Morocco is an extraordinarily rich mixture of French, Moorish, Berber and other indigenous cultures and its capital Rabat is in fact two cities, the old town of Sale and its newer neighbor which is the political hub.
The color palette of northern coastal Morocco is a combination of whitewashed walls, blue and yellows in tiling and metalwork, and is markedly different from the richer, darker tones of Marrakech to the South.
Smallwood took this light color palette with its combination of predominantly white walls with the blues of the zelij tiles, and other blue tones to create a contemporary interior that reflects a sense of place. The decorative zelij tile geometry, so often picked out in strong colors of red, yellow, white, blue and azure is reduced to simple white as a contemporary take on a heritage element and repeats across the finishes of the hotel.
Pattern dominates rather than color. The bar lounge as an example with its conservatory roof celebrates combinations of local patterns picked out in black and white while the blue of the sky gives the essence of color that echoes the blues of the roofs of the villages that surround Sale.
The guestrooms continue this design language with black and white carpet and simple arched openings to the bathroom vanity and bedroom lobby.
Smallwood was also responsible for the design of all of the branded residences of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom apartments and the crisp white design language with subtle local references follows through into all the units.
