Villa E by Richard Powers

Villa E

Pictures Richard Powers

Words Dominic Bradbury

About an hour’s drive from Marrakech, up in the hills of the Ourika Valley, this striking and contemporary house sits upon a hilltop looking out across the countryside, including views of the High Atlas as well as the gentler landscape closer by. The house holds echoes of a kasbah, with its prominent position and commanding views, but also seeks to respect the setting, using local stone and pisé with a red tonal range that ties it closely to the place itself.

This idea of kasbah reinterpreted for today continues within, particularly in the soaring, double height entrance hall with its antelope hunting trophy and sculptural, abstract ornamental chandelier, as well as a striking staircase of iron and timber. The main living spaces on the ground floor are generous in scale, with a large dining area, a lounge and a sitting room, where the walls, floor and ceiling taper to create a lens framing a view of the snow capped Atlas. A bespoke installation in walnut lightly separates these space and holds a fireplace, a bar and storage. It is one of the many bespoke and fitted elements that sit within the house, with architecture and interiors by Studio KO.

The master bedroom is one of four upstairs bedrooms, with carefully edited views of the landscape throughout and skylights and slot openings that introduce atmospheric shafts of light. Vintage pieces and artworks were also selected for the French owner by Studio KO, lending a sense of crafted cohesion throughout