Situated right in the heart of Cape Towns trendy Newlands Village, I can only describe Sally Cattell’s home as her very own secret garden – apparently not unlike her sister Sue’s house, which looks over the Orange Kloof Nature Reserve in Houtbay – it is filled with an exciting assortment of exotic treasures. It all began when Sue and her husband, avid mountain climbers, took to Morocco towards towards the end of last to hike up Toubkai to the highest point of the Atlas Mountains. Having been enchanted by her impression from pictures of Morocco, Sue was spellbound by the real thing. In a whirl of enthusiasm, we flip open the album of scenes of Marakech and the coastal town Essaouira and it’s not long before I too am enthralled by this extraordinary place. Morocco’s medieval-like markets, or local souks as they are called, are marked by the hustle and bustle of shoppers and explosions of textures and colours: Bright fabrics brass and leather goods, elaborately painted pots, ‘magic’ carpets, bowls of spices… the list continues as I immerse myself in the photos of these narrow winding alleys. It was in the backstreet alleys where Sue found the real sacred wonders of this world. “Here you will see dècor items specially hand-crafted by the traditional Berber people of Morocco; some are generations old, brought down from the Berber tribes in the mountains to be sold in the towns.” Without doubt, Sue and Sally’s imported collection illustrates the inspiring care and time that has gone into making each individual piece. Antique lovers will delight over hand-painted pots and lamp bases; so will they appreciate the elaborately decorated wooden chests and nothing-like-I’ve-ever-seen-before silver side tables. While hanging glass lanterns and white ceramic ginger jars give off a unique rural-French feel, outdoor urns and screens are completely rustic in character. The camel-bone mirrors, copper basins and soft-leather ottomans have a surprisingly contemporary look about them while the mosaic fountains are just simply fabulous.