When I was younger and still unmarried, my mother would dispense well meaning advice before dates with young suitors. Putting a gentle hand on my shoulder she would say, "Maryam, try not to talk so much tonight. Keep some secrets to yourself." In her youth, my mother had the looks of a beauty queen, and must have felt she had one or two tricks up her sleeve. I suffered under this advice, because you see...it's just not my nature. It was so hard for me to keep my words to myself. It was even harder than implementing my mother's other all important tip of "Try not to eat so much during your date." (Perhaps I was to just pick delicately at a salad, not devour an entire T bone steak, as I was prone to do.)
But I think my very refined mother would be quietly pleased to see this blog entry today. Because really, I am almost speechless. Rather than words, these pictures evoke in me a series of sensations. I think I might be able to swim through their colors. I think I could lie on the beach and let the turquoise blues wash over me. I think I could wrap the deep rose colored magic around me and fall asleep. I think I might feel the cool lavender tile against my bare feet and feel something akin to real contentment.
And really, after all that, I think I might just push my plate away because I felt full.
These photos are of the Moroccan home of the designer Agnes Emery of Emery & Cie. Her riad, or courtyard home,is tucked somewhere deep in the Marrakesh medina, and it is there that she comes to work on the stunning tile collections that have made her famous over the past several years.
So while I have few words to offer you now, I do have these pictures. And I hope they are charming enough that you might consider asking me out for a second date.
Images from (the Nov-Dec 2006) Maison Du Maroc, Morocco's most beautiful Interior design magazine.
