Maison Brummell Majorelle: A Stay Overlooking Yves Saint Laurent’s Iconic Garden

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Forget the typical Marrakech stay. Maison Brummell is not here to blend in with the riad-saturated market or cater to the usual expectations of Moroccan luxury. This is something else—part house, part design experiment, part secret society for those who know better than to follow the guidebook. Located in the Majorelle district, just steps from Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic gardens, it’s a house that doesn’t beg for attention but effortlessly commands it.

A house built on a vision, not a formula

Maison Brummell wasn’t designed for mass hospitality. Austrian hotelier Christian Schallert envisioned a space where friends, creatives, and wanderers could gather—a modernist’s take on a traditional Moroccan home. With New Zealand architect Bergendy Cooke and Moroccan architect Amine Abouraoui at the helm, the house was built from scratch over three years, stripping back ornamentation in favour of a more radical simplicity. The result? An architectural anomaly where raw terrazzo floors, handcrafted wood, and polished brass fixtures replace the usual heavy riad aesthetic.

More than four walls

There’s no standardisation here. Each of the rooms, designed for up to 16 guests in total, feels more like a private retreat than a hotel suite. The Majorelle Superior room invites you to stay in bed all day with its private balcony and indoor bathtub, while the Garden Deluxe throws in a lush private terrace with an outdoor soaking tub—because why settle for one bath when you can have two? Locally crafted furniture by Maison Nicole, Italian-made fittings, and classic design pieces like Egon Eierman chairs and Ingo Maurer’s paper lamps subtly bridge Moroccan tradition with a more avant-garde European aesthetic.

Food: less fuss, more substance

The kitchen here doesn’t do pompous fine dining, nor does it lean into the overplayed ‘authenticity’ trope. It’s an open space, where you see everything happening—no walls, no separation, just a lively, unfiltered exchange between the cooks and guests. There’s no distant, untouchable chef here, just women who cook like they would at home, without the pretension or rigid choreography of high-end kitchens. Breakfast is a simple yet refined affair: Moroccan breads like baghrir and harcha fresh from the oven, seasonal fruit, eggs cooked to order, and mint tea that actually tastes like it should. During the day, guests can pick from a rotating selection of Moroccan salads, a refreshingly unpretentious Club Sandwich, or local sorbets from Koulchi Pop. For dinner, the in-house cook prepares traditional dishes—think kefta, lemon chicken tagine, or a stripped-down yet deeply satisfying bowl of harira. No frills, just flavour. It feels like being welcomed into someone’s home, where the food is made with instinct, not strict recipes, and where every dish is an honest reflection of Morocco’s culinary soul.

From hammam heat to chimney-side comfort

The wellness space here isn’t an afterthought—it’s a quiet rebellion against the over-commercialised ‘spa experience.’ The hammam, carved from marble, features a heated stone block for traditional Moroccan gommage treatments. A heated plunge pool with massage jets and a steam bath complete the offering—no frills, just the raw, cleansing intensity of a true hammam.

Afterwards, head to the hotel’s chimney room—its cosiest corner—where bespoke modular sofas by high-end local producer Maison Nicole invite you to sink in. With a well-curated selection of books, it’s the kind of place where hours slip away, and the world feels entirely your own.

Maison Brummell hasn’t gone unnoticed in the neighbourhood—its architectural presence has been a talking point in Marrakech since its opening, and for good reason. Yet, beyond its striking design, the atmosphere inside feels unexpectedly different. Its location alone sets it apart—finding a place like this in the Majorelle district, just steps from Marrakech’s most storied landmarks, is rare. There’s an understated elegance to it, yet something inherently warm and familiar. An honesty bar stocked with coffee and snacks, a living space with a fireplace for slow evenings, and a shop filled with rare design objects sourced from around the world all add to its appeal. You get the best of both worlds—the perks of a hotel, with an in-house concierge to handle the details when you want to switch off, yet the ease and comfort of a home that invites you to stay a little longer.

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