“We didn’t set out to build a hotel. We wanted to create a home, one that we ourselves would want to stay in,” says Zakaria Lamrani, one of the founders The Mellah. This sentence perfectly sums up the idea behind the boutique hotel, hidden in the heart of the old city of Marrakech, in the alleys of the historic Mellah district, which served for centuries as the city’s Jewish quarter. The hotel was born inside a 19th-century residence, whose architecture was entrusted to the Cabinet Noss Noss office, while the interior design was led by Simohamed Azzouz, one of the hotel’s founders along with Lamrani. The starting point was to preserve the character of the house and its inherent local heritage, alongside creating a contemporary, colorful and distinctive language, one that combines traditional Moroccan handicrafts, art and modernist furniture without turning the past into a backdrop.

Ofri Paz | STANNEL

Behind a modest facade facing the alley, the building opens inward to a high, bright central courtyard, in keeping with the typology of the Moroccan riad – a traditional house organized around an inner courtyard. The intimate proportions have been maintained, as has the organization of the spaces around the courtyard, which becomes the social heart of the house. Light walls and flooring made of handmade Moroccan zelj tiles, in a graphic pattern of black and white, create an almost clean background, against which the color and vegetation take on a stronger presence. In the center stands a round sofa in a warm earth tone, wrapping around wood and giving the space a sculptural and contemporary gesture.

The design draws on local architectural and craft traditions and enriches them with a more contemporary and bold layer. Hand-crafted zelj tiles, walls finished in tadelakt (a traditional Moroccan lime plaster with a smooth and polished appearance), arches, brass light fixtures and leather surfaces in some rooms form the material basis of the project. Above this, a more colorful internal language was built, with pop influences and mid-20th century modernist furniture, which give the house its unique character. Alongside them, vintage items collected from local dealers and walnut furniture designed especially for the place were incorporated.

The color scheme was also born from a direct connection to the place. Earth tones, deep reds, terracotta and dark wood echo the streets, buildings and workshops of the district, but inside they take on a richer and more confident interpretation. Rather than settling for the familiar natural palette of the local architecture, the interior design uses color to create a character of its own for each space. The result ranges from bright, open areas to more intimate, darker rooms, where shades of deep green, red, mustard and gold create an almost cinematic atmosphere.

Unlike large hotels, which often rely on a uniform language and design that repeats from room to room, here each of the hotel’s 17 rooms has been designed as a space in itself, with a different combination of colors, materials, art and furniture, a choice that reinforces the homely and informal feel of the place. Cylindrical showers lined with handmade Zellij tiles in Fez are integrated alongside freestanding bathtubs made of copper or brass, handmade Moroccan lighting and leather floors in some suites. These items are combined with vintage and modernist furniture, and it is precisely the natural irregularity of the handwork, such as in the surface of the tiles, polished plaster and metals, that gives the spaces depth and character, and changes with the light throughout the day.

Alongside material and color, art is a significant layer in The Mellah’s identity. A private collection of around forty works by Moroccan and international artists is integrated throughout the house. They are not concentrated in a defined exhibition space, but are integrated into the rooms, corridors and public areas and become part of the daily experience of the place. Already at the entrance, a work by the Moroccan-French artist Samy Snoussi appears, and later on, one can encounter works by the Moroccan-Belgian photographer Mous Lamrabat, the ceramicist Bouchra Boudoua and the Marrakech-born artist Amine El Gotaibi, among others. The choice to spread the collection throughout the house deliberately blurs the line between hotel, private home and gallery.

It is precisely on the roof of the building, above the dense fabric of the country, that The Mellah opens to the outside. The different levels create a sequence of living areas overlooking the city’s rooftops, minarets, and the Atlas Mountains, and at their center is the pool covered in stripes of zelj tiles. Tropical vegetation, banana trees, sunbeds, and low seating areas have been incorporated around it, and in the hospitality area stands a dark, sculptural marble bar. The Moroccan plaster surfaces, terracotta, and burgundy shades continue the color palette of the hotel’s interior and the city itself to the roof, while the view becomes an integral part of the design.

The roof also illustrates the hospitality concept on which the place was built. Instead of sharply separating sleeping, dining and leisure areas, The Mellah’s spaces change their function throughout the day: the courtyard serves as a communal living room, the library offers a more intimate corner, and the roof moves between breakfasts, relaxing by the water and entertaining in the evening. The kitchen and bar continue the same connection between local and contemporary, with food based on home-cooked Moroccan cooking alongside modern interpretations. Thus, the hospitality concept is not separate from the architecture and interior design, but stems from them, from a sequence of spaces that invite you to stay in them and not just pass through them.

Architecture | Studio Noss Noss
Interior Design | Simohamed Azzouz
Photography | David Dumon

more beautiful homes for you

STANNEL DIAMOND LIST | HOTELS

more beautiful homes for you

The Interplay of Light and Shadow

more beautiful homes for you

THE ART OF SLEEP | DESIGNERS SELECTION

more beautiful homes for you

Home Tour | The Revisionist House

more beautiful homes for you

Lifestyle | The Magazine's Selected Pools

more beautiful homes for you

The Architects Defining Contemporary Living

more beautiful homes for you

Philosophy of material and texture

more beautiful homes for you

Leading Architects Creating the Future of Living

more beautiful homes for you

The New Standard | Premium Brands 2026

more beautiful homes for you

Designers of a new era

more beautiful homes for you

STANNEL LIST | Residential Design

more beautiful homes for you

Designers with natural materials

more beautiful homes for you

Designing spaces with color palettes

more beautiful homes for you

Living in the new era

more beautiful homes for you

Architecture without borders