Chapi Chapo Design is an International Award-Winning Luxury Interior Design Firm specializing in hotels and resorts, private residences and villas, wellness and spas, restaurants and more with clients across five continents. We lead large-scale projects with the world’s most renowned five-star luxury hotel companies, including Four Seasons, St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, Aman, Park Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Baccarat, and the most recently opened The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City in October 2021.
Tell us about yourself?
Born and raised in Kazakhstan, Tatiana Sheveleva is a Co-Founder and Partner of Chapi Chapo Design, one of the world’s leading hospitality interior design firms, along with her partners Boris Mathias and Loris Ognibene. After leaving her homeland to pursue education in the United States, Tatiana followed her ambitions to Canada, where she immigrated in 2003. “I saw the opportunity to become what I was supposed to become – a designer. My clear vision and passion found the land, the soil to grow. Canada was a perfect country to begin on a new pathway to achieve my goals and gain opportunities. It was not easy. I worked very hard and hoped one day my hard work would pay off. I’m very proud that it did and hope I can inspire others to achieve their dreams too.” Throughout her distinguished career as an international designer, she has led large-scale projects with the world’s most renowned five-star luxury hotel companies, including Four Seasons, St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, Aman, Park Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Baccarat, and more. A creator of experiences, Sheveleva believes that every new project is an invitation to embark on an immersive journey through storytelling. Her work tells evocative stories honouring the culture of each location and the people who call it home. Crediting inspiration from her heritage, Tatiana invokes a uniquely luxurious, crafty, and sharp approach. Her work transcends expectations and challenges convention resulting in timeless spaces that leave a lasting impression.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
I consider myself a spiritual person who believes everything happens for a reason and things were meant to be this way. My advice would be no matter the challenges you are faced, it is an opportunity for you to grow and learn as a person and better yourself and those around you. Life is whispering to you, and you need to listen and take a moment to realize what matters most. Everything will all work out.
What problem does your business solve?
At Chapi Chapo Design, we view each project as a custom design. It is very important to us that our clients are given a bespoke design, unique to their hotel but also as a one-of-a-kind contribution to the community, city, and country that they can be proud of and that honours and respects their heritage. We do so by researching everything from the country, city, and neighbourhood in which the hotel will be built to their history, culture, and traditions.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
Chapi Chapo Design began a decade ago with three international design partners: Tatiana Sheveleva (Kazakhstan), Boris Mathias (France), and Loris Ognibene (Canada), and our love for design and travel brought us together. Drawing the name from a 70’s French cartoon, we founded Chapi Chapo Design in 2011. Today, we are accomplished trailblazers in the world of cultured and inspired design. Our international award-winning design firm has worked with distinguished developers worldwide and the hospitality industry’s most elite brands (Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Aman, W, Marriott, Hyatt, Intercontinental, Hilton, and more) in addition to condominium, private residential, and global retail brands.
What is your magic sauce?
We bring personality, European flair, and refined luxury expertise to all projects, drawing on extensive knowledge and creating unique custom designs and curated spaces that resonate through time.
We have four pillars to our design philosophy:
- AUTHENTIC – Genuine emotion nurtures sincere relationships to grow together and elevate each project to form a unified ideal that transcends the ordinary.
- BESPOKE – The foundation of each design is seen as a collaboration that bonds us together through inspiration, ideation, and the art of craftsmanship.
- CONNECTED – We respect and honour culture, land, and heritage to awaken storytelling through thoughtful design and exquisite details rooted in meaning and purpose. We connect the trinity: Brand – Client – Destination
- TIMELESS – Our process is lead with the intent to transcend generations with sophistication and innovation while capturing the delicate ease and attention to detail that distinguishes our brand.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Our plan is to continue growing with unique projects across the globe while designing with purpose. We believe that our work is much more than design but an opportunity to help communities grow and flourish.
Interior design style should be more about timeless comfort than trend, cultivating a unique style that is adopted from brand, location, and culture to awaken senses and emotions through storytelling. Our objective is to understand who is going to be the clientele of the property and make sure our design will serve the needs of a particular market and brand. Every hotel property needs to have a strong, unique design that follows a strong DNA. We cannot agree more with French creator, Hubert de Givenchy, “LUXURY IS IN THE DETAIL.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Each project offers its own unique opportunities. For example, The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City, was a new build, and the idea behind its tall and twisted architecture is to have an extraordinary view from each window to the city and Chapultepec Park. It is a truly magnificent panoramic view from each of the hotel spaces and from each guest room and suite. Rising 58 stories in the heart of the city, the home of The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City, adds a striking structure to the city’s skyline. These architectural characteristics challenged our team in many ways during the design process. Unlike most hotels that have identical floor plans for each room category, The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City, does not – which is what makes the hotel so unique. Our team was challenged to create a custom design for each room with completely different floorplans.
How can people get involved?
Email us at info@chapichapodesign.com