Designer Djivan Schapira draws from a wealth of divergent experiences and inspirations to create unique works of collective design that are as cleverly functional as they are playfully animated. His sun-drenched New Jersey studio, with unparalleled views of the Hudson River and the New York skyline, is a riotous amassment of art, vintage furniture and objects, graphic design, and an expanding tangle of houseplants. In spite of this aesthetic chaos, which fuels his creative motivations, his works are remarkably distilled and confidently realized.
Schapira’s creative and technical abilities should come as no surprise: the son of a master craftsman, Djivan began an informal “apprenticeship” with his father beginning in childhood and continuing through his 20s. A graduate of the esteemed Parsons School of Design, he studied architecture, building a foundation of technical skills and an understanding of material, space, and engineering that would become paramount to his design practice.
While still in school Schapira began experimenting with resins, developing techniques and a distinct style that are now the cornerstone of his artistic output. After graduating in 2016, he launched an atelier producing made-to-order furniture and interior décor for residential & commercial spaces. Collaborations with global designers in the hospitality, restaurant, and residential sectors led to installations in a number of high-end public spaces such as the Hoxton in Los Angeles, the Waldorf Astoria in Qatar, and the Venetian Resort Hotel in Las Vegas.
Schapira’s first endeavor at a cohesive collection, a group of trays, wall-hangings, and other decorative luxury items titled “Les Fleurs”, was originally set for release in March 2020. A fait accompli in the form of an unprecedented global event halted all projects and the plans for launch was scrapped. A time of intense reflection in the months that followed afforded Schapira the opportunity to expand his research, hone his technical skills, and envisage his personal evolution as a designer and artist. He began to focus on his own personal line of functional artwork, embarking on his greatest ambition to date. Incorporating his years of learning & experience, as well as the entire ‘dead’ “Les Fleurs” collection, Schapira conceived of a unique collection light years ahead of its previous existence. The present body of work is an elevation in form, function, and material.
Schapira’s recent pieces marry visual motifs of retro futurism and the high-end French decorative arts techniques (marquetry, lacquer) learned from his father. His subsequent mastery over the process of mixing and pouring resins has expanded the potential of contemporary design. The possibilities for combinations, arrangements, and colors of the resin are endless, rendering each piece completely unique. A love letter to the space race era of design, Schapira has incorporated more modern references – the production art of Tron, Daft Punk’s visionary costumes, the Bauhaus revival of the 1970s – into a physical and functional embodiment of galactic ambition.
His works have been placed in numerous private and public spaces, and can be seen in Louis Vuitton flagship stores globally, as well as hotels and casinos such as the Waldorf Astoria and the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. Schapira’s work has been featured in world-renowned publications including Interior Design Magazine, Architectural Digest, Modern Luxury, and Surface Magazine. In addition to winning an internationally acclaimed A’ Design Award for his Andromeda Cocktail Table in 2019, Schapira was the winning recipient of both the NYCxDESIGN 2022 Emerging Product Designer of the Year Award in the Furniture category, as well as the People’s Choice Award which crossed all mediums. In 2023 took home the prize for Best Furniture Design at NYCxDESIGN 2023.
