There are several buildings on the Majorelle estate, including the Berber museum in the cubist villa and the café, which are open to the public, and a private villa that was once the home of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent.
This villa, Bou Saf Saf, was separated a long time ago from the rest of the property when Jacques Majorelle divorced. It was recently put up for sale by Sothebys. Although the advert has disappeared from the site (proof that the villa was sold extremely quickly, despite the property crisis), it is still possible to dream “if you were a billionaire”.
This beautiful villa has 650 m² of living space with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a pantry, a kitchen (only one?) and a 1,500 m² garden pavilion with two suites and a living room. And it’s a superb example of Moroccan decoration!
Living spaces filled with works of art
First and foremost, paintings by Jacques Majorelle, the former master of the house. They are among those painted during trips to the Atlas mountains, near Telouet and Aït Ben Haddou.
The comfortable, welcoming sofas make you want to curl up in the soft cushions.
The fabrics come in warm colours or soft greens in harmony with the interior vegetation and feature traditional Berber rug motifs, whether the stripes of the hamdiras or the symbols representing oases, caravans, etc…
But Majorelle’s paintings aren’t the only ones on display: in this room, which opens onto the dining room, you can see a superb old wrought iron door that may have closed off a room in a kasbah or agadir. Interior windows are also a great classic of traditional architecture, found in riads.
Here, it’s a superb fountain in a covered patio. The two toadstool armchairs are covered in the same fabric as the cushions in the second photo, perfectly coordinated with the zelliges of the fountain, which is also topped with green glazed tiles.
The most beautiful use of zelliges remains this richly decorated fireplace, with three types of tiles and motifs. The richness of the tiles continues on the wall with a classical frieze topped by a gypsum frieze with calligraphic motifs. The painting above the fireplace depicts women from Essaouira, on the walls, in their traditional haïk, which they still wear!
“Deceptively simple” rooms
These bedrooms are very large, as can be seen from the space available in front of the bed. This makes it possible to display a magnificent carpet. The sobriety of the covers sets it off beautifully and the room is restful and welcoming.
My favourite is the ‘green room’. It’s actually a white room with spots of colour, starting with the deep green of the quilt, which is echoed by the colour of the beams. The lovely blue chandelier adds a touch of sophistication to this serene room with its cool colours. The reed mat, the yellow cushion on the chair and the sunshine outside give it just the right amount of warmth!
A lush garden and grounds
Of course, the villa has gardens worthy of those “on the other side of the wall”, with lush vegetation providing shade, and a very beautiful full-length swimming pool that ends in the independent pavilion. In the middle of this pool, a tree has been preserved with a bench for sitting on.
And there’s always that Majorelle blue!
A simplicity that is both refined and luxurious, a love of beautiful things and colour – this villa, magnified by the artistic sense of Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé, deserves a bright future, whether or not you can visit it!
(The photos illustrating this post are the property of Sothebys, who put the villa up for sale).
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