A swimming pool in the garden in Marrakech.
One day, the Blogger Girl in Houston received the oddest of emails, a request, - would she, could she, please buy a huge amount of fabric? Not just any fabric, but a fabric made for the outdoors, a fabric fit to withstand the hottest of suns, a fabric made to last a lifetime in a land far away from Houston, but very close to the Sahara Desert. And also, this magical fabric must be of a magical color. It must be blue, but not just any shade of blue, it must be a certain blue - a perfect blue to match the sky, to match the swimming pool, to match the tile. And here, by the way, are pictures of the tile, the Blogger Girl was told. Can she match the fabric to this?
And later, more. Here is the tile in the sun, after it had dried, and brightened:
And so the plans were born. The Blogger Girl in Houston would find the magical fabric in the perfect shade of blue and then the Blogger Girl would mail the fabric to someone who lived in California! And that someone who lived in California would then take the fabric and put it in a bag - a certain bag that had been mailed to her for just this adventure - and together with the bag of fabric, the Californian Girl would fly across the globe to the land far away, near the Sahara Desert, where peacocks roam freely amongst groves of olive trees. And so the plans were lain.
Peacocks from The Peacock Pavilions
The Blogger Girl in Houston fretted about her mission. What if the blue wasn't the perfect shade? What if the fabric wasn't hardy enough for the desert sun? What if there wasn't even enough fabric to be bought? After all, the fabric order was large, very large. In the end, though, one fabric was chosen and approved and purchased. It was all rolled up and bundled in its special bag for it's trip across the world. The day finally came when the fabric made it's way with the Californian Girl across the Atlantic Ocean to Africa where it further traveled to the ancient town of Marrakech.
The small, closed in streets of the Medina in Marrakech.
Once in Marrakech, the fabric, in it's special bag, wound it's way through the crowded streets of the Medina and outward through to the outskirts of the city where the peacocks roam amongst the olive trees. And there, the fabric in it's special bag reached it's final destination at the Peacock Pavilions - the new, beautiful and romantic guest house conceived of and built by two Americans who now call Marrakech - home. The ex pat Americans who live in Marrakech, who built the Peacock Pavilions, who ordered the fabric from the Houston Blogger Girl declared the fabric was perfect - it was just the right shade of blue that matched the tiles, that matched the pool, that matched the sky. And then the 50 yards of fabric were cut up and sewn into cushions to sit upon the chaises that line the pool's edge. And upon these blue cushions, many visitors will sit and cool themselves from the hot desert sun by the cool waters of the blue pool with it's blue tiles at the guest house where the peacocks roam amongst the olive trees grove.
Architectural renderings of the Peacock Pavilions, guest house in Marrakech.
The Blogger Girl from Houston's work was done. Her mission was over. And she was so happy, and even a little proud, that she could help out the ex-pats who are building their guest house oasis amongst the peacocks and olive trees. And she even dreamed that one day she would herself travel to Marrakech and see the chaises with their perfect blue fabric cushions. A few weeks after the fabric arrived in Marrakech, the Blogger Girl from Houston found a package on her front porch. And inside was the most beautiful silvered tray, not just any silvered tray, but an antique one from the Medina that had traveled all the way to Texas from Africa, where it will be cherished and where it will be a constant reminder of the small favor the Blogger Girl had done for the ex pats who built The Peacock Pavilions.
The antique silvered tray from Marrakech in its new home in Houston.
Pictures of the Peacock Pavilions from a few months ago as it was being built.
The guest house is slated to open this summer for visitors.
The Peacock Pavilions will also have a gift shop selling beautiful Moroccan antiques, artifacts, clothing, and decorative objects. Here a lunch laid out in Marrakech using the antique silvered trays.
For information on The Peacock Pavilions -- please read here. The guest house is expected to be open for business by the early summer. And to Maryam, my favorite ex pat: a million thank yous! It is the most perfect surprise!