maison mk

happy fridge...

now that is what i call a happy fridge. Veuve Clicquot champagne, Cristal Champagne, and home made chocolates.....mmmmm

finishing touches still finishing...

If you have ever fancied putting gold leaf on your ceiling, just ask Pauline for a little advice - you may need to set aside a few weeks to do the job. The quick suggestion from Peter (the interior designer) that we might like to gold leaf the private dining room (AND the tea room by the pool) seemed such a nice idea at the time. Pauline now feels like Peter should do the other ceiling himself, as a punishment !

Those of you that have been bored to death by my ranting about pool ladders, spouts, etc can now stop avoiding me. After just 7 short months, we have our pool ladder. I still can't see why 5 steps & 2 long poles are such a problem, but amazingly we finally have a pool in place. (Obviously, this being Morocco, they managed to smash the pool light whilst fitting the ladder meaning all the lights kept fusing & the pool had to be drained, light repaired, and pool refilled). Anybody that has renovated in Morocco will understand the deep joy that the arrival of a long awaited doorknob, window catch, tap, etc can cause - we did manage a small whoop when the ladder arrived !

Pathetic...how old am i ?

I know...why do cacti bring out the 7 year old in me...? We were out choosing plants for the riad and we saw this before & after pair of plants.

Website ready !!

The website is now finally up and running (well 99.9% ready). Have a look on www.maisonmk.com  - if you've looked at it before, you may need to refresh the page to get rid of the old holding page.

Any comments, please let me know.

Food and Travel Magazine Article

Morocco's glamorous party capital, Marrakech, is known for its busy souks and the bustling Djemma el-Fna marketplace, where fire-eaters, snake charmers and orange sellers gather each night. However, the streets of the pink medina hide other treasures, including beautiful madrassas and charming riads. Sought after for their cool, tiled courtyards, fashion photographers Paul and Aoibheann Hopkins have recently transformed one of these traditional houses into a boutique hotel. Maison MK offers a sophisticated haven of serenity, with curved walls, clean lines and high-tech gadgets, yet it manages to retain plenty of Moroccan charm.
The six suites are decked out with handmade beds, silk chiffon artwork and deep cast iron roll-top baths. There's also a state-of-the-art screening room, luxurious spa and a fantastic rooftop patio, perfect for surveying the view whilst enjoying breakfast or dinner. The cuisine is a fusion of French and Moroccan influences, with traditional tagines and pancakes on the menu. Enjoy mint tea and a slice of freshly baked cake in the patio's tented area, or treat yourself to a barbeque whilst admiring Marrakech's pink square roofs and the stunning Atlas Mountains stretching along the horizon. (www.maisonmk.com)

sample food menu

Jallel  has been putting together sample menus for the 7 course evening meals at maison mk. Here is one of them... tested on a variety of people including....

"aargh, that prawn's got eyes & they're looking at me !",

and  "what the heck is a Moroccan balaclava ?",

and  "mmmmmmmm !"

Sautéed langoustine with garlic butter and  Pernod sauce

Duet of lamb and chicken brochette

Seared tuna marinated in lemon grass, chilli and olive oil

Confit de canard with thyme marmalade

Mojito sorbet

Clementine crème caramel

Coffee with home made Moroccan baklawa

Article in the Guardian

            

Riad it and weep

    This article appeared in the Guardian     on Saturday March 08 2008  on p5 of the Travel features section. It was last updated at 00:03 on March 08 2008.

 

Maison MK riad in Marrakech

The name may suggest it's a patisserie in Milton Keynes, but in fact, Maison MK is the latest opulent riad hotel to open in Marrakech. Slouching on piles of silk cushions on a roof terrace overlooking the steamy city square may feel like a bit of a travel cliche, but this sophisticated conversion, completed with the help of interior designers and lighting consultants, does the sultry, decadent look to perfection. There's an Arabic tent area, banquette seating encircles the pool, and the six suites feature organza draped beds on raised plinths.

·   From £115pp per night, 01428 682 262, maisonmk.com

   

website finally nearing completion

   

My latest visit last week was to shoot the pictures for the website. You can see them all piled up on sample photos 
Kam, the web guru is putting the final website together this week so we should be live very very soon.
Three days of finally finishing bits of the hotel & also shooting a huge variety of images mean that these are not the final shots forever, but they are a great start & i'm really pleased with them. Do enjoy....

maison mk wig service

Jallel trying on the latest offering from the house of maison mk - custom designed wigs in our corporate colours. As seen in Milan during fashion week 2008...

Latest photos

Took a quick snap of the bathroom once the new lighting was installed - so much better and more dramatic.

Balcony lighting also looking good

Now this is supposed to be the winding mechanism for our dumb waiter up to the roof ! Our so-called experts admitted afterwards that this was probably not their area of expertise - it looks more like a comedy prop from a pantomime !

A few kitchen shots - starting to look like a commercial kitchen...

Great review - Condé Nast Traveller

Feb 2008 Issue of Condé Nast Traveller we had two pictures & the following review...

"New-wave hoteliers are mixing the traditional and the modern in Morocco.
        There's a new breed of hotelier in Morocco, among them Paul Hopkins, owner of maison mk, an old riad in Marrakech's medina. 'We've created something cool and interesting' he says. "maison mk is 80 per cent Western yet curvy & sensual, so its still exotic and romantic - like Marrakech'. The perfectionist former fashion photographer focused on details. 'We had designer tebags before we had walls, the toiletries are from  a niche supplier in Paris and the hangers from Marseille.' Guests in each of the six suites are allocated a mobile phone full of useful local numbers. "

Christmas visit

Well we spent Boxing Day until New Years Eve in the riad as the first guests. A few small issues with the water supply - first day, no hot water at all. Second day, no cold water at all, so still no shower. Third day, hot and cold water in the taps so it was shower time! Sadly, Alana flushed the toilet and out came steaming hot water....oh well...that's what you call luxury i guess.

Weather was gorgeous & sunny & warm - no floods, no snow, no rain...just like England !

Merry Christmas... (and a Happy Eid in Morocco)

Its now Christmas Eve 2007 so I'll wish you all a very merry Christmas & we will definitely be looking forward to an interesting 2008 !

Marrakech images

Our gas bottles arriving by donkey... the only way to do it

Me looking ravishing & gorgeous - who says the British have no style !!

We will build it ourselves...

The glass shows what happens when you try to change the shape of huge toughened glass doors ! The rusty metal shows what happens if the builder forgets to rustproof the iron before he makes the railings!

So, here is the senior, management, executive, VIP team hard at work...

Yet another ...glossy Sunday Times Travel magazine

And again...this one i found whilst flicking through the magazine at the hairdressers! Nice surprise...

"Sex up your city break

If you'd rather cure urban fatigue by retreating to your room, there's good news from Barcelona & Marrakech.
In the latter, curved walls & specially commissioned paintings make for a super-sophicticated place to hole up at maison mk (with the bonus of the North African climate). Make the most of it with a dip in the round pool, hemmed by slinky banquettes or cosy up round the fire at night on the roof terrace. "

And another article...Sunday Times

Neofile section - sunday travel magazine 

"Marrakech's sensory overload can make anyone feel disorientated, but there'll be no let up in the weirdness at maison mk (www.maisonmk.com), a riad opening on Jan 1. It's owner, photographer Paul Hopkins, has gone for an 'organic' design - walls curve into floors and ceilings, and the pool grows out of the ground. If it gets a bit much, retreat to the spa for its signature massage...in complete darkness. Come to think of it, that might make things worse."

Bit of a strange one this, but they say all publicity is good publicity...so lets just put it down to a slightly strange journalistic style of writing...

Another article... Tatler

More good news - we are in the January Tatler magazine. In the "101 best hotels , coming soon" section...

"It's all go in Marrakech...new riad maison mk will have six smooth suites with curvy walls..."

Magazine article... Condé Nast Traveller

Thanks to Anita & Caroline at SWM (our PR agency), it looks like we have a good article in the biggest travel magazine in the UK in January, Conde Nast Traveller. Unfortunately the deadline for images has been incredibly tight & I have just finished shooting some of them, even though we are still finishing off the riad as fast as we can. You can see them on http://www.maisonmk.com/pictures . However, here are three of them...

The family grows again...

We have now hired our under-manager, a French lady called Pauline.

Between Pauline & Jallel, we can have really strong management of the riad all day long, every day. Both of them speak fluent English (well Scottish if you are talking about Jallel) & both of them really understand how to look after the clients. I am really pleased to have Pauline at maison mk & all we need to find now are the 5 waiters / barmen / meeters & greeters, 2 chefs, masseuse, overnight guardian, chauffeur, etc, etc!

Final phase...

So, in theory we are in the final phase now. Paint going on, lights lit, upholstery arriving, mattresses made, sheets being logo'd, etc, etc.

ever have I seen such a a scene of chaos & frustration in my life ! Still, its all part of the rich experience that is the construction of a riad in Marrakech & every riad owner has gone through this trying & testing final phase.

Some emerge unscathed at the other end, others retire battered & bruised to sit in the corner rocking backwards & forwards whilst dribbling gently!

...health & safety...pah !

...kitchen fabrication / fireworks.

...Jallel recovering from a little concrete cutting happening down in the patio around the pool

...Jallel & I mastering the complexities of hotel bed linen.

...typical discussion, this time over the electricity bills...

Branding & design

      Some of the work that we have been doing with Sophie...

  ...business cards

  ...letterheads & notepads for the bedrooms

  ...ribbons

  ...embroidery on pillows.

Moodboards

We have put together two moodboards showing curtain materials, upholstery fabrics, pool tiles, etc

... ground floor picture, pool tiles, upholstery fabrics, & floaty curtain voilles

  ... fabrics in the bedrooms. Each room has 3 main fabrics for bed throws, banquettes, and floaty silk voilles behind doors.

Great progress...

...guess who's got windows & doors now !

...tiles going in, tadelakt starting on walls...

  ...edge of pool - you have no idea what a trial this has been, but now its looking stunning (maybe not the sludge inside the pool, however...)

...roof terrace banquettes getting all curvy....

Just before Ramadan...

Ramadan starts in two days with a month of fasting during the day - no food and no water for 12 hours ! 

To say thankyou to the workers at the riad, we arranged for two whole lambs to be roasted & given to them for lunch. It took about 30 minutes for everything to be devoured !

This is the workers table.

and this is the management dining room !

The tiling man has now reached the ground floor so the house continues to look more & more sophisticated (however my trousers are still getting covered in concrete !)

Discussion on the complex matter of pool tiles - how many people can it actually       take to solve this problem ....here are 9 for a start...

Dining room vanishes...

Last seen at home in England.... one dining room, one entrance hall, one lounge, and one garden. 

Current location of these rooms is unknown, but believed to be under the hundreds of boxes waiting for the 40 foot container to come in 10 days time.

Branding, PR, Marketing, Optimisation, Website

The team grows again.....   

We have now put together the team that will tell the world about the riad.   

Sophie Anderson of The Gingerbread Lady will be working on the branding, identity, logos, and brochure design. 

Anita Lewis and Caroline Rowland of Small World Marketing will be in charge of PR, sales and marketing to the trade & the public.

Leapfrogg are specialists in optimising websites so that we feature well in Google, etc

Kam Sanghera of 72 Dots Per Inch will be producing a website that can replace this blog with something much better & more professional.   

Visit to Casablanca

Moving onto the fun phase of the project. 

We went to Casablanca to look at fabrics for all the upholstery, curtains, hanging silks, cushions, etc. Some really interesting & fun materials, so a very exciting day. The interior designers are currently putting together a mood board so that we can look at the whole colour scheme.   

Paint colours also chosen, but Morocco seems to have a different set of paint colours so a bit of juggling required to get the correct colours.

A wee little lunch break by the sea in Casablanca !

The team (Left to right Peter and Keith - interior designers, and Jallel - manager) ready for action...

sometimes we need to design by moonlight - not enough hours in the day....

Inside, outside

New railings preventing workers falling down 50 foot hole. If we had a health and safety person, he would be very happy !

Outside we have selected the latest titanium carbon-fibre scaffolding - strong and yet supple, with a curious vintage feel....

Hotel manager hired !

We have now hired our manager for the hotel. A fantastic find for us - he is called Jallel Tabet & is dual nationality British & Algerian. He is fluent in Arabic, French & English (but with a Scottish accent!) 

He has the perfect background for us - a qualified head chef, has owned and run two great restaurants in the UK, and has run his own boutique hotel. 

Just as importantly, he has the perfect character & temperament to manage the riad - he is personable & laid back, but has great attention to detail & the desire to make the guests' visits maison mk fabulous. 

He will be heading out to Marrakech permanently from 8th July to personally supervise the finishing of the hotel & to prepare maison mk for the arrival of the first guests as we soft open at the end of this year.   

Poor Jallel has just been introduced to my 61 page 'things to do' list - a little someting to read in his spare time !

Aoibheann finally gets to the riad again...

Proof that Aoibheann finally gets to leave her studio & come out to play in Marrakech !

Other bits & bobs...

  this is a mobile phone mast , Arabic style ! (made of concrete & plastic )

the boys rip up the wobbly patio that they just laid & try again ....

many big TV dishes in Marrakech - some people make do with an old saucepan lid !

we now have a big lid on top of our little bhou (the private seating area opposite the pool )

Plastering

Plaster cornice in creation... all made on site, including plasterboard sheets.

Plasterers hi-fi...

Who knows what they use this for ????

One of the bedrooms during initial plastering.

Hallejulah... something other than concrete !

A ceiling has been finished in plaster....curves....always curves.....

Roof tiles started being laid. Looks like the colour scheme is going to move away from two-tone grey (wet cement or dry cement) !

Silly things...April 2007

Typical, you wait all day for a donkey.... and then three come all at once !

What's behind the door ? Is this the wondrous place that they call maisonMK ??? Let us see the bejewelled beauty within....

The tar boiler for the waterproofing. Yet another Moroccan building solution that costs exactly 0.00 euros !

Time for a quick cup of mint tea before the Moroccan Space Shuttle lifts off.....

Progress...April 2007

Gradually, more & more pieces of the final desging are starting to appear. Here are some images of the roof fire/fountain, a little chimney (knocked up in 20 minutes!), a sample window, and the big chimney behind the pool.

      

Pool picture...

Just received some really good pictures of the pool from Marrakech.

It shows the pool which is basically a round circle nearest the camera, & it then narrows & the circles continue onto the sides where there will be circular banquette seating areas.

There will be tables in the middle of each banquette area suspended from the ceiling 20 feet above that cast a glow onto the floor below.

..not sure what the guy is doing in that big hole to the right - maybe he lives there ....?

Building a bay window...

How to build a bay window on the outside of a bedroom wall - Moroccan style !

1. Draw the shape on the wall so you can bend the metal to the correct shape.

2. Build a huge trough with any old scraps of wood that are lying around.

3. Build a mould outside the bay window & use very bad cement. Take care to leave a hole for the good cement.

4. Fill the bay window shape with good cement. Wait for it to dry.

5. Then hammer off the rubbish cement crust from the outside & you are left with a perfect bay window on the wall !

March 2007...the King is in town...

Marrakech is cleaned within an inch of its life as it awaits the arrival of the King (King Mohammed 6th, known by many as M6 !). No parking on the streets, oranges picked from the trees in case they fall & make a mess, all kerbs newly painted.

On a, possibly, more mundane level, our rooftop bar is taking shape..

If only we knew where the dumb waiter will come crashing through the ceiling....

A few more drawings...

The first is of the entrance to the small, secluded seating area opposite the pool - called a Bhou in Arabic.

The second is of one of the bedrooms & its banquette & fireplace.

The third is of the upper part of the roof terrace where you can see the bar & also the firepit area.

Some other pictures...

....Here is the shower on the roof - taking shape. Also electrics & plumbing going into the walls.

....The craftsmen at work. Straightening nails for re-using.

  ...We seem to own this cat - he / she lives at the building site! There are also sightings of a house chameleon / lizard beast...

  ... how to lock the door ! Length of pipe, piece of wire in it, tie a brick to it, hang behind door to hold it shut ! 

Weather in February...

Just come back from Marrakech, February has lovely blue skies, 70 degrees sun, & snow on the mountains. 

Fire bars...

We plan to have very wide fires behind the pool, in the sunken lounge, and on the roof.

These will be anything between 5 feet wide & 15 feet wide & have a lovely flickering yellow flame.

The first one has just arrived & I have been testing it in windy, bleak, wintery Chiddingfold ! 

Building pictures...

A few pictures of the house at the moment

digging out the pool (by hand obviously...)

how to find the middle of a pool with 2 pieces of string ...

the electrics are almost ready...

  ...and if not, we should be fine with a candle !

Proving that I do actually work whilst in Marrakech....

This must be the roof...?

What on earth is that builder doing ...???

What, this ? Just checking the roof canopy design !

Too narrow... should be be here, ish...

Gym layout...

Testing the gym....

Firstly, me on the exercise bike...

  ...then, me on the multigym...

Just remember, never, ever let go of your building plans whilst exercising......

Cement lessons...

...Aaah Grasshopper, today we learn the ancient lesson of cement splatting. When you can splat like me, you will obtain enlightenment......

  ...first you must flop the stuff on the thingy board.....

...and then....SPLAT it onto the wall....Who's the daddy ??!!!

Marrakech Film Festival 2006

Whilst I was there this week, it was the Marrakech International Film Festival which is a big deal for mostly French language films from across the globe.

Sprinkling of big names included Roman Polanski, Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon & Mario Testino.

 

I guess they can all come round to our place next year & have a glass of wine and some crisps .....

...now where's Roman's phone number gone ......?

December visit - sunken lounge...

Well...the sunken lounge appears to be temporarily turning into a mineshaft as they search for oil, diamonds, gold, etc

It is supposed to be 75cm deep so either Borat the Builder is a dwarf, or they are going for 75 metres instead. Must get them a tape measure !!

Don't worry, it will be alright in the end. Just keep taking the little pills.........

Toiletries & house scent decided...

Ok, today we have decided on the products that we will use in the guest bathrooms, the spa rooms, & the overall house scent. They are from a company based in Paris called Ex Voto run by Nathalie Paillarse, & her whole way of thinking fits beautifully with ours. The products are very high quality, they smell & feel great, are stylishly presented, & are an unusual and exclusive niche product that we hope guests will enjoy discovering through maison MK. We have tested the products on a whole range of friends & they have had a unanimous yes from everybody.

Nathalie's website is www.exvotoparis.com.