How Our Place’s Shiza Shahid Found the Soul of the Tagine in Marrakech

For Shiza Shahid, travel has always been about connection. The founder of the non-toxic kitchenware brand Our Place grew up moving between countries as an immigrant, learning that home can live in more than one place. “I remember arriving somewhere new but still finding comfort in food, in language, in small rituals,” she says. That instinct now drives her business. “Meeting artisans, watching how people cook across cultures—being there in person changes how you build.”

In late 2024, Shahid traveled to Marrakech with her husband and co-founder, Amir Tehrani, and two product leaders to develop a limited-edition tagine. They worked alongside third-generation craftsmen in the city where the dish originates. “There is something grounding about building a product in deep collaboration with the people and places that have shaped it for generations,” she says.

The trip was anchored at Dar Kawa, a restored riad that feels more like a home than a hotel. Days were spent refining the tagine’s form and materials and learning from local partners. Shahid ate a chicken tagine made by Chef Saïda at the riad—“unforgettable in its simplicity, perfectly balanced, cooked with instinct.” She also visited galleries and wandered the medina, collecting ceramics from LRNCE, textiles from Valérie Barkowski, and vases from Mustapha Blaoui. “Each piece carries a sense of place but integrates into everyday life.”

The journey home included a stop at Maison&Objet Paris, connecting craft to a global design context. For Shahid, the experience deepened her respect for the craft. “When you work side by side with artisans, you see the layers behind an object—the history, the technique, the pride. It raises the bar for what you bring back into your own work.”