Morocco Modern (World Design) [Paperback]

Herbert J. M. Ypma (Author)

Book Description

Series: World Design | Publication Date: October 1996

Colorfully ethnic and stylishly urban, Morocco is a visually sophisticated nation. By the time this unique Islamic nation emerged into the modern world, history had begun to recognize the importance of ancient artistic traditions. Emphasizing the basic concept that design has become a marriage of decorative object and architectural space, Morocco Modern highlights the details that lend character to these traditions. 150 full-color photos.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Writer and photographer Herbert Ypma grew up on three continents and has remained a global nomad ever since. He traveled almost 4,000 miles around the British Isles in pursuit of ideal getaway destinations. His Hip Hotels series, published by Thames & Hudson, has set a new standard in travel publishing, and his many other books include Maison Christian Liaigre and the World Design series. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Stewart Tabori & Chang (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556705018
• ISBN-13: 978-1556705014
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,236,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational, I want to go to Morocco..., September 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Morocco Modern (World Design) (Paperback)

The richness of the colors, the incredible patterns for the tiles, the bountiful King's Palmeraie... I was just inspired. Immensily superior to Moroccan Interiors, better photos and no comparison in terms of the tex

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heavy on history and tradition, light on design., April 6, 2005

By 

Keira (Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Morocco Modern (World Design) (Paperback)

Don't let yourself be fooled by the title. This isn't really an interior design book at all. It's more of a Moroccan themed photography book, filled with artsy camera angles, photos of random people, and extreme closeup shots of architecture, while also focusing on the history and various exports of Morocco. As a Moroccan sourcebook, it's not half bad. It's very informative and written in a very informal style that's easily digested by the average reader. I really enjoyed reading the historical information and looking at the gorgeous pictures, hence the 4 stars.

However, if you are thinking of picking this up as a resource for Moroccan style interior decorating, I wouldn't recommend this as one of your top picks. There are many other interior decorating books out there which are so much better for that purpose... "Moroccan Style" by Alexandra Bonfante-Warren, "Moroccan Interiors" by Lisa Lovatt-Smith, and "Exotic Style" by Sara Bliss, to name just a few. I picked this up to add to my Moroccan decorating collection, and was pretty disappointed with it as a design book. It hardly focuses on design at all.

There aren't any interior pictures at all of average Moroccan homes. The few interior pictures featured are limited to public buildings such as mosques, historical sites, hotels, and government buildings. Most of the photographs in this book are exterior shots combined with closeup pictures of tilework, grillework, calligraphy, pottery, and textiles. To get a better idea of what I mean, take a look at the back cover of the book. The 6 pictures featured on the back cover of the book give a pretty fair overview of most of the photographic content of this book. The pictures are very lovely, but most of them aren't going to be too terrible helpful as design inspiration.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Colorful but..., July 29, 2008

By 

Designer/reader/traveller "Designer/reader/tr... (Palm Springs, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Morocco Modern (World Design) (Paperback)

I also have this book and agree with the reviews that it is a colorful and beautiful book. However I also agree with the reviewer that said "not a design book". (There weren't any reviews yet when I bought it.) As an interior designer looking to design a space in Moroccan / Spanish style for a client, it was not very helpful. It's the interiors I want to see. I'll order the Moroccan Interiors by Lisa Lovatt-Smith, it has great reviews.