A lot of imagination is needed to associate the design concept with the word oasis, a small patch of fertile land stolen from the desert. In fact, the freedom of expression seems to clash with the strictness imposed by such an extreme aspect of nature. But the oxymorons, contradictions and antitheses represent the perfect challenge for the visionary designer Matali Crasset and the two French entrepreneurs Philippe Chapelet and Patrick Elouarghi.

The “fusional” meeting of the trio, as the young hotel managers put it, began five years ago when the Hi hotel in Nizza was built, an elegant and pop structure that shattered all the rules of urban luxury. Now the same team has taken on a new collective adventure: the contemporary eco-lodge Dar Hi, recently opened in the heart of the Tunisian oasis, very close to the famous set of the films Star Wars and The English Patient. Dar Hi is a kind of microvillage on piles that seems to be planted in the sand and which fits in naturally amongst the dunes of the Nefta landscape.

There is nothing unusual looking at from the outside: ochre coloured walls of solid brick and doors in palm wood, just like all the local buildings. But once inside Matali Crasset’s  polymorphous structure emerges like a mirage from the sand. «It’s a retreat, perfect for those who wish to reflect on their life», explains the French designer. Each one of the 17 rooms has been conceived for an initiatory journey where the classical references of hotel luxury have been purposely cancelled.

Maybe his provocation is simply a hook to reap in compliments or it’s the result of an unusual understatement in his profession. Whatever, the magic of the result certainly needs no confirmation.  

Silvia Gavino