He liked quivering with sensations all the time. Willis was capable of working in many veins. His jet set hedonistic lifestyle was not for the faint of heart. Bill … The Gettys on the roof  of Palais de Zahia. So, as life rolled on, he spent more time at home listening to opera and watching tennis. Tichka Marrakech attracted all these years, an upscale clientele in search of authenticity, charm and intimacy. Not all were local. Wildly handsome in a green-eyed shock-haired Irish fashion, Willis was orphaned before he turned 20 and blew his inheritance on a jaunt to Europe sampling every hedonistic rapture he could discover before his self-imposed exile to Tangier in 1966. His disciples are legion, and echoes of his… Villa in Marrakech, Région de Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz € 2,950,000 980 m² 3 4 Villa Allal is a sumptuous property of classic style designed by Bill Willis, with an elegant look and a timeless touch. Elegantly detailed brickwork, tadelakt and painted wood boldly articulating the architecture were his private pleasures. He could be outrageous at points but he also had very strong principles, that he often couldn’t live up to. His life was as captivating as his art. And he was intoxicated during most waking hours. He was in touch with himself and creation, a confidence in what he thought was right, good and beautiful. Like his father, he was interested in decoration, but his great skill and passion was gardening, and here he created a garden with noble collections of palms, bamboo and cacti. Houman would introduce Willis to masters of other crafts, including zellige (glazed tile mosaic), gebs (carved and incised white plaster) and mashrabiya (intricately carved cedar for pierced screens). This site uses cookies. The painter Jacques Majorelle had lived in Marrakech for more than 40 years until his death in 1962. Tombé sous le charme de la ville ocre, cet architecte d’intérieur a vécu ce que l’on a appelé “les années Marrakech” entouréde la jet-set de l’époque, notamment son ami Yves Saint-Laurent. Click here to read about our amazing Moroccan adventure. At first they bought Dar es Saada, a modest, neglected house next door to Majorelle’s garden where Willis helped them make a holiday retreat with rooms for guests—simple, elegant, cool and welcoming. Such was the case with Bill Willis, Memphis-born and a longtime fixture of the sacred yet seamy quarter of Sidi Bel Abbes near the heart of the Marrakech medina. Bill Willis (1937-2009) was the leading light of Moroccan-style interior design. In his own home (Dar Noujoum)—a fragment of a medina palace, its great room with a high-painted dome overlooking a desolate graveyard—his use of marble and zellige was spare. Others, simultaneously drawn to this city of the plain, were soon lured by Willis and the Gettys from their medina hideaways to Sidi Mimoun, enticed not only by the charms of its inhabitants, but by the grace, wit and sparkle of Willis’s décor, which became swiftly legendary. For centuries, silver-bearded turbaned craftsmen from Fez and Meknes had been coming to work in the ancient mosques and palaces of Marrakech, instructing sloe-eyed youths in their arts. This is post number one of a three part series on Moroccan style interiors. Apr 2, 2012 - This Pin was discovered by Veronica Munoz. Bill Willis was enourmously influential. We tracked down Bill’s friends - members of the bohemian high society in Marrakech, London, Paris and New York - to share his story. Born in Memphis in 1937 and after studying Fine Arts in Europe ended up traveling to Morocco in the mid-60s with the company of two newly married friends, nothing less than Talitha and Paul Getty Jr. One maalem (or master craftsman), in particular, opened many doors for the decorator: Ma’alem Houman, who was skilled in the brickwork and tadelakt (a glazed plaster mixed with pigment and soap) that Willis brought out of the hammam (or bathhouse) and into Moorish interiors. Though he had a reputation as an exacting and demanding designer, he slept until late afternoon and his neighbors thought he was a vampire. Bill Willis (1937-2009) was the leading light of Moroccan-style interior design. -, COPYRIGHT 2020 ~ CATHERINE M. AUSTIN INTERIOR DESIGN ~ 3300 STANWYCK COURT ~ CHARLOTTE, NC 28211 ~ (704) 517-8622, STEP INSIDE POPPY DELAVIGNE’S LONDON HOME VIA ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, ANTHROSCENERY: AURORA ROBSON AT THE NEW GALLERY OF MODERN ART. Jul 2, 2014 - Marrakech Riad Adventures: The Fireplaces of Bill Willis Bill Willis in front of the future Getty residence, Palais de la Zahia, in 1967. L'Hôtel. From €3,790 per night. He could be ruthless with people he either felt were tacky, dumb or not conscious enough. In the following spring, his newly married friends, Talitha and J. Paul Getty Jr., arrived from Rome and swept him off to Marrakech—virgin territory for all of them. This charming retreat is owned by Jasper Conran. He breathed new life into the traditional techniques of North African craftsmen, boldly rewriting the rules of these ancient methods. It is available in two editions—one with … missing marrakech: the brilliant bill willis On September 24, 2017 - CREATIVE MINDS , INTERIOR INTRIGUE “Willis’s fresh eye came along to rejoice in its contrast of grand sobriety, rainbow palette and subtle variations on ancient Islamic themes. The love seats blue-and-green stripe coordinates with the palette of the tiled fireplace. An Intimate Look Inside Yves Saint Laurent’s Private Marrakech Home 05/10/2018 Hidden within the hustle of urban Marrakech (Morocco’s fabled “pink city”), the Majorelle Garden—along with its colorful, multifaceted crown jewel, the Villa Oasis—is a world-class landmark. "It's the start of another world." Schmied and Boutet de Monvel; a small dining room with bold flowering panels and a deep-scarlet steeply beamed ceiling; and out to the garden and the green-roofed pavilion that seems to float above the pools of water lilies. Prestige edition Author: Marian McEvoy Category: Architecture and design Foreword: Pierre Bergé Editor: Madison Cox Publisher: Éditions Jardin Majorelle Photography: Nicolas Mathéus Format: 25 cm x 33.5 cm x 3.2 cm Number of pages: 262 ISBN: 9789954302606 He breathed new life into the traditional techniques of North African craftsmen, boldly rewriting the rules of these ancient methods. They eventually settled on the Palais du Zahir in the quarter of Sidi Mimoun, near the city’s rosy southern ramparts, purchased from its exiled French owner for about 10 thousand dollars. His life was as captivating as his art. Later, in the early ’80s, they bought the much larger Villa Oasis—Majorelle’s own house—and, with Willis editing, enriching and echoing earlier work, created the richly wrought pleasure dome that became their home (Dar es Saada was converted to a guesthouse). The theatrical restaurant Dar Yacout designed by Bill Willis in Marrakech. From the marbled central hall, with its raised platform for musicians, rooms flow: on the right, the wondrous library and bedroom; on the left, the salon vert—its ceiling green and white; the salon bleu, with its shimmering fireplace and paintings by F.L. Aug 11, 2019 - Explore Tomasz Starzewski's board "BILL WILLIS MARRAKECH" on Pinterest. Some of that appears to be his own fault. They came to show their respect and to honor the memory of someone who came from far away and made an extraordinary contribution to their work and livelihood. His disciples are legion, and echoes of his lively vision can still be found everywhere in his adopted country. the PROJECT . His legendary talent attracted clients that included the Gettys, Rothschilds, Agnellis, and Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Bergé. He looks for perfection, and I believe he was a genius. Many people contributed to this astonishing creation—Jacques Grange to the furnishing; Messieurs Dominique and Filloucat, both of Marrakech, to the woodwork and the painting, respectively—but it was always Willis who interpreted, with boundless verve and imagination, the yearnings of his more fastidious, most favored and like-minded clients. His life was as interesting as his creations. He lived among fragments of antiquity and talismanic objects from primitive cultures, creating a setting for him alone—not especially comfortable for visitors, although he was an exemplary host, serving delicious food rather later in the day than most. Thus, learning a new design language, Willis worked his spell, knitting everything together with confidence, subtlety and gaiety. Referred to as the “Magician from Memphis,” the unknown decorator was responsible for saving Moroccan craftsmanship from extinction in the 1960s. Discover (and save!) L’Hôtel Marrakech combines superb Moroccan craftsmanship with pieces of Jasper’s antique furniture, textiles, lighting and art – some of which were acquired from the personal collections of Bill Willis and Yves Saint Laurent. Morocco had almost forgotten its indigenous architectural and design history, until Willis’s fresh eye came along to rejoice in its contrast of grand sobriety, rainbow palette and subtle variations on ancient Islamic themes. Bill Willis (1937-2009) was the father of Moroccan style interior design. A Magician from Memphis Moroccan craftsmanship was on its way to extinction when an unknown decorator arrived in Marrakech in the 1960s. See more ideas about marrakech, moroccan design, moroccan interiors. In 1968, Willis's wedding present to friend Paul Getty Jr and his new bride Talitha was a Moroccan honeymoon. The Gettys’ palace, with its four courtyards, ancient harem and great green-glazed garden court, still retained much of its 19th-century grandeur, as well as decorative traces from the ’20s and ’30s. At present, Bill Willis is sold exclusively by the shop at the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech (jardinmajorelle.com). This is a film about the American architect Bill Willis' life and work. Such was the case with Bill Willis, Memphis-born and a longtime fixture of the sacred yet seamy quarter of Sidi Bel Abbes near the heart of the Marrakech medina. They were to become his most constant, loyal, supportive and creative clients—mentors and friends as well—working with him for over 40 years as they transformed their own kingdom around the Jardin Majorelle. Everywhere the rich repertory of Moorish decoration is celebrated, using a surprising palette that at times echoes the freshness and gaiety of the surrounding garden; at other times—as in the ravishing library—applies more sombre, mysterious, crepuscular tones. L’Hôtel Marrakech combines superb Moroccan craftsmanship with pieces of Jasper’s antique furniture, textiles, lighting and art – some of which were acquired from the personal collections of Bill Willis and Yves Saint Laurent. Villa Oasis, Home of Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Bergé, I became enchanted with the work of interior designer Bill Willis after a magical trip to Marrakech last September. Villa Allal is a sumptuous property of classic style designed by Bill Willis, with an elegant look and a timeless touch. The film was made with the support of Bill's close friend, the late Pierre Berge and the … Willis was not enthusiastic about the concept of “progress.” He found it coarsening, unappealing and preferred the city as he remembered it. Sketch was commissioned by Neon to produce a 30 minute documentary about the late American architect, Bill Willis.Bill hailed from the deep south of the US, but ended up living in Marrakech and becoming a highly influential interior architect in Morocco. He was responsible for almost single handedly reviving and reinterpreting high end Moroccan architecture and traditional crafts such as zellij and tadelakt that were, forty years ago, on the verge of extinction. Willis soon discovered Jean Gallotti and Albert Laprade’s Le Jardin et la Maison Arabes au Maroc, a magnificent book featuring Lucien Vogel’s photographs of the finest work from the ’20s and line drawings clarifying, with great precision, the techniques used—naming, for example, each tiny shape that creates the great sunburst of zellige. He was not grieved that so many of his ideas had been hijacked by far less gifted architects and soi-disant designers, nor did he trumpet the truth that so much happening in modern Moroccan architecture and decoration had once flowed from his pen and his head of wild curls. He studied and rescued the old techniques of craftsmen from North Africa and gave them a new life by daring to change the paradigms of this ancient style. Apr 8, 2019 - “Willis’s fresh eye came along to rejoice in its contrast of grand sobriety, rainbow palette and subtle variations on ancient Islamic themes. This charming retreat is owned by Jasper Conran. Bill Willis Style. The Gettys’ place sprung to life as Gore Vidal, Marianne Faithful, Michelangelo Antonioni, Dado Ruspoli, the Rolling Stones and Lords Warwick and Lichfield visited to bask in its sudden refreshment. Bill Willis’ contribution to Marrakech and Moroccan style is now unnoticed and unappreciated. The genius of the architects ! The Master of Marrakech: Bill Willis In the last of my month-long series of designers who’ve changed the interior design world (or at least, their particular arena in our little world), I … Marian McEvoy wrote in her foreword to the book Bill Willis, “A man who liked to party until dawn, Bill was happy to settle down in a place where dinner started after nine o’clock and breakfast meetings and pre-dawn gym workouts did not exist.”. For old–school dining, head to Dar Yacout, an Orientalist-fantasy of a riad designed by Bill Willis. Architect Bill Willis helped Saint Laurent and Bergé refine the architecture of the blue salon, while Grange decorated the interior. Arrivé en 1966, à Marrakech, Bill Willis n’en repartira plus, jusqu’à sa mort, en janvier 2009. This is "Bill Willis in Marrakech" by Sketch Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. Start with aperitifs on the cushion-strewn roof terrace overlooking the Koutoubia Mosque, then settle into a table by the pool for lamb tagine and chicken with lemons. Bill Willis, shot by Andee Nathanson in 1967 Mr. Willis life was as interesting as his creations. If you follow the western wall of the king’s new palace, just past the Gettys’ house (which is now owned by Bernard-Henri Lévy and his wife, Arielle Dombasle), there it is, unchanged, at least outwardly. 'The lanky, cranky, often pharmacologically fueled interior designer to Morocco’s fête set for nearly 40 years'. Loum-Martin features works from pioneers Bill Willis, Yves Saint Laurent, and Pierre Bergé, who led the way in bringing Moroccan design to the masses. He felt instantly at home in Marrakech, exploring its dusty alleys, unearthing subtle evidence of its ancient culture and discovering craftsmen still working with skills harking back to its medieval past. your own Pins on Pinterest His interment in Marrakech’s Christian cemetery (where he lies in the company of old drinking companions) was attended by several dignified Moroccan men representing the guilds of the city’s craftsmen and builders. François and Betty Catroux, Bill Willis, Yves St. Laurent, Pierre Berge, On September 24, 2017 Sometimes the survival of ancient skills hangs by a frail thread, springing to new life through the passions of one person whose vision inspires a surge of creativity. I was blown away by the interiors we saw and even more shocked to discover these places halfway around the world had been designed by a fellow Southerner. The Getty residence was his first commission in Marrakech For four decades, the architect and decorator Bill Willis was the unlikely point man in Morocco for voluptuous houses redolent of concubines and the woozy, opium-fogged dreamscapes of 19th-century Western painters like Georges Clairin. Aug 14, 2018 - A speculative photo-shoot by Anthony Harrison: selected images of Dar Noujoum, an old palace in Marrakech, formerly the home of American architect and designer Bill Willis, unoccupied for several years since his death but believed sold to a UK buyer in 20… Among the very first were Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, who sensed instantly that here was an artist of exceptional gifts and imagination. The interior was exquisite, and hopefully remains so. Willis, who had already decorated the Gettys’ apartment in Rome, was commissioned to reawaken this sleeping beauty. * In loving memory of Pierre Bergé, Quito Fiero, Christopher Gibbs, Kathy Kriger and Mohammed Zkhiri who have since passed away. For all enquiries including screening requests, please. © 2018. Time and Jack Daniels took their toll, and he left home less and less. "Marrakech is the door to Africa," says Christine Alaoui, a French photographer whose inner circle included Yves Saint Laurent and Bill Willis, the eccentric decorator who arrived in the 1960s and adopted Marrakech as his own. The high priest of Moroccan interiors, Bill Willis was a Tennassee-born designer and architect. Willis had arrived in Morocco in the mid-1960s after an adventurous decade that took him from the Stella Adler school in New York to England, then to Rome, where he opened an antique shop near the Spanish Steps that dazzled for a moment. 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