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Atelier Fifty Five Tapiwa Matsinde African Interior Design Liz Riley Photography

Dedicated to Modern African Design

The ateliers of Africa are overflowing with creativity and ingenuity. atelier | 55 by Tapiwa Matsinde invites you to discover the soul and stories of African design

Our Mission

To support the development of the African design industry and bring the work of talented designers, makers, and creatives from the continent and its diaspora to the attention of local and global audiences.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde African design consultant Liz Riley Photography

Meet Tapiwa

I feel privileged to be a part of what I call the golden era of contemporary African design, a time when we are witnessing a continent-wide, collective, creative reawakening. I celebrate this creative expression by participating in it and working to expand its reach.

I feel privileged to be a part of what I call the golden era of contemporary African design, a time when we are witnessing a continent-wide, collective, creative reawakening. I celebrate this creative expression by participating in it and working to expand its reach.

Services

By sharing information – about contemporary African design with curators and collectors; about best business practices with makers and creatives, and making connections between these groups of people, I contribute to the growing, thriving world of modern African design.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde African design Consultancy Liz Riley Photography

Consultancy

Consultancy and Guest-Curation

Consultancy and Guest-Curation for cultural organizations that want a deeper understanding of Africa’s dynamic design and creative landscape.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde Creative Entrepreneurs Liz Riley Photography

Creative Entrepreneurs

Resources for the creative business owner.

Creative business support designed to help growing brands, and fledgling creative business owners expand into new, high-end design and lifestyle markets.

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Power is gained by sharing knowledge not hoarding it

African Proverb

Curated Content

Browse through objects, commentary and perspectives of modern African design, chosen carefully and thoughtfully for you. As important as the creations themselves are the inspiring stories, insights, and profiles that enhance our understanding and appreciation of the work.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde African Design Writing Content Liz Riley Photography

Books, Writing, Publications

Capturing the dynamic African design industry.

We collect information to help us make sense of things, and, to create records of what has happened and is happening. I’m proud to contribute to the collection that chronicles and captures the dynamic African design industry.

We collect information and cushion it with context to help us make sense of things, and, more importantly, to create records of what has happened and is happening. I’m proud to contribute to the collection that chronicles and captures the dynamic African design industry.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde buy African Design Liz Riley Photography

Shop African Design

Beautiful products.

A selection of sophisticated products for contemporary living from some of Africa’s finest design ateliers.

atelier | 55 offers a selection of sophisticated products for contemporary living. Thoughtfully sourced from some of Africa’s finest design ateliers.

Read The Edit, Be Inspired

- S2 Ep 5 Creating Sustainable Design and Not Being Afraid of Stepping into Business with Boldness with Dounia Tamri-Loeper
  In this episode, I chat with Dounia Tamri-Loeper. Dounia is the designer and founder of Dounia Home. A lighting company that is based in the US and Morocco. Dounia Home is on a mission to modernise Moroccan design reimagining the traditional techniques and craftsmanship into sophisticated collections that uphold the principles of sustainability. Whilst working in branding and product development Dounia started to look for something new and wanted to create her own products and share her design aesthetic with the world. Taking a leap she left her job and went to Morocco her home country where she spent 3 months travelling the country and looking at different the crafts, metal, wood, textile and ceramics. The beauty and popularity of local lighting caught her eye but felt it was stuck in the traditional look which made it look a bit dated, so set about modernising it. In starting her own business Dounia knew who she was as a designer and coupled with her branding background she developed her first collection and soon hit the ground running by exhibiting at tradeshows. This helped raise the awareness of Dounia Home and showing alongside established well-know brands gave her fledgeling brand credibility and therefore trust, which helped attract her target audience of architects and interior designers. Tradeshows also helped her get in front of magazines resulting In features in prestigious publications. Dounia Home collections are produced in Morocco and then assembled and packaged in the US. Dounia focused on doing the groundwork finding the artisans she could work with. There were hurdles at the beginning such as production issues like maintaining consistency with a handcrafted product, which they have resolved. And also the challenges of working with artisans who had been worked with the craft for a long time and in trying to introduce new ideas faced a little bit of resentment. She works with small artisan groups and has since set up her own group of artisans. Working between the US where she lives and Morocco meant having to put in place efficient systems so that things could move forward smoothly when she was not in Morocco to oversee the production. Sustainability is an important aspect of Dounia Home. Products are designed to last a long time. For Dounia sustainability stems from the community. As the community is sustained by producing the product local, in the life of the product and the afterlife of the product. Every product is designed and produced with minimum waste in mind. The metals used are recyclable. Dounia advises budding designers to be bold to go out into the world and show their work. She has credited this attitude with helping her to secure collaborations with brands whose values align with hers. Looking to the future wants Dounia wants to modernise Moroccan furniture, accessories and is in the process of doing just that. We talk about: Taking the decision to leave her job to start her own businessResearching her idea and spending time in Morocco travelling the country and getting to know the different crafts from a designer perspectiveUsing her designer’s eye to modernise the old stylesLeveraging trade shows to build her brand name, awareness and credibilityThe importance of knowing her audience and getting in front of themManaging a business between the US and Morocco, and why a process is keyProducing in Morocco and working with artisan groupsHow government support has helped develop and grow her businessDesigning for sustainability and not trendsFinding and attracting collaborations Looking to the future of designBeing bold and not being afraid to reach out for opportunities What being in business has taught her about herself From a design perspective we try not to be trendy, we want to create a product that’s timeless, and hopefully that people can pass down to their children. – Dounia Tamri-Loeper Links and resources mentioned in this episode Maison de l’Artisan Elle Decor House Beautiful Handmade Contemporary Fair (HmC) Aphrochic Where you can go to find out more about Dounia and Dounia Home: www.douniahome.com @douniahome You can listen to the podcast on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android) And before you go I have a favour to ask, if you could take a few minutes to do the three R’s that is: rate it, review it, and recommend it to anyone you feel would benefit. It will really make a difference and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again. Tapiwa Pin for later... Read more...
- S2 Ep4 Talking Self-belief, the Responsibility that Comes with Privilege and Having the Confidence to Seize the Opportunities with Thabisa Mjo
  In this episode, I chat with Thabisa Mjo. Thabisa is the designer, behind Mash.T an award-winning Johannesburg based design studio that is contributing to the continuing evolution of a home-grown contemporary South African design aesthetic.Thabisa started out in the TV industry designing sets and moved into creating spaces that people in the real world could interact with Working for herself has taught her the value of social capital, which she defines as having a network of people you know with the valuable skills you need to develop and grow your business and can call on them for help. Her social capital comes from being able to tap into friends in the corporate world, and those in her older sisters circle who have started their own businesses and help to guide her. One of the biggest lessons being an entrepreneur has taught her is about being aware of the privilege of being able to have her own business and not having to worry about meeting her basic needs. This she shays enables her to be in a position where she can take more chances. This privilege also means having to actively think about how does she goes out of her way to bring in someone in who does not have access to the same opportunities and networks she has. Won the Nando’s Hot Young Designer and this gave her a footing in the design industry however her success hasn’t been without its challenges. As she did not come to design through the traditional channels and is self-taught she talks of having to get past the gatekeepers who bar the way to those who do not have the right education, credentials and so forth. And this experience impacts how she works with others and give them opportunities to enter the industry. Storytelling is how she approached designing her products. When she started having never designed a product before, she didn’t know how else to approach the process other than thinking about it as a story and this has become an important part of her design process. Her Nando’s win has helped her brand gain legitimacy and opened doors to game-changing opportunities. She is now focusing on the craftspeople she works with and cultivating the right relationships that will propel her business to the next level Thabisa’s story is one of determination, self-belief. Now focused on how to build a scalable and sustainable business that create true economic opportunities for the people she works with. When it comes to her potential Thabisa feels like she is only just scratching the surface and has not yet tapped in what she can really do. “They bring soul to my products, and their skillsets make my products.” – Thabisa Mjo We talk about: The reasons for working for herself The challenges of gaining access to marketAppreciating the value of social capital The importance of having systems in place to stop you working harder than is actually necessary Not letting failure stop her so failing Being aware of the privilege of being able to have her own business and the responsibilities that come with thisBreaking through the barrier of gatekeeping – The challenges of overcoming a system that is designed to keep people out How she did not come to design the traditional way Taking the initiative to go out there and ask for work, for the opportunitiesThe importance of ding your research Having confidence, determination and self-belief Respecting the deep roots of generational know-how and the people you work withChanging the way people think about African design “What I don’t like is the way people who work with their hands, people who have these traditional craft skills are labelled as low labour, or unskilled-labour. They are not unskilled labour. It is such an incredible gift, a skillset. This is actually their inheritance. And how do we use this inheritance to create true economic opportunities.” – Thabisa Mjo Links and resources mentioned in this episode Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Sketchup Oprah Magazine South Africa – now closed Estee Lauder South Africa Veuve Clicquot South Africa Tracy Lynch Nando’s Hot Young Designer Louise Mcann Chandelle Lighting Where you can go to find out more about Thabisa @mashtdesignstudio You can listen to the podcast on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android) And before you go I have a favour to ask, if you could you take a few minutes to do the three R’s: that is: rate it, review it, and recommend it to anyone you feel would benefit. It will really make a difference and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again. Tapiwa Pin for later... Read more...

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If you can envision it, you can accomplish it.
If you can imagine it, you can reach the heavens!

African proverb