In The Workshop With… Maryam Montague

“BE GOOD, MAKE GOOD, DO GOOD.”

In the ancient city of Marrakesh lives a remarkable woman, the doyenne of “tribal chic.” Maryam Montague wears multiple hats… social entrepreneur and humanitarian, feminist, hotelier, traveler, collector, blogger, and author of “My Marrakesh,” a fabulous design book. Born in Egypt to an Iranian mother and American father, she was raised in Tunisia and then New York. After obtaining her master’s degree in international affairs she spent many years working for NGO’s abroad.

She met her future husband, architect Chris Redecke, in Nepal and, after marrying, they actually moved there together. After a stint in Namibia, they took the opportunity to move to Morocco, settling in Marrakesh where, after starting and raising a family and launching their two children to university in different countries, they still remain, nearly 20 years later.

Maryam’s mantra is “Be good, make good, do good.” I am truly inspired by her passions and her ability to juggle all that she does, as well as the fact that she lives by this mantra in all facets of her life. I knew she was the one I wanted to interview in this issue of INSPIRED, and I was thrilled when she agreed to squeeze me into her extremely busy schedule.

It was a delight to speak with Maryam and learn about her fascinating life and all the various pots on the fire she somehow manages to stir. She was so generous with her time, and we had a long, wonderful conversation in which she shared a WEALTH of insight and information. It was really challenging for me to take 32 pages of our transcribed interview and pare it down to this! She is passionate about what she does and is truly INSPIRING!!

I divided this interview into 3 facets of Maryam’s life… her humanitarian work (she is Founder and Executive Director of Project Soar), her boutique hotel, Peacock Pavilions, and her passion for design and Morocco. She is the author of the beautiful book Marrakesh By Design and curates a beautiful selection of Moroccan homewares and accessories in her online M. Montague Souk.

I interviewed Maryam Montague in the autumn 2020 – Marrakesh issue of The Loaded Trunk. To read the full interview, chock full of inspiration and interesting insights, click here and subscribe. You’ll gain access to the entire TLT library.

IMAGE CREDIT, COVER PHOTO: CHRISTINE JOHNSON