Rabat – Salma Bensaid has carved a reputation for herself as one of Morocco’s most popular show business names, with several of her programs – especially “Dar wa Decor” – achieving significant success.
Since 2000, Bensaid has worked in the Moroccan television industry, creating some of the most well-known shows in the country.
Combining this illustrious television career with her passion for home design, and other experiences in fashion and home staging, Bensaid stands as an example of a Moroccan woman who has achieved interdisciplinary success, working in various fields.
An illustrious career
Bensaid started work at an audiovisual production company in 2000, after obtaining a science diploma from high school and a university degree in Commerce and Marketing.
She says her duties as a producer during this time consisted in conceiving of, creating, and selling TV projects to channels. This also entailed working closely with advertisers and companies for branded content ideas.
Bensaid says she allowed her career as a producer to be shaped by connections with other sectors and fields.
In 2006, she launched Della Spiga, a luxury platform to market Italian fashion brands, purchasing collections from fashion shows and opening a boutique in Casablanca.
She recounts collaborating , as part of this project, with various designers and luxury brands such as Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and Prada, among others.
“Italy became my favorite destination, and an inspiration that accompanied me in my career and the themes of the works I would put out later,” she told La Marocaine.
Having branched off and explored other fields, Bensaid returned to the TV world in 2008 with new ideas linked to lifestyle and design.
In more than 21 years of working in the industry, Bensaid has successfully aired over a dozen TV concepts.
Through works such as “Dari fi Bali” and “Swab w Klam,” one program emerged as the producer’s biggest hit: “Dar wa Decor.”
“Dar wa Decor,” meaning House and Decor in English, became a sensation in Morocco, marryinging the producer and presenter’s expertise in both TV production and interior design.
A love for interior design
Having grown up with a mother who worked in design herself, Bensaid says that she had a passion for the arts since her early childhood, and began making small paintings independently by the age of 8.
That love for the arts extended to her living space, she says, where she regularly made small modifications. This love for interior decorating would blossom with her experience as producer in the show “Dar wa Decor.”
The show entailed visiting Moroccan houses to give a makeover to the interiors of these living spaces. Everything from wall paint, furniture, and decorations could get a facelift on the show.
With a large team of painters, designers, and carpenters, the show would regularly transform houses overnight, delighting homeowners while providing great entertainment for audiences around the country.
Salma says that she continues to be fascinated by decor and change, always looking for new sources of inspiration in Moroccan markets.
Not only that, but the producer’s exposition to the motifs and designs prevalent in Italy and Europe has helped her build a style that fuses those cultures with Moroccan traditions.
The houses featured on the program often combine Western minimalist motifs and trends with more traditional and intricate Moroccan artisanry, keeping national heritage and shared traditions alive in the participants’ homes while adding a touch of modernity.
The aesthetic certainly confirms her love for Moroccan artisanry and aesthetics. In fact, the producer’s next concepts for TV shows explicitly focus on the Moroccan cultural side of this equation, she has stated.
It all ties into what Bensaid believes is the key for women’s success in any field: doing what you love.
Citing French writer Stendhal, Bensaid said she believes the secret to the success of anyone, and of women in particular, is choosing a career doing something one loves.
She encourages women in Morocco and elsewhere to think about their personal dreams and what they enjoy doing when thinking about career ambitions, citing that as the key to success.
