A Visit to Jardin Majorelle
You may have noticed the Pont Neuf Garden notebooks named Majorelle Winter, Spring, Summer, etc. and wondered, what's Majorelle? Or perhaps you're fashion savvy and the word brings up memories of the late Yves Saint Laurent.
Jardin Majorelle is located in Marrakesh, Morrocco. The garden was created by the French artist Jacques Majorelle, who started in 1922 and continued adding plants from around the world over many years.
In the 1930s, a Cubist villa was added on the property. Jacques Majorelle lived on the second level and used the ground floor as his art studio.
In addition to the garden and his paintings, he's also known for the vibrant cobalt blue paint colour he had trademarked as Majorelle Blue. The colour was inspired by the city of Marrakesh and the Berber community.
The bright blue paint was used to paint tiles, fountains, walls and the villa on the property. It's perhaps the feature that makes the Majorelle Garden instantly recognizable.
The garden is walled. Therefore, although the garden is located in the city itself, it feels very otherworldly and peaceful once inside the property. It's home to a variety of exotic plants, succulents, vines, bamboo and is known for its cacti collection.
There's also Paradise garden features, including most notably the use of water, but also includes symmetry and its enclosed structure. The secret-courtyard-in-the-city experience can give it an element of mystery and delight.
By 1980, many years after Jacques Majorelle had died, the garden fell into a tired state. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought it and went about restoring the garden and property as a whole.
The result of their work has been showcased in fashion publications and documentaries, and through public tours of the garden. The property includes a collection of Majorelle paintings in the villa and a Berger museum. In October 2017, the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech (there's another one in Paris) was opened a few feet away.
We love it when the story of a notebook transports us into another world. Has this issue got you thinking of travel? Gardening? Spring? Painting?
What are your favourite qualities in a notebook? Let us know!
