Living in Morocco: Design from Casablanca to Marrakesh (Paperback)

~ Landt Dennis (Author), Lisl Dennis (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Morocco is an exhilarating combination of vivid sensuality and intense spirituality, an intoxicating blend of cultures. Berber, Arab, French, English, and Spanish: the country's rich mixture of heritages is matched by its geography, which ranges from coast to mountain to desert. This revised edition of Living in Morocco celebrates the indigenous arts of a country at the height of a cultural renaissance. Morocco is known for fine leather and for pottery that dates back a thousand years. Berber rugs are justly famous, and there is a thriving tradition of woodworking, especially in the native thuya wood. Most extraordinary, though, is Morocco's decorative painting and tilework, where, forbidden by religion to depict human figures, craftsmen have developed a vocabulary of pattern and ornament. The book is filled with brightly colored ceilings, decorated courtyards and walls, plaster of Paris carved and painted in intricate geometrics, tiles so small that 150 could fit in a matchbox. Lavishly illustrated chapters on decorative and folk arts alternate with chapters on Moroccan life today. We visit Chaouen in the Rif Mountains (a city only recently open to Westerners), where the town's undulating surfaces are painted a bone-chilling blue-tinted white. We peer into an abandoned kasbah in the Sahara, and absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of the frenzied souk. We take time out in the shady blue-and-pink environs of the Majorelle Gardens, laid out by French painter Jacques Majorelle, and explore the story behind La Mamounia, the famous hotel that has welcomed such guests as Winston Churchill. Most important, we see Morocco's arts brought to life in its homes—from former harems to traditional Hispano-Moorish houses. Glorious photographs make this a treasure for the armchair traveler, while the documentation of Morocco's houses, arts, and crafts make it an invaluable resource for decorators and designers. Published in hardcover under the title Morocco: Designs from Casablanca to Marrakesh. 346 color photographs.

About the Author

Photographer Lisl Dennis and writer Landt Dennis have contributed to a variety of publications including Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and Harper's Bazaar and written several books, among them Behind Adobe Walls: The Hidden Homes of Santa Fe and Taos and Tiles: Choosing, Designing, and Living with Ceramic Tiles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; Rev Sub edition (May 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500282641
• ISBN-13: 978-0500282649
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #505,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Examples, September 4, 2001

By	Kristi M. Casey "red0681" (Glenville, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really liked this book, as well as Moroccan Style. I felt this book was a little more comprehensive on the styles by region of Morocco and showed more traditional design.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aboslutely Stunning, June 13, 2007

By	Lynn Conradt-eberlin "Altan Thorunn" (Jacksonville FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The photography is inspirational -- whether you are a shutter bug or trying to grasp the details that make this part of the world's interiors so beautiful. Striking colors, well-chosen compossions -- this book is a must have. My only regret is the lack of printed information that would educate me on the fine details and intricate subtilies of this design form.

Still, a must have for anyone with interest in photography or the striking vistas on can create for their home or garden.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A completely different take on interior design, May 13, 2007

By	Jennifer Bishop (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is really very beautiful. I have transgressed Asian and southwestern design and this book is just what I wished for.