GIMS Brings Palm Springs to Marrakech: Inside The Valley, the Artist’s New-Mid Century Modern Residential Project

Following the success of Sunset Village, the music icon and Horizon Morocco unveil a design-forward community inspired by California’s Case Study Houses—with a distinctly Moroccan soul.

Some landscapes whisper. Others command. When GIMS first drove along Marrakech’s Route de l’Ourika, the terrain did both—the snow-capped Atlas rising like a promise, the ochre earth radiating warmth, the light shifting from gold to amber as the afternoon deepened.

“For me, it was obvious,” the artist recalls. “The Route de l’Ourika is like Palm Springs. The mountains, the gateway to the desert, the valley, Morocco’s contemporary modernism, and that eternal vacation feeling that defines Marrakech.”

On January 26, 2026, GIMS and its development partner, Horizon Morocco, will present The Valley – Private Residences, a 50-villa community channeling mid-century California through a North African lens.

Photo Credit: GIMS

Desert Modernism

The architectural concept draws explicitly from the Case Study Houses that defined Palm Springs’ aesthetic.

Yet The Valley is no replica. Working with YBA Architectes under the artistic direction of GIMS and Yacine Ghafour of Horizon Morocco, the design weaves local references throughout: traditional Moroccan claustra screens filter the intense southern sunlight, casting geometric shadows that migrate across interior walls as the day unfolds. Warm earth tones replace California’s cooler whites. Handcrafted terrazzo flooring references generations of Moroccan artisanship. Rooftop terraces—essential to domestic life here, where evenings are spent beneath stars—crown each residence, while integrated concierge service reflects the region’s legendary hospitality traditions.

Learning from Sunset Village

The Valley emerges from lessons learned. Sunset Village – Private Residences, launched in 2024, achieved over 85% sales while establishing a distinctive design language.

“I loved the creative challenge of understanding what worked at Sunset Village and reinterpreting it differently for The Valley,” GIMS explains. The shift from organic curves to mid-century geometry represents an evolution.

Photo Credit: GIMS

The Art of Living Well

The Valley reinterprets Sunset Village’s lifestyle formula around a dramatic central feature: a nearly 100-meter reflecting pool that mirrors the Atlas peaks and the endless Moroccan sky, flanked by retro-styled parasols and sculptural loungers evoking the pages of Arts & Architecture circa 1958. Twenty-four of fifty villas enjoy direct waterfront positions—imagine morning coffee at the water’s edge, mountains in view, the only sound a gentle ripple.

Two purpose-built pavilions bookend this aquatic promenade: one housing the clubhouse with restaurant, bar, and sunlit workspaces; the other dedicated entirely to wellness—spa treatments, fitness studio, yoga sanctuary.

Photo Credit: GIMS

Democratizing Design

Perhaps most notably, The Valley signals a philosophical shift. While Sunset Village’s remaining inventory starts at €900,000, The Valley prices all villas between €490,000 and €750,000—reflecting a conviction that thoughtful design should reach beyond traditional luxury demographics.

The January 26 presentation at Meydene will reveal villa specifications in a focused keynote format, alongside the opening of Sunset Village’s “Prime” phase offering elevated finishes from €1 million. Invitation requests can be submitted at horizonmorocco.com.

With delivery anticipated mid-2028, The Valley offers something increasingly rare: a residential community conceived as a total design statement, where architecture, landscape, and lifestyle share a unified vision. That GIMS—an artist whose visual identity has always been meticulously crafted—should prove adept at this translation feels entirely logical.

Marrakech may have found its Palm Springs. And for those who feel it, it already feels like home.

For invitation requests: horizonmorocco.com

Disclaimer: Written in partnership with APG.