For this new episode of “Designers in Dialogue”, we had the opportunity and privilege to interview Othmane Bengebara, founder of the studio that bears his name. Together with our ateliers, the designer developed the Irtah seat, an ottoman conceived as a true invitation to both rest and contemplation.
Hello Othmane, and thank you for taking the time to speak with us. To kick off our conversation, could you walk us through your background?
“First and foremost, I am an architect. I trained at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris and then at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. My career path subsequently led me to work across quite diverse worlds—from architecture to design, by way of art and craftsmanship.
I’ve had the opportunity to participate in projects of varying scales and contexts, both in Morocco and internationally, before founding my own studio in Casablanca in 2020.
Today, my practice intentionally operates across multiple scales: I can work on an architectural structure, an interior, an installation, or an object like Irtah. I don’t really consider these disciplines as separate entities. They are simply different ways of working with space and material to tell a story.
I actually view myself more as a contextual architect than as someone seeking to impose a signature style. What interests me is understanding a place, a culture, a history, sometimes even a narrative, and seeing how a project can emerge from that encounter.”
What are your daily sources of inspiration in your work (life, travel, passions…)?
“My sources of inspiration are very diverse. They obviously come from architecture and art, but also enormously from travel, landscapes, human encounters, and popular culture.
Morocco is a very important source of inspiration for me, but I try to look at it through a different lens. I am particularly interested in the gestures, objects, stories, and craftsmanship that surround us—things we sometimes no longer even notice because they are part of our everyday lives.
This approach crystallized notably with DDAR, near Essaouira, the first house I completed with my studio. The project was born from the land itself: the landscape, the wind, the earth, the skills of local artisans, and the culture of the Regraga all gradually nourished its architecture. DDAR went on to resonate unexpectedly around the world, eventually being selected by Wallpaper* among the 25 most remarkable houses in the world. What touched me most about this recognition was that a project deeply rooted in Moroccan territory could find universal resonance.
That is something I still strive for today. I am not interested in the vernacular as a static aesthetic to replicate, but as an intelligence to understand and build upon. It is not about designing something that resembles the past, but about understanding what these cultures, gestures, and craftsmanship can still teach us to create contemporary forms.
Ultimately, my inspiration often comes from there: existing elements, sometimes dating back centuries, and the possibility of seeing them with fresh eyes.”
What is the origin story of the Irtah ottoman? Could you share the story behind this piece, from your very first sketch to the finished product?
“Irtah was born out of ongoing research I am developing around what I call 'Future Arab’s Tales': taking fairy tales, verbal memory, and the collective imagination of the Arab world to craft contemporary objects.
I am deeply interested in the archetypes of Arab design, forms so familiar that we end up overlooking them: the tassel, the cylindrical bolster found in Moroccan salons, low seating… I love bringing them back to the center of contemporary design—not out of nostalgia, but to transform them and give them new meaning.
Irtah also questions the way we sit. In our culture, seating is often low and generous: you sink in, lean back, settle into a semi-reclined posture. The furniture adapts to the body rather than imposing a posture upon it. Irtah takes up this idea and invites you to lounge freely.
Its name sums up the essence of the piece: 'Irtah!' means 'Rest!' or 'Relax!' in Arabic. In a contemporary world that constantly demands us to move faster, it is a very simple invitation to slow down, release tension, and take your time.
The shape is also inspired by a tale titled 'The Man and the Spinning Top'. I didn’t want to illustrate it literally, but rather extract a feeling from it. The silhouette of Irtah thus evokes a spinning top frozen in motion.
Finally, Irtah was also born from a meeting. When I met Charles and Romain Jouffre, as well as Hassan Triqui, during the opening of the Ateliers Jouffre in Morocco, the project truly took off. Our exchanges and the team's expertise allowed this idea to transition from paper to tangible material.
Irtah is ultimately the meeting point of a narrative, archetypes of the Arab world, a way of living, and exceptional craftsmanship. And behind all of it lies a very simple invitation: Irtah! Rest.”
What makes Irtah unique today? What sets it apart from other seating?
“I think Irtah’s unique quality stems first from how the piece reinterprets archetypes and traditional uses of the Arab world through a contemporary language. The bolster, the low seating, the tassel, and this very free way of leaning and settling in are extremely familiar elements, but here they are shifted, transformed, and repositioned at the heart of the creative process.
Irtah is also a story turned into an object. Beneath a shape that may appear simple are layers of story, memory, a way of sitting, and meticulous craftsmanship.
What interests me most today is that Irtah is not a standalone piece. It serves as the starting point for a new cycle of research around textiles and manufacturing. We are working with Brigitte Perkins, who is committed to preserving workshops in Marrakech, with that same desire to safeguard craftsmanship at risk of disappearing while giving it new avenues of expression.
This is an approach close to my heart: preserving craftsmanship does not mean freezing it in time. For savoir-faire to remain alive, it must be questioned, tested, and confronted with new uses.
Irtah opens up a broader field of exploration for me: bridging the imaginations of the Arab world, local craftsmanship, and contemporary creation to build a design vocabulary that is both deeply rooted in a culture and decisively forward-looking.”
What specific expertise were you looking for in our workshops, and what did you find at Jouffre that made all the difference?
“What struck me about Jouffre was first and foremost their ability to listen to an intention before immediately trying to find a technical solution.
Irtah required true fine-tuning. We worked on proportions, structure, volumes, comfort, and especially that very specific continuity of form.
There were endless discussions, trials, and adjustments. That is essential to how I work: I don't view the artisan as someone who steps in at the very end simply to execute a drawing. They are a core part of the design process.
At Jouffre, I found that intelligence of the hand, combined with an extraordinarily high standard of execution. The design brings intention; the workshop gives it reality—and sometimes even qualities we hadn’t anticipated from the start.
I would also like to thank the entire team at Ateliers Jouffre Morocco who invested so much energy into creating Irtah, particularly Bilal, who was invaluable throughout the development of the piece. That generosity of exchange and human commitment are, to me, a big part of the project’s success.”
Do you have plans for the future with Jouffre, or new ideas and inspirations you would like to explore with our workshops?
“Yes, absolutely.
To me, Irtah is not an endpoint. It’s the beginning of a language and, I hope, of a collaboration that will continue to evolve.
I would love to pursue this research around Future Arab’s Tales and imagine other pieces inspired by stories, memories, archetypes, or figures belonging to our collective imagination.
What would particularly interest me with Jouffre is pushing experimentation even further: working on forms where we don’t immediately know how they can be made, pushing the boundaries of upholstery, and bringing this savoir-faire into dialogue with other artisanal techniques.
I love the idea that our next projects could start with a question rather than an answer: How far can we go together with material and craftsmanship?
That is usually where the projects that excite me the most begin.
Thank you so much, and see you very soon.”