Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: An Abandoned Riad Transformed into a Home
Local craftsmanship and patient project planning have preserved the soul of this Moroccan home
Ten years after their first trip to Essaouira, Morocco, Karine Vaudaux and her family enjoyed rediscovering the medina, or historic part of the city, during a second visit in 2014. “We really fell in love at first sight with this authentic place,” the interior designer says. Their guide for a quad bike tour introduced them to the real estate agent who was selling this riad. “Upon visiting the building, we immediately saw its potential. We were attracted by the fact that it was relatively small for a riad, by its location at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac of the Medina and its terrace with a view of the ocean.”
Delighted by this discovery, the family from Aix-en-Provence, France, got into the somewhat crazy project of turning the riad into a holiday home. “We did everything ourselves and worked directly with Moroccan craftsmen. The adventure lasted more than a year and took some patience. As there was no deadline, we looked on the bright side and enjoyed the project,” Vaudaux says.
Delighted by this discovery, the family from Aix-en-Provence, France, got into the somewhat crazy project of turning the riad into a holiday home. “We did everything ourselves and worked directly with Moroccan craftsmen. The adventure lasted more than a year and took some patience. As there was no deadline, we looked on the bright side and enjoyed the project,” Vaudaux says.
Because the house was so unpredictable, the owners weren’t able to do everything they wanted – but they’re not too upset about that. “I like that the house decides some things and that it gets the upper hand sometimes,” Vaudaux says. “This is what lets the history of the place shine through, and it pushed us to turn unpleasant surprises into good news.”
In the end, the owners managed to transform the home. They created 12 rooms: five bedrooms, two small lounges, a large living room, two bathrooms and two kitchens.
In the end, the owners managed to transform the home. They created 12 rooms: five bedrooms, two small lounges, a large living room, two bathrooms and two kitchens.
AFTER: The first floor is rarely used because of its humidity (typical of houses in the medina). Likewise, “it’s a dark part of the house and we prefer to spend our time on the upper floors,” Vaudaux says. Nonetheless, it was transformed into a pleasant and useful space.
Over the course of the work, the craftsmen managed to remove a large amount of rubble from the ceilings, thereby gaining an extra 40 centimetres of height on each level and discovering the original [beams of] thuya, a distinguished wood traditionally used in riads. As in the other rooms, the floor is cement tile.
Today the first floor is divided into several zones: a large kitchen, a dining room and two small lounges. One of the lounges is furnished with bargain-hunted furniture found at the Joutiya, the Essaouira secondhand market. “My husband likes to joke that it is only full of old junk, but I always find a lot of things there,” says Vaudaux with a smile. The two easy chairs have been reupholstered with handmade wool covers, and the walls are adorned with a frieze of slippers bought from a vendor who later became a decorator.
Over the course of the work, the craftsmen managed to remove a large amount of rubble from the ceilings, thereby gaining an extra 40 centimetres of height on each level and discovering the original [beams of] thuya, a distinguished wood traditionally used in riads. As in the other rooms, the floor is cement tile.
Today the first floor is divided into several zones: a large kitchen, a dining room and two small lounges. One of the lounges is furnished with bargain-hunted furniture found at the Joutiya, the Essaouira secondhand market. “My husband likes to joke that it is only full of old junk, but I always find a lot of things there,” says Vaudaux with a smile. The two easy chairs have been reupholstered with handmade wool covers, and the walls are adorned with a frieze of slippers bought from a vendor who later became a decorator.
The dining area is in the heart of the house and takes advantage of natural light from the inner courtyard. In it stand a table and vintage fibreglass chairs. “I found them at an antiques dealer in town who sells furniture from homes in Tangier furnished in the ’50s and ’60s,” Vaudaux says. The whole set rests on a boucherouite rug made from wool scraps of all colours. Behind that is a large kitchen, which is rarely used since the family prefers the one on the top floor.
All of the house’s storeys are connected by a staircase built from scratch in a traditional manner by local craftsmen. It is covered with the same grey cement tiles and strips of wood. Small niches with lightbulbs inside brighten up the steps. They are covered with mashrabiya screens that were custom made by a carpenter. “My husband insisted on doing this. Each of the forty niches is different from all the others and was tailor-made for between $45 and $40 (30 and 40 Euros). It was quite expensive compared to the rest of the house,” Vaudaux says.
The second floor is reserved for the children’s rooms. Their youngest daughter, Lilou’s, room is very small and feminine. According to Vaudaux, local lore has it that the width of the rooms is determined by the length of the thuya branches that make up the ceiling, which are seldom longer than a couple of metres.
The pink wool blanket was the starting point for the room’s decor. The base of the wall and the niche at the head of the bed were painted to match the blanket, as were the metallic and wicker ceiling lights that brighten up the room.
The bedroom opens onto the courtyard with a custom-made interior shutter. “Together with everything else, it forms the soul of the riad, as do the white walls, grey floors and dark doors,” Vaudaux says.
The pink wool blanket was the starting point for the room’s decor. The base of the wall and the niche at the head of the bed were painted to match the blanket, as were the metallic and wicker ceiling lights that brighten up the room.
The bedroom opens onto the courtyard with a custom-made interior shutter. “Together with everything else, it forms the soul of the riad, as do the white walls, grey floors and dark doors,” Vaudaux says.
In Jérémie’s room, the colours are more masculine. The bedhead in tadelakt, a glossy and waterproof lime plaster, has been made with traditional techniques. “To make it shine, craftsmen seal the pores by rubbing the surface with a stone,” Vaudaux says. “What they did was impressive and produced rich nuance.” Six hand-carved niches in the wall hold hammered and perforated metal lamps. They match the sequins of the handira blanket on the bed. The cushions are upholstered in the same Berber bridal fabrics.
The large living room is located on the third floor and changes as you move along its length. In order to enlarge it, the wall that once divided it from the neighbouring room was knocked down, and the resulting recess now holds the couch. The size of a bed, it is covered with an old sheet (found while bargain hunting near Aix-en-Provence) and cushions upholstered in Indian fabrics. Opening entirely onto the courtyard, this room also stands out thanks to its large tadelakt fireplace, which is surrounded by two small vintage seats. An imposing glass light fixture, which was bought in Marrakech, enhances the interior.
Opposite the living room, two rooms have been joined to create the master suite. The floor of the room is covered with the same grey cement tiles as elsewhere in the house, with randomly placed stars. The hues of the star tiles are echoed in the tadelakt bedhead, while the bed has a beige day cover with pompoms. The pendant lights were painted the same colour as the silver stripes of the blanket; the paint for the fixtures was purchased from an auto body shop in Essaouira.
The owners set up an office corner in the other part of the room, just to the right of the bed in the previous photo. This has a table designed by Vaudaux, a vintage Harry Bertoia chair and a boucherouite rug. “I particularly like the ladder at the back of the room because it’s a birthday gift one of the masons gave me at the end of the job. It is covered with spatter from all the paints used in the house,” she says.
The 15-square-metre bathroom on the same floor, with its rib-vaulted ceiling, makes an impression. The wondrous atmosphere of the room is accentuated by large electric lanterns as well as smaller ones with candles inside, placed in niches around the bathtub. The two sinks were designed by Vaudaux and crafted by artisans from Sari, a village of potters near Essaouira. Their black colour accentuates the grey shades of the room.
On the fourth floor, an additional bedroom opens directly onto the terrace, which features a second kitchen and a dining area. It has small windows that face the street: it and the bathroom in the previous photo are the only rooms in the house that have windows looking outwards – the rest face the inner courtyard.
Half interior, half exterior, the kitchen on the fourth floor is the one used most frequently by the owners, who spend a lot of time cooking. A faithful rendition of an old model, the stove is a custom-made piece found at a metalworker’s shop. “It runs on gas and the oven lights up with little flames,” Vaudaux says. The benchtops are covered with zellige, a kind of geometric mosaic that is typical of Moroccan architecture. The dishware is a mixture of pottery from Fez and Safi. “I am particularly proud of the baskets I bought at the souk [market]. They are made of turquoise plastic, which is rather rare.”
Vaudaux and her son designed the pattern of the cement tiles in the dining room, and Vaudaux designed the bench and had it manufactured in Morocco. Both the table and bench are adjustable, and allow the layout of the room to be changed depending on the number of people to be accommodated. “We can sit in the sun or be sheltered from the wind as we please,” Vaudaux says.
The sun lounge overlooks the riad and offers a magnificent view of the rooftops of Essaouira. “We can also see the ocean and even hear the sound of the waves on windy days. Only three rows of houses separate us from the seaside,” Vaudaux says.
Today, the family enjoys a dream holiday home, which also serves as a workplace for Vaudaux. “Besides being a place to stay when I come to stock up on furniture and other objects of all kinds, it is a spot where I like to organise master classes and workshops with designers and bloggers.”
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Today, the family enjoys a dream holiday home, which also serves as a workplace for Vaudaux. “Besides being a place to stay when I come to stock up on furniture and other objects of all kinds, it is a spot where I like to organise master classes and workshops with designers and bloggers.”
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Karine and Christian Vaudaux and their three children: Lilou, 12, Justin, 19, and Jérémie, 22
Location: Medina of Essaouira, Morocco
Size: About 200 square metres. There are four floors, each about 65 square metres
Rooms: 12 rooms total: 5 bedrooms, 2 small living rooms, 1 large living room, 2 kitchens, 2 bathrooms
Duration of work: A little over a year
Budget: About $300,340 (200,000 euros)
Interior Decorator: Karine Vaudaux of CINK
The riad had been abandoned and everything had to be reconstructed to make it habitable. As it had never been renovated before, the first floor looked like a clay cave and had been heavily affected by moisture. Two small apartments were on the second and third floors and sun loungers had been placed randomly on the roof terrace above. Nonetheless, the scale of work to be carried out was not daunting for the couple, who decided to give new life to the property while preserving its soul.
The renovation was not an easy task and there were many surprises in store. For example, the wall from the first floor to the terrace had to be reinforced or the building threatened to collapse.