Meryanne Loum-Martin by Richard Powers

Meryanne Loum-Martin

Pictures Richard Powers

Words Dominic Bradbury

Not available in Italy

Paris born hotelier and designer Meryanne Loum-Martin has made Morocco her home for the past 25 years. This is the private house she has created for herself and her American husband, botanist and anthropologist Gary Martin, in the Palmeraie just outside Marrakech.

In this secluded spot alongside her own hotel, Jnane Tamsna, Loum-Martin designed and built a family retreat dominated by a large and generous sitting room that leads out to terraces and a private pool. The entrance areas are arranged around a courtyard to one side of the house, complete with water pool, while the formal dining room is used for winter entertaining.

Throughout the living spaces and bedrooms, Loum-Martin mixes many of her own furniture designs with other pieces sourced from friends and dealers in the medina of Marrakech. The overall effect is one of almost organic sophistication, complemented by the gardens and grounds designed by her husband.

New projects for Loum-Martin include her own development of a new series of private houses and a collaboration on a new villa for the Four Seasons Hotel in Marrakech