Rosemary is a textural haven and contemporary Moroccan escape

The September 2023 earthquake devastated Marrakech, but left Rosemary, a new riad about to launch, relatively unscathed; owner Laurence Leenaert doesn’t take this miracle lightly. ‘We had two friends staying at the riad when the earthquake happened. Many vases fell and broke, but the structure didn’t sustain any damage,’ says the Marrakech-based Belgian artist.

The fact that Rosemary was literally due to open that week is even more remarkable. ‘The timing doesn’t help but we can’t do anything against nature. Marrakech is a city that lives mainly thanks to tourism, and we can only encourage visitors to come to Marrakech to support its economy.’

Not that one ever needs a reason to visit Marrakech, but Rosemary certainly is a balm for the senses. Located next to Palais Bahia, the oldest neighbourhood in the Medina, the five-room riad was five years in the making after its previous owner, a Frenchwoman called Rose-Marie, convinced Leenaert and her husband Ayoub to buy her three-storey manse – which had been renovated by the Belgian architect Quentin Wilbaux who’d been appointed by Unesco to map the Medina in the 1990s.

Journey through Rosemary: a contemporary riad

Following the traditional silhouette of a riad – sheltered rooms and loggias spilling out onto a central patio anchored by the arching branches of a 40-year-old Jacaranda – Rosemary, named after the previous owner, is a thoroughly contemporary reimagining of a Moroccan fantasy, Leenaert tapping over 40 local artisans to rework the interiors with bespoke furnishings and finishes such as zellij (or zellige) tiles and tadelakt, a natural lime-based plaster common to the area.

There is a compulsion to reach out to touch everything, whether a burl veneer wooden table with a terrazzo top, a carved cedar door, and a wrought-iron chair, or a carved sandstone table with a mosaic table top, and sandstone and goatskin lampshades.

Probably the best room in the house is the rooftop terrace. Here, shaded by the Jacaranda and looking out to evocative views of the tiled roofs of the neighbourhood and the nearby Medina, sun beds are laid out, alongside zellij-tiled tables all set for lunch. 

From the kitchen, the in-house chef Touria sends out a moveable feast from a breakfast of Moroccan pancakes and homemade yoghurt, and avocado granola bowls, to dinners of fragrant beef tagine nuzzling caramelised pears. 

For Leenaert, Rosemary is obviously a labour of love, more so now as Marrakech begins the long and difficult business of rebuilding. ‘Rosemary is the continuation of our interior brand, LRNCE, which comprises mostly handmade products,’ she says. ‘With Rosemary, we have pushed that concept into creating spaces where our guests can experience our lifestyle and art-de-vivre.’

And that, in our books, is reason enough to visit.

rosemarymarrakech.com