Life & Style | Home & Interiors
Moorish Magic
InsideOut visits an apartment which pays chic homage to the traditions of North African design, whilst incorporating modern touches in keeping with its Florida location.
- By Ayesha Khan, Freelance Writer
- Published: 15:06 May 5, 2009
- Paired with ethereal white, the blue hue – in every variation from indigo to powder – dictated the colour palette of this North- African-themed apartment.
- Image Credit:
In the middle of the library in Geoffrey Bradfield's New York townhouse is a clear Plexiglas coffee table filled with cobaltblue powdered pigment, scattered like a
mystical sandbox.
Its creator, the artist Yves Klein, said of his Blue Epoch, “The period of blue monochromes was the portrait of my pursuit of the indefinable in painting.''
That same “indefinable splendour'' as seen in the vibrant pigments of Bradfeild's prized Yves Klein table, was the launch pad for the interior designer's latest Palm Beach project.
Paired with ethereal white, the blue hue – in every variation from indigo to powder – dictated the colour palette of this North- African-themed apartment.
“It was just wonderful to be given a North-African theme
as a design brief for an entire apartment,'' explains Bradfield. “Clients usually want only a North African-themed room in their homes but I've never been given the chance to create
an entire home around this theme. It truly allowed me to explore the idiom to its fullest.''
Bradfield was so inspired by the mandate that he started the design process immediately. “I instantly knew what I wanted to do with the space and remember designing it on a notepad on my flight back to New York from Palm Beach after the first time I saw it,'' he recalls.
Of course it helped that, being a native South African, Bradfield is in love with the northern tip of his vast home continent, particularly where it meets the Mediterranean Sea.
He's so in love that he's known to take over entire
riads in Marrakech durring the summer to celebrate US Independence Day with a group of very lucky close friends.
“I used to stay at the Forbes Palace in Tangiers, and I love the more modern variety of Moroccan architecture: white on white rather than the polychrome of more traditional places,'' he explains.
There is something to be said about the sheer simplicity and elegance of modern North African design that can be found in
chic riads around Morocco, particularly in its coastal towns and in Casablanca. And these “modern'' references to traditional North African or Moorish design are to be seen
everywhere in this apartment, nestled on a peaceful strip of Florida land. Upon entry, a Hand of Fatima greets visitors and wards off any bad energy that they may be carrying.
A decidedly contemporary monochromatic painting from Venetian artist Luigi Benzoni entitled Modulazione Blu surprisingly works with the space. It is reflected in a classically proportioned mirror that introduces the
Moorish design language which is to follow.
Into the formal living room, a plush carpet incorporates a delicate tendril motif, inspired by Moroccan tiles while white on white furnishings and an acrylic coffee table further
the ethereal mood of the space.
Punches of colour and pattern appear in the puddled
drapes and skirts of armchairs (which were custom embroidered).
Delicate fretwork and Moorish arches add subtle reminders of the overriding design theme. Mirrors, Bradfield's signature design tool, add a sense of infinity.
Placed directly opposite archways leading into the adjacent media room, these mirrors offer an illusion of infinite space - a “sleight of hand'' according to Bradfield.
More geometric fretwork awaits visitors in the media room, which is defined by a soaring tufted leather banquette and a monochromatic carpet with a complementary geometric pattern.
Here Bradfield departed ever so subtly from the pure white colour scheme of the adjacent room to introduce an ivory tone.
The dining room is a hall of mirrors and a true study in reflection and refraction. Acrylic furniture endlessly lightens the space while complex tile work, a reinterpretation of
tradition Zelig, abounds.
Dining in this room one is instantly taken by the unique brand of magic (some may even call it witchcraft) that pervades Morocco's cities and entices travellers to stay a little longer.
“There is such a Zen-like spiritual feeling about this space. A
vaporous feeling,'' explains Bradfield.
In the master bedroom, Bradfield decided to re-instate the white and blue colour scheme that defines this home. A blue glass headboard accented by a sumptuous chinchilla fur throw defines this space.
Of course the North African references are not far behind and return in the star and crescent motif in the carpet and in
the side tables and niches.
Both the bed and sidetables are expertly housed in sculptural Moorish arches in keeping with the traditional cloistered walkways that define so many spaces around North Africa. The hypnotic theme even makes its way into the bathrooms
where Moorish–inspired sconces and arched mirrors adorn white and blue striped walls.
The design of this home certainly follows a ‘less is more' mantra. “There was a tremendous amount of discipline and editing,'' says Bradfield.
Many a time spaces that are carelessly dubbed “Moroccan–inspired'' tend to butt into a more literal theme–park variety
of Moorish design.
But with the expert hand of an alchemist, Bradfield was able to extract the intoxicating elixir that makes Morocco and all
of North Africa irresistable, and pair it with the light, ethereal calm of sunny Palm Beach.
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