Yves Saint-Laurent’s Moroccan Villa Reborn as Luxury Boutique Hotel in Tangier

Villa Mabrouka ("good fortune" in Arabic) has undergone a transformation. The former Tangier residence of the famous French designer Yves Saint-Laurent has been transformed into a hotel by its new owner, British designer and decorator Jasper Conran. Romantic atmosphere, baroque details, vibrant colors, 1940s style, Eastern and Western influences... Villa Mabrouka is a dream. The establishment has 12 rooms, two swimming pools including one carved into the rock, a waterfall and an emerald-colored basin, and three new restaurants serving traditional Moroccan dishes, among other things.

The legendary couple of Yves Saint-Laurent (1936-2008) and Pierre Bergé (1930-2017) had acquired Villa Mabrouka in 1997, the former property of an Arab princess. She had bought it from an American cigarette smuggler. It was the second private residence of YSL and Berger after the one in Marrakech. After its acquisition, the couple had hired Jacques Grange, the most fashionable interior architect in Paris, to decorate it to their taste, the architect Stuart Church to build a legendary green cave-shaped pool, and the American landscape architect Madison Cox to landscape the gardens.

Today, Villa Mabrouka has become the property of British decorator Jasper Conran, son of Terence Conran, a housing entrepreneur, and Shirley, a bestselling author. He is said to have spent £4 million to acquire it. The sum was paid to the YSL Foundation, which helps rebuild destroyed mountain villages in Morocco, reports Mail Online.