In Pictures: Jasper Conran transforms former YSL residence Villa Mabrouka into luxury hotel
British designer Jasper Conran has transformed, Villa Mabrouka, the former private residence of Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé into an intimate luxury hotel.
The 12-room villa, located in Tangier, is Conran's second hotel in Morocco (he also owns L'Hotel Marrakech) and has been renovated to respect Saint Laurent and Bergé's original version for the property. Saint Laurent and Bergé originally worked with French interior designer Jacques Grange on Villa Mabrouka three decades ago.
Conran has meticulously transformed the property from a private residence to a "cosetting and elegant" hotel. “I wanted to add my own lifetime of thoughts and expressions in a complementary way,” explained Conran of his approach to the project.
“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 continues. “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.”
“My aim at all times has been to protect the magic of both the house and its ravishing gardens. In this, I have been very touched by the kindness and encouragement shown to me by Madison Cox, President of the Foundation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent (who also designed the original garden) and by Mohamed Mhidiam, the Wali of Tangier, whose enthusiasm for the project has been invaluable.”
Conran’s vision for the hotel embraces the clean-lined simplicity of the house’s 1940s modernist architecture while bringing to it the "quiet eccentricity and traditional service" of an English country house combined with the yesteryear romance and magic of the Riviera’s early 20th century golden era of travel, as well his own contemporary take on design.
The designer invested heavily in the infrastructure of the property, such as roofing, electrics, plumbing, and added a number of new rooms along with garden cottages, three restaurants and kitchens, a rooftop terrace and coffee bar, a second swimming pool and a hammam, as well as three dining pavilions available for private hire. Conran has also undertaken a vast restoration and replanting programme in the gardens, adding over 6,500 new plants, shrubs and trees.
For the interior design, Conran brought in the softness of flowing voile curtains, intricate fretwork, brass hardware and veined marble, as well as tactility through rattan, used for wall panels and headboards to furniture, mother-of-pearl inlaid mirrors and side tables, and Mauritanian leather and reed rugs.
Glazed linens in shades of chutney, caramel, emerald and rose have been mixed with delicate block-printed florals and antique Fez embroideries. Locally handmade bejmet and zellige glazed clay tiles have been used throughout, complemented by ancient Roman mosaics and 16th-century Andalusian tiles. Murano chandeliers, crenelated archways and beamed ceilings (some painted in the late designer’s signature shades of green and blue), and monochromatic marble floors are among the many touches created by Saint Laurent and Bergé that Conran has retained.
“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,” said Conran. “I want it to be a place where you can spend time taking in the beauty of everything around you.”
Conran undertook the project while also relaunching and expanding his fashion and lifestyle label. The British designer previously designed a label for Debenhams but has since launched Jasper Conran London, initially with a range of handbags and going on to add dresses, fragrances, bedding and bath linen.
Villa Mabrouka is open from 21 June 2023 with suites available from €450 per night.
Listen to our In Conversation podcast with Jasper Conran here.
