Morocco is one of my favourite destinations in the world and is the perfect place for design lovers to soak in creativity and craftsmanship. Marrakech, with its labyrinthine medina, is the cultural epicentre of Morocco filled with handcrafted treasures by master craftspeople using centuries-old techniques. From lovingly restored riads to the best shops for all your decor needs, this is the ultimate curated guide for all interior design lovers. So if you’re thinking of visiting soon - do it! You won’t regret it.

STAY

Riad Jardin Secret

If you’re looking for an authentic riad experience during your stay, there’s not much better than Riad Jardin Secret. A small yet perfectly formed riad set just a few minutes walk from the central shopping streets of the medina. This is a must stay for creatives - the walls are covered in art gifted to the property at the end of artists’ residencies at the riad. You can spend hours exploring all the artwork here, you’ll come away feeling inspired.

Every corner of the riad is picture perfect, blending centuries-old original features with vintage furniture, colourful tadelakt walls and lots of greenery. It feels like a little haven, the rooftop in particular is a great place to take your breakfast and relax.

The riad has a laidback approach - expect healthy vegetarian breakfasts, no televisions or aircon to promote a slow living lifestyle while you’re there. The lack of air con was a little tough after a full day walking round the busy streets of the medina in summer temperatures (38 degrees!) but you soon get used to it and a fan in the bedroom certainly helps.

I would highly recommend for anyone looking to get a dose of creativity and experience an authentic and relaxed stay.

TOP TIP - Make sure your driver doesn’t get confused with Le Jardin Secret - a stunning botanical garden set within the city’s walls.

El Fenn

For a more luxurious and modern Moroccan stay, El Fenn is the place to be for design lovers.

Again, the hotel is set within the medina so is a great location to start exploring the city. With a rooftop bar & restaurant, pools, spa and a store, El Fenn has it all if you’re looking to relax too. Traditional tadelakt walls, zellige tiles and vintage Moroccan furniture highlight the importance of local artisan skills in creating this jewel of a hotel.

If a stay is a out of your price range, day passes for the rooftop are available (not during peak periods) or a visit to the bar and restaurant is worth it to see the decor alone.

El Fenn pool at night Marrakech — El Fenn rooftop pool at night

Jnane Tamsna

This hotel is located in the Palmeraie, around 25 minutes away from the busy streets of the Medina so is ideal for those looking for an oasis outside of the city. The hotel boasts 5 pools and a huge garden filled with plants, flowers, herbs and vegetables. We had a lunch in the grounds which was idyllic, I could get used to that life!

Built from scratch, owners Meyranne Loum-Martin and Dr Gary Martin have created an extraordinary property and grounds which feels like it’s been there for many, many years. The interiors blend traditional Moroccan design with European and African influences to create a super chic and luxurious hotel.

SHOP

This was particularly difficult to narrow down to a shortlist but after spending multiple trips scouring the city for the best interior design pieces, these are the places I went back to again and again.

MORO Concept Store

Close to the YSL Museum and Jardin Marjorelle, Moro is a concept store, hotel and restaurant rolled into one supremely stylish place. Alongside their own natural skincare range (produced a few hours outside of Marrakech), they have pieces from local creators, artists and designers that you’ll fall in love with. From ceramics to clothing to chocolate, this store has a bit of everything.

Some of the beautiful handmade pieces at Moro Marrakech

LRNCE
The studio of Belgian-born artist and designer, Laurence Leenaert, aka the brains behind the popular LRNCE brand is situated in Marrakech. We were lucky enough to visit the studio and meet Laurence, it was a truly inspiring time. The studio is full of LRNCE’s unique handcrafted pieces inspired by Moroccan culture. Everything is designed in-house and production is kept local so you know you’re getting original Moroccan pieces.

A snapshot of ceramics within LRNCE studio

Mustapha Blaoui

A few minutes away from Riad Jardin Secret, this place is hidden behind two large wooden doors and can easily be missed. Once inside its a maze of rooms housing thousands of treasures. You’ll be able to find any furniture or decor pieces you need here. Highlights for me were the intricate wood and bone inlay cabinets and tables alongside the large ceramic lamps. Mustapha and his team are helpful and can ship items worldwide.

SOME Slow Concept Store

Set up by two ex-pats, Mathilde and Noemie, is another brand bringing modern design to ancient Moroccan crafts. Here you can expect local materials like brass, wicker and clay carefully and expertly moulded into design-forward pieces. I fell in love with their woven chairs which would look ultra-chic in a garden alongside their semi-bespoke tiled tables.

Sana Benzaitar
Sana and her team create authentic, luxurious rugs made to last. The rugs are the highest quality and made to order so you can achieve the perfect rug for your space. She works with clients across the world and her studio in Gueliz is full of the softest rugs that you’ll want to fall asleep on. Not only that, the colours and designs are highly curated to create modern yet timeless pieces that would look great in any home.

The Medina
The medina can be an overwhelming place when you first visit and I highly recommend getting a tour guide for at least half a day to work out your surroundings and find some of the best shops. It’s a treasure trove of goods with very friendly owners trying to tempt you into their stores and locals busily going about their day. It’s worth getting used to the main souks, aka the popular squares and areas which will help you to navigate.

For interiors lovers, the Marrakech souks provide a huge range of furniture and decor pieces, you’ll definitely need an extra suitcase! In particular, lighting and metal work, ceramics, rugs and rattan pieces alongside leather work (predominately for fashion goods).

A few tips for exploring the medina:

There are plenty of locally crafted pieces on offer but look out for stores that mass-produced replicas. These will often be wrapped in plastic. Ask every store owner where the pieces are made if you’re looking for authentic goods that support the local economy
Place Des Epices is the best place for handwoven baskets, hats and similar items as well as spices, as the name suggests
If you’re looking for rugs, visit the Carpet souk which is full of rugs - from modern, minimal berber rugs to traditional flatweave designs, most are handcrafted following techniques passed down from ancestors
Haggling is essential!

VISIT

Jardin Marjorelle and YSL Museum

This is my number one must visit if you’re staying in Marrakech. Built in the early 20th century, it was taken over by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in the 70s and lovingly restored from a state of disrepair. The gardens are breathtaking and the YSL Museum has a comprehensive collection of Saint Laurent’s best work.

It’s hugely popular - I visited in late 2021 when everywhere was still fairly quiet due to the coronavirus and had a peaceful time slowly walking through the gardens and museum. When I visited again in June 2023 it was very busy with queues for the best photo spots. Due to its size you can still take your time to relax and take in the surroundings but you’re much more aware of the people around you.

They had changed the booking system in-between my last few visits so you now have to book online in advance to gain entry.

Jardin Marjorelle Blue — The villa painted in the famous Marjorelle Blue © saiko3p / Shutterstock

Maison de la Photographie

An excellent visual history of Morocco in the last couple of centuries, it houses thousands of photos. Great for anyone interested in photography or the modern history of Morocco.

Bahia Palace

For stunning Moroccan architecture and grand artistry, Bahia Palace is the place to go. Intricate plasterwork, beautiful tile work and detail painted wood fill the many rooms of this palace alongside immaculately kept courtyards.

Another example of traditional Moroccan architecture is El Badi Palace.

EAT

Moroccans are as welcoming as they are creative and when the two of them combine you get some seriously good restaurants. There’s loads of eateries across the city, here’s a few tried and tested ones if you’re looking for great design while you eat.

Le Jardin

Like many places in this city, you walk through a set of wooden doors and find an unexpected jewel. Le Jardin is one of those places that takes you by surprise (in a good way!) as you walk through to a restaurant sitting in a courtyard of giant banana, bamboo and palm trees with further tables upstairs decked in classic green zellige tiles you see across the city.

Le Jardin offers a mix of Moroccan and European food so it has something for everyone. I recommend going for dinner so you can sit beneath the trees and eat by candlelight, there is something magical about it.

Kabana

Kabana offers sushi, tapas and an extensive list of cocktails with spectacular terrace views, what’s not to like?!

Despite a menu inspired by cuisine from across the world, you’ll still be surrounded by distinctly Moroccan design - think rattan lanterns, Berber couscous bowls transformed into sinks and terracotta pots filled with giant tropical plants.

This place is super popular so needs reservations for dinner. Later in the evening DJs can make the place pretty loud.

Bacha Coffee

For coffee connoisseurs and those looking for opulent decor, look no further than Bacha coffee. Set in Dar El Bacha Musée Des Confluences, Bacha Coffee is very popular (we had to wait around 20 minutes for a table) but its more than worth it for the most extensive coffee menu I’ve ever seen and delicious cakes and pastries.

La Famille
This one took me a few minutes to find as I walked back and forth along a busy street in the Medina trying to work out if my Google Maps was telling me the truth until I took a peek through a doorway and found the whitewashed courtyard restaurant I was looking for. La Famille is only open for lunch and offers a healthy vegetarian menu with core offerings of a salad, a pasta dish and a pizza, with the ingredients changing often. This was the perfect little spot to sit in the shade and cool down after a busy morning in the markets, there’s even a little store with decor and accessories which will distract you on your way out!

For other casual lunch spots in the Medina, try Cafe Atay with its superb rooftop views and the always popular Cafe Des Epices.

+61

Outside of the medina but still close by, +61 is a new Australian-inspired restaurant located in Gueliz (close to a SOME concept store and Sana Benzaitar). Minimal interiors compliments the unfussy nature of the dishes and drinks on offer with brass light fittings, moss green, marble and dusky pink colour palette for the core seating area. Although the food is not traditional Moroccan fare, ingredients are locally sourced with the team making their own bread, pasta, yoghurt and more in-house. The staff are really helpful with extensive knowledge of the menu so its definitely worth asking for recommendations.

I hope this guide is useful for anyone visiting or thinking of booking a trip to Marrakech soon. I can’t recommend the city enough for creatives, it’s truly magical.

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