Maison de Tanger just in case you also happen to need a place to stay while perusing the streets and souks of Tangiers!

Laurence has created a colourful and eclectic collection of homeware,clothes and accesories from morocco as well as other corners of the world that have attracted her attention. She has shared with us a few of the things she loves about Tangiers.

"Ce que j aime beaucoup à Tanger c est de prendre un café sur la terrasse du cinéma Rif et d regarder les gens passés un joyeux mélange de population"
What I really like in Tangier is to take a coffee on the terrace of the Rif cinema and watch the people passing by, a wonderful melting pot and mix.

 "Ensuite un de mes endroits préférés reste le café Hafa avec la vue prenante et envoûtante sur le détroit."

 And then one of my favourite places remains the Hafa café with its mesmerising view over the strait.

"J'aime aller me,promener dans la garrigue de Mediouna à travers les petits sentiers ou l on rencontre quelques fois les familles de sangliers sauvage et enfin et surtout la plage autour du mirage ou là nous pouvons marcher avec les chiens durant des kilomètres et des kilomètres et même prendre un petit café dans un café de plage qui fait de très bonnes sardines grillées (après aeroport)."

I like to go walking in the scrubland of the mediouna, throught the small trails where sometimes you can even encounter a wild boar family - and last but not least, the beach around the Mirage  where we can walk with the dogs for miles and miles as even have a quick coffee in a beach café, that also does very good grilled sardines!(just ater the airport).

So a few ideas to get you out and about if you are in Tangiers . . .
and don't forget to pop in and see Laurence in her Atelier
at 9 rue Al Mabarra, Tanger.
x
 

images and credits via

a moroccan beach house

I don't know about you - but I am starting to feel like summer is almost within my grasp . . .  Not quite but close!

And so I am thinking about long lazy summer days at the beach, and  one beach I would love to explore is the area around the lagoon of Oualidia, which is why a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of this beach house - Maison El Manzar - which looks perfectly lovely to me!

sunshine, shadows and simplicity
I would happily hang my hat here for the summer and watch the sun set over the lagoon
what do you think?
any plans for the summer?

all images via

maison el manzar

La Maison de Tanger

As you may know - I am currently living in Assilah - yes the blog is called tea-in-tangiers, I know

but that's just because I have a thing for alliteration, and it had a nice ring to it . . .  but if you look at the small print it does say its about Tangiers, Assilah, and the places in between!

Anyway - the point of that little introduction is to explain how I came to spend the night at this lovely place : La Maison de Tanger!

Having been invited to a little soiree one Friday evening in Tangiers, I thought I would spoil myself and stay somewhere nice overnight rather than driving back late.
We decided on La Maison for a few reasons - some practical (parking,central etc) and others just because it looked pretty!

And it didn't disappoint on any accounts.

It is a beautifully restored and gracious home nestling surprisingly close to the grand socco.
Take a right at the arches -  just before you hit the metal workers.
I know the word "oasis" gets used an awful lot when talking about places to stay in morocco,
but this really is an oasis in the middle of the urban chaos of Tangiers.

The images above all give you the "big picture" which is undeniably impressive
but
to me
its always the details that make the difference . . . 

and La Maison de Tanger is full of details like this that make your stay there just that little bit more special
x

Casabarata Tangiers

La Casa Barata - translated directly simply means "the cheap house", which pretty much sums up this sprawling indoor-outdoor market place in Tangiers. It is a place to buy anything . . .  from a satellite  to a soap dish.

But I was interested in the salvedged and reclaimed building elements and furniture so spent most of my time looking at vintage metal work and old window frames.

These sun loungers were the first thing that caught my eye . . . but I passed them by thinking it was more important for me to get windows right now rather than things to lounge on - plenty of time for lounging later! 

So it was off to the building materials we went!

I ended up with a substantial amount of metal work for windows.

Now we just need to build the windows!

It was a little chilly walking around the market yesterday - so we finished up at a tiny stall selling

Bessara - a fava bean soup that is typically eaten for breakfast here but perfect at any time of the day to warm and fill you up.

While writing this post I searched for a recipe for the soup - and found one, along with some lovely images of Tangiers on this food blog by Jenny Chandler.

Perfect.

x

Tapenade

When life gives you olives . . .

Having had our fair share of meals at Port XIV in Assilah, we have also consumed WAY more than our fair share of their signature tapenade that gets put on your table with a flourish as you settle in to decide what to order. 

So we thought we would, in collaboration with Port XIV and their head chef Youssef,

show you how to transform

these . . . 

Into this.

There are a few subtle variations  to the traditional tapenade, but that is kind of the point.

 We are in Morocco after all!

so to your 1/2 kilo of black olives

add: 

1 teaspoon of cumin 

  1/2 teaspoon oregano

        2 teaspoons of olive oil - preferably from your own trees!

        1 teaspoon of fresh coriander chopped

        1/2 teaspoon of harissa 

The rest is simple - mix it all together and blend.

Then a bit of fresh bread, a glass of wine . . . .
Perfect.

Luckily, I don't have to don an apron to make any for a while as we were given this lovely jarful of the results of this recipe to bring home.

I will confess that there is already considerably less tapenade in above jar after 24 hours chez Brettell!

Thanks to Port XIV & Chef Youssef for sharing their recipe.

x

A Riad in Assilah

We were lucky enough for our first Christmas in Morocco to be a true family affair, but it did mean that we needed some additional space to fit everyone in.

With this in mind I perused the pages of Airbnb 

(it seems to be the thing to do at the moment!)

and found this riad in the medina, literally just around the corner -  perfect!

The house is typically designed around a central courtyard with bedrooms and niches like this arranged around it - it was a bit chilly in December but in the summer I think this would be the perfect place to escape the sun with a book,

 or end the day lounging with a cocktail?

The living areas are open plan and full of light.

And are a great mix of traditional and contemporary design - an eclectic approach which I love.

Plenty of communal space for the whole family to gather, 

as well as private places to escape to.

The main bedroom has this great ensuite bath - the first arrivals managed to get the best bedroom of course . . .  such is life!

The terraces wind up on a few levels.

A real summer time bonus is this plunge pool on the lower terrace.

 I think I could spend a lot of time here!

And then of course at the end of the day, 

the view over the medina

palm trees, white walls and blue sky.

Perfect.

This property is available to rent HERE on Airbnb

x

Looking for a Beni Ourain?

Wether on Pinterest, Instagram, or the latest edition of your favourite interiors glossy, you cannot miss the trend for these beautiful handwoven rugs made in Morocco.

 One of the reasons (I think . . .) for the appeal of these carpets is that despite often having strong patterns marching across the pile, the natural colours raise them above trends and allow them to fit seamlessly into a range of interior  - especially the modern Danish look that is still right on trend.

You just have to have a quick look at the Pinterest board I share with my friend Urban Boer to get the general idea.

via

So with all this in mind, when I walked past the shop I often work with in the medina and saw this glorious display of  carpets in the winter sunshine I had to do the Instagram thing - but then decided to take it a step further

 just in case one of you wants one of these, 

right now, 

    in your home . . .

All you have to do is let me know, and we will get it to you

by hook or by crook as they say!

so
"shouf - shouf"
{have a look}
and see if you find the perfect beni for that space on your floor.

#1: dimensions 194cm x 113 cm

      price ex postage - $815 /  Euro:687

#2: dimensions 262cm x 153cm

      price ex post - $938 /  Euro:791

#3: dimensions 245cm x 112cm

     price ex post - $818 /  Euro:690

all prices excl postage

please feel free to contact me with any questions and queries about these carpets or any other carpet you might be looking for.

via

 if you want to find out a little more about these carpets have a look here where Gebhart Blazek, specialised dealer and curator in Moroccan textiles shares some of his extensive knowledge.

x

monday moodboard- in black and white

Using the beautiful graphic black and white designs of eWWel ceramics as a starting point, this mondays moodboard is a simple one in black and white.

One of the hardest parts of doing the moodboards is leaving stuff out
like this . . . 

or this . . . 

for more black & white inspiration have a look here
all images and credits via

have a good week
x
Pauline

SCARABEO - heading for the hills!

Is it just me, or are you also feeling like it is time to head for the hills and enjoy the silence?
I am longing for some serious time out that doesn't involve phones, laptops, picking up, dropping off .  . . .

Just looking at this view with its wide open spaces calms me down already. Its like some visual deep breathing.

And while I am not your average hard-core camper, THIS is camping I can relate to!

After all - what is camping without a little linen and a candelabra or two?

Images all from Morocco Portfolio

More information and images HERE