These images just make me swoon; as published in Vogue Living James Silverman, the photographer, was on assignment in Marrakesh.

I fell in love with the courtyard because of the tiles, the symmetry, and the colors, and the b’hoos (the his and hers canopied nooks, one on each side of the courtyard, but they put b’hoos up around the residence, there were those “lushly upholstered with many constructed around antique Morrocan beds the owner collected from the boutiques of Marrakesh”). This was the home I discussed in my post And Now for a Break, We Go to Marrakesh, where the villa is a result of the joint project by architects, Knut Hovland of Tupelo Arkitektur (Norwegian) and Abdelkarim el Achak (Morrocan). The owner, Scandinavian, wanted to “blend the best of both universes to create a private home suitable for entertaining guests.” I’d say the project was a success….while I may never get an invite, I can at least enjoy the images. I think it’s the nighttime shot of the courtyard that really got me though. I call them “Daytime at the Oasis and Midnight at the Oasis.” Apt, don’t you think?

For further info on the photog, James Silverman, you can visit his website which I encourage….there’s another unbelieveably enchanting photo with yet a different kind of magic. I don’t know but I think this guy knows how to shoot a picture.

The Marrakesh residence featured in Vogue Living is actually made up of three separate dwellings, the Villa Principal (the main house), the Villa Secondaire, and the La Tour (tower). The above image is of yet another option......3 structures, a yoga studio, a stream room, and a massage space all overlooking their own pool with a Carl Milles sculpture emerging from it and a fireplace off to the side. Each gathering place offers openness and yet its own particular intimacy. The Villa Secondaire is a four bedroom dwelling with its own garden and shares a pool with the two bedroom La Tour.

Stepping stones in a green pool coming from the main entrance lead you to the courtyard of the main house are encased by linear and structured fortress walls, and at the same time are dense with the textures of the Morrocan culture, a perfect meld of the two worlds, Nordic and Morrocan, in preparation for what lies ahead.

The above and the rest of the images below are of the main house…and the tiled courtyard, the very first two above images, is off to the other side of the main house.

Silverman manages to capture the vast expanse of a Nordic world along with the craftsmanship and texture of the Morrocan culture in almost all of the photographs. Granted the architects put them there, let’s just say, nothing was lost in translation, only enhanced.

And, all through the residence, regardless of the building there were nice plays of natural light against the interiors of the structures, which Silverman also captured handsomely. Nighttime just makes it all that much more dramatic.

I feel as if I’ve had a long leisurely vacation after looking at these images. Thank you James Silverman. I hope to see more of his work soon. (I made an inquiry into where I might find more of his work, and currently he has the cover of a French magazine, Residences decoration, featuring the home that is on his website).

all images are copyrighted James Silverman
-if interested to publish contact info@jamessilverman.co.uk

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The standout themes of this show were sustainability (and the definition and education of same), materials innovation, and color.

This last one, color, is of no surprise to my readers as that is what I earlier stated as one of the top 5 2009-10 top trends (color cornucopia), and for that matter sustainability will be of no surprise to either my readers or my clients–the fact that housewares companies stepped up their game for all of the above is surprising though as aside from tabletop a lot of the housewares companies stick with their same programs for as long as they can. In other words, innovation has NOT been a hallmark of this industry, but I will say that this show in Chicago has most definitely and finally changed with the times.

That said, there are stand-out companies who have exemplified the attributes of these themes above and beyond, and that is how I hope to personalize each of the aforementioned themes (trends if you will) of the show.

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I’ll be posting beginning tomorrow my highlights of the Chicago International Housewares Show that exhibited Sunday thru Tuesday of this week. As a trend forecaster, it’s not my habit to post trends after a show…..since I usually work with manufacturers or retailers prior to shows, I tend to think it’s a little after the fact or that I may be stating the obvious. This Housewares Show was or is a little different. For one, it was important for me to see if the show had made progress from when I was there a few years ago and secondly if that progress was in keeping with what I’ve found to be important on a macro basis the world over. And, I am happy to report positively on both. The Housewares industry overall deserves a shout-out for stepping up their game especially in view of the current state of the economy in the U.S..

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Design Sponge blogged 8/22 about Rose & Radish’s show, Round, which focuses on circular shapes & patterns with an emphasis on texture. Indeed Round’s timing coincides perfectly for my need to extol the virtues of concrete (check pools and go to slide 16 for concrete pods) as a material in general for landscaping as I had to gush over how organic it becomes in the right hands. Do you have a lake or seaside hill due for some updating?
Found at BigRedSun.

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