Indagare Tours: Yves Saint Laurent’s Villa Oasis

Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Lauren bought Villa Oasis, the former home and private garden estate of artist Jacques Majorelle when they acquired the Majorelle Gardens (to save them) in 1980. The couples turned the villa, which they named Villa Oasis, into their private refuge in Marrakech. It sits next to the Jardins Majorelle, and the couple spent part of every year there until their deaths. The villa and gardens were designed by Majorelle and Villa Oasis includes pieces that Majorelle painted as well as many traditional Moroccan details such as carved plasterwork, coffered ceilings, tile floors, intricate stencil work, arched doors and tooled metalwork. As Yves Saint Laurent wrote, “Jacques Majorelle’s villas is a painter’s house much in the same way that his garden is a painter’s garden. He knew how to employ Moroccan art and craftsmanship, without falling into a decorative trap.” The rooms are also home to an incredible collection of painting and objects that Bergé and Saint Laurent amassed over the years. Personal touches like the needle point backs of the chairs in the gazebo with initials and the Orientalist paintings and books that adorn the library, which Saint Laurent declared was his favorite room in the world, bring a distinct sense of the life lived here. Landscape designer Madison Cox redesigned much of the gardens in 2008, and they are a wonderful complement to the Majorelle Gardens next door. Designer Bill Willis oversaw the villa’s restoration and added magical spaces. This is a must-stop for fashion and design lovers who will find inspiration in every corner, for the spirits of Majorelle, Willis, Saint Laurent and Bergé—all creative talents—can be felt throughout. With advance notice, Indagare can arrange for private tours of the Villa and garden.