Ateliers Zelij

What Ateliers Zelij does

Ateliers Zelij is a Toulouse-based, privately held surface design agency specialising in traditional Moroccan artisanal zellige alongside bejmat, cement, stone, and terrazzo tiles. The company's core technology is rooted in handmade production sourced from workshops in Fes, Morocco, paired with contemporary design direction delivered through proprietary named collections (Sculptural, Creative, Frise, Single, Basic, Heritage, Ciselés, Peints, Paz, Terrazzo) and exclusive collaborations with designers Samir Mazer, Agence Ombre, and Anne Sophie Pailleret. Product offerings are organised into two service models: Prêt-à-Livrer (Ready-to-Ship) stocked items with 2-4 week delivery, and Le Sur-Mesure (Custom) bespoke orders with 2-10 m² minimum quantities and a 30% deposit structure.

The business operates a dual B2B/B2C go-to-market: a single Toulouse showroom (by appointment) and a global e-commerce platform for ready-to-ship SKUs and €15 HT colour samples. Primary customer segments are luxury hospitality (Royal Mansour, Cala di Volpe, Mama Shelter, Le Roch Paris), premium retail (Dior, Aesop), F&B (BeefBar, Kapara), and high-end residential, with specification-driven demand intermediated by named interior architects including Tristan Auer and Laura Gonzalez. Revenue mechanics are project-based and quote-driven with one-time material sales; sample sales operate as a low-friction lead-generation funnel into larger orders. The firm has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and operates with 1-10 employees, indicating a small, founder-led atelier whose scale is constrained by artisanal production throughput rather than demand-side capital.

Name

Ateliers Zelij

Legal name

Ateliers Zelij

Website

https://zelij.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ateliers Zelij is a Toulouse-based artisanal surface design agency producing handmade Moroccan zellige, bejmat, cement, and terrazzo tiles for luxury hospitality, premium retail, F&B, and high-end residential clients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Decorative Tiles

NAICS

Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers (444)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRAIAGAA

Tile & Stone Specialty Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Home & Furniture Retail/Flooring & Tile Retail

Keywords

• Artisan tile design
• Moroccan zellige tiles
• Handcrafted cement tiles
• Terrazzo stone surfaces
• Custom surface design

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Surface Material Sales: Sale of zellige tiles, bejmat, cement tiles, and stone/terrazzo products. Both ready-to-ship stock and custom-made products available with minimum order quantities starting at 2 m2.
2. Custom/Sur-Mesure Projects: Bespoke surface solutions for high-end projects including hotels, restaurants, and residential interiors. Involves 30% deposit upon order with balance due before shipment.
3. Sample Sales: Color samples sold for €15 HT/€18 TTC in France, with free shipping for professionals. Enables customers to evaluate materials before large orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ateliers Zelij is a French artisanal surface design agency that creates and distributes handcrafted Moroccan zellige tiles, bejmat (natural terracotta), decorative cement tiles, and stone/terrazzo surfaces. The company sells both ready-to-ship in-stock products ("Prêt-à-Livrer") and bespoke custom-made tiles ("Sur-Mesure"), supplying luxury hospitality, high-end residential, and premium retail projects, while also serving individual consumers through e-commerce.

Product overview

Ateliers Zelij is an artisanal company specializing in Moroccan Zellige (traditional handcrafted glazed terracotta tiles) and related surface materials. The product portfolio includes: Zellige (glazed tiles), Bejmat (natural terracotta), Stone & Terrazzo, and Cement Tiles. The company organizes its offerings into two service models: Prêt-à-Livrer (Ready-to-Ship) for stocked items with 2-4 week delivery, and Sur-Mesure (Custom) for bespoke orders. Additionally, they offer named collections including Sculptural, Creative, Single, Basic, Heritage, Ciselés, Peints, Paz, Terrazzo, and Frise—each featuring distinct design aesthetics. The company also provides design collaboration collections with artists such as Samir Mazer and partnerships with architectural firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collection Sculptural: Sculptural collection featuring Samir Mazer designs launched November 2024
• Collection Shimenawa
• Collection Traces
• Creative
• Frise
• Single
• Basic
• Heritage
• Ciselés
• Peints
• Paz
• Terrazzo
• Design by Samir Mazer
• Le Sur-Mesure

Products and services

• Zellige Tiles Handcrafted Moroccan zellige mosaic tiles produced in the Fes tradition from glazed terracotta, hand-cut and assembled into decorative tessellations. Sold in standard formats and as part of curated named collections for floors, walls, pools, spas, and feature installations in luxury hospitality and residential projects.
• Bejmat (Natural Terracotta) Hand-glazed natural terracotta bricks/tiles in elongated format, sold as a complementary surface material alongside zellige. Used for floors, walls, and feature cladding in Mediterranean, Moroccan, and contemporary interior styles.
• Cement Tiles Decorative patterned cement tiles (encaustic-style) produced for floors and walls. Offer an alternative to zellige with bolder geometric and floral patterns, supplied for residential, hospitality, and commercial installations.
• Stone & Terrazzo Surfaces Stone and terrazzo surface products extending the company's decorative material range beyond tile, used for flooring, cladding, and bespoke architectural surfaces in premium projects.
• Sur-Mesure (Custom Tile Design Service) Bespoke custom tile design and production service enabling architects, designers, and clients to commission fully custom patterns, colors, finishes, and formats. Project-based, quoted per specification; targeted at luxury hospitality, high-end residential, and premium commercial installations.
• Prêt-à-Livrer (Ready-to-Ship Tile Collection) Pre-stocked tile inventory from the company's curated collections available for immediate purchase and shipment. Supports direct-to-consumer and short-lead-time professional orders without custom manufacturing lead time.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered projects for luxury hotels worldwide including Royal Mansour properties, Cala di Volpe, and major international restaurant brands

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agence OmbrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Design collaboration for the Shimenawa collection, a zellige line inspired by Japanese shimenawa ritual, demonstrating cross-disciplinary design innovation. The collection is part of the 2025 catalog releases.
• Samir MazercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Exclusive designer collaboration creating proprietary collections including the Sculptural collection (November 2024) and Design by Samir Mazer line. Samir Mazer serves as creative director for distinctive zellige designs.
• Anne Sophie PailleretminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaboration on the Traces collection, featuring artistic interpretations of zellige patterns.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Marazzi: Large Italian tile manufacturer with broad residential and commercial offerings including premium lines; competes for specification mindshare but operates at materially larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Original Style: Established UK decorative tile manufacturer with deep design libraries across residential and commercial channels; competes on design depth and range rather than on artisanal authenticity.

Direct peers

• Walker Zanger: US-based luxury tile and stone retailer serving architects, designers, and high-end residential and hospitality projects, directly comparable to Ateliers Zelij's premium surfacing model and channel strategy.
• Bisazza: Italian luxury mosaic and decorative surface brand with global distribution and designer collaborations, making it a direct comparator in the high-end design-led tile space.
• Ann Sacks: Luxury tile and stone specialist focused on design-forward collections for residential and hospitality specifications; closely parallels Ateliers Zelij in targeting architects and bespoke project work.
• Riad Tile: US-based importer and retailer of Moroccan zellige and cement tiles serving the same designer and luxury-residential audience as Ateliers Zelij.
• Cle Tile: Curated designer tile brand offering exclusive zellige-adjacent and artisan collections to architects and design professionals, comparable on positioning and limited-edition drop model.
• Mosaic del Sur: Spanish/Moroccan-origin producer and distributor of zellige and mosaic surfaces for international architectural and interior projects, directly comparable on product and sourcing.

Others

• Élitis: Paris-based editor of high-end wallcoverings, textiles, and surface materials distributed through the same architect-designer trade channels that Ateliers Zelij targets.

Regional players

• La Maison en Pierre: France-based specialty retailer of tiles and natural stone for high-end interior projects, a regional comparator whose French showroom overlap and customer segment mirror Ateliers Zelij.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ateliers_zelij
• Facebookfacebook.com/ateliers.zelij

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ateliers Zelij