Hall Haus, a fast-track, inspiring journey for the new guard

Founded by Abdoulaye Niang, Sammy Bernoussi, Teddy Sanches and Zakari Boukhari, HALL HAUS has quickly emerged as one of the most dynamic faces of French design. Its signature? A holistic approach to design, a strong taste for scenography and art direction at the crossroads of cultures, and a distinctly contemporary aesthetic. Layered narratives do the rest.
First spotted in 2021 and supported by Maison&Objet, HALL HAUS has since multiplied collaborations with leading brands and institutions, while continuing to self-produce for greater creative freedom. Recognition has followed a singular vision, notably with appearances in the AD100 and FD100 rankings.
Co-founder Sammy Bernoussi reflects on the highlights of a journey many would be tempted to take as a blueprint.

When did HALL HAUS begin - what piece, what story?
S.B.: I’d say 2021, with the “Curry Mango” chair, which we presented against yellow walls during a residency at Lafayette Anticipations. The piece later became a finalist at the Design Parade at Villa Noailles. It was our first manifesto project, one that encapsulates our vision of global design.
With HALL HAUS, there’s always the product, and the world we build around it to make it accessible. Even the name “Curry Mango” was a strategic choice, adding a certain flavor to the object.
It tells a story, drawing from both the Quechua chair, accessible and rooted in popular culture, and Marcel Breuer’s iconic P3 chair from the Bauhaus. It’s a piece that reflects the bridges we build through our practice.
Takeaway for emerging designers: start with a strong object, anchored in a clear narrative. In a world saturated with products, position yourself with a confident voice, and don’t overlook technical expertise.
Designers rarely begin with a chair. We chose to create a folding chair from the outset as a way to demonstrate our technical capabilities. This project placed us within a cultural landscape and helped us gain visibility in the press.

In 2022, you were spotted during Paris Design Week with the exhibition “Pour Ceux” at Tati Barbès, now the Union de la Jeunesse Internationale.
S.B.: Exhibiting at Tati, now a cultural venue, made perfect sense to us. It’s a popular store with an accessible offering. We presented, among other pieces, our “Olympic Bench”, an object referencing the Olympic Games and the symbolic values of sport.
Accessing public commissions as a young studio isn’t easy, so we decided to embody our own vision of urban furniture. In that major sporting context, we saw an opportunity to make this universal aesthetic accessible to all.
The piece was later acquired through a public commission.
Second piece of advice: don’t wait for a client brief. Many projects start with an observation, a context, then you act. “Pour Ceux” was about creating for ourselves. It’s the best kind of portfolio. Showing projects rather than just talking about them helps convert interest.
Paris Design Week director Franck Millot discovered us through that project at Tati.

2022 also marked your collaboration with Theoreme Editions on the “Udo Udo” table - your first step into collectible design?
S.B.: Exactly. The “Udo Udo” table was a commission from Theoreme Editions. It belongs to the kind of collectible design you see at Design Miami or PAD, high-end, highly curated.
We reinterpreted the “American S,” a childlike drawing, into a premium object. For the material, we chose a fluid wood that seems to flow like water, a new technical challenge for us. It became our first commercialized product.

Also in 2022, you created the “DKR” chair, a key piece presented at Maison&Objet in January 2023 - a pivotal year.
S.B.: The DKR chair reflects our African heritage, we’re children of immigrants. It also shows how we always design from a context.
At the time, there was the Chanel show and the Dakar Biennale. It was a strategic moment, and also a way to prove we could manage production in Africa by collaborating with a local metal workshop, something many attempt but struggle to achieve.
The DKR chair entered the Mobilier National collection in 2025.

In 2023, IKEA came calling.
S.B.: Yes, we imagined a model living space for IKEA stores: a shared living room for roommates, a place for connection. Working with their products pushed us toward interior architecture and scenography.
Their advice: don’t box yourself in.

At the end of 2023, you went on residency in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, presenting “Haus Dari ”
S.B.: The project came through the French Agency for Al Ula Development and the Royal Commission for AlUla. At that point, we were being pigeonholed into metal urban furniture.
What excited us was reinterpreting a local cultural symbol through contemporary design. We drew inspiration from traditional Saudi majlis seating, carpets with movable cushions, and from Ligne Roset’s iconic Togo sofa, reminiscent of the Moroccan sedari.
From these crossed influences came “Haus Dari”, a 36 m² giant sofa. Presented in Al Ula in February 2023 and later in Milan during Design Week, it made a strong impression and was recently included in the FD100 ranking.

In 2024, you collaborated with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, whom you met at Maison&Objet. No time wasted.
S.B.: Absolutely. We immediately connected with his universe. The idea of collaborating on a chair emerged, and we created “One For Hall”.
Made of metal, these chairs can be assembled into a bench conceived as a chain of transmission. The backrests take the shape of faces playing with negative space, a metaphor for knowledge filling ignorance.
Produced using laser cutting, the process allows us to work almost like on paper, echoing Jean-Charles’s passion for cutting and collage.
This collaboration is a great example of intergenerational exchange. On paper, everything separates us, yet in reality, everything brings us together.

That same year, you were invited by the Mobilier national and the French Embassy for a solo show in Mexico. Color remains a common thread - what’s your relationship with yellow, your signature hue?
S.B.: “Design Mixtape” in Mexico (2024) was a collaborative project with Mexican artisans. We developed a whole series of objects, a HALL HAUS vision remixed through Mexican culture.
We worked with a dual palette: volcanic stone brown and our signature yellow. Yellow helps make our projects instantly recognizable. It’s one of the three primary colors - the sunniest of them all. It evokes Africa, sunlight, vitamin D. Everyone is drawn to the sun.

In September 2024, you collaborated again with Paris Design Week, creating a bespoke design program for Lafayette Anticipations. Is HALL HAUS also a curatorial force?
S.B.: I’d go even further: producers, programmers, scenographers and artistic directors.
We conceived the entire HALL HAUS Design Days program from A to Z. Each floor hosted a project: the Al Ula residency on the ground floor; “Seeingsounds”, a live musical performance with invited composers, on the first; and on the top floor, a scenography unveiling the “One For Hall” chairs.
By reshaping the identity of a place, you can reach new audiences. This program diversified the public of a contemporary art venue. HALL HAUS opens institutions to new communities.
In just a few years, the collective has established itself as a singular player at the intersection of design, scenography and cultural programming.

This programmatic approach led you to become artistic directors of the Design District at Maison&Objet in 2025.
S.B.: Yes, spotting innovative concepts, engaging audiences drawn to design and emerging trends, people looking for inspiration and future bestsellers, that resonates with us.

Can you tell us more?
S.B.: For the first edition, we also presented our self-produced pieces. That journey began with Maison&Objet in January 2023. The fair helped us position ourselves as a commercial brand, meet inspiring profiles, quickly structure our business, and unveil new projects like Olympic System and the RURU stool.
In September 2026, we return as artistic directors, but this time without presenting our own products. We prefer to separate the two activities.
Compartmentalizing your practice, developing paid collaborations while investing in personal projects, is essential to building a strong brand image. We quickly distinguished between the agency and the brand. It’s a strategy.

With HALL HAUS, we embrace a clear identity and voice. Sometimes it’s a bit much, and that’s fine. You know it’s HALL HAUS.
See you at Maison&Objet in September 2026 to discover the next design trends. One thing we can promise: there will be design.