Rabat – The Jardin Majorelle Foundation has announced in a press release the sale of Villa Mabrouka, French designer Yves Saint Laurent’s former clifftop haven in Tangier, to English hotelier Jasper Conran.
The nonprofit Jardin Majorelle Foundation added that all revenue from the sale would be used for the upkeep of Jardin Majorelle, their Amazigh (Berber) museum, and the Yves Saint Laurent museum as well as serving to create cultural and education programs. While it is not known how much Conran purchased the home for, the New York Times estimated in 2014 that Villa Mabrouka’s value is around $10 million.
Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berger purchased Villa Mabrouka, the “House of Luck,” in 1999. Everything Yves Saint Laurent did, he did with artistry and to perfection, and Villa Mabrouka is no exception.
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However, Villa Mabrouka was distinct from his homes in Marrakech and Paris. Villa Mabrouka was meant to be Saint Laurent’s private place to reflect in his senior years. He collaborated with interior designer Alberto Pinto and garden designer Madison Cox to realize his vision for the villa.
Pinto told the New York Times, “For the first time in his life, Yves wanted a restful, open, happy environment — not a treasure palace.” What came to fruition was a combination of traditional Moroccan style and something incredibly fresh, creating a colorful and cheerful haven.
Conran has a remarkable eye for design, and this is not his first property purchase in Morocco. In 2016, Conran opened L’Hotel Marrakech in the heart of the ochre city’s medina (old city). His transformation of the 19th-century riad into a decadent boutique hotel has been praised by hotel reviewers and an incredible international array design magazines.
