Tell us a bit about yourself?

"It was in Megara, a suburb of Carthage, in the gardens of Hamilcar.”

The above sentence is an excerpt of Gustave Flaubert's
novel; it sets the scene of my childhood in the Carthage Salammbo district, a
suburb of Tunis, Tunisia. Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by
the myths of this place. Especially the story of Elyssa Dido, the princess of
Tyre who founded this legendary city that was to become the most influential in
ancient times.

As a businesswoman, how do you empower yourself and other women around you?

I believe that the most important thing is to communicate your passion and values with conviction and commitment, to men as well as to women. They are the glue between the different actors in a professional adventure. I work with women and men whom all carry a specific know-how and a unique history.

It seems essential to me to talk about these relationships of exchange, collaboration and transmission. Without it, this project would lose all its meaning. I would say that my way of acting with my entourage within the framework of this project is to create the possibility of having this common space that is always open to dialogue and to what each person can
bring to the table in order to make a common impulse flourish.

What led you to create Tinja?

I followed in my father Salah's footsteps and created Tinja with him. After 10 years of living in Paris, I loved following him on the roads of Tunisia to rediscover my country of birth and its many traditions.  

Today, I work with my husband Mehdi on the development and creation of handcrafted pieces. I am the common denominator. The project that was passed on continues today with my desire to unveil my creative vision of a collection of objects made with the intelligence of the hand and the poetry of the materials.

Where do you draw your inspiration for your collections?

In all the poetic and artistic encounters that have echoed in me and given me the desire to transmit it again, with my own sensibility.

We're really looking forward to the new arrival of
Tinja, arriving in April, and we love the new pieces, like the Tmar Chair, Oud Sideboard and the Infini Floor Famp. What inspired you most about these pieces?

We're so glad that our pieces have such a beautiful home with you in Australia. It's the end of the world compared to Tunisa!

With the years of experience, I am always touched to see how objects that are marked by the region where they come from, find an echo on the other side of the world, in countries and cultures that are sometimes very different.

I think there are two reasons for this. Firstly, craft techniques carry traces of a past that we all have in common. Secondly, our aesthetic approach is precisely to let the material and the gesture express themselves by associating them with a refined design that speaks to everyone.

The Oud Sideboard is inspired by the oriental technique of moucharabieh and the Infini Floor Lamp by the graphic and sculptural work of Brancusi. The Tmar Armchair and the whole palmwood collection are a tribute to Africa and its influences on Tunisia. Did
you know that Africa was named after the antique name of Tunisia: Ifriqiya?

What is your favourite space in your home?

The library for the soothing company of books, and the kitchen for gatherings with family
and friends.

Who are the women who inspire you the most?

In general, I find all women inspiring, known or lesser known, who have succeeded in
imposing their vision of a more beautiful, fairer world not by strength but
through their conviction, dedication and constant work.

What are you most proud of?

My son Nour (it means "light" in Arabic), my most beautiful project!

What is the best advice you have received?

It would be to do things: to get started and to give yourself the resources to do it.
Confronting the issues of the journey allows you to learn, grow and refine your path with more confidence.

What is the next step for Tinja, do you have a new collection coming up?

There will be new things next year for Tinja! This year we have launched the first
collection of our new exclusive craft project. It's a collection of 8 original
creations, evoking a journey to a fantasy outer world, a new place we might one
day call home.

After years of working closely with artisans and our workshop team completing the final stages of assembly and finishing, we have developed ideas and desires that have taken shape through this first collection. This allows us to go even further in our creative vision and to set up a unique working process for our project.