Inside Villa Mabrouka in Tangier, The Hotel Everyone Is Talking About This Summer
Villa Mabrouka, the former home of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, is opening its carved wooden doors once again in Tangier. The 12-room villa, a sanctuary from the bustling neighboring cities of Kasbah and Medina, has been refurbished into a hotel by British designer Jasper Conran, and is once again seducing travelers to pay a visit to the oasis.
Though Yves Saint Laurent was born in Algeria in 1936, the spirit of Northern Africa would awaken a creative blindspot for the designer 30 years later during his first visit to Marrakech. At the time, it was becoming a hotspot for the world's elite. Paul and Talitha Getty were one of the first couples of the international set of that era to move there, and often invited luminaries such as fashion muse Loulou de La Falaise, Belgian designer Fernando Sanchez, Andy Warhol, and Mick Jagger to visit. Saint Laurent, too, traveled to Marrakech twice a year, in June and December, to source inspiration for his collections. "Before Marrakech, everything was black," Yves Saint Laurent once famously said. "This city taught me color, and I embraced its light, its insolent mixes, and ardent inventions."
He and his partner Bergé purchased Villa Mabrouka, a name which directly translates to "House of Luck," in 1990, and the city's vibrant colors and textures found their way into his designs shown on the Parisian runways during this time.
Overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar and the North Atlantic Sea, the home embodies the essence of 1940s modernist architecture, paired with traditional Moroccan design elements, and English country house interiors. After acquiring the property in 2019, Conran sought to honor the aesthetic decisions laid before by his predecessors while modernizing its infrastructure. In addition to updating the essentials, such as roofing and electricity, the designer added a number of new rooms, garden cottages, restaurants (three to be exact), and kitchens, as well as a rooftop terrace, a coffee bar, and dining pavilions. One of the original pavilions was designed by American architect Stuart Church, and it has now been faithfully restored.
“I have always admired the way Saint Laurent and Bergé worked so diligently to draw attention to Morocco and to encourage its people and culture,” Conran said in a press release. “Yet working on Villa Mabrouka has made me even more aware of its importance as a landmark and place of historical significance. For me, this has been a conservation and preservation project as much as a design project.”
The Villa's interiors are ultimately a study of color and how the proper use of it may elicit a sense of serenity without having to rely on shades of beige. Each suite is attributed a certain color: The Meknes suit is assigned a golden yellow, while the Marrakech suite is a forest green, for example. But, this is no case in Wes Anderson color overload. Instead, the use of pure white, lamps and sconces shaded in complementary colors, and glassware are employed to balance each room. There are little trinkets, such as miniature busts and porcelains, layered into the spaces, adding the proper amount of texture to satisfy an onlooker's curiosities without overwhelming them.
And, let's not forget the garden. Though already abundant with sweeping lawns, ferns, bamboo, and other flora, Conran has enlisted a replanting and reservation program adding 6,500 new plants, shrubs, and trees. Somewhere encased in the greenery are two pools. The first and larger pool is carved into the clifftop's rocks and cascades with water. Emerald herringbone local tiles illustrate the new smaller plunge pool.
“I want Villa Mabrouka to feel deeply personal, like staying in a home rather than a hotel, reflecting the way I personally like to live, the things that I enjoy, and the appreciation of beautifully made things,” Conran says. “I want it to be a place where you can spend time taking in the beauty of everything around you.”
To book inquire or book your stay, please visit villamabrouka.com.
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