An unconditional love for, and I quote, «spaghetti bolognese, airports, [their] cat, and old universities», Sébastien Gafari Is an architect and designer.
He is particularly known for his Trumeaux.
What is a trumeau? It is an architectural term; it refers to the space of a wall between two windows.
If you don't understand what it is, I invite you to consult its website the internet and its account Instagram, which are brimming with them.
We met in 2024 when he was a finalist for Design Parade Toulon.
In pairs with Sarah Guedes, they presented there Palazzo, designed as a haven for migrants who had to leave everything behind. This resonates with his own story as his parents, of Lebanese origin, fled the civil war.
In this episode, we discussed, among other things:
– of the history of trumeau panels and his fascination with this ornamental element; ;
– on the impact of the Design Parade competition on his career; ;
– of his pivotal meeting with India Mahdavi, and how she continues to follow and advise him; ;
– of the importance of teaching, which he embraced upon graduating; ;
– of the place that experimentation holds in his approach as a designer.
And of so many other aspects of the life of an architect / author-artist / teacher.
Even though the majority of his projects are in Paris, Sébastien lives, works, and teaches in Bordeaux.
A life choice he wouldn't change for anything in the world.
Because that's where he feels most aligned with himself — and with his cat.
If you’d like to find out more about what I call Creative Management, I dedicated a full episode to it a few months ago.
Today, I would like to take a closer look at one aspect of Creative Management: team-building.
What exactly does it involve?
What are the benefits?
I also share a great example, as well as a counter-example, from my own experience as an employee.
And bonus: I talk about my favourite sports coach, Ted Lasso. (no spoiler as I haven’t started Series 4 yet).
If you're interested in offering your team a workshop / team-building / training session, do drop me an email! lbm@lilibonnet.com
I can organise and facilitate almost anywhere in the world 🙂
I’ve known Fabien for over 20 years, back when he was a graphic designer.
We worked together on a project and have stayed in touch — partly because it’s something I enjoy doing, of course, but mainly because I’ve always admired his entrepreneurial spirit.
Even when he enrolled at art school, he didn’t know what he was going to do later on; he just had a fairly broad vision of his future:
– getting up whenever he wanted;
– not working for a boss;
– and living in a loft.
Today, that’s exactly what he’s doing.
He’s the owner of UNSEEN, a vintage shop in Brussels, but he’s also a designer, a carpenter…
it’s clearly impossible to define him in a single word, as he has developed and put to use a wide range of skills.
And it’s quite fascinating to see how much this multi-potential individual needs to free himself from the constraints that a single skill entails, to allow himself not to be confined to just one profession. Not to limit himself. And that is precisely the driving force behind everything he undertakes.
this episode, we also talked about:
– pop culture,
– imposter syndrome,
– mental health,
– and identity, thanks to his recent reconnection with his country of origin, Vietnam.
