Opia Design – Meet The Team

“The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”

As a local firm, Opia Design offers interior design procurement services for any interior design project. Launched in 2017, Opia Design was initially created to supply Moroccan handmade, concrete and zellige tiles made in South Africa. As the company grow, however, they increasingly saw the potential of partnerships with talented creators and designers in South Africa to provide additional services and products to valued clients. Today, Opia Design is proud to partner with Moksha Design and Plain Dane to provide a holistic design approach and inhouse expertise.

Meet the Team

Ghizlaine Menehbi / Founder

In a previous life, Ghizlaine was a dedicated humanitarian worker; travelling in Africa and the Middle East; covering major human-made or natural crisis. From these experiences, she was shaped to believe that authenticity and protection of our resources are fundamental values.

In 2016, when she transitioned her career towards interior design, those values prevailed; they continue to inspire and translate into her interior design style as well as the management of Opia Design.

Laila Yassini / Founder

Laila is a modern nomad with substantial experience in the social economy. She worked with artisans in West and North Africa to protect their skills, encouraging and supporting local cooperatives to continue to develop. For Laila, progress can only be achieved when the human is placed at the centre of trade, respected and valued correctly.

With the same willingness to continue on this path, she has developed Opia Design’s strategy to offer fair, handmade and sustainable products while her interest for timeless and elegant style allows her to direct Opia’s choices.

Products on offer

The materials and processes used to create Opia Design’s products are environmentally friendly. The suppliers aim to follow a manufacturing process that adds as little stress to the environment as possible, sourcing locally, using recycled packaging, grey water wherever possible and solar-powered heating.

Furthermore, these suppliers are engaged to guarantee a fair salary and social protection to all their employees.

Opia Design considers that protecting artisans is what keeps a culture alive. All their partners practice fair labour by providing their employees with a safe and healthy workplace in the form of paid holidays, health care benefits and an environmentally friendly production system. Opia and all suppliers are dedicated to maintaining an open, honest and respectful relationship with our customers.