In our latest Belgian furniture article David Mc Gowan sat down for a chat with Marie’s Corner’s Serge Silber.
Marie’s Corner has added a new collaboration to its list of prestigious partnerships. After luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants, the tailor-made sofa specialist is entering the world of co-working with Patchwork. Mikael Benfredj, founder of these Parisian co-working spaces, called on the Belgian House to furnish his new space in Saint-Lazare, located in the 8th arrondissement, in Paris. Marie’s Corner has teamed up with interior designer Pascale Bensoussan to create a cohesive, warm and work-friendly atmosphere. A new opportunity for the sofa specialist to promote Belgian craftsmanship and design in the French capital.
Mikael Benfredj and his partner Jordan Chiche design their spaces by focusing on a universe combining comfort and design in order to bring modernity to their interiors. The Parisian company defines itself as “a high-end environment where everyone feels at home”. To ensure unparalleled comfort in an elegant setting, working with Marie’s Corner became obvious. Supported by the wise advice of interior designer Pascale Bensoussan, the Belgian House brought a sophisticated and welcoming touch to these spaces dedicated to work.
David: So who is Serge Silber?
Serge: I would say that Serge Silber is one of the co-owners of Marie’s Corner. It’s a great professional adventure since for me it’s a second wind in my professional life. Decoration has always been part of my life, without my being directly or professionally associated with it. And today if people ask me I will say that it was a passion that gave me a second professional boost.
How did you start out in business?
My first experience was in IT, in the 1980s. I worked for a family business that actually worked in textiles, and I arrived in this company first as a computer specialist. I went to Asia for them, and I immediately entered the industrial side of textiles. I must have been in the textile industry for 25 years!
How did you come into contact with Marie’s Corner?
Well, the founder of Marie’s Corner is a childhood friend. It is true that I knew the company through their eyes. And then my wife was herself a Marie’s Corner customer. So this is how the link actually started. It turns out that Alain and Laetitia were looking for a general manager and asked me if I knew anyone. So it was entrepreneurship, but where we had to multitask.
It was different because, frankly, at the beginning we had to immerse ourselves in each of the activities that revolve around the company. That’s what I liked. There was a lot of added value in that.
Isn’t being an entrepreneur about taking the financial risk for the sustainability of the enterprise?
Yes, you’re right, we are committing our funds, be honest we agree. I was thinking more about ‘the creator’ side of things. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, people who have always been independent themselves. From a young age I was bathed in it.
What do you think are the keys to success for entrepreneurship?
I think the qualities you need to have today is being multi-faceted,
multifunction. You have to be curious to be interested in everything. It is above all desire and curiosity that brings richness to the profession of an entrepreneur.
Isn’t it difficult for two people to run a business together?
We had already worked a lot together. We are very complementary. He comes from the world of finance, management and entrepreneurship. And, today, it remains very complementary management. We often find business compromises.
