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logo999 dark logo light logo
  • Collections
    • VB Brand Philosophy
    • Bath Linen
    • Bed Linen
    • Table Linen
    • Accessories
    • V.Barkowski Store
    • VB All Collections
  • About
  • Press
  • Projects
    • Inspiration
    • 54+1 Portraits – The book
    • No-Mad
    • Design / Staging
    • Know-how
    • Bandit Queen
    • Mia Zia
    • NGO work
    • Sahart Foundation
    • Sokistan
  • Riad Dar Kawa
  • V.barkowski E-shop
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  • Collections
    • VB Brand Philosophy
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misaotra doll vbakowski merci fondation
Design / Staging

“Misaotra – Merci Paris”, one of a kind doll

15 March 2019

Misaotra doll project for the Merci Endowment Fund Paris For the tenth anniversary, Merci Paris celebrates the work of its Merci Endowment...

By Valérie Barkowski
vaisselle noir blanc valerie barkowski design
Design / Staging

Tableware for AM.PM.

25 August 2017

New collection AM.PM. My collaboration with the AM.PM. brand goes on. The idea that is dear to me remains: the pieces...

By VB
no-mad-park-hotels-pop-up-cafe-06
Design / Staging, No-Mad

NO-MAD Café @ Design ID New Delhi 2017

14 April 2017

Feel at home at NO-MAD Café A fair is a place that pulsates, lives, stimulates. The Design Id 2017 in New...

By VB
linge bain eponge ampm valeriebarkowski design
Design / Staging

Bath towels inspired by Indian and Moroccon textiles

11 February 2017

Bath towels for the AM.PM. 2017 summer collection The seasons pass and diversify. For spring-summer 2017 of the brand AM.PM, I...

By Valérie Barkowski
cement tiles bahya design valerie barkowski
Design / Staging

Bahya cement tiles – design Valérie Barkowski

11 November 2016

Bahya cement tiles + Valérie Barkowski = A collection After all these years in Morocco...

By webbarkowski
czfe tagin moscow textiles valerie barkowski
Design / Staging

Textiles – Tajine Café Moscow

2 September 2016

Textiles for Tajine café in Moscow. I travel, I immerse myself. I like to mix and match. So when the opportunity...

By webbarkowski
elle decor inspiration glocal
Design / Staging

ELLE DECOR ITALY

27 August 2016

...

By Valérie Barkowski
warang wayan styling valerie barkowski
Design / Staging

Warang Wayan – a japanese designer in Marrakech

20 May 2016

I like to stage my creations but also those of others. I combine or separate them, depending. This time, I...

By webbarkowski
no mad india lack printdesign valerie barkowski
Design / Staging

NM Black variations

1 April 2016

The "table collection" I imagined for NO-MAD is an assortment of color, the juxtaposition of styles from here and elsewhere....

By webbarkowski
indigo textiledesign valeriebarkowski am pm
Design / Staging

AM.PM. INDIGO Spring Summer 2016

11 March 2016

The INDIGO mix and match This summer my job for AM.PM. moves on with a INDIGO spring collection in a...

By webbarkowski
id design new delhi india no-mad
Design / Staging

India Design ID fair 2016 – New Delhi

4 March 2016

In early February the brand No-Mad 97% India has for the second time participated in the India Design ID fair...

By webbarkowski
vbarkowski store marrakech dar bacha medina
Design / Staging

V.Barkowski store

5 February 2016

In life, there are "happy accidents", the V.Barkowski store is one of these...

By Valérie Barkowski
maison marieclaire couleurs reportage valerie barkowski
Design / Staging

Marie-Claire Maison – Colors

16 October 2015

« COLORS » Is a project that was ordered to me by Marie Claire Maison in 2005. The task was to express...

By webbarkowski
am pm bed linen design valerie barkowski 2015
Design / Staging

AM.PM Bedlinen design Automn Winter 2015

24 July 2015

My work for AM.PM bedlinen continues. My first positive experience for the spring-summer collection is ongoing and new styles are...

By webbarkowski
kinfolk lunch table valerie barkowski styling
Design / Staging

Lunch under the tree

22 May 2015

The table ...

By webbarkowski
styling ampm photo delphine warin
Design / Staging

AM.PM. bed linen by Valérie Barkowski Spring Summer 2015

9 January 2015

In the pages of the next AM.PM. Spring/Summer 2015 catalog, I signed the textiles for 4 bedrooms. Here my work...

By webbarkowski
flower power pacha ibiza jewelry design
Design / Staging

Flower Power – Pacha Ibiza

4 August 2014

Flower Power. Peace and Love. Are these outdated concepts ? Buried for good in the 60s? No, they are more...

By Valérie Barkowski
bandit queen valerie barkowski silver table collection
Design / Staging

Silver Collection

18 October 2013

The five commandments of Diwali Five days of festivity...

By webbarkowski
valerie barkowski one of jewelry
Design / Staging

One of… 2007 – 2009

1 April 2012

Jewelry 2007Bijoux 2007 When i pass by Brussels i love to wander on the flea market, hunting for all kind of...

By VB
valerie barkowski paloma rose ibiza
Design / Staging

Paloma Rose Ibiza 2008

13 March 2012

When I left Mia Zia, in February 2007, the franchise boutique in Ibiza chose to follow me. They asked me...

By VB
valerie_barkowski_stream_ligne_roset_2007
Design / Staging

Ligne Roset – 2007

13 March 2012

"Constellation" Bed linen design for Ligne Roset (2007) Parure de lit "Constellation" dessinée pour Ligne Roset (2007)...

By VB
paris premiere valerie barkowski
Design / Staging

TV Set design – Paris Première 2002

4 February 2012

The subject of this film is making over an artist’s studio as a living space. The bare loft, to furnish: five...

By VB
Design / Staging

Interiors & design press book

8 January 2010
By VB
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valeriebarkowski
The spools are out. The scissors are sharpened. Th The spools are out. The scissors are sharpened. The guests are on their way. This evening, a new creative retreat begins at Dar Kawa. Four days, six women, a full immersion into my world, as it is. The rhythm of the house, the atelier, the boutique, the medina of Marrakech I live and work in. These retreats happen rarely. I prefer to host them only when I know I can give each person the attention they deserve. Every woman who walks through the door brings something different, and I want to be present for that. There is a collective project, yes, but there’s no formula. Ideas take shape around the table, through conversation, through inspiration and the different personalities. That’s how I want it to be. We’ll see how much and what we will share about this retreat. For now, it’s a blank page and stories that wait to be written. #ValerieBarkowski #CreativeRetreat #DarKawa #MarrakechThroughMyEyes #SlowCreation
What happens when you ask someone: “Can you give What happens when you ask someone: “Can you give me one hour of your life?” 😊 Pierre said yes instantly. No hesitation, no questions. Just the kind of “yes” you want in life, breezy, trusting, reckless. A simple yes on a winter afternoon, like he was agreeing to a coffee, not a one-way ticket into a linen-fueled fever dream. He showed up exactly on time, no idea what he was walking into. There was a vintage shirt, a hat a palm leaf (from my garden), a bed (mine), my bed linen (always the main character), and Tania, with her camera. We told him: "Welcome. You’ve been selected for a spontaneous experiment. Objective: bring my linens to life." There would be music. And vibes. He just had to follow his instincts. And he did. Oh, he really did. That hour turned into something you’d expect after too much espresso and one good song: pure, unfiltered joy. Dancing, laughing, a little bit of chaos, and somehow, a visual postcard of freedom, frozen in motion. Every time I watch the video, it brings back the whole scene: the breeze sneaking through the door, perfect little jump, that carefree energy you can’t choreograph. And most of all, that magical yes, the kind you get from friends who trust you enough to show up, even when they suspect you're up to something absurd. Pierre is one half of the mother-son duo behind Topolina here in Marrakech. Their shop is two minutes from mine, in the Medina. Their world? A carnival of color. Patterns that riot, pieces that can change your mood faster than a chocolate éclair. When I’m in a last-minute clothing crisis, I go straight to them. They always save me. This shoot? The opposite of elaborate. A white wall, a bed, one palm leaf, my linen, some props, music, and the three of us. That’s it.And somehow, it was everything: lightness, laughter, and the kind of simple beauty you don’t need to direct, just catch before it floats away. #SlowMoments #CreativePlay #MarrakechVibes #StyledByLife #LinenStories
"Limited Edition, Unlimited Attitude"⁣ ⁣ Looki "Limited Edition, Unlimited Attitude"⁣ ⁣ Looking for a good reason to come see us in Marrakech? We’ve got four. And they’re all sitting pretty right here.⁣ ⁣ Meet our babouches: limited editions, one-of-a-kinds, hand-finished, joyfully stitched, sometimes drawn, sometimes braided, always unexpected. Made in small batches, or not at all again. They live only at the Valérie Barkowski store, because we like the idea that some things can’t be found online, copied, or repeated.⁣ ⁣ Clients call them “footbeds », flattering, really, but we just call them slippers that know how to behave. Soft, sculptural, wildly comfortable, and a little irreverent (like most things we love). You slip them on, they’re so comfortable, your feet might file for residency, and suddenly you’re not in a rush to go anywhere else.⁣ ⁣ Come try them. They’re better in person. So are we.⁣ ⁣ #ValerieBarkowski #MarrakechBoutique #LimitedEditionOnly #SlippersWithStyle #CraftedInMorocco
For me, everything happens in the workshop.⁣ Tha For me, everything happens in the workshop.⁣ That’s where things come to life.⁣ ⁣ Yes, there’s the idea, the vision, the sketch, the technical sheet. But what I create usually becomes real in the workshop. A pencil on paper or a digital file can only carry so much. The rest lies in the exchange, hands interpret thoughts, details evolve through conversation.⁣ ⁣ The relationship with the artisan is essential. We look at the lines together, I explain a feeling, a style, a balance I have in mind. It’s about opening my world while staying attentive to theirs. What I imagine needs to be understood, felt, translated with care. I’ve always loved being in the workshop, but it took time to realise how much a sketch or spec can leave unsaid.⁣ There’s time, the kind we link to experience.⁣ ⁣ And then there’s shared time, time to understand one another, especially when we don’t share the same background or speak the same design language. When our references, proportions, instincts differ. It takes time to build trust, to adapt, to work side by side.⁣ ⁣ Behind every design, all of this exists.⁣ The hours. The process. The people.⁣ So when I buy something, I think of that. Who imagined it? Who made it? How long did it take? What steps were needed to bring it into being?⁣ An object is never just an object.⁣ ⁣ And then, sometimes, we see the opposite.⁣ BHV Marais in Paris, a true institution. A place we all know, where at some point we’ve searched for something. Once the city’s great hardware store, it stood for craft, tradition, human connection, commerce at its most noble.⁣ That’s why the arrival of Shein there feels so stark.⁣ Shein, the global emblem of fast fashion. An industry built on overproduction, imitation, and invisibility. Where things are made too fast to matter. Where craft is erased, time compressed, and human hands replaced by speed.⁣ ⁣ Some applaud. Others turn away.⁣ I want to acknowledge the brands that walked out. Those who refused to share the space. Who chose integrity over convenience.⁣ This isn’t a lecture. Just a reminder.⁣ We always have a choice.⁣ We often forget it.⁣ ⁣ #DesignWithPurpose #MeaningfulMaking #ThoughtfulDesign ⁣ #BHVMarais #SheinIsNotF
I can resist anything except… this bed.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Vintage sharpoi from India. Raw cotton bedcovers, hand-embroidered with irregular wool lines. Nothing here is mass-produced. Nothing is accidental.⁣ Every thread, every imperfection, every slow-made stitch tells a story.⁣ ⁣ And then there’s the pillow. A quiet rebel. Quoting Wilde with unapologetic flair:⁣ "I can resist anything except… temptation."⁣ We embroidered the temptation into the linen so you’d have no excuse.⁣ ⁣ Come see it in Marrakech. Just don’t blame us if you end up horizontal.⁣ °⁣ °⁣ °⁣ Photo @nicxxxdesign⁣ °⁣ °⁣ °⁣ #MarrakechBoutique #HandcraftedTextiles #Sharpoi #WabiSabiStyle #OscarWildeVibes #InteriorDesign #TemptationIncluded
A bed was made. A house was emptied. The sheep wer A bed was made. A house was emptied. The sheep were… cooperative, eventually. Photographing bed linen is a bit like doing yoga during a fire alarm drill. Everything looks serene, crisp, and effortless, but behind the scenes, it’s a circus. With ironing. And light panic. This particular shoot started, as many of mine do, with a last-minute idea and the usual redesign of everything around me. I decided, effortlessly and against all reason , to turn my house into a barn. A real one. With actual sheep. And straw. Lots of it. Furniture was removed. Bales were delivered. Tania Panova, my trusted co-conspirator in this kind of madness, helped build a wall and line the floors. We pressed every piece of mercerized combed cotton to perfection. The bed was made like it mattered. Because it did. The next morning, our woolly models arrived. One of them panicked (loudly), and the rest bolted like we were about to roast them. For a moment we thought the whole cast had walked. But then they spotted the fresh grass and changed their minds. Classic talent. Once fed, they glided around the set like it was their Vogue Campagne debut. We didn’t say a word. We just played music. And when it worked, we danced. That’s the thing with creative shoots: They look easy, but they never are. It’s not just the logistics, the repacking, the reheating of the iron twenty-seven times, it’s the pressure of not doing worse than last time. Because once you’ve made a bed in a straw-covered living room for a herd of emotionally fragile sheep, you can’t exactly go backwards. You don’t need a big budget to build a big idea. You need obsession. And possibly a folding ladder. That house is gone now. The trees, the pistachio shade, the space, all behind me. And the next set? No idea. My head’s somewhere else. I sit in front of a white wall and wait for something to blink. So far, it just stares back. But I know it’s planning something. What’s essential for a beautiful shoot?
Renovations in Marrakech are like mirages. You thi Renovations in Marrakech are like mirages. You think it’s done… then the wall starts sweating again.⁣ ⁣ This summer, I was meant to be elsewhere. Sun, salt, far from plaster and paint. Instead, I stayed at Dar Kawa, supervising what can only be described as a redo of a redo. The walls had been treated for humidity, but the treatment turned out to be cosmetic. Beneath the surface? Chaos.⁣ ⁣ So we scraped. We sighed. We stayed.⁣ ⁣ One afternoon, surrounded by dust and disappointment, we laid a table—because if you're going to be trapped in renovation purgatory, you may as well host dinner. A linen cloth. Crumbled plaster down the middle. A centerpiece of failure, rebranded.⁣ ⁣ Scribbled napkins (born of a stain I refused to surrender to). Fabric flowers that don't wilt or guilt. Flea market silver, Moroccan glass, ceramics that toe the line between imperfect and poetic.⁣ ⁣ It wasn't a holiday. But it had better lighting.⁣ ⁣ 📸 @delphinewarin, witnessed it all and still wanted to take the photo.⁣ ⁣ #DarKawa⁣ #FromDustToDinner⁣ #NoFlowersWereHarmed⁣ #MarrakechByAccident
Caution: May Cause Sudden Travel Plans⁣ ⁣ Babo Caution: May Cause Sudden Travel Plans⁣ ⁣ Babouches lined up like they’re about to headline a runway in Fez.⁣ Tassels swinging, colours unapologetic, and that sharp little silhouette that walks like it owns the medina.⁣ ⁣ Crafted by hand in Marrakech, waiting just behind the door at V.Barkowski.⁣ Ready for tiled mornings at Dar Kawa, an aperitivo in Lisbon, a gallery opening in Jaipur, or a cab ride to nowhere in New York.⁣ ⁣ They haven’t travelled yet. But they’re packed.⁣ And they only leave from one gate: our boutique in Marrakech.⁣ ⁣ You don’t need them.⁣ But your feet might disagree.⁣ ⁣ Photo @nicxxxdesign⁣ ⁣ #BaboucheMood #DesignThatTravels #OnlyInMarrakech #CraftedToWander #FeetFirst #NomadicElegance #VBarkowski #DarKawaApproved
Introducing Abdelhadi, our manager at @darkawa_ria Introducing Abdelhadi, our manager at @darkawa_riad, the star of our impromptu linen set up! 🎬✨ With a flair for theatrics and unmatched charisma, Abdelhadi and our super team bring our Marrakech store to life.. Set in the patio of our boutique riad, our playful displays will leave you smiling (we hope), and maybe even inspire to join the fun! 🕺💃 And an important info : all our linens are sold with sweet dreams. ✨🌿 ⁣ ⁣ Video @taniapanova⁣ ⁣ #DarkawaRiad #MarrakechMagic #LinenLove #BoutiqueChic #slowshopping
V.Barkowski is taking the summer off From August V.Barkowski is taking the summer off From August 1st to August 24th, our Marrakech boutique is slipping out of office. Time to step away. Not to disappear — but to drift, refill, and return with clearer light and saltier skin. We’re chasing slower days, textured moments, and thoughts that stretch out with the tide. The atelier, too, is winding down, because craftsmanship deserves its own summer. Our online shop remains open at valeriebarkowski.shop, though dispatches may move to a more meditative rhythm. Good things, as ever, take time. 📍We’ll be back on 25 August, at 142 Arset Aouzel, Dar Bacha, ready to welcome you into a world where detail is everything and time is never wasted. Summer’s calling. We’re answering, with bare feet, linen bags, and the promise of what comes next. Video @taniapanova #VBarkowski #SummerProper #SlowerByDesign #CraftWithSoul #LinenStateOfMind #MarrakechWithGrace
We are a product, a brand, a workshop, a riad in M We are a product, a brand, a workshop, a riad in Marrakech, a family, a bunch of passionated people, a group of artisans with golden hands, we are explorers, we are do-ers, we are makers, we twist the world, we respect, we believe, we stand for our ideas, we try to do our share in this mad world. All the beauty that surrounds us, all our super clients from all over the world, the commitment of our team… All of this gives us the power to move on and to shout out proudly that we love our job and the way we do it.⁣ Thank you to all the beautiful souls that cross our path and walk with us since so many years.⁣ Happy Sunday.⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ On this photo Abdelhadi, shot 10 years ago by @taniapanova, our talented friend from Moscou.⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #premiumbedlinen #craftmanship #handembroidery #loyalty #slowliving #madewithsoul #marrakech #artisan
We were featured, @darkawa_riad, my workshop and m We were featured, @darkawa_riad, my workshop and myself on @tv5monde thanks to @wbi and @rtbf television channel. You can replay the story on youtube and on TV5Monde on the link here below" https://europe.tv5monde.com/en/tv-guide/lifestyle/belges-histoires/valerie-barkowski-1019136 . . . On image 2, @quentinwilbaux my dear, dear friend, talented architect and partner in crime with whom i restored several riads. #marrakech would definitely not been the same without him, for me and even for many people who dont know him. His role, his knowledge, his thesis on the architecture of the medina, his integrity in all his restorations,... Feeling so grateful that our paths crossed 30 years ago. 🌴 . . . The full story shows testimonies of my staff and merchants/artisans with who i work. I look back to all those years and it feels emotional to listen to them and to see them next to me with so much loyalty. A huge thank you to all of them.
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