French Touch in New York
In early 2025, the French agency Saguez & Partners, one of Europe’s leaders in global design, announced the full acquisition of New York–based gem DASH design, a cutting-edge firm specialized in hospitality, restaurants, wellness, healthcare, and senior living.
On this occasion, Managing Director Boris Gentine, now co-leading Saguez & Dash alongside his partner David Ashen, sat down with journalist Nathalie Degardin for an interview with À Vivre.
The hotel has moved into the office, retail, wellness, leisure, and even travel
Since 2015, Saguez & Partners has been exploring the world of hospitality. "With the digital revolution, we felt the need to reinvent retail and workspaces by bringing in this idea of lifestyle, a way to create moments of life within these places," explains Boris Gentine.
The notion of hospitality, borrowed from the hotel industry, is more than just a sector, it’s a way of life. An art of welcoming that often rhymes with France! As hospitality designers, the SAGUEZ & DASH partnership is built on a shared ambition: to develop a French art de vivre, infused with a deep understanding of the American market.
United States: world’s leading market for brand design
A land of innovation, and therefore, of design, this next step in the USA is no coincidence. Companies, products, services, cities, political figures, iconic buildings… In the U.S., everything is brand design. This design-driven philosophy goes hand in hand with a culture of boldness, fertile ground for an agency that constantly seeks to invent the uses of tomorrow.
“Design’s impact is calculated, considered. There’s respect, and people listen.” - emphasizes Boris Gentine. Unlike France, the U.S. doesn’t operate on traditional public tenders, but rather through RFPs (Request For Proposal). “These are documents where we present the composition of the team, how we approach the subject, our methods […] It's based on the possibility of a dialogue.”
Saguez & Dash is currently working on a Sheraton hotel project in New Orleans, as well as a project in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Because we combine strategic branding with interior architecture, we’ve helped clients save valuable time. In the U.S., the process is often very vertical — with architecture, design, and branding handled by different firms that don’t always talk to each other,” adds Boris Gentine.
Learn more about Saguez & Dash.