In reflecting back on the time I spent in Morocco, it was just as much an esthetic experience as a cultural one.  Living in the historic old Medina of Essaouira and later having a home studio in the village of Ghazoua gave me the opportunity to expand my design sensibility.   The Ghazoua house was bathed in generous sunlight which made an excellent space for painting as well as for living.  My home studio also had an open floor plan which was unusual in Morocco, and more in keeping with Southern California architecture.  I was fortunate because I love to entertain and luxuriate in an open space with natural light.

It has always been important to me to have a garden or a private outdoor space in order to be sensitive to my dogs, now just Daisy.  Like the US, water is a big issue in Morocco.  However, in Morocco, with its year around temperate climate, I was allowed greater freedom and flexibility in choice of hard and softscape materials.

I brought the furniture that I designed while living in the Medina of Essaouira to my new home in Ghazoua.  While living in this colorful country, I first saw and then fell in love with these highly patterned colored cement tiles that are made locally and by hand.  The tiles inspired my furniture designs, especially my dining room table and the garden bench both pictured above.  The abundance of Independent craftsmen working in wood, metal, textiles and tile gave me easy access to the work that needed to be performed to complete my home and garden.  Morocco gave me the opportunity to experiment and expand my visual vocabulary which I call, Moroccan Modern.  To this day, I carry with me in all my work; the colors, light, freshness and spontaneity that Morocco has to offer. One very important thing that I did while living in Morocco was meet Moroccan artists and collect their work.  The artwork shown above is by Azeddine.  It is vital for me to have art by other artists in my home and in my life.

Architectural elements such as doors, windows and hardware have keenly influenced my paintings and impacted the furniture I designed.  The latch on my dining room armoire is a direct interpretation of a Medina door lock.

An acquaintance of mine told me that my house and garden are "a combination of a Moroccan approach to modern...a mix of Bauhaus with a bit of Provence."  I found that to be an apropos summation of my design sensibility.