Atelier Nomads Brings the Soul of Marrakesh to Coral Gables
- Jun 1, 2025
- 3 min read
Dreaming of drenching your home in the vivid patterns, rich textiles and chic artisanal crafts that dot the villas and riads of Morocco? You don’t need to jet-set to shop the far-flung souks of Marrakesh. This July, South Florida interior designers and discerning homeowners with a penchant for the unordinary will have exclusive access to Atelier Nomads, a home décor pop-up boutique in Coral Gables.
A collaborative and curated effort by Maryam Montague, a designer, author and Moroccan resident and hotelier, and Mindy McIlroy, president of Terranova, a commercial real estate company based in Miami Beach, the design pop-up extends the chance for design aficionadas to fill spaces with the storied traditions and authentic magic of Morocco.
Inside Atelier Nomads, every small-batch, chosen item is handmade and tells a story, with a focus on the people behind the design. While it’s often overwhelming for tourists to cut through the vast number of vendors and tourist traps of Marrakesh’s souks, Montague leans on her cultivated relationships, curating the finest designs that Morocco has to offer. “Marrakesh and Morocco already have a mystical connotation to people," explains Maryam. "You can’t always hop on a plane across the ocean, so this is an opportunity for it to come to you.”
This first capsule collection will feature one-of-a-kind pieces that elevate the home, such as hand-knotted rugs that feel silky as cashmere; hand-embroidered chairs covered in sublime raffia tapestry; handcrafted furniture like communal tables, side tables, bar carts and large raffia lanterns; pottery, baskets, sculptures and even decorative tiles that are intended to make an incomparable impact in a room.
Those looking for unique gifts will discover: handblown glassware in various shapes and hues; handcrafted baskets; bespoke backgammon games; and a range of candles and home fragrances housed in covetable vessels.
“The fragrances come in the most beautiful bottles, where the vessels become the object within itself,” says Maryam. “Same thing with the candles, which are wrapped in raffia and hand-woven leather, you’ll want very much to keep the vessel for multi-uses.”
Both Mindy and Maryam will be on hand to mingle with attendees at the popup, and buyers will have the chance to learn about where their purchased item is from, what it’s made of, and how long it took to make. Accessories start at $25, while big-ticket items such as rugs will range from $6,000 to $12,000, depending on size. The pop-up will take place at 348 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. Once they sell out, Atelier Nomads will go dark until the next highly-anticipated shopping event, with an anticipated fresh pop-up each quarter.
The Backstory:
It was a serendipitous meeting made in design heaven. Mindy McIlroy met Maryam Montague when she fulfilled a personal dream of joining one of Maryam’s insider shopping excursions through the souks of Marrakesh in January 2025. “I wanted to bring everything home,” says Mindy about the experience. “What stood out to me is that we don’t have anything like this in Miami.”
The women bonded the first night of the shopping vacation. Maryam, a self-proclaimed “curator of interesting and beautiful things with meaning and soul,” immediately connects with Mindy, who’s held a longtime dream of opening a design store. Maryam has a deep understanding of Moroccan design, as she lives there with her architect husband and runs a boutique hotel called Peacock Pavilions. She also authored “Marrakesh by Design,” selected by Amazon editors as a “Best Book of the Year,” which flaunts stunning photographs and chronicles the building blocks of Moroccan design.
With a similar aesthetic and a now-or-never attitude, the two decided to collaborate on a passion project: a design pop-up in South Florida. The duo shopped collectively for five days — with Maryam introducing Mindy to the best of Marrakesh — and they bought enough to fill up one shipping container. “It was instinctive,” says Maryam, about their desire to choose items that would translate to an American market. Maryam focuses on slow design, buying from makers who often take three or four months to make a single rug, and tribal women who labor for weeks to craft a huge raffia lantern.
When it came time to decide where to host the pop-up, Mindy immediately gravitated to Coral Gables, an area where she has managed real estate for over 20 years and understands the clientele. “We chose Coral Gables because we think our product will connect with the community of world travelers. These are people who will appreciate the attention to detail and craftsmanship, pedigree and story behind the products,” Mindy says.