7 Moroccan-Style Spaces With Tadelakt Accents
Tadelakt, or traditional Moroccan plaster, brings texture and earthiness to these homes.
You’ve heard of stucco, and perhaps Venetian plaster, but you may not know about the traditional Moroccan plaster technique, tadelakt. Tadelakt is a waterproof plaster originally used in the baths and sinks of historic Moroccan homes and palaces, or riads, and its word origin, which means "to rub" in Arabic, hints at its labor-intensive application. Typically comprising three elements (lime plaster, natural soap made from olives, and sometimes marble or limestone sand as aggregates), the mixture creates a chemical reaction that produces a waterproof barrier. The paste is applied to surfaces and then polished by hand with a stone or other hard object, creating a beautiful, seamless surface that can form just about anything you can imagine, from undulating curves to sharp, tight corners. The finished product has a lovely, subtle texture and is a durable surface that, if treated properly, can last year after year. Below, we round up some applications spanning bathrooms, kitchens, and living rooms.
A Tucson Midcentury Gets a Surgically Precise Revamp
The bathroom of a Tucson territorial-style midcentury features tadelakt walls done by a talented local craftsman and Neolith floors. The tub, from Blu Bathworks, sits on a Douglas fir base, so as to look as though it’s floating. Douglas fir wood was used to match the original wood in the home. "Similar to the rest of the home, we wanted to keep the space minimal and austere in design, yet highly functional," says architect Darci Hazelbaker. "With the additional square footage gained from the closets, our intention was to allow that additional space to stay ‘empty.’"
Photo: Logan Havens
A beautifully renovated apartment in the capital of Sicily echoes the colors and textures of the sea. The bathroom in particular evokes water, with textured tadelakt cement and Wet System Wall & Deco wallpaper.
Courtesy Giovanni Costagliola
In the bathroom of a London home, architects Archer + Braun implemented a Moroccan plaster technique and found an installer who specializes in tadelakt. "Tadelakt also has a nice tactile quality, is slightly textured, and just off-matte, so it reacts well to natural light," says cofounder Stuart Archer.
Photography David Barbour
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Urban Outfitters Isobel Concrete Wall Shelf
Bring a naturalistic bohemian feel to your space with this UO-exclusive concrete wall shelf. Featuring five cubbies in a variety of sizes to show off your favorite trinkets and treasures. Mounts to wall; aluminum hook included. Photo Courtesy of Urban Outfitters
ShopMichael Thonet Era Backless Barstool
Defined by its dependable bentwood construction and simple organic form, the graceful, lightweight and surprisingly strong Era Collection has been in continuous production for more than 150 years. It is the work of Michael Thonet, who perfected the bentwood process for chair-making and in the process eliminated the need for expensive and time-consuming hand-carved joints. Swiss Architect Le Corbusier used Thonet’s chairs for his projects, stating, “Never before was something more elegant and better in its conception, more precise in its realization and more fit for practical use created.” Other fans of this ubiquitous form included Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, both of whom featured it in their paintings. Photo Courtesy of Design Within Reach
ShopIn the en-suite bathroom of a California vacation home, the walls and the shower are coated in tadelakt, reflecting the owners' inspiration from the local landscape and travels abroad.
S Wiley Interior Photography
The master bath of a 1926 Spanish Colonial in the Hollywood Dell received a new materials palette, including tile from Mosaic House, lights from Apparatus and Workstead, and tadelakt plaster walls and ceiling, which the designers say "feel simultaneously consistent with other home elements, yet fresh and forward."
The kitchen cabinets of this Joshua Tree ranch-style home are custom-made from 100-year-old wood purchased at Sliverado Salvage. There’s a breakfast nook and a nine-foot island finished in tadelakt, creating a communal and open space that flows into the living room. "Tadelakt is such a beautiful material and provides an old-world, earthy feeling, but using it is very labor-intensive," says Elaine Yang of the real estate and development firm Mini Inno.
Photo: Liyuan Yang
The bathroom in the master suite features a custom-made vanity and medicine cabinet. Tadelakt was used on the walls with Bulgarian limestone in the shower. The custom tiles were made by Haand Ceramics. The bathtub is a reclaimed piece with brass plumbing from Waterworks.
Devon Banks Photography
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