Layered with collectables from around the world, the Tangier holiday home of designers Hervé van der Straeten and Bruno Frisoni is a space that creates calm, yet also stimulates and inspires
Having wanted a place by the sea, French furniture designer Hervé van der Straeten and his husband, designer Bruno Frisoni, had set their sights on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. They were not looking for a house in Tangier. They weren’t even particularly thinking of Morocco. Everything changed, however, when they spent a few days with friends in the northern Moroccan port city and discovered a home for sale on the edge of the medina – the walled ‘old city’.
The structure itself was not especially appealing. It was simple – painted blue and yellow – and had a ‘labyrinth of small rooms’ inside. Its location, however, was unbeatable. ‘There’s really the charm of the medina,’ says Hervé. ‘It’s an area where there are lots of crafters – copper workers and people making djellabas or wooden furniture by hand.’ It also has impressive views. ‘It’s a little like the bow of a boat,’ he says. ‘From it, you can see the port and the beach.’
And it is situated right next to the Sidi Hosni palace, which famously belonged to eccentric American heiress Barbara Hutton. She spent her summers there from 1947 to 1975, during which time she would organise annual balls, flying musicians in for the occasion from far-flung destinations such as the Caribbean and Mexico. She also had a custom-made Rolls Royce specially manufactured to be narrow enough to navigate the medina’s alleyways, and would sometimes greet guests on a throne.
Hervé and Bruno are fortunately not so grand, but they could well be considered as design royalty. Bruno, a shoe designer, is best known for being the creative director of Roger Vivier – a role he held for some 16 years before leaving the company recently. His celebrity fans while there included the likes of Cate Blanchett, Catherine Deneuve and Lady Gaga.
Esta historia es de la edición January/February 2019 de House and Leisure.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January/February 2019 de House and Leisure.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
At The Breakfast Table With Jonty Rhodes And Family
Recently renovated, the historic Cape Town home of Jonty and Melanie Rhodes is an adaptable base for an active, clean-eating clan of six
LUNCH IN THE GARDEN with siblings Bronwyn and Jonathan Cane
Alfresco gatherings are the order of the day at this updated century-old semi – the home of a design-centric sister and brother in Brixton, Joburg
IN THE KITCHEN with Karen Dudley and family
For Karen Dudley, food informs the family dynamic and her home is as multilayered and as delicious a delight as her colourful personality and cooking style
THE TRADITIONAL KITCHEN
The perfect piece to pull together a country-style kitchen is a beautiful wooden table that will age with time and hold its place in the memories made around it.
IN THE FRAME
'The history of architecture is the history of the struggle for light.’
DRINKS AT THE TABLE with David Cope and Donné Bullivant
A dream kitchen renovation meant wine lovers Dave Cope and Donné Bullivant could finally settle down in their wondrously moody City Bowl apartment
THE MODULAR KITCHEN
DECOR TIP Modular elements like these USM Haller systems are a great way to create interesting, non-permanent storage that can be customised to your needs.
SUPPER IN THE BARN with the Thatenhorst family
Munich-based interior designer Stephanie Thatenhorst transformed the barn at her parents’ farm in Bavaria into an eclectic family retreat
BREAKING BREAD
The pendulum has swung back for this nutritious, crusty staple of flour, yeast, water and time – the much-beloved artisanal loaf
SNACKS ON THE TERRACE with sisters Vicky Crease and Maira Koutsoudakis
The traditional Cycladic home of dynamic sisters Vicky Crease and Maira Koutsoudakis on the island of Serifos is a reminder of what it means to be a part of a close-knit family