Berbari

Berbari is a country house, maison d'hote, restaurant, retreat. . . nestled in a quiet corner of the Moroccan countryside, not far from the town of Assilah. It fits perfectly into its surroundings - so much so that the storks have made it their annual residence!

For me Berbari is about paths and doorways, interesting corners and quiet spaces.

The organic bamboo work as you come through the entrance is almost sculptural

Doorways entice you to open them and explore.

Moroccan-blue paths begged to be followed.

And at the end of a path is often a corner that you know is the perfect place to read your book while settling into a slower pace of life.

Decorative details are often in unexpected spaces,

while every bedroom is different, individual and inviting.

The salon looks out over the countryside - even if you are not staying overnight, phone ahead and make a reservation for lunch - we did and it was delicious!

A little vintage piano detail.

At the end of the day - the hammock calls! 

And as the sunsets over the Berbari . . . 

the evening light throws up shadows that add a little mystery to the tranquility.

x

monday morning moodboard - shades of pink

A subtle shift into colour this week on the moodboard front - so from last weeks shades of white I have ventured into pink, while attempting to avoid the saccharine side of the palette.

all images and credits HERE

And - as always - all together in a moodboard . . .

have a good week

x

the FACTORY in Assilah

Tucked away down one of the side alleys (there aren't that many alleys in Assilah, so not hard to find!!) is a relative newcomer to the medina - the FACTORY opened its doors in April this year and has become a welcome diversion to the usual medina fare, as owner and curator Guillaume makes it his business to source beautifully crafted items for his boutique. 

His aim being to provide both Moroccans and visitors from further afield with something unique in his collection of jewellery and homeware. Choose froma display of dazzling rings for your fingers, beautiful ceramics, or the array of  colourful pashminas, perfect for those sunset moments.

The collection includes statement jewellery from India.

And Milan

 As well as some work by contemporary Moroccan designers

The items are all beautifully presented and packaged,
 {and you know how i feel about good packaging}

The white spaces are punctuated by bursts of colour, a welcome relief from the sensory overload of the medina

These jewel coloured hammocks are on my wish list!
If any of these items are on your wish list contact Guillaume  here: gumicside@gmail.com

or better still . . . 

come to the medina and see for yourself!
x

monday moodboard - a whiter shade of pale

I really enjoy my pinterest page and do in fact treat each board as a moodboard.
When I choose a pin I often see it in relation to others on the board rather than for its own intrinsic worth.
I thought I would start a regular
 monday moodboard post to share with you some of the images I have collected - it seems a pity to keep them to myself!
all images and credits can be found HERE

all together here

have a good week
x

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Inspiration from Taroudant

A little visual inspiration to start off the week.

Perusing the shelves of the bookshop in Casablanca airport last week, I decided to buy the latest issue of  Maisons du Maroc (#111 if you want to try and get a copy) to ease my boredom. Paging through the magazine I discovered these images which are going straight to my inspiration and ideas file!

  I thought I would share just a few of them. 

I love the natural tones, and use of traditional materials and design elements.

CREDITS:  photographs by : Cecile Treal, via Maisons du Maroc

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Searching for a Boucherouite

Well its official . . .

August has come to an end, September is upon us 

and so the blogging begins!

It has been a wonderfu sun and family filled few weeks,

 but I must confess that I have managed a few forays into the medina in search of the perfetly {imperfect} Boucherouite carpet for a friend.

This has involved sifting through the piles and stacks of carpets on display

A hard job as they say, but somebody has to do it!

And it seemed a shame that out of all these beautiful and painterly creations, we could only choose one.
So I thought I would show them around and see if anyone else would like to buy a boucherouite or two.
If you fancy a little colour from morocco in your home,
handcrafted from lifes scraps and cast offs.
Have a look here and see what you think!

It does seem a pity to leave them piled up in the medina
when one of them could be casting a colourful hue across your floor.
For more information , sizes, pricing contact me directly on email or message me.
(paulinebrettell@gmail.com)

And if none of these take your fancy, I am sure we can find one that does!

LINKS

Read more about these carpets on the decor8 blog HERE

&
on SF Girl by Bay writes about them HERE and HERE

while
 Igor from Happy Interior Blog mentions them HERE

Holiday Time!

Now that it's august, and holidays are official

we are heading north to the sunshine

and

making time to relax and indulge and do some {figurative} swinging from the chandeliers!

I'm not planning on spending much time here but

think I might use the month to immerse myself in instagram.

So if you have the time and the inclination . . .

follow me HERE

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

X