Bill Willis

For four decades, the architect and decorator Bill Willis was the unlikely point man in Morocco for voluptuous houses redolent of concubines and the woozy, opium-fogged dreamscapes of 19th-century Western painters like Georges Clairin. After purchasing Bill's Dar Noujoum riad in Marrakech, we have comissioned a documentary about his colourful life, and plan to turn his former home into an artist's residence, open to anyone to be inspired by his architecture.

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Property Type

Artist's Residence

Location

Marrakech, Morocco

Role

Our Development

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It was Bill who coined the design vocabulary of today’s Morocco.

The Film

Bill Willis (1937-2009) was the father of Moroccan style interior design. He studied and rescued the old techniques of craftsmen from North Africa and gave them a new life by daring to change the paradigms of this ancient style. His life was as interesting as his creations. We tracked down Bill's friends, members of the bohemian high society, in Marrakech, London, Paris and New York to share his story.

The Restoration of Dar Noujoum

Bill's old home, in the Marrakech Medina, was acquired by NEON in late 2013. Currently in need of major restoration works, it is our plan to redevelop the building, retaining its charm as a place for artists to stay and as a showcase for the work of its former owner.

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