Farasha Farmhouse is only 40 minutes away from the centre of Marrakech, but the change of pace on the drive there – from frenetic to soporific – is a taste of what’s waiting on arrival. A passion project for Fred and Rosena Charmoy, founders of Marrakech-based events company Boutique Souk, the 3.5-hectare property is centred around the ochre-walled former home of French painter Patrice Arnaud, flanked by 450 mature olive trees. It’s an idyllic enough spot to inspire anyone to get the brushes and easel out.
Retreat to Farasha Farmhouse
‘What first drew us was the artist’s room that had been used as an atelier,’ says Rosena. ‘When I walked in and saw the light and mountain views on both sides, I wanted to sleep there immediately.’
The Charmoys aimed to create a countryside escape from the city, a rustic agriturismo-style experience with music and art where they could also curate events. They enlisted Dorothée Ricard, Sylvain Ragueneau and Vincent Mahieu of Marrakech-based architects Aire au Carré to make the dream a reality. ‘We found great energy here,’ says Ragueneau.
But it wasn’t without challenges. When the architects began the renovation work, it quickly became clear that the house was poorly constructed and needed to be rebuilt with anti-seismic measures. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted the nearby High Atlas mountains in September last year, the house survived unscathed. ‘We didn’t lose even a single lightbulb,’ says Rosena.
The original house was designed like a riad, centred on an open courtyard with a single domed roof. For the rebuild, Aire au Carré enclosed the courtyard, creating a rooftop terrace and adding a second domed roof to create what Ragueneau describes as a ‘reassuring feeling’ of symmetry.
The domes top two 62 sq m suites with bathtubs that look out over the olive groves. Vintage furniture and pieces from local designers – hand-woven textiles from Beni Rugs and ceramics from LRNCE – complement the spaces, along with vernacular materials like Tadelakt polished plaster and Bejmat tiles. A third suite sits on the ground floor, and an additional ‘shepherd’s cottage’ lies adjacent to the main house. Six more rooms will be added later in 2024.
The Charmoys also have an extraordinary book collection, gifted to them by Freck Vreeland, a former US ambassador to Morocco, CIA agent and son of iconic fashion editor Diana Vreeland. ‘We’re still placing them as we have so many,’ says Rosena. ‘It’s lovely to have a real library made up of a family collection.’
Outdoors, traditional Moroccan breakfasts, cooked by two women from the neighbouring village, are served beneath a pergola, and lunches revolve around barbecues and salads made with ingredients from local farms, friends and neighbours. Eventually, the Charmoys plan to supplement this with produce from their own gardens.
Landscape designers Marius Boulesteix and Abderrahim El Hout of Pan Priape have stuck to using only local materials in the gardens, like the pathway of argan nut shells used in place of gravel, their husks clinking and crunching underfoot with an almost metallic sound. They’re also experimenting to see what will grow here. Dead leaves, kitchen scraps and waste from MC Hammer the donkey and the farm’s chickens, whose enclosure is so fancy that Fred has christened it ‘Amanpoulet’, add nutrients to the soil. ‘The animals here are not just for decoration,’ says Boulesteix. ‘They’re part of the garden’s ecosystem.’
But perhaps the most unexpected element of Farasha Farmhouse is the 50m swimming pool that stretches between two rows of olive trees through the centre of the property. ‘We didn’t move a single tree, and even added bigger trees to give more shade on the pool, playing with the wind and sun to create little intimate spaces,’ says Boulesteix.
Rosemary is a textural haven and contemporary Moroccan escape
As iridescent dragonflies and butterflies – farasha in the local Darija language – flit over the surface of the pool and the breeze rustles the olive leaves, this all feels very far from the mêlée of Marrakech, yet is still imbued with its magic. ‘We were charmed by the project from the very first moment,’ says Ragueneau. Anyone who visits Farasha Farmhouse is likely to feel the same.
Farasha Farmhouse is located at KM30 Route de Fes, Jaidate Marrakech
