The owners of this Casablanca villa entrusted Crina Arghirescu Rogard with full creative control to conduct a complete renovation, both inside and out. Despite its very modernist exterior, the villa called for an interior design that respectfully departed from traditional Moroccan settings. We embarked on reconfiguring the layout of both floors to achieve a seamless flow between spaces, revamping the house's enclosures, openings, pool, and landscaping. Our aim was to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces by strategically placing tall windows and opening up walls to offer varying degrees of transparency, creating captivating perspectives and vistas that intersect the house without fully revealing it. For instance, an olive tree behind a glass facade became a stunning backdrop for the sculptural staircase, which serves as the heart of the house, providing privacy to the living room while allowing an influx of light and air.

Inspired by the work of architectural maestro Carlo Scarpa, we crafted a custom stained oakwood staircase adorned with plaster and steel details, even importing sand from the Moroccan desert to grace its base. The kitchen, previously enclosed, was opened up to the garden, reflecting the clients' desire to soften the formal aspects of Moroccan design while maintaining spaces for communal dining, thus giving rise to the round living room centered around a welcoming sofa.

Drawing inspiration from modernist luminaries like Carlo Scarpa and Jean Francois Zevago, I curated a blend of vintage and contemporary architectural and artistic pieces for the interior design, sourcing unique finds from auction houses across Europe and the US, as well as exploring the vibrant offerings of Moroccan souks. From Javier Mariscal's Duplex stools to locally sourced alabaster pendant lights and wood chairs by Tobia Scarpa, each piece was carefully selected to contribute to the overall artistic narrative of the space. Additionally, I incorporated the rich colors and textures of Morocco's craftsmanship, including unique plaster finishes, custom bronze and metal pieces, and locally sourced fabrics and wools, to add depth and character to the interiors. In every room, I aimed to create a harmonious artistic composition by juxtaposing architectural elements, furniture, and objects in unexpected yet captivating combinations, transforming each space into a canvas for fresh poetic visions.