A passion for beauty has always driven Serge Lutens—which explains why the style legend fell so in love with Marrakech and spent nearly 40 years crafting his ideal home in the heart of the city’s old town. Thanks to an exclusive partnership between the Serge Lutens Foundation and Royal Mansour Marrakech, guests of the hotel can experience this design wonderland for themselves via an unforgettable tour of the private home and fragrance museum.
Lutens' career spans his early teenage years working in a beauty salon in his hometown of Lille, France, to his time as photographer and stylist for top fashion magazines in Paris in the 1960’s, to his years spent creating makeup collections for brands like Christian Dior and Shiseido. He later earned international fame as the creator of sophisticated perfumes. Today, his eponymous fragrance line continues to break new ground, and has garnered Lutens such honors as France’s Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.
It was during his time with Dior in 1968 that Lutens first visited—and was dazzled by—Marrakech. In 1974, he purchased a former nobleman’s house in the medina, near the ancient Ben Youssef Madrasa, then spent nearly four decades meticulously restoring it, drawing upon on his love of Moroccan decorative arts and the work of expert traditional craftsmen.
This is the most exclusive experience we offer, and we are very proud that Mr. Lutens gave us his key to showcase the best of Moroccan crafts and architecture.
Now extending to nearly 33,000 square-feet, the home is both Lutens' private retreat and the headquarters for his foundation, which curates and archives the visionary’s photographs, designs, and other works, and operates a fragrance museum that catalogs formulas and rare and disappearing ingredients. There are plans for the home to eventually include a museum, but for now, it’s only open to guests of Royal Mansour.
"Royal Mansour’s mission is to offer unique tailor-made experiences that offer a glimpse into the Moroccan culture and heritage," says the hotel’s Managing Director, Jean-Claude Messant. "This partnership is the most exclusive experience we offer, and we are very proud that Mr. Lutens gave us his key which allows us to showcase the best of Moroccan crafts and architecture."
During the three-hour excursion, guests are transferred to the home in a vintage sidecar, as the medina location is tricky to access via car. Once there, you are welcomed with a snack of dates and milk, as is traditional in Morocco. A hotel guide and a Lutens staffer will then lead you through the elaborately designed spaces, which are adorned with carved woodwork, rich textiles, and artwork by such names as Jacques Majorelle (of the famous Majorelle Gardens), Edy Legrand, Paul Jouve, and other "traveler painters" of the 1920’s and ‘30’s. The visit is capped by some time in the fragrance museum, leaving you with multi-sensory memories of Marrakech.
To learn more about Royal Mansour Marrakech or the Serge Lutens Foundation tour, please contact the concierge upon making a reservation.
