Stewardship · 02

Preservation

We repair fabric before it becomes a repair, using the trades that made it.

Preservation — Time, negotiated.

Time, negotiated.

Everything in a house in Tangier is in a slow argument with the Atlantic. Salt is patient, and it always wins eventually — the only question is how much it is allowed to take, and how quickly.

Preservation is the discipline of intervening early and correctly. Zellige is relaid by a maâlem, not tiled over. Tadelakt is re-soaped, not painted. Cedar is fed. Iron is stripped to metal, not brushed. It costs more per visit and a fraction per decade.

What this involves

  1. 01

    Preventive programme

    A fixed annual calendar of works, priced a year ahead, so nothing is ever an emergency and nothing is ever a surprise.

  2. 02

    The trades

    Maâlem tilework, tadelakt, carpentry, ironwork, marble. A standing roster of craftsmen who know the building already.

  3. 03

    Restoration

    Where a house has been altered badly, we return it — carefully, and only with the owner's written consent.

  4. 04

    Material record

    Every finish, fitting and supplier documented, so a repair in 2034 matches the house as it stands today.