Chafik Gasmi

French-registered architect, Chafik Gasmi, is also an industrial designer. He started his career in 1987 when he designed and furnished a house in Algiers and a hotel in Paris. Following the success he enjoyed with his own furniture designs, he set up his own publishing company, UNIVERS INTÉRIEUR, in 1990.

In 1992, the International furniture show in Paris awarded him the Critics’ Prize for his collection of creations.

In 1997, after three years on the rise at MOULIN GALLAND (now FERMOB) for which he reinvented the entire «outdoor» catalogue, including the memorable “Square” chair which graces the most famous public spaces, such as Times Square in New York, Chafik received, together with the MOULIN GALLAND brand, the “Prix du Nombre d’Or” which consecrates the partnership between industry and design. The VIA association (Valorization of Innovation in Furnishing) dedicated a solo exhibition to him. His “Ying” armchair, designed for HUGUES CHEVALIER, was chosen by the Hotel Matignon, for which he also furnished the reception rooms of the Prime Minister. The chair would also be featured in the reception rooms of various hotels, such as the Hotel Shangri in Paris more recently.

In the same year, Dominique Mandonnaud, founder of SEPHORA, after tasking him to manage the project for the megastore on the Champs-Elysées, offered him the artistic direction of the brand and the concept. For seven years, Chafik participated in growing SEPHORA internationally. In 2001, he received the “Observeur du Design” award for the SEPHORA BLANC concept, a perfume store with a new perspective and holistic approach focused on well-being.

From 2000 onwards, by request of Bernard Arnauld, the new owner of SEPHORA, the LVMH brands: DIOR, GALLIANO, KENZO, DOM PERIGNON, GUERLAIN, GIVENCHY, and EBEL, worked in close collaboration with Chafik who challenged all their creative and strategic approaches.

In 2004, the French National Assembly awarded Chafik the “Prix du talent de la Réussite des Francais venus de loin”. In the same year, he founded CHAFIK.STUDIO. His customers were KENZO, BULGARI, BACCARAT…for the world of luxury, private investors in the world of hotels and spas, institutions in France and abroad (the city of Desvres, the Minstry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture of Algeria and the Museum of Modern Art in Algiers).

From 2007 to 2009, Chafik was artistic director of BACCARAT. In this role, he perfected his concept of light and worked on dreamlike projects, halfway between vision and illusion. In 2008, the Museum of Modern Art in Algiers (MAMA) dedicated a solo exhibition to Chafik, both retrospective and perspective, characteristic of his universe.

In 2010, Chafik conceived his vision of the brand and the concept of graphic identity of the Parisian building, LE ROYAL MONCEAU.

In 2011, he created a crystal chandelier for BACCARAT, with a diameter of over four meters, to illuminate the heart of the luxury CORINTHIA hotel in London.

2011 also marked the beginning of Chafik’s partnership with LANCÔME. He was given the task of overseeing the creation of a new identity for the brand in retail spaces worldwide.

In 2012, Chafik began a partnership with FENDI CASA for which he designed high-quality furnishing items and lighting.

In 2013, he designed a villa in Algiers and a school in the Paris region for which he recreated all the furnishing and a sensational portico.

In 2014, the last stands of MAISON LANCÔME directed by Chafik, were installed in Paris at the Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette department stores, in China and in the rest of the world. In 2015, he created a store concept with LANCÔME based on a new customer experience.

In 2015, Chafik designed several villas on the shores of the Mediterranean for private clients and a resort dedicated to the initiation of haute-couture Burgundy wines on behalf of a renowned vineyard, OLIVIER LEFLAIVE, in Puligny Montrachet. He renewed his partnership with HUGUES CHEVALIER as artistic director and furniture designer and began a partnership with VAL SAINT LAMBERT, a prestigious Belgian crystal glassware manufacturer, official supplier to His Majesty, the King of Belgium.

In 2016, Chafik received the Janus Design Award and the Oscar in Cosmetics for his Lancôme store concept with its innovative customer experience. AKSAL, the largest Moroccan distribution group, asked him to create and develop an innovative store concept. The first store, occupying 3500m2, opened in the spring of 2017 in Casablanca.