El Fenn, Marrakech

Paint the picture

Step through the door of El Fenn and you’ll understand why couturier Yves St Laurent declared, ‘Morocco gave me colours’. Every inch speaks to Marrakech’s deep design heritage and creative chutzpah. It’s this bold character that Vanessa Branson and her business partner, Howell James, leaned into when they launched El Fenn, embracing Marrakech’s artisans, championing its artists and taming the medina’s madcap magic within the hotel’s walls. The result was Instagram gold that shot El Fenn to fame – and even saw Madonna checking into the plush pink suite for a month to celebrate her birthday. That creative buzz continues to draw a diverse crowd of artists, designers, culture vultures and fashionistas, who come for the sunny vibes and warm Moroccan hospitality and go home with hundreds of pictures of the orange tree courtyard, the Hassan Hajjaj bar installation (which forms part of the El Fenn art and design collection and was a key contribution by Madeline Weinrib in the post covid reopening) and the signature red-and-white roof terrace, as well as armfuls of kaftans, handloomed rugs and woven totes from the shop which champions local talent. As interior designer and host of El Fenn’s first retreat Sophie Robinson told me, El Fenn and Marrakech are ‘like the full sweet shop’ for creatives.

Design notes

El Fenn means ‘House of Art’ and since its inception the riad has acted as a dramatic gallery for cutting-edge Moroccan crafts and pieces from Branson’s impressive collection including works by William Kentridge, Bridget Riley, Hassan Hajjaj and Yto Barrada. You can enjoy these when you come for dinner or on scouting missions in the huge shop – a favourite of fashion icon Marisa Berenson – which is fiercely curated by the riad’s dedicated artistic director, Yann Dobry. He firmly embraces El Fenn’s ethos of constant reinvention and executed the latest look of the famous roof terrace with its shimmering green floor tiles, immense green-and-gold marble bar and jaunty red-and-white striped umbrellas. The uplift has added complimentary red-and-white slipper chairs in 1970s geometric prints and mosaic-topped tables in multi-coloured zellij tiles that look like a spilled bag of liquorice all-sorts. Reserve a room though and you’ll find yourself inhabiting the best design directory in Marrakech furnished with a copy of El Fenn’s magazine which spotlights cultural figures and on-trend designers giving you great leads for forays into the souqs and design district of Sidi Ghanem, which the riad can naturally help you access.

The spa, El Fenn, Marrakech

Why book?

For a one-of-a-kind creative adventure and because El Fenn have launched a new series of five-day retreats promising to lift the lid on their little black book with experts in the fields of fashion, interiors, design and food. The first retreats feature fashion influencer Astrid Zeegen-Holt, fearlessly creative interior designer Noz Nozawa and cult food creator Sam Way. Each of these experts, whose work shares the same vibrant vibe as El Fenn, will open doors to private studios, artisanal collectives, vintage warehouses, cultural hotspots and secluded farms in between masterclasses and uniquely designed shared meals. Bold colorist and beloved interiors expert, Sophie Robinson, will also be back. Her first retreat sold out in a day and welcomed guests ranging from 27 to 77 years old, including scientists, designers, entrepreneurs and empty-nesters, all of whom took home new friendships as well as rugs, fabrics, ceramics and a ton of great design tips. ‘It’s more than just a holiday,’ she tells me, ‘it’s an adventure in life with like-minded people’.

The Small Room costs from €450 (approx. 393) per night.

The terrace, El Fenn, Marrakech IGOR DEMBA PHOTOGRAPHY

El-fenn.com