Religious Experience (continued)
Part of a mosque complex, Caitlin and Samuel Dowe-Sandes's 18th-century house in Marrakech gets a heavenly new look
In the study are large cushions made of embroidered fabric and smaller graphic cushions covered in a Duralee cotton duck; the Wink-on-One tiles are by Popham Design, and the cocktail table is a former movie prop.Weeks were spent trolling the Bab El Khmiss flea market for vintage furniture because the Dowe-Sandeses moved to Morocco with little more than cargo pants, laptops, and some guidebooks. (Emboldened by their intrepidness, Samuel's sister, Lulu Sandes, moved here last summer to teach at the American School.) Sofas would take up too much space in the narrow rooms, so they focused on slimmer seating, such as Art Deco armchairs and Saarinen look-alikes. As the couple began to intersperse these with pierced-metal lamps and painted-wood tables ordered from artisans, they found themselves yearning for creative outlets of their very own. And though they enjoyed do-it-yourself projects—one of which involved fringing a mirror with quills that Samuel gingerly plucked from a porcupine carcass he bought in a souk—their ambitions were loftier.
"All these incredible craftsmen are within arm's reach, so we thought if we could combine our ideas with what they do well, it could be fun," Caitlin says. A year ago she and her husband launched Popham Design, a company that makes artful encaustic-cement tiles and whose name refers to the beach in Maine where they wed. The firm's whimsical patterns are showcased throughout Dar Noury, from lazy squiggles on the living room floor to coral branches on a guest room wall. Like the house they ornament, the handmade tiles are a labor of love turned into a sprightly statement of personal style. As any foreign resident of the Red City will attest, the first months of expat life are all about relaxing on your terrace and sipping chilled Moroccan rosé. "But when you see people making things everywhere around you," Caitlin notes, "you just have to join in."
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