From Mauritius to South Africa: The Roche Bobois Story of Success

Meet Sandrine David Fanchette, the co-owner of Roche Bobois in South Africa and Mauritius, who has brought a touch of French elegance to the African continent. With a career spanning over two decades, Sandrine has established herself as a leading figure in the décor and design industry. From furnishing luxurious villas and apartments to working with high-profile clients, Sandrine shares her journey, proudest milestones, and insights on the future of design in South Africa.

Sandrine, please walk us through the career path that led you to co-own Roche Bobois in South Africa and Mauritius.

I was lucky enough to move to Africa and the Indian Ocean many years ago after my Business Studies (my various managerial positions took me from Madagascar to South Africa via Mauritius). My various jobs as manager and director enabled me to learn all aspects of company management after my MBA in San Francisco.

About 15 years ago now, I discovered South Africa during a business trip; it was love at first sight. A few years later we were opening (with my husband) our first Roche Bobois showroom in Cape Town. The first showroom we opened in the region was in Mauritius about 3 years before and was already a success. And the story continues…

Could you please share some of your proudest milestones in the industry?

With my teams, we furnished quite a lot of splendid villas and apartments all over the world (from SA & Mauritius to USA, Dubai, and all over Africa).

So far my most crazy project was in Mauritius more than 10 years ago when we had to redecorate part of one of the most luxurious hotels there for a very special customer and all his family who privatized the whole hotel. We had only 1 week to redo some villas and lounges… We barely slept for days and met many celebrities who were invited by this VIP customer.

We were also honoured to be part of the renovation of premises for a President and some ministers in Africa. We furnished and redecorated the full French Embassy in Namibia (Christian Lacroix style).

And of course, numerous beautiful properties all over South Africa from Clifton, Bantry Bay to Sandhurst and in many of the luxury estates near Joburg. In 2024 , one of our most beautiful realizations will be in Durban. We hope to be able to share some pictures soon.

What drives you to keep going?

My daily motivation is my family first and foremost, but also most of my local colleagues in South Africa who are very dynamic and work hard for the success of our company.

In a broader sense, the love of South Africa and Africa and its nature, the ever-renewed pleasure of discovering incredible beauty almost around the corner. I also enjoy seeing the happiness and joy we are creating among our customers. We stay in contact with a lot of them even long after furnishing their houses or offices.

What challenges have you faced throughout the years, and how did you overcome them?

As entrepreneurs, you have to be enthusiastic, flexible, ready for anything, never counting the hours, and always doing it with pleasure and passion. You have to be able to take on many roles in the course of a day. As the years go by, it’s often difficult to maintain that naive enthusiasm when you’re faced with the same problems over and over again. One of our biggest challenges is recruiting competent and committed senior managers. But I guess this is the same story everywhere when I talk with my peers!

Roche Bobois is committed to being an eco-design company, to design 100% of new Roche Bobois goods in an eco-friendly manner by 2025. Can you elaborate on this goal?

The goal at Roche Bobois is to have 100% of its new models ‘eco-designed’ by next year. We are on the right track.

You should know for example the SETUP sofa which offers particularly generous proportions and exceptional comfort. The fully tufted benches and long-end units are upholstered in a new bouclé fabric comprising mainly wool and alpaca. This sofa is entirely eco-designed and all its units are 100 % separable and recyclable.

Nicolas Roche, the man behind this project and many more just retired last June. We are now waiting to get the new strategy from the new team concerning the interest of Roche Bobois to design only ecological models. We will keep you posted.

What does the future look like for the décor and design industry in South Africa, and what is your hope for the future of design?

I’m confident about the future of design and decoration in South Africa. There are many young local brands, very active and full of talent. Their interest in ethics and sustainable design is a plus. South Africa has the potential to be one of Africa’s art and design leaders.

Exciting times lie ahead for the future of design in SA. For more on this leading brand and the versatile products they have to offer visit Roche Bobois.
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