Claudio Bravo's Marrakech Home Meets Crosby, Stills & Nash

I don’t know if the painter Claudio Bravo ever met singer-songwriter-musician Graham Nash, who wrote the late 1960s hit, “Marrakesh Express.” But it's Nash's song that chugs through my brain, like the train from Casablanca to Marrakech he sings of, every time I look at these photos of Bravo’s recently reimagined Marrakech riad.

More likely (though a far cry from fact), it was the reverse. The song, written in 1966 and released in 1969, could be what inspired Bravo to ditch the concrete jungle of New York City in 1972 for the splendors of the Mediterranean sun on Africa’s northern coast.

Bravo eventually owned three homes in Morocco, and this four-bedroom, single-story one in Marrakech became his winter abode. When the painter died in 2011, he bequeathed it and much of its contents to a friend. It's new caretaker called on Sardar Design Studio of New York to refresh the place as a getaway for her family while maintaining its stature as a museum home. The results are beyond stunning, as you will see.

Bravo was a hyperrealist painter, so I think he would’ve appreciated Nash leaving the first-class section of the train to mingle with the common folk and their animals, as the song describes. In fact, this 18th-century home is reached via twisting streets and alleyways, tucked amid merchant shops and artisan stalls. So it seems only fitting (to me anyway) for Nash’s lyrics to narrate our tour. If you’re a boho child of the late 1960s, like me, you surely remember the tune and can, at the very least, hum along.

All on board that train!

Simon Upton photo

A 19th-century-style bronze knocker and a plethora of nailheads greet you at the front door. Inside, a Syrian bridal chest and mirror inlaid with mother-of-pearl catch the sun from the courtyard around which the home is built.

Looking at the world through the sunset in your eyes

Simon Upton photo

A Berber blanket hangs above the living room sofa, a brazier (foreground left) doubles as a side table, and a banquet dish and stand serve as coffee table.

Trying to make the train through clear Moroccan skies

Simon Upton photo

At the other end of the living room, a Kurdish kilim covers a table. The daybed and star-shaped side table are Syrian, while the rugs are Moroccan.

Ducks and pigs and chickens call
Animal carpet wall to wall

American ladies five foot tall in blue

Simon Upton photo

The dining room light fixture is an antique mosque lamp, an Uzbek suzani serves as tablecloth, and the chairs are camel-bone veneer.

Sweeping cobwebs from the edges of my mind

Simon Upton photo

The richly inlaid furniture in this cozy corner of Bravo’s former studio is also Syrian. The Andalusian-style plaster frieze is custom-made. Most of Bravo’s art went to family members when he died, but the lithographs displayed here came with the house.

Had to get away to see what we could find

Simon Upton photo

A Spanish colonial desk, 19th-century Moroccan globes and box, a collection of antique Mamluk mosque lamps, Émile Gallé vases, and more Syrian pieces decorate the study.

Hope the days that lie ahead 

Simon Upton photo

In Bravo’s former bedroom, the headboard is draped with a wool blanket and the bed with a Berber wedding blanket. The chest is antique Moroccan, and the Tuareg carpet is made of woven leather and palm fronds.

Bring us back to where they've led

Simon Upton photo

The Green Bedroom is my favorite room in the house. The bedspread is Gujarati mirrorwork embroidery, the chest is 19th-century Moroccan, and the desk and chair are bone inlay.

Listen not to what's been said to you

Simon Upton photo

In another bedroom, embroidered pillows from Fez and Rabat gather on an antique Spanish bed. The chair is Indian, while the table and chest of drawers are Syrian.

Would you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express?

Would you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express?

All on board that train!

Simon Upton photo

And yes, the house comes with its own hammam—in Valencian marble, no less.

I've been saving all my money just to take you there

Simon Upton photo

I could do for a soak here, especially after that dusty train ride.

I smell the garden in your hair

Simon Upton photo

Or here. I’m not particular, but I am wondering about the view from these tubs.

Take the train from Casablanca going south

Simon Upton photo

I hear it’s spectacular, so let’s take a closer look.

Blowing smoke rings from 

the corners of my my, my my, my mouth

Simon Upton photo

Mandarin-orange trees underplanted with white roses grace the courtyard. Part of the “refresh” involved deepening the courtyard pool, which features a 19th-century Indian fountain, to allow for swimming. Street sounds drift over the courtyard walls, as do the Islamic calls to prayer.

Colored cottons hang in air

Charming cobras in the square

Striped djellebas we can wear at home

Simon Upton photo

This patio furniture is Indian marble, while the lantern is Moroccan. What else?

Don't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express?
Don't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express?
They're taking me to Marrakesh.
All on board that train!
All on board that train!

If you want more, which, of course, you KNOW you do…

Self-portrait of Claudio Bravo painting in his djellaba

• Read Liza Foreman’s 2016 AD interview with Ahmad Sardar-Afkhami, who headed up the home’s restoration, and continue your photo tour of the home HERE.
• Check out decorative art from the homes and studio of Claudio Bravo from a past auction HERE and HERE. 
• Click on the play button in the video below to watch and listen as a mature Crosby, Stills & Nash perform “Marrakesh Express.” Then, as it plays, go back and look through this home again. You can even sing along!

• If touring this home gives you a hankering for Morocco, you're in luck! Bravo's main home—a palace in Tangiers—is for sale. Follow the link to the realtor's listing. His third home at Taroudant is a museum you can tour when you visit and, in the meantime, virtually. You'll find additional photographs of it on Trip Advisor. 
• Check out the (affiliate) links at the bottom of this page to learn more about the group Crosby, Stills & Nash; the painter, Claudio Bravo; and how to get the Moroccan look in your boho home.
• Shop (and follow!) both my Etsy and ebay stores for vintage finds, a few of my boho DIYs, and next-to-new surplus home decor. New merchandise gets added daily, so check both places often.
• Sign up to have BoHo Home posts sent to your inbox using the subscription link in the sidebar (top right). Or follow with Bloglovin, a social-media platform that allows you to set up an account and access all the blogs you want to read in one place.
• Find additional content from BoHo Home on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and Houzz, and give me a follow EVERYWHERE!! The more the merrier!

                         

Take a ‘Page’ from the Boho Home How-To Manual

I’m absolutely smitten with the portfolio of interior stylist and photographer Carley Page. Her boho home wonderlands are like something straight out of the summer of love.

Take the living room in the above photo, for starters. Don’t you just adore that curvy sofa? I lived through the 1960s and 70s, and the olive green I remember never looked so luscious. And what I wouldn’t give to go on safari for that cute elephant table/plant stand!

Carley Page Interiors

This bedroom is another case in point. Its layered area rugs and mega-tassel throw put me in a Moroccan frame of mind. How about you?

Can’t go on an actual safari? Just spend an hour or two here…

Carley Page Interiors

Carley Page Interiors

Carley Page Interiors

Stairway to Heaven, right?

Wait-wait! There’s more!

Carley Page Interiors

So this would be minimal boho? Whatever you call it, I love it. Dig that cool fireplace!

Carley Page Interiors

Global, boho, vintage, and sophisticated all in one. Love the layering on the bed!

Carley Page Interiors

And this sleek and glamorous mix of classic midcentury modern and Moroccan knocks it out of the casbah!

Carley Page Interiors

Oh my oh my oh my oh my!! What a delicious combination—quilts and chintz meet Moroccan and vintage!

Carley Page Interiors

Here’s more vintage midcentury mixed with Moroccan. LOVE that sofa. And this room proves rugs are made for walls as well as floors.

Carley Page Interiors

I love the mix of casual and elegant in this bedroom. Those straightforward nightstands with the mismatched lamps really set off the vintage bed and bench. But the piece de resistance is that sweet pillow with the chinoiserie vase and flowers!

Carley Page Interiors

I wish my bookshelves looked this styled. I also wish my cacti grew that big! Actually, I'd be happy if they grew at all. Before they died, that is. But that's what comes of trying to grow them in the Midwest. Even outdoors in summer they languish.

Carley Page Interiors

Honestly, though, if this were MY foyer and MY settee, I’d stop worrying about dead cacti and never move from this spot. NEVER. And I'd langush BIG TIME. Langush my life away...

Want more? Of COURSE you do!

Carley Page Interiors

• Take in ALL of Carley’s portfolio. (Pretend you have a spot like the one above to curl up in with your laptop, tablet or phone.)
• Then when you're done oohing and aahing, hop on over to shop for your own boho and vintage items at my Etsy and ebay stores. While you’re there, give me a follow and check back often because I’m always adding new finds.
• Sign up to have BoHo Home posts sent to your inbox using the subscription link in the sidebar (top right). Or follow with Bloglovin, a social-media platform that allows you to set up an account and access all the blogs you want to read in one place.
• Find additional content from BoHo Home on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and Houzz, and give me a follow EVERYWHERE!! The more bohoho, the better!

A boho home like no Sunday School I know

Churches repurposed into homes are out-of-the-ordinary but hardly unheard-of. But what about living in achurch basement and going to Sunday School day and night, every day of the week? Los Angeles residents 

Lourdes Hernandez and Zach Leigh actually got married in the upstairs of this Highland Park church then decided to buy it to live in, refurbish, and rent out.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

They first thought they’d use the upstairs as a music venue since both are musicians. But the church’s potential as a wedding venue was all too clear, and The Ruby Street is now booked with weddings nearly every weekend. And the home they’ve built together in the basement of their income property is an amazing boho mix of their tastes, styles and interests. 

Divide, conquer and cozy-up

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

The biggest decorating challenge involved keeping the 1,900 square feet of space completely open but with cozy, welcoming areas.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

A friend painted the “Sunday School” sign on the reeded glass entrance door.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

The kitchen is tucked in one corner, with an IKEA island on wheels for work space and IKEA shelving for extra storage.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

A bright and cheery IKEA sofa separates the TV viewing area from an office the couple shares.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

A DIY desk allows both to work comfortably side-by-side.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

The desk was made from finished plywood with legs added. As large as the work surface is, Zach says it still fills up.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

The couple removed the actual wall that separated the stairs from the rest of the home and installed this yarn wall instead. It’s anchored by eye hooks, top and bottom, and adds just the right amount of division and whimsy to the space.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

A living room area features a vintage sofa, coffee table, and mirror.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

Three identical hanging planters and plants help separate the living room from the rest of the space.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

Friends call the place “a playground for adults,” and it’s easy to see why.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

The desk is a midcentury modern reproduction from West Elm and functions to hold bar essentials, as well as collections.

Marisa Vitale photos / Apartment Therapy

Lourdes believes in making items you use part of the décor, so guitars hang on walls and cases stack under credenzas.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

The credenza also functions as a divider between living space and sleeping space. The couple designed the bed and had it custom-made to fit the existing nook. Lourdes says this is her favorite part of their home.

Doors where they're needed

Marisa Vital photos / Apartment Therapy

The closet is one of only two completely walled-off-with-door areas in the home. Lots of shelving has been added to keep everything neat tidy, including Lourdes’ fun shoe collection.

Marisa Vitale photos / Apartment Therapy

The bathroom is, of course, the other. The same artist who painted “Sunday School” on the front door painted “Clean” on the door to the bathroom.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

That marble tub is a looker, but those Pendleton towels grabbed my attention first. Such a classic stripe!

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

And an indoor SAUNA!! Absolutely to-die-for!

A hefty dose of fun, funk and fantastic charm

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

More IKEA shelves divide the space, and another guitar decorates a support column. But look a little closer…

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

The shelves hold a collection of vintage cameras. Say cheese!

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

And just beyond the shelves is a music performance area, stage and all.

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

The faux melting ice cream cone is one of Zach’s keepsakes. It was his favorite thing from his grandmother’s house.

If you want more…

Marisa Vitale photo / Apartment Therapy

• Continue your tour of this boho home at Apartment Therapy. There’s lots more photos to see and even source info. 
• Learn more about The Ruby Street. You might even want to schedule your next wedding there! 
• Lourdes’ new album, Karaoke, is available through her website, Russian Red. You can also follow her on Instagram. 
• Learn about The Good Form, an LA rehab firm where Zach works as a designer/builder. You can follow him on Instagram as well. 
• Shop (and follow!) both my Etsy and ebay stores for vintage finds, a few of my boho DIYs, and next-to-new surplus home decor. New merchandise gets added daily, so check both places often.
• Sign up to have BoHo Home posts sent to your inbox using the subscription link in the sidebar (top right). Or follow with Bloglovin, a social-media platform that allows you to set up an account and access all the blogs you want to read in one place.
• Find additional content from BoHo Home on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and Houzz, and give me a follow EVERYWHERE!! The more the merrier!