{"id":8718,"date":"2025-07-31T16:18:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.refresh.valeriebarkowski.com\/consulting\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T16:55:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:55:16","slug":"consulting","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/consulting\/","title":{"rendered":"Consulting"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Creative Direction Consulting, project by project<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\u00a9 Delphine Warin<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Personal involvement, from start to finish<\/strong><\/h2>

Since 1997, my primary trade has been the creation of home linens, fashion accessories, and artisanal textiles in Marrakech: it is this experience that fuels every consulting mission I accept.<\/p>

For over twenty-five years, I have alternated between creation, production, and creative direction<\/strong> in very different contexts: Morocco, India, Egypt, Belgium, Vietnam. The studio and the external project constantly nourish one another. <\/p>

\u2192 Learn more about my background<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Creative direction: recent missions, sector by sector<\/strong><\/h2>

Each mission stems from a specific need and a creative process built on-site. Here are several recent examples, from a boat on the Nile to a retirement home in Brussels. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"Steam
Steam Ship Sudan \u00a9Voyageurs du Monde<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Steam
Steam Ship Sudan \u00a9Voyageurs du Monde<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Table
Steam Ship Sudan \u00a9Voyageurs du Monde<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Amenities
Steam Ship Sudan \u00a9Voyageurs du Monde<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Sadek
Private residence in Marrakech: Sadek House<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"sadek
Sadek House Marrakech<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"no-mad
No-Mad <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Hospitality and travel destinations: the Steam Ship Sudan<\/strong><\/h3>

In 2024, Voyageurs du Monde entrusted me with a hospitality textile design<\/strong> and consulting mission for the Steam Ship Sudan, a steamship built in 1885 that now sails between Luxor and Aswan. The mission covers bed, bath, and table linens, uniforms for the eight trades on board, upholstery for the exterior decks, the design of a boutique, and the sourcing of amenities. <\/p>

Beyond textiles, the mission fostered an entire artisanal sector in Egypt: identifying artisans, opening workshops in Cairo and Luxor, and training an internal staff member to ensure continuity. Eighteen months after the launch, the sector is thriving and the boutique has opened its doors. <\/p>

\u2192 Read the full story of the mission<\/a><\/p>

Brand identity: No-Mad 97% India<\/strong><\/h3>

In 2011, Anuj Kothari entrusted me with the complete creative direction<\/strong> of No-Mad 97% India: I started from a blank page to build the identity of this Indian lifestyle brand\u2014visual identity, product range, brand narrative. I built the identity around red and Nandi, the sacred bull, and reinterpreted everyday Indian objects\u2014muddah stools, charpoy beds, aluminum containers\u2014into design pieces. <\/p>

The brand established itself on the Indian design scene from its launch in 2013: the muddah stool I reinterpreted won an EDIDA (Elle Decor International Design Award) that same year, followed by a second EDIDA in 2015 for the thali tray, presented at the Design ID fair in New Delhi\u2014a double recognition covered by the Indian and international press. No-Mad opened its first boutique in 2018, in the Mangaldas cloth market in Mumbai. I accompanied the brand for nine years, until 2020. <\/p>

\u2192 Read the full story of the project<\/a><\/p>

Private residence in Marrakech: Sadek House<\/strong><\/h3>

In 2021, I was hired for the interior design of a private house in Marrakech, already remodeled by an architect and its owner. After visiting the site, I proposed taking over the entire project: space distribution, openings, stairs, fireplaces. With architect Quentin Wilbaux and an intern architect, Yumi, I handled the creative direction<\/strong> of the project. I supervised the construction site alone, day by day, on-site. <\/p>

Institutions and cultural projects: Maison Gertrude<\/strong><\/h3>

Maison Gertrude is an art center located within the Sainte-Gertrude residence, a retirement home in the Marolles district of Brussels, led by artist Mohamed El Khatib in partnership with the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre National Wallonie-Bruxelles. I am currently working on the design of a new kind of uniform for the staff: design, feasibility study, and prototype implementation. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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A selective commitment<\/h2>

I don’t solicit anyone. Projects come to me, and I only keep 10 to 20% of them. <\/p>

I choose my missions with care and invest myself fully: a year and a half for the Steam Ship Sudan, nine years for No-Mad. Each mission is custom-built, starting from an on-site diagnosis. <\/p>

I value my freedom, and I want my clients to keep theirs: I accompany, I do not take over.<\/p>

When a project truly interests me, I commit to it without reservation\u2014to the point of staying on-site for several months if that is what it requires.<\/p>

When time permits, I also offer my skills to projects that carry a meaningful message: pro bono consulting, one-off creations. The approach must be sincere and the project must make sense. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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FAQ<\/strong><\/h2>

What types of projects does Val\u00e9rie Barkowski support as a creative direction consultant?<\/strong><\/p>

Essentially several families of projects: hospitality and travel destinations (such as the Steam Ship Sudan), brand identity creation (such as No-Mad 97% India), private residences (such as Sadek House), and institutions or cultural projects (such as Maison Gertrude).<\/p>

How long does a creative consulting mission last?<\/strong><\/p>

It depends entirely on the project: a year and a half for the Steam Ship Sudan textile mission, nine years for my creative direction of No-Mad. Some missions focus on a specific segment, while others develop over time. <\/p>

Does Val\u00e9rie Barkowski only work in Morocco?<\/strong><\/p>

No. Her studio and creative practice remain based in Marrakech, but her consulting missions have taken her to Egypt, India, Vietnam, and Belgium, depending on the projects. If a project truly interests her, she is ready to stay on-site for several months. <\/p>

How to contact Val\u00e9rie Barkowski for a creative consulting project?<\/strong><\/p>

By email at info@valeriebarkowski.com, describing the project and its context. Consulting missions are selected on a case-by-case basis. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>

A hospitality project, a brand to build, a house to rethink, an institution to support: each mission begins with an on-site diagnosis and is then built case by case.<\/p>

\u2192 Discover Riad Dar Kawa<\/a>, a long-term creative project<\/p>

\u2192 Read our article on hospitality projects<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Creative Direction Consulting, project by project \u00a9 Delphine Warin Personal involvement, from start to finish Since 1997, my primary trade has been the creation of home linens, fashion accessories, and artisanal textiles in Marrakech: it is this experience that fuels every consulting mission I accept. For over twenty-five years, I have alternated between creation, production, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8718","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8718"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17820,"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8718\/revisions\/17820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valeriebarkowski.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}