IDentity - October 2010

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Sparks! Lighting the way forward
Bowled over: striking new venues
Retro-spectives:fashion + architecture
Moorish charm + majlis magic
Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority
NEW SEASON’S COLLECTIONS
An Al Tayer Insignia Operations
Aati Showroom
Za’abeel Road, Tel: 04 3377825
Donghia is a company
of the Rubelli Group
‘NEW
DIRECTIONS’
Modern new classics for
the way you live now.
Welcome back,
Milo.
Designed in 1962, the Milo Classic
Lounge Chair has a story that dates
back to 1953. This mid century icon is
a comfort composition of semi-aniline
leather cushion, signature flatbar
stainless steel and a padded leather
wrap on the arm. Sit back and relax
in this timeless classic.
Home Furnishings. Housewares. Accessories.
Mall of the Emirates, 04 399 0125 | Mirdif City Centre, 04 284 3151
INSIDE
identity
OCTOBER 2010
Cover: Switch.
Photography: Farook Salik.
CHICAGO SELF CAR PARK
DUBAI HOUSE
28 28
60
FEATURES
24 Designs from Paris 60 A Moorish majlis

Ruby Rogers reports back from the French capital’s twice-yearly Take a tour of a new Dubai mansion showcasing a modern
furniture and furnishings exhibition and reveals next season’s trends. take on heady Moroccan interior design.
28 Community spirit 66 LOCAL authority

Parking concepts to minimize the impact of your commute and UAE designer and entrepreneur, Rami Farook, tells identity about his
how used plastic bottles are turned into football strips. plans to stimulate and foster world-class design in the Middle East.
October 2010 19
Furnishing is the outer expression of our inner style.
Philipp Selva Home.
Foto: Vogelsänger Studios, Germany
Selva Middle East L.L.C.

Sheikh Zayed Road, 4th interchange, Dubai
Tel. +971 4 3411933 Fax +971 4 3411799 info@selva-me.ae
Home Design Store, Mall of Emirates,1st Floor, Shop F8, Dubai
www.selva.com
INSIDE
identity
®
DESIGN FORMULA
ISSUE 85
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Obaid Humaid Al Tayer
GROUP EDITOR & MANAGING PARTNER
Ian Fairservice
GROUP SENIOR EDITOR
Gina Johnson | gina@motivate.ae
GROUP EDITOR
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AXOR LIGHTING
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Dorothy Waldman | dorothy@motivate.ae
CHIEF SUB-EDITOR
Iain Smith | iains@motivate.ae
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT 35 Ray of light

Belinda Igaya | belinda@motivate.ae
The world of lighting is undergoing a technological
ART DIRECTOR transformation and design is evolving to fit. Be
Karen Evans | karene@motivate.ae
the first to find out about the next generation of
GENERAL MANAGER – PRODUCTION AND CIRCULATION cutting-edge illumination.
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PROPERTY
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CONTRIBUTORS:
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ACACIA ROAD
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October 2010 21
EDITORIAL
Grand openings
Dubai’s social and architectural calendar has been full of grand openings
as developers roll out their recently completed projects.
The first 90-room low rise boutique hotel on The Palm Jumeirah, the
Kerzner International managed The One&Only The Palm, is set to open its
doors 10/10/10. The romantic Moorish-meets-Andalusia-style property is
nestled amongst carefully landscaped gardens to create an authentic island
retreat that includes over 350 metres of private beach and a marina. The hotel
is also the first property on the famous resort island to offer a water taxi service
to whiz guests to and from the mainland.
There has been a flurry of activity at the Mall of the Emirates where the
scaffolding has finally come down to reveal the amazing Fashion Dome that
further increases Dubai’s luxury designer retail space. The shopping destination
is reminiscent of Paris’ glamorous Galeries Lafayette and Vittorio Emanuele
arcades. Although no interior design shops have taken up residence under the
dome, @home has opened a new store in the mall.
Dubai remains an important market for the manufacturers of designer
handbags, with a few big name brands, including Yves Saint Laurent, launching Top to bottom: Galleries Lafayette in Paris; Fashion
limited edition bags to coincide with the opening of the chic new shopping venue. Dome in Dubai Mall.
A short walk away from the Fashion Dome in another section of the mall,
the new Accor-managed Pullman Hotel has officially opened. The hotel’s quirky
Soda Box restaurant and rooftop cocktail lounge, Vantage, which transforms into
a cool majlis as the sun sets, add a new dimension to the Al Barsha design mix
and are sure to be a hit.
While the paint is drying on the state-of-the-art Ferrari World theme park in
Abu Dhabi, the race is on in Ras Al Khaimah to develelop and further heighten
brand RAK. In an attempt too generate more electricity, the emirate that took
RAK Ceramics to the international design world is believed to be installing
a number of floating solar islands in the waters off its Gulf coast to see how
economically solar power can be produced.
The Iceland water park is another landmark RAK project poised to boost
the standing of the tiny emirate. The focal point of the 120-acre venue will be
Penguin Falls – the world’s largest man-made waterfall – that will have some
379,000 litres of water cascading down it every minute.
Meanwhile, designers and buyers from around the region are waiting for the
20th edition of the international design exhibition INDEX, to be held in Dubai
from November 8-11. This year’s event promises to offer a higher standard of
design as well a whole new kitchen and bathroom exhibition.
PHOTOGRAPHY: VIKRAM GAWDE
There may not be many new projects on the drawing board at the moment,
but the industry is slowly building momentum.
Don’t forget to pop into the Armani Hotel’s new Armani/Peck restaurant for
an aperatif and taste of Italian design…
Group Editor Catherine Belbin.
October 2010 23
Design notes from Paris
Maison & Objet returned with its usual mix of top notch designers,
up and coming stars and spellbinding products. TEXT: RUBY ROGERS
Moving on
Designer of the moment, Jaime Hayon, was named Maison &
Objet’s Designer of the Year and was the subject of an exhibition
showcasing his work. Moving Ideas gave a brief but fascinating
insight into the Spaniard’s creative process, unveiling initial
sketches and prototypes through to finished pieces. On show
were recent projects as well as his first installations including
Mediterranean Digital Baroque, credited for putting Jaime
at the forefront of a new wave of creators that blur
the lines between art, decoration and design.
24 identity [interior/design/property]
TRENDS
French fancy
To mark its 50th anniversary, French label, Roche Bobois, has teamed
up with the king of haute couture Jean Paul Gaultier, who has applied
his trademark wit to a limited edition of 250 pieces including a bedroom set, sofas and
complementary furniture and accessories. A collaboration that reflects the strengthening bond between fashion
and interior design, each piece is an expression of Gaultier’s fantastic imagination and Roche Bobois’ extensive
expertise and renowned attention to detail. We love the way this classic Roche Bobois modular sofa has been
given a new lease of life thanks to Gaultier’s sassy blue and white striped upholstery. Vive la France!
Eko conscious
Describing itself as a platform for nurturing fledgling creative talent, the
VIA – Valorisation de L’Innovation de L’Ameublement – exhibited a series of
innovative designs, hand-picked by its committee of influential industry figures and
financed by Project Assisted Grants. The top prize – the VIA’s much coveted Carte
Blanche award – went to Victor Massip and Laurent Lebot of French product
design team, Faltazi, for their concept Ekokook kitchen, which features three built-
in micro-processing plants for recycling waste. “The kitchen has built-in fittings for
selecting, processing and storing all kinds of waste: organic, solid and liquid,” the
designers explain. “We included electrical appliances that consume less energy,
such as a twin-tier dishwasher, steam oven and refrigerator. We also tried to use
materials and fabrication processes that have the least possible negative impact on
the environment and which are long-lasting.”
Breath of fresh air

Thirteen years on from its debut, Antonio Citterio’s Charles sofa system – a long standing best-seller for
B&B Italia – is now available for the garden; appropriately called Charles Outdoors. Fans of the original
will be relieved to hear that its classic contemporary characteristics remain unchanged – the system
will have the same slim frame and signature design of the inverted ‘L’ shaped aluminium feet – but has
been evolved for practical outdoor use. Key features include its slim aluminium frame and open weave
polyester covering to complement the water-repellent fabric covers of the seat cushions.
October 2010 25
Spanish style
Kettal adopts a nautical theme for its new outdoor furniture
collection by respected designer, Rodolfo Dordoni. Expect
a series of attractive dining and living pieces made from
completely weatherproof materials: aluminium, teak, stone
and braided polyester cord (for the seats). “My aim was to
create dense braiding that would still let the air through,
reminiscent of the braiding of ropes used to moor boats,
hence the name Britta, which means ‘mooring’ in Italian,”
Dordoni explains. “Braiding makes the pieces look lightweight
but at the same time, they look just like cosy nests.”
Crest of a wave
The current buzz surrounding outdoor furniture design continued
at Maison & Objet with Talenti teaming up with Karim Rashid in
a bid to break into the competitive world of modern furniture.
Together they have produced Swell, a series of futuristic living and
dining furniture designs for the great outdoors. The round-shaped
seats are inspired by the “sweet caress of a wave,” Rashid says.
Moreover, they meet today’s need for comfort.
Rich pickings
VG’s reputation for beautiful design that stands the
test of time has earned the brand much coveted
floor space in some of the worlds’ most exclusive
stores (take Harrods, for instance). Its offering
for autumn 2010 did not disappoint. A glittering
line-up of luxury pieces were unveiled in Paris,
handmade by artisans from all over the world
using rich materials and sophisticated finishings.
We love the VG Pearl collection, which pulls
together contemporary resin and traditional glass.
Crystal clear
Luxury accessories brand, Gaia & Gino, has collaborated with Swarovski Elements
to bring together 10 leading international designers with nine of the world’s best
industrial design producers. Their mission: to discover new ways in which to use
Swarovski crystals in industrial design. Eye is one of three collections produced;
a series of smart tabletop pieces by Sebastian Bergne, hand-crafted from Iznick
quartz ceramic – a rich, durable material
– and Swarovski Crystal Rocks. Each
piece features the Turkish ‘Nazar’
motif, which is believed to be a good
luck charm that protects its owner
from bad fortune.
TRENDS
Fashionable furniture
Portuguese fashion designer, Miguel Vieira, has turned his creative
hand to interiors with the launch of his own line of furniture. Vieira’s
design ethos is durability, realised by his use of rich woods (ebony
and American walnut), luxurious finishes (including gorgeous jacquard
fabrics developed by the man himself) and sumptuous colours (think
champagne, pearl, pomegranate and pure white). His ambition was
to create furniture pieces that capture a classical modern style. “I have
created pieces that emanate charm and sophistication in every detail,
and whose influences are both contemporary and classic,” he says.
Silver screen glamour

Stepping onto a Christopher Guy stand is like unlocking the door to a world of
old school Hollywood glamour, with its ensemble of classically elegant signature
pieces in subdued tones of ivory, sea sand and blanched almond together
with bold goya red and sunset orange. New to Christopher Guy were
grand headboards and timeless sofas, as well as an impressive line-up of
accessories including mirrors, mosaics, wall art, sculptures, chandeliers and
lamps. It’s not surprising that he has a loyal global following.
First class service

Design duo, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, have marked their entry into the
Alessi catalogue with Ovale, a complete table service crafted using three materials
– stoneware, glass and stainless steel – that lend a sensory feel to the striking
collection. “The Ovale collection strives to be original, but it also wants to be rustic
and traditional. We set out in pursuit of delicate expression,” Ronan says of their
project. “The compositions speak of everyday life, about breakfast, lunch, about
everyone getting together for dinner; about the desire for simplicity.” He goes on
to describe Alessi as a “producteur de sucrerie” – producer of sweet things. We
couldn’t agree more!
Viva Las Vegas

Making its European debut at Maison & Objet was BRC
Designs, featuring contemporary furniture by Benjamin
Rollins Caldwell. He likes to push the boundaries of form
and function by juxtaposing textures in new and often
unusual ways. Take his Deuces Wild chair, made out of
350 decks of retired Las Vegas playing cards. “Functionality
is very important,” Caldwell says. “Although many of the
materials I use may seem bold or unconventional, my
pieces are surprisingly comfortable and sturdy. Part of my
design process is to figure out how to make these materials
come together in a way that is usable for everyday life.”
October 2010 27
Community spirit
An innovative energy-efficient multi-storey car park in Chicago,
recycled parking meters that help raise money for Montreal’s
homeless and a new British clothing label that produces women’s
wear from organic, sustainable or re-claimed materials capture
the eco imagination. TEXT: STEVE HILL
Lace Hill.
ECO
BUILDING AWARENESS
HMC Architects’ Frontier Project in Cucamonga, southern California, is a 1,300

square metre LEED Platinum certified demonstration building that aims to educate
the community in sustainable living practices.
This public initiative demonstrates how inviting and engaging architecture can
foster community awareness and create functional spaces for community forums,
school trips, lectures, public tours and vendor exhibits showcasing environmentally
friendly products.
The building features an outer shell constructed of insulated concrete forms that
act as thermal mass while a second shell provides lateral structural integrity. The
third shell, a north-facing curtain-wall, maximises diffused daylight.
The indoor environment is regulated by the passive evaporative cooling system
during the hot and dry seasons. Two solar chimneys – combined with a centralised
cool tower – act as the respiratory system of the building. Interior spaces are
light-filled showcases of architectural materials.
More than 5,000 people have already visited the project which has been
billed as a “living laboratory”. Monitors are being installed to record data on the
effectiveness of the building’s various systems and whether a range of technologies
is performing in the way that computer models predicted.
October
March 2009
2010 29
ECO
Clockwise from above: Greenway Self-Park in Chicago;

Montreal’s initiative of recycled parking metres; Gordon
Murray’s T25 City Car.
GREEN GARAGE
Greenway Self-Park is a recently completed 11-storey energy-efficient car park It is only 2.4 metres long, 1.3 metres wide and weighs in at 575 kilograms,
in Chicago that features wind turbines, rain water collection systems and electric with a turning circle of six metres, while the three-cylinder 660cc engine boasts
car plug-in stations. Designed by HOK, it is the first project of its kind in the a remarkable restricted top speed of 145 kilometres per hour and economy
city and is pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rate of 100 kilometres per 3.83 litres.
Certification from the US Green Building Council. It also includes a way-finding The company has developed its own manufacturing technology, iStream,
system at each elevator lobby that educates Chicago natives on how to live which reduces the capital and space required to produce a car and ensures
more sustainably and better protect the environment. factories emit far less pollution.
One of its most significant features is a 12-paired array of vertical turbines, The design process also includes a complete rethink on high-volume
located on the southwest corner of the garage, which were designed to harvest materials, leading to a significant reduction in full lifecycle CO2 emissions.
the wind to power the exterior wall lighting of the facility. A reversible meter was
also installed to measure and return power to the city’s grid throughout the year. HELPING THE HOMELESS
HOK, and client Friedman Properties, conceived a naturally ventilated
exterior wall design, utilising a glazed screen that eliminates the need for a The Canadian city of Montreal is home to an initiative that sees recycled parking
mechanical system entirely. meters used to assist the homeless, collecting donations from passing pedestrians.
This unique glazed screen is comprised of a visually layered fabric of More than Dhs80,000 was raised in the ParcoDon scheme’s first three years.
breathable glass channels that progressively reveal the inner concrete super- And the programme was recently extended with the addition of 70 more
structure of the building. meters, all personalised by local celebrities and organisations.
These colourful paint jobs are aimed at making the project more visible and
TOP GEAR will hopefully lead to increased donations to help the estimated 30,000 people
who live on the streets of Montreal.
Gordon Murray Design’s T25 City Car recently made its first public appearance The scheme was originally launched in 2007 by the city’s parking authority,
in Oxford, England. The vehicle is billed as representing a major breakthrough in local authorities and a newspaper. And it is hoped that the recent relaunch will
terms of weight, footprint, safety, usability and efficiency thanks to careful design raise Dhs140,000 over the next three years.
and development.
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ECO
Clockwise from above: National Rail Centre in Milton Keynes; Charlie Harrison’s Charlie Boots clothing
line; Arsenal’s new recycled top.
ON TRACK “I am dedicated to producing innovative limited edition clothing for a

sophisticated woman who is not only conscious of herself, but also others and
Britain’s new National Rail Centre in Milton Keynes will bring together up to the environment,” Harrison says.
3,000 employees under one eco-friendly roof when complete in 2012. “The fashion industry is one of the largest and most unethical industries
The development will take advantage of a range of measures designed to throughout its supply chain. Sweatshops, child labour, chemicals utilised in fabric
regulate temperature and reduce energy use, including optimising the building’s production that cause ill health and death, and huge carbon emissions through
orientation and facade, narrow floor plans and high overhanging soffits to transportation have come to be accepted by the fashion industry as a whole over
provide shade and natural ventilation, which are all complemented by very high the last 40 years. This is not an industry Charlie Boots wants to be a part of.”
efficiency, low carbon energy systems.
The centre will also include extensive “living” roofs to encourage diverse GETTING SHIRTY
habitats for flora and fauna, and sizable rainwater harvesting systems will be
used to flush toilets and irrigate plants. English Premiership football team Arsenal’s new home playing kit is made
Network Rail will also recycle material from the National Hockey Stadium, entirely from recycled polyester.
which used to occupy the site, and source as much material locally as possible Eight plastic water bottles are diverted from landfill sites in Taiwan and Japan
to help limit the number of lorries and further reduce the development’s to go into each of the cutting-edge shirts as part of Nike’s “Considered Design”
carbon footprint. programme. The bottles are placed in a large washing machine and cleaned
before they are chopped into tiny flakes and melted down into a yarn
SUSTAINED STYLE that is eventually spun to make the fabric for the jerseys
and shorts.
The English city of Bristol is home to a new clothing label that produces Use of recycled polyester across its new range
women’s wear from ethically sourced materials. of club kits means Nike has saved nearly 13
Designer Charlie Harrison recently launched Charlie Boots and sells clothing million plastic water bottles or a total of around
that she says aims to be “feminine, flattering and versatile”. 254,000 kg of polyester waste – enough to
“Most garments are reversible so you have two designs in one garment. cover more than 29 football pitches and
They are also couture finished with bound seams ensuring longevity. I do not which would stretch over 3,000km if laid out
believe in the modern trend for throwaway fashion which, by its very nature, is end-to-end.
unsustainable and therefore unethical,” she adds. Other clubs using Nike kits featuring recycled
Harrison states that all of the fabrics she utilises are either fair-trade certified, materials include FC Barcelona, Inter Milan,
organic, sustainable or reclaimed, including material that would otherwise have Manchester United and Celtic. On the international
been sent to landfill or turned into industrial wipers. She also uses samples, or stage, the technology is used by teams representing
fit-for-purpose materials that can be salvaged from damaged stock. Each design Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United States
is limited to a maximum of 10 items, adding to the unique nature of her work. and Australia. ID
LIGHTING | DESIGN FORMULA
DE
SIG
NF
OR
MU
LA
Ray of light
Environmental concerns and a desire to update designs
to fit comfortably with the modern world have seen the
lighting industry switch its way of thinking with a raft of
fantastic new and updated designs. TEXT: RUBY ROGERS
CONTENTS:
36 The next chapter
40 High shine
44 Simple indulgence
48 Raw ambition
48 Touch of glass
52 Remember when…
52 Fun factor
Florinda by Annarosa Romano
and Bruno Menegon for ModoLuce. 57 Nature’s call
October 2010 35
DESIGN FORMULA | LIGHTING
Jallum by Baccarat.
“The world is changing, the way we live our lives is changing and that Enter John Cullen Lighting, specialists in interior and garden lighting schemes,
change is fast and radical,” CEO of Philips Lighting, Rudy Provoos, announced with a dedicated showroom in London backed by a team of expert designers
to the crowded conference room at the opening of Light+Building 2010 who work worldwide. The design director is Sally Storey, who fell in love with
in Frankfurt, Germany. The lighting industry is experiencing one of the most lighting while training to be an architect and has since become the UK’s leading
significant shifts it has ever seen. authority. “So often when people don’t understand lighting they forget about
“We are all becoming increasingly aware of the impact our lives have on the it, they leave a couple of lighting points and the overall impact doesn’t really
environment and the environment on our lives,” he concluded. “With nearly work. Good lighting must be considered at the very beginning of a project,”
one-fifth of all electricity consumed coming from lighting, it’s clear we must she explains.
change the way we consume.” So what can we expect from energy efficient sources? Compact fluorescents
The first event of international significance since the EU directive to gradually boast up to 80 per cent energy saving and a lifespan of between 10,000 to
faze-out the conventional light bulb came into force, discussions about the 20,000 hours (depending on type and manufacturer). Energy saving halogens
future dominated the agenda at Light+Building. offer comparatively little energy saving – up to 30 per cent – and will last for
significantly less time (between 2,000 and 5,000 hours). The most impressive
THE NEXT CHAPTER statistics are reserved for LEDs. A single bulb boasts up to 80 per cent energy
saving and has an exceptionally long lamp life of up to 50,000 hours, or 25 years.
The gradual demise of the traditional incandescent light bulb has sparked “One of the problems with the first draft of LEDs was that people didn’t
a race among manufacturers to develop and improve energy efficient realise that they needed to be used with a heat sink. This dissipates the heat and
alternatives. There are currently three main options: compact fluorescents, prevents them from burning out quickly,” Storey says. “Today, most reputable
energy saving halogens and LEDs. The difficulty for homeowners is knowing manufacturers ensure that all LEDs have one.”
where to use which light, and how to combine and control them to create When asked about future development, Storey predicts that the industry will
the best effect. concentrate on progressing LEDs to make them even more efficient. Currently
Halley outdoor lighting from Vibia.
“We are all becoming increasingly aware of the

impact our lives have on the environment and
the environment on our lives”
October 2010 39
Left to right: Kelvin LED by Antonio Citterio for Flos; Tua from Foscarini.
the light they emit is directional – focused on a single spot – and for this reason Lighting is about decorating with light, it’s about making a space live. At John
are best used for illuminating specific features rather than general lighting. “This Cullen we know how to achieve this.”
will change as technology improves,” Storey stresses. Mariel Brown, of the trends and strategy team at global design and innovation
Her top tip is to shade, or conceal, LED lamps because their light is not as company Seymourpowell, agrees that the development of LED technology
good as the old incandescent. However, if you have an exposed lamp like a is driving trends in lighting. “In recent years there has been a big push in the
lantern or a chandelier, Storey suggests opting for an energy saving halogen, development of LED-based ceiling and desk lighting and what particularly
which is less efficient than an LED but will work more effectively. excites us is the move away from traditional lampshade archetypes,” she says.
One of the biggest issues with the current crop of LEDs is colour consistency. “Interactivity is a key element of this trend, and lighting in the future looks set to
“Sometimes even though two LEDs are called warm white, they will actually involve the user in more playful and engaging ways.”
have a slightly different colour temperature,” Storey says. “With so many people Interestingly, this shift towards new means of lighting has triggered affection
developing LED technology we see different interpretations of the same colour.” for the traditional light bulb. Tom Dixon has recently launched Bulb, a reaction
In response, John Cullen has extensively researched and developed its to the phasing out of incandescent bulbs and the unattractive aesthetic of
own collection of high-quality LEDs that guarantee their customers colour the compact fluorescent replacement. Bearing similarities to the traditional
consistency. “It might be a small investment in the beginning,” Storey admits, incandescent but bigger and made from thicker glass with a metallic reflective
“but if you have a row of little uplighters that are all a slightly different colour layer, Bulb is unique to Tom Dixon, but its standard E27 thread means that it
white it will look messy.” can be used with almost any light fitting.
A final problem facing all energy efficient lighting is dimmability. “When you
dim a light you expect it to turn warm yellow,” Storey says. “Manufacturers have HIGH SHINE
been so concerned about getting a good white light that most energy efficient
lights stay the same colour when they are dimmed. This means that the light In the field of decorative lighting, the emphasis is not solely on energy-efficiency
becomes grey and dull because the colour temperature doesn’t change.” but also on creating atmosphere. Brown identifies the trend as “industrial
The good news is that the industry is moving at lightening pace and this deluxe.” “[It is] inspired by the innate beauty and warmth of metals such as
problem could be solved by this time next year. “That’s what is really good copper and brass, designers are creating stunning pieces of attention grabbing
about what we do at John Cullen,” Storey concludes, “we understand the industrial deluxe lighting,” she says. Elegance is crucial to industrial deluxe and is
technology, we know how to use it and we are aware of potential problems. achieved by flawless finishes and uncompromising attention to detail. “Dazzling
VISIT US AT INDEX STAND # 4D191 8 -11 NOVEMBER 2010
“Highly polished surfaces

add to a sense of
opulence and luxury”
Tom Dixon’s Void lights.
Aqua Cil table lamp by Ross Lovegrove
PURITY LLC Dubai T +971 4 334 9943 Bahrain T +973 17 583 392 purity.ae
Top to bottom: Itre’s iconic JJ lamp; Foglie lamps by Matali Crasset for Pallucco.
and shimmering reflections are created by highly polished surface finishes, which
in turn add to this sense of opulence and luxury,” Brown explains.
Fulfilling the aesthetic requirements of industrial deluxe is Dixon’s new Void
collection, a series of lights inspired by Olympic medals whereby solid metal
sheets are pressed, spun and brazed to form a double wall shade. The lights
are then hand polished to create a mirrored surface and lacquered to maintain a
high gloss finish.
Another strong contender is a collaborative effort between Swedish
manufacturer, Wästberg, and renowned British architect, David Chipperfield.
Launched at this years’ Stockholm Furniture Fair, the Chipperfield w102 lamp is
predominantly made from brass, a material commonly associated with lights,
although sadly no longer widely used.
SIMPLE INDULGENCE
Next up on the trend agenda is “approachable utility”. “A few years on from the
global recession that sparked this trend, we see the development of a softer
more approachable aesthetic,” Brown says. “Light wooden tones add warmth
and a sense of homeliness whilst oversized fixtures that can pivot and adjust
create a feeling of usability. Here, honesty is key and the trend for ‘exposed
functionality’ frequently extends to the light’s cord or flex which, instead of being
hidden, is emphasised with bright optimistic red or sky blue.”
Fitting the bill is Muuto’s new wood lamp, launched recently at Maison &
Objet in Paris, and designed by Stockholm-based architecture and design studio
TAF, whose ethos is to make life less ordinary through subtle but effective
changes in how products and architecture appear and function. “The all-wood
design is a low-tech antidote to the usually very modern work desk lamps,”
say designers Gabriella Gustafson and Mattias Ståhlbom “All the details are
pragmatically chosen with every screw visible. The wooden lamp is given lots of Moooi’s Brave New World lamp is another excellent example. Inspired by old,
personality using the most simple methods.” Far Eastern bamboo scaffolding, small pieces of wood are carefully notched and
Claudia Herke and Cam Bora, from the design studio bora.herke, witnessed pegged together to form its large body. Asked the reason for using small pieces
something similar at Lighting+Build in April. They describe an unpretentious, of wood, its creators at design studio Freshwest explain that it allowed for the
self-confident style with subtle contrasts in materials and a light easy-going, creative process to be as responsive as possible – “much like a sculptures’
natural approach to styling. “Design that is sensitive to everyday needs,” they relationship to their material”.
conclude: “Beguilingly simple ideas and unconventional use of materials are the Brave New World is at the forefront of a growing group of simplistic pieces
hallmarks of what we call ‘gentle ease’.” that are deceptively clever, whether in the way they are produced or the way
Lending itself well to this trend is a range of lamps by Mathias Hahn for in which they can be used. Take Tua by Marco Zito for Foscarini for instance,
Spanish manufacturer Marset. Christened Scantling – the name given to an old a surprisingly simple table lamp inspired by the palm of a hand holding a light
unit of measurement that defines the size to which a piece of wood or stone and interpreted by a triangular shaped metal structure that is both the support
is measured and cut – Hahn’s design unites basic geometric shapes and wood and shade of the lamp. The light source is discretely tucked under the arch and
together with metal to give his range of lamps a homely appearance. delivers an intimate glow, ideal for bedside tables or workstations.
Fora outdoor lamp from Bover.
October 2010 47
Moooi’s Brave New World lamp.
RAW AMBITION Bora and Herke prefer to think of this trend as “creative verve”, a
spontaneous style that embraces experimentation, improvisation and a touch
The demand for simple design has triggered a trend for traditional production of individuality by using lighthearted retro features to offset high-tech influences.
techniques and the use of raw materials. Knitting is shaping up to be the “This trend combines unconventional and original lighting designs in an
biggest hit this winter, warming up wardrobes as well as creating a cosy look uncomplicated, youthful way,” they explain. “Shabby chic, hand-made features,
indoors. Check out the hand knitted Granny pendent by Pudelskern Design for hints of traditional folk art and vintage styles make for a wide spectrum of styles
Casamania, inspired by cold winters with its long tradition of informal gatherings and offer a multitude of possibilities for individual interpretations of space.”
around the fireplace where grannies knit while telling stories. Less eccentric is
Bonbons by young Serbian designer Ana Kras, a family of colourful woollen lamps TOUCH OF GLASS
crafted using leftover wool from a collection by knitwear company Ivko-knits.
Seymourpowell identifies this trend as “imperfect beauty”, a reaction The revival of traditional glass blowing techniques to create refreshingly
against the standardisation of mass-manufactured goods. “It is a celebration contemporary pieces is borne out of the wider trend for handcrafting. Catching
of handcrafting and raw materials, reflecting the human desire for emotional the eye in Milan was a collaborative installation between Canadian designer,
provenance,” Mariel Brown explains. “The appeal of imperfect beauty lies in Omer Arbel, and manufacturer Bocci, showcasing the results of Arbel’s
the juxtaposition of elegant minimal form language and rough surface finishes. experimentation with blown glass techniques. “I am interested in exploring the
Concrete and clay are frequently used and designers are innovating in unexpected, but in retrospect obvious aspects of the world around us,” he says
casting techniques to create bold purposeful lighting statements that have of his creation. “In this case we inverted the basic technique of glass blowing.
an innate charm.” If you can blow air into glass and achieve astonishing results, it follows that you
Wooing the design world is the Heavy desk light by young British designer, should be able to suck air out too and achieve equally interesting form.”
Benjamin Hubert, featuring a 4mm-thin cast-concrete shade and base offset by The outcome was the Series 28 chandelier consisting of blown glass pendants
a wooden stand; the perfect infusion of industrial and natural materials. grouped together and hung at differing lengths. “I enjoy pushing the aesthetic
Tower by Modiss.
“We see the development

of a softer, more
approachable aesthetic”
Bloom lamp by Ferruccio Laviani for Kartell.
and sensory possibilities of whatever medium I am working with,” Arbel says. a contemporary feel and modern clarity,” Herke and Bora explain. “This trend
“In this case, glass.” combines quality and tradition. This means the use of high-quality materials and
He is not alone. Established and Sons hooked up with traditional Italian glass workmanship together with timeless design and understated luxury.”
company Venini to create Lighthouse by French design duo Ronan and Erwan The Florinda pendant by Annarosa Romano and Bruno Menegon for
Bouroullec. The idea was to illuminate a voluminous round glass structure ModoLuce is bang on trend. Comprising hand-pleated lampshades reminiscent
supported by a delicate aluminium stick. To realise their vision, the Bouroullec of the classic truncated cone shape, these are grouped together in clusters of
brothers used different techniques; the base and stick were industrially made three or six to create a stunning lighting solution for the contemporary home.
while the glass was blown by traditional methods used by Venini since the Recognising the rise of new lighting solutions in the wake of the demise of
company was founded in 1921. the incandescent, manufacturers are also introducing modified versions of classic
A final mention goes to the white blown glass Desa lamp by Pierre Charpin pieces. Architect and designer Antonio Citterio has relaunched an LED version
for Ligne Roset. The Frenchman is an advocate of low-level design and prefers of his famous Kelvin T lamp for Flos now fitted with 30 2,700K LEDs.
a soft, discrete approach whereby the user has the absolute freedom to project
his or her own imagination onto each piece. FUN FACTOR
REMEMBER WHEN… Tough times call for a sense of humour, and some designers are taking a more
ironic and playful approach to lighting design. “The eccentrics’ trend is both
Nostalgia is a dominant theme in design, a reaction against today’s throwaway fantastical and ironic, with wit and humour playing a key role,” Brown says.
mentality coupled with a desire to return to a time when pieces were beautifully “These projects are full of character and often polarise views, yet whichever
made and built to last. Consequently, manufacturers have delved into their side of the debate you fall, they are sure to evoke a strong reaction.”
archives to revive classic pieces. Italian manufacturer Itre has resurrected its Studio Job and Pieke Bergmans teamed up to produce a series of seven
iconic JJ table lamp, fashioned by engineer Jac Jacobsen in 1937 and generally quirky designs, launched at Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April. While
acknowledge as the ultimate symbol of functional design thanks to its flexible Studio Job has made its name creating objects in cast bronze, Bergmans is
spring-balanced arm and adjustable shade. better known for mouth-blown crystal forms. Together they have created an
Revisiting archives has resulted in a call for modern interpretations of traditional unusual series of lights in which Bergmans’ large glass light bulbs are linked to
designs. “Nostalgic references of design classics and a timeless aesthetic meet seven of Studio Job’s bronze objects; check out Wonderlamp, for example.
“Welcome to the dawn of a

new age in lighting design”
Geisha outdoor lamp by Christy Manguerra for Hive.
Left to right: Bellaflor, designed by Beppe Benenti for B.Lux; Wonderlamp

by Studio Job and Pieke Bergmans.
NATURE’S CALL
The full force of nature is felt at Kartell with Bloom by Ferruccio Laviani, which
is composed of a polycarbonate tubular framework entirely encrusted with tiny
transparent polycarbonate flowers; an industrially produced lamp with the form
and stylistic complexities of a handmade product.
Similarly inspired is Pallucco’s Foglie family of lamps featuring injection
moulded opaline polycarbonate “leaves” in light ivory, traffic white or oxide
red. “I did not set out to copy nature, but to bear witness to its magnificence,”
says designer Matali Crasset. Spanish manufacturer B.Lux has created a series
of decorative lamps featuring three silicon tulip petals that can be moulded and
positioned according to how much light the user demands.
Stylish furniture for outdoor spaces was also a significant trend at Salone
Internazionale del Mobile. Specialist companies presented complete collections
while many others launched stunning stand-alone pieces; proof of the importance
of well-dressed gardens.
Stand out examples from the lighting industry include Jallum by Baccarat
– designed by Yann Kersalé for indoor or outdoor use – and Fora by Bover,
which is also able to adapt to both environments. Geisha outdoor by Hive also
catches the eye; a lantern style light in brown, white or red produced using a
mixture of traditional hand weaving techniques and non-toxic synthetic fibre.
There is also Halley from Vibia, a slender arch generating a beam of light that
cuts through the darkness to create a magical, cosy atmosphere.
Welcome to the dawn of a new age in lighting design. ID
October 2010 57
Design sources
altlucialternative.com; tel: (04) 297 2712
anakras.com
anglepoise.com
axolight.it
baccarat.com
barovier.com; tel: (04) 222 6226
benjaminhubert.co.uk
bocci.ca
bora-herke.de
bouroullec.com
bover.es
casamania.it; tel: (04) 282 9911
establishedandsons.com
flos.com; tel: (04) 334 4478
foscarini.com; tel: (04) 338 8276
grupoblux.com
jeremycole.net
johncullenlighting.co.uk
kartell.it; tel: (04) 348 8169
kevinreillylighting.com
kundalini.it; tel: (04) 268 0424
light-building.messefrankfurt.com
ligne-roset.com; tel: (04) 347 5090
marset.com
modiss.com
modoluce.com
moooi.com; tel: (04) 334 4478
muuto.com
pallucco.com
seymourpowell.com
studiojob.nl
tomdixon.net; tel: (04) 323 1161
venini.com; tel: (04) 330 8697
vernerpanton.com; tel: (04) 391 0446
vibialight.com
wastberg.com
Scantling lamp by Mathias Hahn for Marset.
Latern-inspired light fittings cast
an evocative light in the living room.
INTERIORS
A Moorish majlis
Combine a passion for entertaining with a stylish Moroccan design
theme and you have the perfect house for a party. TEXT: LAURA COLLACOTT
October 2010 61
INTERIORS
Top to bottom: Clean lines in caramel tones are accented by gold and brass in
the living room; decorative Moroccan tagines are displayed in the dining room.
Moroccan is probably the most distinctive, best known and popular of

all Arabesque interior styles. So when Fahda Barrak, of Dubai-based Draw Link
Group, was commissioned to design a Moroccan theme for a purpose-built
family villa in the Al Mamzar district of the city, the difficulty was not sourcing
inspiration and furnishings but selecting from the huge diversity available.
Taking her lead from Amanjena, the luxury hotel in Marrakesh, she set about
combining different architectural features with vibrant colours, authentic details
and mood lighting to create a series of convivial areas.
The result is a warm home that offers a cohesive, hospitable space while
guarding privacy in the personal rooms. Living spaces flow effortlessly from one
to another in a scheme deliberately devised to allow the Emirati family who live
there to indulge their love of entertaining – and what a space for entertaining.
The two reception rooms and dining areas all feature heavy dark-wood
furniture united by shades of sand, apricot and copper. The family dining room is
painted in burnished orange with recessed, individually-lit alcoves occupying a full
wall for the display of a collection of colourfully-glazed Moroccan tagine dishes.
Double sliding doors allow the space to be separated from the main living
areas for privacy or drawn back for hosting larger parties. Geometric stained
glass windows filter vivid light through to subtly reflect and highlight the
hammered metal tabletop. Muted but curvaceously elegant dark wood and
leather chairs ensure that focus remains firmly on the food while a rectangular,
lantern-inspired ceiling light echoes the square table and angular theme.
A more subdued ivory colour scheme is in play in the separate main dining
room, which serves to offset the ornate ceiling above and Zellig (mosaic),
my life,
choose your style, make the difference.
matrix designed by paolo piva and varenna.
obegi home llc/
dubai/ umm al sheif rd/
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umm suqaim 1/
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dubai@obegihome.com
A dramatic, carved-wood ceiling forms
the focal point in the entrance hall.
“Important features in every room

are illuminated or backlit to create
peaceful evening spaces”
INTERIORS
Steps lead up to a tiled bathtub

in the en suite bathroom.
sourced directly from Morocco, below. The delicate floor pattern of square In the majilis, beamed ceilings, ornately painted Oriental sideboards, leather
red, ochre and blue tiles circles a large dining table, again made of dark wood sofas and rich rugs combine to create a homely living area. It is this room
with stressed brass accents at each corner, and a wrought iron screen, typical of in particular where one feels Barrak has truly encapsulated the essence of
North African homes, filters the sight and sound of a soothing internal fountain. Maghreb living, with interaction at the heart of the design philosophy. Plenty
Two symmetrical archways on the adjacent wall lead the eye through to of seating areas in the form of sofas and brass, leather-topped stools are
the living room. Hanging in each wood-framed archway are pendulous, arranged around a coffee table to make games and talk, not TV, the focus of
cylindrical light fittings, fashioned from metal and punched with an irregular a family-centred space.
pattern of circles. When lit from within, they evoke traditional lanterns, casting The master bedroom is enormous. The intention here was, conversely, to
exotic shadows over the walls that instantly transport you to a heady Moorish create a haven of calm distanced from the activity in the communal spaces.
shisha den. Decorated in a caramel colour, gold accents form the basis of the theme to
The room itself features broad, low sofas in subtly patterned almond upholstery bring levity where dark wood brings richness downstairs. The light fitting is a
arranged around a large, low coffee table to encourage conversationalists to series of gold discs that hang in descending order from the raised ceiling; a gold-
linger over coffee and baklava. By night, dim lights glow from the feature alcoves, adorned shield hangs decoratively on the wall.
decorative brass shields and a mellow ceiling fitting to create an atmosphere that The adjoining en suite bathroom continues the caramel theme in the tiling
is somehow both incandescent and muted by the same stroke. By day, natural but enhances it with rich, plum-coloured walls and cream marble counters. The
daylight floods in from a large landscaped garden to the rear of the villa. theme is hinted at in the shaped alcoves and scalloped conical lights over the sinks.
Thoughtful attention has been paid to detail and lighting is key. Important Nowhere is the Moroccan theme neglected and, where sometimes
features in every room are illuminated or backlit to create peaceful evening remaining so faithful to a design thread can leave homes looking contrived
spaces. Doorways are accentuated by either archways of Tunisian briquettes and over designed, Barrak manages to orchestrate a dialogue between the
or beams of sumptuously carved wood and interest has been added through authentic, the traditional and the practical that stands as a consistent whole.
sub-areas, alcoves and recesses while remaining faithful to the brief of providing The result is a fluid, sinuous home that works as well as constituent parts as it
practical, contemporary family living. does in its entirety. And therein lies the skill. ID
October 2010 65
Katrin Greiling’s Bidoun bench was
created during her residency at Traffic.
PROFILE
LOCAL authority
Gallery owner, curator, designer, entrepreneur
– the omnipresent and ever inventive Rami
Farook has some big plans for the UAE’s
nascent design industry. TEXT: ASHLEE BEARD
October 2010 67
PROFILE
During Milan’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile, tucked away in a

secluded courtyard in Zona Tortona and far from the glamour of the big name
Clockwise from left: LOCAL exhibition in Milan; White Space by 22 Quadrat of
showrooms of Via Durini, entrepreneur and art connoisseur Rami Farook Germany, Majlis winner of traffic’s annual design competition; LOCAL’s fresh
launched not just another collection of furniture, but an audacious attempt to grass MOW chair, designed by Lebanese architect, Fadi Sarieddine; Rami
establish a competitive design and manufacturing industry within the UAE. Farook’s traffic gallery, Dubai.
It’s almost six months since the 29-year-old founder of traffic, one of
Dubai’s most successful galleries for contemporary art, and last year’s winner
of the British Council’s International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year, Although LOCAL’s debut collection is deeply rooted in art (Greilling’s
showcased his latest venture. LOCAL has a collection of furniture produced Majlis-inspired Bidoun collection began as a concept for the Bidoun Lounge at
in Dubai: Print, a mirrored bookshelf illuminated with bold neon letters, and last year’s Art Dubai, while Sarieddine’s Dubai Syndrome addresses the region’s
Sugarcubes, a range of decorative light cubes designed by Dubai-based American massive construction boom), Farook argues that it is more than a conceptual
artist James Clar, a former art residency winner; Flashbeam, winner of traffic’s design brand. He stipulates that functionality is integral to all LOCAL products
debut annual design competition in 2008, designed by Lebanese designer Rita and rather than taking the well-trodden “limited edition” path, he hopes to
Nader; and Cheap and Best, designed by Farook himself – art-inspired lighting bring design to a larger audience through the unorthodox practice of lowering
solutions made from materials used in construction, echoing Italy’s celebrated the prices of pieces, which currently range from Dhs918 to Dhs18,362.
Arte Povera movement of the late 1960s. “My goal when I launched the brand was that every quarter, if I could, I
Furniture, including the grass upholstered MOW chair, award-winning Dubai would bring prices down, either by new methods or new suppliers that would
Syndrome by Emirati architect Fadi Sarieddine, and Katrin Greilling’s Bidoun sofa, continue using the same materials, same everything, but to find ways to bring
bench and table series completes the line-up of the ‘made in Dubai’ brand. costs down,” he says. An ambitious plan indeed.
RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR SOLUTIONS
FURNITURE t CARPETS t CURTAINS t WALLPAPER t ACCESSORIES
PROFILE
James Clar’s PRINT bookshelf and light object pays homage to the written word.
Farook studied marketing management and psychology in the United States, that were created for another purpose. I guess I wanted to start a dialogue
but it was on his return to Dubai to work for his father’s company, paper supplier between East and West, and even locally, about what design is and how to
Farook International Stationery, that he discovered his creative streak. “I just felt combine it with art,” he explains.
myself always tackling the design issues, whether it was the rebranding of the “I realised that there wasn’t a proper industrial design programme within
company, catalogue design or even product design and development. Even the universities because there weren’t enough local producers out there, so I
before design I was into music and art, so it was a natural progression,” he recalls. wanted to use this as a platform. I feel that any country that doesn’t have any
With no formal art training, while working for his father Farook created his industrial power is kind of weak and what I feel now is that what we are doing
own stationery label (notebooks designed by Farook are also planned for the for culture is one thing, but what we need to do now is develop our industry.
forthcoming LOCAL collection), but it was the inception of traffic, which opened We need to be able to be independent if we are to produce. This is something
in 2007, that piqued his interest in product design. Realising the potential that I learned from my dad 20 years ago.”
of the 650 square metre art space, the small gift shop was converted into a As a passionate collector of works by many top artists (although still bereft
contemporary furniture and design showroom, and a studio for design and of Richard Prince, much to his regret), since 2008 Farook’s organisation has
interior architecture was added, transforming the venue into a creative hub that supported local artists through various schemes, such as traffic’s art residency
has proved a huge success, both commercially and creatively. programme, Droog al Arab, in collaboration with the Dutch design brand, plus
In addition to art projects, such as its continuous involvement with Art an annual design competition. Such initiatives have not only historically provided
Dubai, the co-design of the first official UAE Pavilion at last year’s Venice prototypes for the LOCAL brand, more importantly they offer the region the
Biennale and most recently Grey Borders/Grey Frontiers, curated by Farook crucial platform that Farook believes has been overlooked.
and presented during this year’s Berlin Biennale, Farook and his team are The gallery recently announced the winners of this year’s multi-discipline
behind some of the coolest commercial interiors in Dubai, including the lobby design competition that is open to both nationals and creatives from abroad.
of the Burj Khalifa. With art and furniture playing such a prominent role in Divided into four categories and focusing on the theme of “Design as Reform”,
the entrepreneur’s plan and a network of local producers already established this year’s competition was focused on redeveloping four areas within society.
through his father’s empire, a move into design and production seemed an Mousa Beidas’ public installation, Solar Panels, featured mirrors strategically
obvious next step. placed throughout the city, reflecting messages that move with the sun;
“I started LOCAL for a few reasons, one of which was that there were some Dubai-based Sebastian Klein’s Think Colour took the pattern award; and
products that I really wanted to share with the world, rather than just projects Germany’s 22 Quadrat took the Majlis prize for White Space, a stark white
The Middle East Region‘s Leading Trade Show The International Trade Exhibition for
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PROFILE
Clockwise from left: Rita Nader’s Flashbeam, one of the winners of traffic’s debut
design competition; LOCAL’s founder, Rami Farook; James Clar’s Sugarcubes
light collection; Fadi Sarieddine’s award-winning Dubai Syndrome seat.
interior that tips a nod to the Islamic cultural tradition of abstract art. However, it
is The Vanishing Mosque, designed by the Manhattan-based Jewish design agency
RUX that really excites Farook.
“This was the most amazing result. The designers went back to the essence of
a mosque and how it’s integrated into the urban life and structure, and created
this model of a mosque that works throughout the day, not only when it’s in
use as a mosque,” he enthuses. “It’s also nice that we’re bringing a firm, that is
Jewish, and from New York, to design a mosque; it’s like, wow!”
In addition to making these projects happen and creating new works for
LOCAL’s second collection, which will include the aforementioned notebook, a
continuation of the Cheap and Best light series, a tote bag and a modular seating
system inspired by the steps of the Saatchi gallery in London, all designed by
Farook, there’s a new contemporary art centre in the offing. Although, curiously,
following the success of LOCAL since its launch, retail operations will diminish.
This isn’t due to a lack of sales, but more a “lack of patience” on Farook’s part.
“I don’t have the patience to buy products and put them in my shop or
warehouse, and wait for someone to come and buy them. I’d rather fill my
space with art,” he admits.
The new space will place even more focus on creativity. “Now I’m mostly
concentrating on what is coincidentally the three C’s: collecting art, creating and
curating, where I work with, develop and promote the artist,” Farook says. “It’s
a major transition we’re going through.”
Along with a new generation of Emiratis who are dedicated to the UAE’s
flourishing contemporary art scene, from Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib to
Sultan Saud Al Qasimi and Fatima Ghobash, Rami Farook is breathing new
creative life into the region. ID
idProperty
CONTENTS:
76 Respectable but risqué
81 Portfolio
HOGARTH ARCHITECTS
84 Kill or cure?
88 Antennae
October 2010 75
The bedroom of Flat D, 11 Queens Gate Terrace, South
Kensington, London, designed by Hogarth Architects.
Respectable but risqué

A home where shower-user and kitchen sink-user
can share an intimate moment? Queen Victoria
would definitely not be amused? TEXT: RICHARD WARREN
INTERNATIONAL | idProperty
October 2010 77
Never judge a home by its cover. The ornate, white stucco facades of the
mid-Victorian, six-storey houses lining Queens Gate Terrace, South Kensington,
London, are not only grand and beautiful, they embody the values of those who
Left to right: Exterior of 11 Queens Gate Terrace; the kitchen sink as seen from
built them: imperial, respectable and bourgeois. In the mind’s eye, it is easy to shower cubicle above, through glass floor/ceiling.
glimpse their first inhabitants to-ing and fro-ing behind the tall windows, dressed
in frock coats or footman’s livery depending on whether they were ‘upstairs’
or ‘downstairs.’
Ignoring the addition of central heating, and the modern appliances like
televisions and freezers found inside, many of the homes remain true to their
19th century origins: Antique art and furnishings are popular in this part of London Innovations like the glass ceiling are combined with the flat’s original features
and planning laws mean many original features, like fireplaces, must be retained. in architect Hamish Herford’s re-configuration of its interior and the spot in front
Some homes even continue to have domestic staff working and living within. of the kitchen sink is where his design ideas reached their apex. “In my opinion,
But nowhere is immune to change. Like other Victorian houses in the food, sex and architecture are all closely related, and at this point they all come
British capital a number of the properties on Queens Gate Terrace have been together,” says Herford, a director at London-based Hogarth Architects.
converted into flats, even if the only tell-tale sign is the line of bell buttons This first floor bachelor pad was designed for a private client, a single man
by their front entrances. Many are thoroughly modern inside, including who works in pharmaceuticals. The brief was simple enough: maximise value.
one refurbished flat where the interior architecture would have a Victorian Removing the flat’s false ceiling meant the architect had enough space under
governess blushing and an Indian Army colonel blustering. the original 4.5 metre-high ceilings to erect a mezzanine level. The resulting
Question: How many people can wash up at the kitchen sink and look through expansion in floor space from 65 squre metre to 93 squre metre increased the
a glass ceiling directly above them at somebody showering in the bathroom? flat’s value at a stroke. Other aspects of the design may add a few dirhams, too,
Answer: Not many. The owner of Flat D, number 11 Queens Gate Terrace, especially if you value open-plan living.
London, can make this claim. The flat was the first floor reception room for the house before it was
Rarely, if ever, has the kitchen sink, a traditionally mundane feature of the converted into flats. Hereford has gutted the old apartment, removing stud
domestic setting, been so exotic. Aside from the view of the shower cubicle walls that separated a series of small rooms to create an open-plan space. The
above, the washer-upper can look out directly in-front, through a window, original fireplace is retained and damaged cornicing has been replaced, while
at spiky palm, bamboo and other tropical plants growing on the flat’s balcony French doors lead from the refurbished flat’s spacious living room area onto a
– remember, this is London. The window’s original architectural features, balcony that wraps around the front and side of the building.
including panels, and height are retained – the top third of the window is level Much is new. Next to the living room, the architect has created a large oak
with a shower-user’s calves. structure that provides storage space for the kitchen and dining areas, and is the
Clockwise from top left: The bathroom. A bath-user can look out onto the living
area below and into the street beyond through a viewing strip in frosted glazed
panel/wall alongside bath; the second bedroom which is on a former landing up
a flight of stairs from the main part of the flat; interior of apartment as seen from
living area. French doors open onto the balcony.
Lighting at the top of the structure, at its base and under the cornicing adds
to this sense of lightness both literally and metaphorically. “I like to use plenty of
lighting and natural materials and have good views along clear sight lines,” the
architect says. “I like to have a sculptural feel to surroundings, but not in any
whimsical way, it clearly has to have function and purpose.”
In texture, colour and tone, the oak structure, kitchen cabinets and sink area
platform for the new mezzanine floor above them. On the mezzanine level, the contrast with the rest of the apartment. While the oak structure is brown,
bedroom and bathroom are situated directly above the dining area and kitchen matt and occasionally rough, the rest of the flat, including cabinet-lined walls
respectively. A staircase to the mezzanine level also forms part of the structure. in the living area and polished resin floors, is mostly white, glossy and smooth.
The apartment’s rooms are open to each other and the bedroom wall Shrinkage in the oak staircase exacerbates this aesthetic contrast.
overlooking the living area is only waist-high. In the bathroom, bathers can look “I really wanted cracking in the stair treads, because we live too much in a
into the living room and street beyond through a clear glass panel. This spirit of perfect world,” Hereford says. In addition to the oak structure, other bespoke
openness is encapsulated in the first verse of the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, features include a quirky light fixture above the dining room table, a row of eight
The Oak, which is engraved on the bedroom’s oak balcony rail. It reads: “Live lights set in a wood panel that can be lowered and raised by winding a brass
this Life, young and old, like yon oak, bright in spring, living gold.” tennis-net handle in the ceiling next to it.
The structure stops a metre-short of the opposite wall, where mirrors Unusually, the second bedroom is not in the apartment, but located off
interspersed with windows provide yet more views, more light and some the building’s communal staircase, behind its own front door, one flight up –
confusion when you momentarily can’t work out whether you are looking about four metres long and three metres wide, it occupies most of a former
through a window to the outside or at a mirror’s reflection of the interior. The communal landing. Two beds fold down from the wall, one above the other,
gap between the structure and this opposite wall allows light to filter down and bunk bed-style. There is a TV, fridge, cupboards, wardrobe and a small wet
creates a sense of airiness below the mezzanine level that would otherwise room with shower, toilet and basin in the corner. Everything is white, apart from
be missing, as the kitchen and dining room ceilings are relatively low at 2.25 the 19th century blue, pink and yellow stained glass windows in the ceiling’s glass
metres high. dome, an original feature that allowed daylight into the former landing area.
Upstairs, the dividing wall between the bedroom and bathroom does not Despite Hereford’s innovations, the apartment is not as different to the
touch the ceiling, stopping a few inches short so that the structure feels more building’s original architecture as it first appears, as that is also white and lightly
like a piece of loose furniture than a built-in fixture, Hereford says. touched. Maybe this flat’s liberated interior design and the building’s elegant,
“I like a space to feel sexy when you are in it,” he says. “I really feel that it should 19th century facade are best likened to a lady wearing modern and oh-so-sexy
be lightly touched, so that is why the bedroom wall doesn’t touch the ceiling.” Victoria’s Secret underwear under a Victorian bustle dress. ID
October 2010 79
PORTFOLIO | idProperty
On cue
An achingly stylish new bowling alley cum entertainment
centre is ready to roll in Dubai while Muscat prepares to
embrace a carbon neutral conference. TEXT: LAURA COLLACOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY: FAROOK SALIK
Scarlet table top in the billiards room at Switch.

October 2010 81
Bowling alley at Switch, with big screens and dramatic lighting.
SWITCHED ON STICKING TOGETHER
This could be Dubai’s funkiest nightspot. Not a nightclub, not a bar, Switch is a Legoland amusement park is to go ahead in Dubai as planned, despite Dubai
bowling alley of the highest design calibre, with cutting edge lighting illuminating Holdings’ recent sale of its 17 per cent stake in the park’s operator.
12 lanes, large screens showing the latest music videos and sports events and Although officials have acknowledged that the economic slowdown
bowling equipment designed by Pininfarina – the fêted designer of high-end has impeded the progress of the amusement park, the operator, Merlin
cars who has transposed his talents to a whole host of other products (see Entertainments, has insisted that the Middle East version will go ahead, albeit
his work on television sets in Forum, p. 85). In fact, it is a comprehensive family when “market conditions are right”.
entertainment venue, boasting private karaoke studios, billiards tables, an online When complete, the Dhs911.7m project will be the first Legoland to be built
gaming area, Italian coffee shop and restaurant. outside of North America and Europe, and will include more than 40 interactive
Switch is an international bowling brand aimed at creating a exciting rides and attractions.
entertainment environment, redesigning everything from seating to ball racks, The sale came as Dubai’s government-owned holding companies shed assets
lanes and electronic scoring. It has franchises across the world, from Vegas to under their multi-billion dollar debt restructure, a reaction to the impact of the
Romania, and Switch Middle East, the local partner, will be opening 10 centres downturn and the collapse of the real estate bubble.
across the region.
Since opening in September, this one at Ibn Battuta Mall has proved popular SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
with visitors, not least those coming to admire the edgy contemporary design.
Muscat will host an education and networking platform for sustainable
PROPERTY POSERS management and technology, entitled Muscat Green Days, on 5-6 October.
It forms part of a series of conferences being conducted in the UAE and Qatar
The Cityscape Global Real Estate Investment Conference will this year focus on that will act as a forum for experts and pioneers to discuss sustainable strategies
the risk versus reward of developed, emerging and frontier real estate markets. for long-term growth in harmony with conservation, culture and tradition.
The second day of the three-day event, to be held on 4-6 October at the The conference focuses on efficient energy and water consumption in the
Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, will be focused on built environment through presentations and workshops designed for decision-
examining the growth in the MENA markets and measuring its outlook against makers across the region.
the rest of the world, specifically the latent potential of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi In keeping with the theme, carbon emissions caused by the event will be offset
and Egypt. through event sponsor, EcoVentures, making it carbon neutral.
PORTFOLIO | idProperty
Clockwise from above: The pool area and executive suite at the Pullman
hotel; an Executive Suite at The One & Only, The Palm.
In August, the trains carried 3.3 million passengers, compared to 1.8 million
in October 2009.
The rail transport has been well received by residents since opening, although
the anticipated price hikes in properties near open stations have so far failed to
materialise. A large number of new properties coming online, combined with
the economic crisis, have depressed prices.
OPEN DOORS
Dubai is adding three new hotels to its portfolio. easyHotel, a sister brand to
the European low-cost airline easyJet, has opened in Jebel Ali to fill a gap for
budget accommodation in the market. It is the brand’s first venture outside
Europe and offers guests one of 216 bedrooms with ensuite bathroom, Wi-Fi
and desk space, all with the trademark orange trimmings.
Andy Watson, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Istithmar World, the company
operating the hotel, believes the “policy of leaving upgrade decisions solely in the
hands of our guests will find resonance in an increasingly cost-conscious market.”
Accor has opened a Pullman hotel at the Mall of the Emirates, designed
to cater for both business and leisure guests thanks to its direct links to the
shopping centre, metro and International Airport. It adds 481 rooms and suites
to the choice available across Dubai as well as four new restaurants.
Meanwhile, Kerzner International is putting the finishing touches on the new
FOUR SEASONS IN ONE YEAR One & Only hotel set to open on the Palm on 10/10/10. Accommodation will
be provided in 35 suites and apartments housed within a main ‘Manor House’
While many companies have reined in their spending commitments, Egypt’s as well as six independent ‘mansions’. Guests can take advantage of a private
Orascom Development has announced plans to build two Four Seasons hotels beach, poolside cabanas and dedicated butlers.
in the Middle East at a cost of nearly Dhs900 million.
One 150-room, 60-villa property will stand in the Red Sea resort of ALL’S FAIR
El-Gouna, while the other will be built in Oman and have a capacity of 200
rooms and 75 villas. Both are set for completion at the end of 2011. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will open its third UAE property in the latter part of
The company says it will fund the Dhs312 million Egyptian project through 2011 with a hotel in Fujairah.
a medium-term loan and is considering Omani corporate bonds as a finance Fairmont Mina Al Fajer will offer stunning views along the Gulf of Oman
channel for the second development. coastline against the Hajar Mountains with 88 rooms and 13 four-bedroom villas
along with a host of leisure and meeting facilities.
MIND THE GAP “Fairmont Mina Al Fajer will complement our properties in Dubai, Abu
Dhabi and Cairo, and will further strengthen our brand recognition in this very
On the occasion of its first anniversary, Dubai Metro officials said that the important market along with future key locations in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi
city’s transport system had carried 30 million passengers during its first year Arabia and Muscat, Oman,” says Chris Cahill, president of Fairmont Hotels &
of operations. Resorts and COO of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International. ID
October 2010 83
Kill or cure?
What does the new ‘age of austerity’
mean for Britain’s largely ailing property
market and will the coalition government
lead the country out of recession or plunge
it into a financial abyss? No one seems
entirely sure. TEXT: RICHARD WARREN
One Hyde Park, Knightsbridge, London, a development of 86 apartments by Candy & Candy.
October 2010 85
Clockwise from above left: The Lancasters, Bayswater, London, a development
of 77 homes by Minerva and Northacre; 55 Chesilton Road, Parsons Green,
Contrary to tabloid scaremongering, sterling did not collapse and Windsor London, a home renovated by developer, Blaze; Lett Road, Stratford, east
Castle was not sold. Hysteria surrounding the creation of Britain’s first coalition London, a development by Thornsett Group.
government since the Second World War in May has subsided and we now
have a clear idea of what Conservatives and Liberal Democrats working together
means for the British property market over the next five years, the maximum
length of this Parliament. Like so much in life, it is part good and part bad.
On taking office, the coalition made some quick, mostly welcome, changes.
Home Information Packs have been abolished and now, freed from having to
pay Dhs2,350 for these documents, more people are putting their homes up At first glance, the Government’s pincer movement on the budget
for sale, giving buyers greater choice. However, sellers must still commission a deficit – raising taxes and cutting public spending – seems bad for property.
Dhs300 Energy Performance Certificate as required by EU law. Its drive to freeze wages and cut jobs in the public sector means fewer civil
Capital Gains Tax has been raised from 18 per cent to 28 per cent for higher servants can spend money on homes. Raising indirect taxes, including VAT
rate tax payers, not enough to dissuade serious investors from entering the to 20 per cent, means everyone has less money to spend on housing. If, as
property market. Raising personal income tax thresholds from Dhs35,400 to some pundits predict, the Bank of England raises interest rates to counteract
Dhs58,600 over the course of this Parliament, to help lower wage earners, will rising inflation in 2011, then mortgages will become expensive.
benefit landlords because it means less tax is payable on rental income. Owners Austerity makes some economists gloomy. PricewaterhouseCoopers expects
of properties let out as holiday homes have had tax concessions, which were home values in 2015 to be below those of 2007 after inflation is factored in.
rescinded by the previous Labour government, restored. Consultancy Capital Economics says property prices will fall 25 per cent over
The coalition is dithering over whether to make Labour’s temporary stamp the next three years, ending a year-long recovery in prices following the market
duty cut for first time buyers permanent. But, for now, first time buyers don’t dip in 2008 and 2009.
need to pay one per cent stamp duty on homes valued up to Dhs1.5 million. It “With the fiscal austerity measures getting under way, the prospects for a
has, however, kept the previous government’s five per cent stamp duty rate on strong exit from recession are slim, meaning that a double-dip in the housing
homes valued Dhs2.9 million or more, which will come into force next April. market is likely,” says Roger Bootle, managing director of Capital Economics.
This has led to a flurry of home sales at the top end of the market as sellers However, the delights may be in the detail. While average property values
seek to attract buyers before the April deadline, say estate agents. may fall over the next few years, in some parts of Britain they may rise.
The Government’s proposal to build a high-speed rail link between London The Government is taking a gamble – over the next five years it wants to
and Birmingham has blighted homes along its length. Some homeowners may re-orientate Britain’s economy away from a dependency on public spending
receive compensation. and credit-card fuelled personal spending towards exporting goods and services
Looking to the future, the coalition’s core policy, to wipe out Britain’s Dhs914 and private sector investment. It is a gargantuan task, but already it has cut
billion budget deficit within five years, means the country must endure an “age corporation tax and employer national insurance contributions to make it easier
of austerity”, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne warns. for companies to expand and employ more people.
This may help parts of Britain to survive and even thrive over the next five
years. Most of the country, however, may wish it could follow the example
of Magrethea, a fictional planet in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, which
hibernated when economic times got tough.
There is other bad news. Think tank, Centre for Cities, has identified
those parts of Britain most dependent on public sector jobs, and they include
Newcastle, Ipswich, Swansea and Hastings. Public spending cuts will hit these
places hard, their local economies will suffer and so will house prices.
Centre for Cities also listed towns dependent on old industries such as steel
and textiles, including Stoke, Newport, Doncaster, Barnsley and Burnley, which
Left to right: Accordia Living, Cambridge, a development of new homes by
were all struggling with economic and demographic decline before the recession developer Redeham Homes; 15 Acacia Road, St Johns Wood hallway.
began. The low value of sterling on the international currency exchanges may
help them compete more easily with the Chinas and Indias of this world,
but their decline is unlikely to end any time soon, and this will depress their
property prices.
However, there is good news as well. Towns and cities with vibrant private
sectors centred around knowledge-based businesses are expanding, Centre about a planned 40 per cent cut to the nation’s transport budget which may
for Cities says, with Brighton, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Reading and Milton halt big projects like the new Dhs94 billion Crossrail train line that will link
Keynes featuring highly on this list. Some of these cities, notably Brighton and Heathrow Airport with Canary Wharf and the upgrade of the ageing London
Cambridge, have housing shortages, so that could push prices up. Underground train network. A direct impact of Crossrail’s cancellation on the
London also ought to fare well – it too has a housing shortage and its property market would be to knock-off the “Crossrail premium” on homes
economy is powering ahead. The weak pound has boosted tourism, the financial near its planned train stations.
services sector is profitable again and Britain’s cultural sector, which is huge in Another twist is possible. If government plans go pear-shaped, sterling could
London, was the only part of the national economy not to go into recession in tumble, making British property cheaper for overseas buyers, so more Saudis,
2008 and 2009. Combined, the city’s West End theatres, film-makers, advertising Chinese, Kazaks and others arrive, buoying property values, principally in
agencies, art galleries, architects, designers and other creative businesses employ central London.
more people than any other sector in the British capital. Unfortunately there is one further, particularly cruel twist – if someone
What’s more, overseas investors consider London an international safe wants to buy a property, they often cannot, because banks won’t give them a
haven: making the most of sterling’s weakness, 51 nationalities bought half of mortgage or, if they do, it is only a small one. In 2010, mortgage lenders are
the homes for sale in the city centre in June 2010, reports estate agency Knight forecast to lend about one-third of the Dhs2.128 billion they loaned in 2007,
Frank. At London developments like Candy & Candy’s One Hyde Park scheme the market’s peak year. The Government is imploring banks to lend more, but
in Knightsbridge (which will be completed this autumn) demand is dominated by without success. If anything, the mortgage famine may get worse. The banks
overseas buyers, especially Russians, who are paying up to Dhs164 million for must repay money to the British Government in 2011 what they borrowed in
an apartment. 2008 to survive the credit crunch. The resulting squeeze on the funds available
If the Government’s gamble fails, we may be able count the winners on less for mortgage lending does not bode well for the housing market.
than one finger, as public sector cuts may be so extreme that they cause the As yet, the Government has no answer to this and nor does anyone else.
private sector to malfunction. For example, businesses are twitching nervously Watch this space… if you dare. ID
October 2010 87
idProperty | ANTENNAE
They are angry in Ireland, nervous in Hong Kong and miserable in Scandinavia, while in China they just
want to get out. TEXT: RICHARD WARREN
MOTOWN MADNESS
EYE CANDY HONG WRONG
In the United States, new home sales are at
A rich individual has bought a Dhs796 million “Residential Property is getting more dangerous”, record lows and sales of second-hand homes
apartment at One Hyde Park, the Candy & Candy so warns a headline in Hong Kong’s South China are falling fast. In Detroit, homes are being sold
development in Knightsbridge, London, making Morning Post. No sooner is it reported that Hong by the dozen to overseas investors because
it the most expensive home sold in Britain. The Kong’s exclusive Peak district has the world’s they are so cheap – a five-bedroom house can
six-bedroom duplex penthouse comes complete most expensive homes, than analysts warn the be snapped up for Dhs182,000. The home of
with panic room, bullet proof windows and Special Administrative Region’s property market is Motown is rapidly becoming “Notown” – its
ex-SAS guards. The buyer could have gone for a about to experience an enormous crash. Despite population has shrunk from two million to one
less expensive safe house, a five-bedroom former government attempts to cool the market, it is million over the past 50 years and some districts
rectory in Wales, on the market through Jim booming because Chinese investors are using have so many vacant lots commentators describe
Raw-Rees & Co, for Dhs3.7 million. Why is this cheap credit to hoover up luxury flats. According them as “urban prairie.” Property company
rectory so secure? Well, most non-Welsh speaking to Zepplin Real Estate Analysis, if property prices Assetz, which is running a property investment
terrorists, kidnappers, gangsters, secret agents rise another 20 per cent then “the chance of the scheme in Detroit for smaller investors, remains
or angry ex-partners will struggle to pronounce bubble bursting will be immense” as residential confident about the city’s future. The company
or spell its name, so will probably never make it prices vis-à-vis per capita GDP are 25 per cent says its investment properties will increase in
to the front door. Hengwrt is located near the over-valued already. Analysts warn that the value by 21 per cent over the next 12 months
historic town of Machynlleth in the county of return-to-risk ratio in Hong Kong’s property because of the knock-on effects of a recovery
Powys. It also has another advantage – One Hyde market is the same as in the casinos of Macau, in the car industry and government support.
Park is sandwiched between two noisy roads, but the former Portuguese enclave on the other side However, sceptics say property prices will move
Hengwrt is set in tranquil countryside. of the Pearl River Delta. “sideways” for years to come.
GRIM UP NORTH
It’s all heading south up north. House prices may

nose-dive in Sweden, Finland and Norway. The
Finns and Norwegians fear bubbles are forming in
their countries’ housing markets, because interest
rates “are too low” and Sweden’s problem is
very big – one-fifth of its mortgage borrowers
are struggling to repay debts, some as great as 46
UNSMILING IRISH times disposable income. House prices are surging
in all three countries – in Norway they have leapt
Lloyds Banking Group is pulling out of Ireland because its losses on bad mortgage debts continue to 20 per cent in 18 months – but harbingers of
grow, another sign of the Irish property market going from bad to worse to woeful. But wait, it appears doom are appearing. Sweden’s finance minister
to be going bonkers, too. Irish investors, incensed by their assets slumping in value, want to sue property says his country’s property prices will drop 20
journalists for putting the idea of buy-to-let into their heads. Too many articles hyped-up overseas locations, per cent over the next three to five years and
they claim. Some articles recommended developments that weren’t worth the concrete they were built bank RBS says Scandinavian homeowners are
with, they rage. As a growing list of Spanish, Bulgarian and other sun-blessed leisure resorts become the more at risk now than before the credit crunch
junkyards of investors’ dreams, so these disenchanted holiday homebuyers bay for the blood and guts of because their debts are bigger and they are more
property journalists. Comments on some internet sites are unprintable and “property porn” shows are exposed to interest rate changes. Meanwhile,
slammed. But hold on, lawyers say a case against journalists can’t be made, that caveat emptor prevails, their Baltic cousins, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania,
and, best of all, that these litigious investors are “mad.” continue to grapple with price falls.
HIGH-SPEED HOMES
ENTER THE DRAGON ÜBER ALLES
Budget airlines are often credited with helping to lift
They give us cheap clothes. We give them With all the talk of BRIC nations, the Asian property markets in the resort destinations they fly
houses. Wealthy Chinese are buying Dhs85 economic miracle and the Chinese century, we to since they bring in more holidaymakers, some
million houses in London, vineyards in Bordeaux tend to forget that solid, reliable economic giant of whom become holiday homebuyers. New train
and apartments in Manhattan, and analysts say Germany. German exports are surging, fuelling services are comparatively rare, but their impact
16 per cent of international buyers in the United the country’s fastest rate of GDP growth since on housing markets can be equally strong. In the
States will be Chinese by the end of 2010. In reunification. Its property prices are rising for the French Alps, estate agency Experience International
Hong Kong and Taiwan, the two destinations first time since early 2009, albeit at a modest hopes a new winter Eurostar service from London
where Chinese investors are most active, they 1.1 per cent, but remember, they did not crash to Moutiers, Aime-La-Plagne and Bourg St Maurice
are fuelling property booms – in Hong Kong they following the credit crunch, unlike in Spain, Britain will help lift demand, sales prices and rents in these
bought one-third of the luxury flats sold in the first and Ireland. Prices are expected to continue ski locations after it starts running in December.
half of 2010. Overseas, they buy for investment, climbing this autumn. But don’t get too excited by The journey time will be seven hours. In the
to house their children studying at foreign this German reliability. In the 15 years before the town of Sainte Foy-en-Tarentaise, a ski homes
universities and to get permanent residency visas credit crunch, prices fell every year when inflation development, La Chapelle, has been launched
in countries like Britain, Canada and the United is factored in, so homes have proved depreciating with sales prices starting from Dhs1million at this
States. A Chinese businessmen told one London assets for most owners. A long-term surge in leaseback scheme where 100 per cent finance
estate agent his family was moving to London for property values is unlikely, because Germany’s is available. Owners can use the homes for
“a better way of life”. When China’s strict capital population is contracting and most Germans four months in the summer and are promised
controls come down, this growing trickle of prefer to rent anyway. However, all those renters guaranteed rental returns for the remaining eight
investment and emigration could turn into a flood. do mean solid rental returns, say estate agents. months of the year for a total of 18 years.
October 2010 89
IF YOU LOVE STYLE, YOU’LL LOVE...
FORUM
Sitting comfortably
Ecologically sound chairs made from wood and
plastic, and a new architecture-appreciating app
for the iPhone are among the grand designs on
offer this month. TEXT: LAURA COLLACOTT
IN THE NAVY
In 1944, furniture manufacturer Emeco designed an aluminium chair for the

US Navy. Now it’s time for the Navy Chair to go green. As part of its new
collection, Emeco has joined forces with Coca-Cola to reproduce the clean
lines of the functional chair in the 111 Navy Chair, so named because it is made
from a minimum of 111 recycled drinks bottles as well as a mix of pigment and
glass fibre. It estimates that more than three million PET plastic bottles will be
repurposed each year in the production process. Choose from shades of
Coca-Cola red, snow, flint, grass, persimmon and charcoal.
October 2010 91
GEARED UP
If you like to squeeze exercise into your working day

but don’t like the idea of an ugly static exercise bike
cluttering up your home or office, look no further
than the Ciclotte. Recognising that most exercise
bikes are not beautiful to behold, Italian designer,
Luca Schieppati, in collaboration with the Lamiflex
Group, has fused aesthetics and functionality to
produce a practical bike that doesn’t compromise
on appearance. It echoes early unicycles and adds
the most modern carbon fibre technology to forge
a bike that reproduces the performance of on-road
cycling, indoors. “Ciclotte has been one of our
greatest projects and accomplishments where we
have been able to merge two disciplines into one
single art statement. This is an evolution of exercise
equipment and we are proud to be pioneers in
combining the functions of fitness and art,” says
Luigina Bernini, president of the Lamiflex Group.
WIRED
You can house all your digital equipment and corresponding wires
in a sleek new storage system by BoConcept. Volani is a modular
system that can be combined in a range of different ways to tailor
for individual requirements. The designer, Morten Georgsen,
comments: “Storage is about organisation. As a designer, it is my job
to ensure a co-ordinated look where dimensions and colours match
to avoid a chaotic and unbalanced look.”
OUTDOOR PURSUITS
Acclaimed American sculptor and designer, Richard Frinier, has announced

a collaboration with furniture manufacturer Brown Jordan to launch a
co-branded outdoor furniture collection. The elegant pieces across the
three lines of Drift, Still and Cloud Nine will use Brown Jordan’s signature
materials, including cast aluminium, teak and parabolic mesh to encourage
relaxed and comfortable alfresco entertainment. The Richard Frinier
Collection for Brown Jordan will be available largely to trade customers,
with limited stocks supplied to boutique retailers, to supply interior
designers, architects and corporate buyers with exclusive products.
FORUM
WATCH THIS
Contrary to immediate appearances, this is not just a

TV. The AT58 TV LED series comes from a partnership
between Acer and Pininfarina (a name more commonly
associated with high-end car design) and softens hard
modern corners in a nod to vintage sets. But it is brimming
with modern technology. LEDs with backlit panels bring
a 68 per cent energy saving at the same time as vivid
HD pictures in any multimedia format. A special personal
video recorder allows you to record any TV show onto a
memory stick.
DECADES OF DESIGN
It’s that time of year again – INDEX. The region’s largest interiors show will
be held from November 8-11 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, for what is
the exhibition’s 20th anniversary.
Attendees can expect to see a host of fresh, first-time exhibitors and top
designers from around the world, in addition to a retrospective on the best
design of the past two decades. Despite European markets struggling in
the aftermath of the economic crisis, the show has had promising levels of
interest from international suppliers keen to tap into the still-buoyant Gulf
market (interior design contracts awarded in the GCC from 2009-2010
were worth Dhs81billion).
New for this year is a hall dedicated to exclusive designer furnishings,
art and sculpture from leading Italian brands, and a special a kitchen and
bathroom zone where experts from across the globe will showcase the very
JORDI MILA HOT RIDER STOOL
best in new fixtures and fittings.

With the help of a team of selected interior design professionals, organisers
have also developed satellite networking events and an interactive lecture series
– on topical and sometimes controversial issues relating to the industry – to
add to the existing Majilis Design competition and the Al Habtoor ISG Student
Challenge. made to resemble stone, wood, cloth and leather, while Jordi Mila will bring a
Keeping a finger on the design pulse, the programme will unveil future Spanish flavour, exhibiting an attractive collection of furnishing designs – look out
design trends and explain how they are forecast. for the Hot Rider stool, which takes its design cues from an English saddle.
Leading international forecaster and managing director at Scarlet Opus, The variety of objects on show at INDEX hints at the ambition of the
Victoria Redshaw, who will be conducting a talk, believes that next year will design industry in the region – an ambition encapsulated by the event’s
be a turning point. “2011 will be a new beginning! At all market levels and director, Lu Buchanan.
product sectors, in all developed global regions we [will] begin to see a move “In addition to a more collaborative design network, we would like to see
towards authenticity and simplicity,” she says. Dubai grow into a design capital such as Paris and Milan where lots of design
“There is a greater yearning for meaning as consumers seek out emotional events would take place around INDEX,” she says.
connections with the products they surround themselves with. The trends for “This is not to say that Dubai wishes to compete with Paris or Milan, it has
2011 and 2012 we will be discussing in our seminars are full of wit, fantasy, a distinctively different flavour and is characterised by its Middle Eastern roots,
escapism, intelligence, colour and understated luxury.” but we would like to see Dubai firmly established as the design capital for the
Visitors will be able to view hints of these forward trends in the range of Middle East, just as Paris and Milan are design capitals for Europe. I believe that
frontier creations on show, some originating from countries such as Brazil INDEX has a major role to play in this and we are looking to leading the way in
and Japan. Toshiro Alloy will introduce Moonlight, hand cast, tin surface panels this development.”
October 2010 93
FORUM
WHERE EAST MEETS WEST the essence of skeletal tribal drums, which add a warm, settled touch that
is at the same time strikingly modern. There are also the crisp, oversized
The international design ethos of Jaya Pratomo Ibrahim is beautifully photographs of Italian antiquities, adding a whimsical, contemporary sense
reflected in the seamless way he has blended elements of Europe and Asia of place in a civilisation that dates back around two-and-a-half millennia.
at the Radisson Blu, Milan. Linking the Italian Renaissance with Asia at the The sumptuous limestone baths evoke Indonesian elegance in every room,
recently opened Radisson Blu Milan, Jaya Pratomo Ibrahim has created a but in the Executive Suites that comprise the fifth floor, a walk-in shower
blend of serenity and contemporary comfort. Bringing local elements into stretches three metres through a tropical rain shower to an illuminated art
the overall design made his universal aesthetic relevant to the Italian setting, niche at the far end, showcasing a replica of an ancient artefact.
though Ibrahim does not believe there should be any major differences Plush suede textured walls and dark woods frame views of the Duomo
between locations. Cathedral and Velasca Tower from the private terrace or through the large
“It is deciding what is important and what is not,” he says. “It’s about windows of the 150 square metre Penthouse Suite on the 10th floor, opening
what is to be in focus and what should be given a supporting role. To reflect up panoramic views of the city.
the culture of the country where the project is, to bring another culture to Like the hotel, the conference centre, with its own dedicated entrance,
where the project is: to marry two cultures. To cope with a project that has a subdued ambience created by the natural palette of colours and
wants to be old and contemporary at the same time. You have to find an contemporary interpretations of ancient urns and columns. Lighting designer,
approach to how to represent Asia in a country with a very strong identity Jonathan Thompson, has made it possible to transform the mood of the large
such as Italy.” conference space from a brightly lit workroom to a festival with an ever-
The Indonesian designer says this has nothing to do with style: “Style is changing light show, with up and down lights reflecting off shiny surfaces or
not important to me at all. It’s what you do with it.” In Milan, a signature bouncing off the ceiling to create an array of different effects. Proclaimed as
shade of brown with soothing hues of sand and beige spiked with dark one of the best new business hotels in the world by Fortune magazine, its
red and accented with wood, bronze and textured ceramics creates an location in the peaceful residential area of Bovisa, minutes from Milan’s two
atmosphere that when, as Ibrahim puts it, “people see it, they have this trade fairs as well as the city centre, offers a welcome respite from the hustle
feeling of being very familiar with it, but they cannot put their finger on how and bustle and adds to the serene qualities of the hotel.
or why.” The universal appeal that is Ibrahim’s trademark was also unveiled this
At the hotel, formerly the Chedi Milan, Ibrahim contributed further to summer at the new Aman Spa in London’s Connaught Hotel, which features
this aura of familiar comfort with small burnished bronze tables, evoking a 10-metre swimming pool, a rarity for hotels in the British capital.
FORUM
HIDDEN TREASURES
Hidden Art, a London-based organisation aimed at helping designers

transform their ideas into saleable products, unveiled its Select
collection at the London Design Festival held last month. Seven
designers bought an anthology of home products celebrating
British whimsy while maintaining sustainable processes. Featured
in the collection, The Balloon by Renata Manau of Biscuit Design is
a balloon-shaped nesting box for birds inspired by the traditional
stories of Winnie the Pooh (pictured).
WOTU WANT
Are you concerned about the impact your furniture has on

the environment? For a clean, green conscience alongside
classic design, try the Wotu Chair by Lamm. Created by
folding and gluing sheets of beech wood into robust tubes,
the chair is the ideal choice for eco-aware consumers.
Lamm, recognising a demand for “greener” products, is
committed to minimising its impact on the environment
through its “Use More Use Less” policy. This reduces the
waste of raw material and slashes the number of carbon
miles your average piece of furniture consumes. “There
is no intermediary transport – a tree goes into the factory
and comes out as a chair,” says designer Dante Bonuccelli.
Any leftover material is burnt to generate electricity, which,
along with photovoltaic panels, covers around 90 per cent
of the production requirements.
ELEGANT DESIGN
Classic Italian design studio Selva launched its sophisticated new Eleganza range
at the 2010 IMM show in Cologne.
The 32-piece, handcrafted collection includes a range of home furnishings,
from china cabinets to tables, sofas and benches, in what the makers
say reflects modern elegance, as the name suggests. The pieces feature
thoughtful details, such as delicate cross grains on the side pilasters and
visible walls behind shelves, along with technical expertise. Drawers close with
a whisper and china cabinets are illuminated with cutting edge LED lights which
automatically switch off in the event of overheating.
October 2010 97
FORUM
GOING, GOING…
Bonhams, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious

auction houses, is to hold its sixth auction in Dubai, this time
offering classic cars alongside vintage and limited edition
watches and modern and contemporary art. BMW will be
offering two cars from its museum reserve collection – the first
time that cars have become available from the official factory
collection. “Following the phenomenal success of our earlier
auctions in the Middle East, it has become apparent that the
region is ready for greater exposure to world-class art and
collectables,” says Matthew Girling, Bonhams’ chief executive
for Europe and the Middle East.
ISPY
Architecture fanatics can now carry a mine of design information with them wherever they go, thanks
to Buildings, a new app for the iPhone. Completely free to download from iTunes, the program contains
an encyclopaedia of architectural information, images and videos regarding 2,500 historic buildings
around the world, while clever GPS technology can guide you to buildings of interest. “Learning about
the architecture around me was frustrating at times – having to read snippets from guidebooks or
waiting until after the visit to find more in-depth information,” says Tom Mallory, editor-in-chief and
co-founder. “Buildings offers the information when and where you want it.” Architects and members
of the public are invited to upload their own pictures and videos to continue expanding the database,
and stimulate the interaction between people and architecture.
SWEDE DREAMS
Love it or loathe it, IKEA probably features in most of the homes you visit. September
saw the release of the 60th edition of its catalogue, which is astonishingly the most widely
distributed commercial publication in the world. One-hundred-and-ninety-eight-million
copies are printed in 28 languages and read by more than 400 million people. Reassuringly,
IKEA guarantees its prices will not increase for the full year’s validity of the catalogue.
October 2010 99
FORUM
SUHAIL JASHANMAL PHOTOGRAPHY: FAROOK SALIK
PAINT THE TOWN GREEN
It is a well-documented fact that the UAE is the world’s biggest

consumer of natural resources, ahead even of the United States,
yet public awareness of individual responsibilities remains low.
In an effort to counter this, local artist, Suhail Jashanmal, has
established Green Abu Dhabi 2010, a three-week art show focused
on educating the community about the environment and sustainability.
The show will be held at the Bateena Cultural Arts Centre and will
function as a “call to action” for local residents, whether that means
doing something as simple as switching off lights when not in use, or
mobilising larger scale clean-up events.
“As a local artist, I feel there is a dire need to stop polluting and
start coming together as a nation to help conserve the environment,”
Jashanmal says. “Abu Dhabi, and indeed the whole UAE, is an area of
great international focus. It is now time to use this spotlight to take
action in order to protect the country we live in.”
He hopes that Green Abu Dhabi will become an annual event,
working from grassroots to disseminate important environmental
messages to all levels in a language that is accessible to everyone,
regardless of their roots. Jashanmal adds, “I want to work with the local
community to really start making a difference. Green Abu Dhabi 2010
[will] celebrate the wealth of cultural and artistic talent in the UAE, and
show how important it is to protect the fundamental life force that has
nurtured this sort of talent.”
Exhibition dates: 15 October – 5 November

FASHION FEAST
The Empty Quarter gallery is running a vintage photography show

with fashion as the theme. The women of Arabia may be enigmatically
draped in abayas, but that has never stood in the way of their zeal for
haute couture.
Creative gallery director, Elie Domit, has collected together an
exhibition of images, original dresses and narratives, paying tribute to
the role that fashion has played in the Middle East over the past 50 years.
There are nods to Orientalism in the images taken by FC Gundlach,
whose memorable shots show models against distinctive Middle Eastern
backdrops, including the statue of Ramses in Egypt and Bedouin shepherds.
One of the most remarkable representations of a local love for fashion
is found in the telling of Parveen Shaath’s story. Saudi Arabia’s ultimate
fashionista from the 1950s to 1990s, she turned her talent for style into
a career long before the invention of fashion weeks, travelling across
the globe in search of the finest evening gowns for her clients. Some of
Shaath’s original, never-worn selections are on display here, beside a
photo narration by emerging photographer, Aya Atoui.
Exhibition dates: September 14 - October 17

FORUM
October 2010 103

INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW 2010
8 –11 NOVEMBER 2010, DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE
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FORUM
CAPITAL GAINS
As design projects go, you don’t get much bigger than

Brasilia. Planned and built from scratch in an unhabited
region of Brazil, the city replaced Rio de Janeiro as the
capital in 1960.
It now stands as a testament to the vision of urban
planners and the idealistic commission of former president,
Juscelino Kubitschek. Oscar Niemeyer, today one of
the world’s most famous architects, worked on the
project, combining straight and rounded shapes to create
innovative, graphic structures that remain today. Lucio
Costa, the renowned Brazilian urbanist, devised a layout
that fused beauty, simplicity and functionality.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Kubitschek’s audacious
undertaking, New York’s 1500 Gallery is showing an
exhibition named simply Brasilia. Curator and native
photographer, Murillo Meirelles, has compiled a collection
of vintage photographs that show the city in various stages
of planning, construction and inauguration between 1958
and 1960, including striking black and white images of
Niemeyer, workers cutting steel, and the Esplanade hotel
under construction.
Exhibition dates: September 9 – November 27
October 2010 105

FORUM
KNOT BAD
Introducing the limited edition Bottega Veneta

Stretch Knot handbag, the Dubai Knot, produced
to celebrate the opening of a new store in the
city. It is made of fuchsia lizard skin with corners
of antique sterling silver and just 25 numbered
editions will be available.
STONE ME
Middle Eastern décor specialist, Al Aqili, has added a new hard-flooring division to
its portfolio to cater for a new trend in flooring suitable for the local climate and
lifestyle. Stoneland is a new brand that will stand alongside the existing divisions
such as Carpetland, Curtainland, Officeland and Decoworld. It will offer a broad
range of hard flooring solutions, including marbles, ceramics, granite and mosaics
in a one-stop-shop. Although only available in the UAE at the moment, the firm
has plans to supply its brands across the GCC in the not-too-distant future.
CLEAN SWEEP
In the unglamorous world of toilet brushes Ballo stands out. Designed by Jozeph Forakis and produced by
Normann Copenhagen, the carefully balanced plastic brush wobbles back and forward in its stand, giving
it its name, meaning ‘to dance’. “Ballo is a funny but functional product,” says Forakis. “Like a good tool,
the design is born from first designing the behaviour without compromising the function.” It is available in
black, grey, blue and green, at a cost of Dhs265.

Award winning, contemporary kitchen collection
Order before 1st November 2010 and get your kitchen fitted in time for Christmas
plus get Free Kitchen Appliances worth AED 10,000!
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Dubai, UAE, P.O. Box 75931
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Info@underoneroof.ae
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FORUM
Design agenda
ANDREA BRANZI
Vienna Design Week, Vienna, Austria, October 1-10
Ideal Home 2010, Cork, Ireland, October 1-3
Casa Su Misura 2010, Padova, Italy, October 2-10
Saloni WorldWide 2010, Moscow, Russia, October 6-9
Interior Lifestyle China 2010, Shanghai, China,

October 13-November 16
Interieur 2010 Design Biennale, Belgium, October 15-24
High Point Market, North Carolina, United States, October 16-21
Manila F.A.M.E. International 2010, Manila, Philippines,

October 18-21
Furniture Salon 2010, Ekaterinburg, Russia, October 19-21
Larmovel Expo, Braga, Portugal, October 22-25
Orgatec, Cologne, Germany, October 26-30
Ish Kitchen + Bath, Dubai, UAE, October 31-November 2
Light Middle East, Dubai, UAE, October 31-November 2
Index Interior Design Show, Dubai, UAE, November 8-11
Interlight Moscow, Moscow, Russia, November 9-12
International Furniture & Décor Expo, Doha, Qatar,

November 10-13
Equip’Hotel Paris, Paris, France, November 14-18
THE ITALIAN JOB

international tenders. At the same time, the organisation offers support to
The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) is promoting its international businesses looking to develop relationships with their Italian counterparts.
contract chain through a new web portal. Contractitaliano.it showcases As the agency charged by Italy’s government with promoting trade,
the best in Italian design – both planned and realised – and connects business opportunities and industrial co-operation abroad, the website is
buyers with suppliers of high-quality Italian products across the design, designed as a chance for ICE to boost trade. “The website will promote
furnishing, construction and media industries. business and business relationships between Italy and other countries,”
A dedicated ‘collaboration’ section allows Italian and foreign users to run Alfonsi says. “It will also enforce the knowledge and competencies of Italian
tenders or develop partnerships for more elaborate projects. Requests companies abroad in the international contracting market.”
made through the site are verified by ICE before being made available to To raise awareness of the new service, ICE will be hosting a networking
the public domain of professionals and suppliers. event at the Armani Hotel in Dubai on 28 November. Guests will be invited
Francesco Alfonsi, the Italian Trade Commissioner to Dubai, says he to attend a seminar during which a group of Italian companies with extensive
hopes the website will highlight the professionalism of Italian companies experience in contract working will share their knowledge before being
and excellence of their products, enhancing their competitiveness in introduced to the main local contacts in the UAE.

“C OM IN G H OM E”
HANDWO VEN O UTDOOR FURNITURE CREAT ED WITH WEATHER-RESISTANT D EDON FIB ER
www.dedon.de/treehouse
Nakkash Gallery · Al Garhoud Street · P.O. Box 26767 · Dubai-UAE

Tel: 00971 4 2826767 · Fax: 00971 4 2827567
nakkashg@emirates.net.ae · www.nakkashgallery.com
'('21B0DQ&DQGOHB,GHQWLW\B[LQGG
ANTENNAE
Zaha Hadid’s spectacular national museum of 21st century art in Rome, plans for a major science
centre in Calgary and an important new transport hub in London make this month’s architectural headlines.
TEXT: STEVE HILL
4
2
6 5
2. CALGARY
3. EGYPT
1. BRISBANE SCIENCE PROJECT
WORK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN
PUBLIC ART Construction work is underway on Canada’s first
purpose-built science centre in more than 25 Design firm WATG is producing the detailed
Urban Art Projects is collaborating with American years. The 14,200 square metre TELUS World master plan for the Sahl Hasheesh International
artist, Ned Kahn, and the Brisbane Airport of Science, due to be completed next year, Resort Community – Phase III, a large mixed-
Corporation to convert the city’s new domestic will feature cutting-edge technologies related use development on the Red Sea. The project
public art project. Kahn’s concept for one to learning and presentation as well as building covers more than 4,000 hectares and comprises
side of the car park will appear to ripple and sustainability. Designed by lead architects Cohos civic centres, a university, schools, a business
move due to the wind passing behind 250,000 Evamy, the Dhs550 million centre will meet park, apartments, branded villas and other resort
aluminium panels. Inside, intricate patterns of LEED Gold criteria. Rain water from the roof components. It is expected to be the largest such
light and shadow will be projected onto the walls will be collected and reused to flush toilets while development in the world. Water will support
and floor as sunlight passes through the kinetic storm waters will also be captured in a pond. and embrace a range of landscapes, reinforcing
façade. In addition to revealing the ever-changing Plumbing was installed in the main floor before the distinct story of each civilisation that has made
patterns of the wind, the artwork has many concrete was poured as radiant heat is more its mark on Egypt over the centuries. WATG has
environmental benefits by providing ventilation efficient, while an Energy Star roof is reflective been involved with the project since 2008 and
and shade for the interior of the car park. and insulated. also designed Phase II.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROLAND HALBE
5. ROME
SPECTACULAR STRUCTURE
Maxxi, the national museum of 21st century art

designed by Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid,
has been described as “the most significant
new building for decades” in the eternal city
4. LONDON by critics who have been virtually unanimous
in their praise of this spectacular structure.
ON TRACK The complexity of the volumes, curving walls,
variations and intersections of levels determine
Whitechapel Station will become an important transport hub connecting the new London Crossrail line a rich spatial and functional configuration.
with the existing underground network, as well as the new London Overground line when construction Multiple environments coexist in a sequence of
work is completed in 2017. An improved design for the station, by architects BDP, was recently unveiled, galleries illuminated with natural light filtered via
incorporating natural light and enhancing the historic features of the old station. The new plans also a special roof system. The large full height atrium
include a spectacular walkway. Crossrail will run 118km from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west houses the reception services and leads into the
through new twin-bore 21km tunnels under central London to Abbey Wood in the east. Tunnelling work auditorium and galleries which are set to house
is due to begin next year. permanent collections and exhibitions.
PHOTOGRAPHY: FOREIGN OFFICE ARCHITECTS &
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CLEVELAND
6. CLEVELAND 8. SINGAPORE
7. STOCKHOLM
CONTEMPORARY COOL PREMIUM SERVICE
TRIPLE X
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Ministry of Design has created a unique look
anticipates that it will break ground on its new Construction is due to begin next year on 3XN’s for Face to Face, the latest premium boutique
Dhs96 million home later this year. The 3,150 competition-winning design for a new structure serviced offices in Singapore. Operated by
square metre, four-storey structure is Foreign that will mark the entrance to Vällingby Parkstad apbcOffices, this eight-storey building, located
Office Architects’ first major US building and in the Swedish capital. The adopted proposal between the high-density areas of Raffles City
its first museum. Viewed from the exterior, creates a contrast with the traditional and more and Raffles Place, sets new standards in a market
the building will appear as an inventive massing angular buildings surrounding the site and, typically dominated by grey office furniture and
of six geometric facets, some flat, others according to 3XN, will add human values and partitions. The traditional reception counter
sloping at various angles, coming together to scale to the area. The 14-floor building’s curved has become a 10m sculptural bar that can act
create a powerful abstract form. MOCA is a design features lively, shaped balconies that open as a meeting or play table as well as serving as
non-collecting institution and therefore needs up the structure towards its surroundings. The a magnet for interaction. And there is also the
maximum flexibility; hence the main gallery has dense city structure at the base adds activity at potential for ‘seasonal transformation’ of the main
been sited at the top of the building, which it is eye level and life thrives on active roof tops and public spaces by providing a full-length graphic
hoped will receive LEED silver accreditation. flowering balconies. wall and dramatic lighting.
October 2010 111

BOOKS
This month’s titles offer tips on how to stylishly decorate your home and illustrate the much-changed
landscape of Dubai.
PURE STYLE CROSSING BOUNDARIES DUBAI 1962 ESSENCE OF HOME

JANE CUMBERBATCH VINCENTE WOLF KAWASHIMA, SHIMBUN LIESL GEIGER
RYLAND, PETERS & SMALL THE MONTACELLI PRESS MOTIVATE PUBLISHING THE MONTACELLI PRESS
DHS107 DHS184 DHS145 DHS145
Jane Cumberbatch is the champion “Good design knows no boundaries,” To see just how far Dubai has come If you are thinking of building your
of crisp and practical interiors, a style begins Wolf in this book, and nor, in the past 50 years, take a peek at own house, read this first. Liesl Geiger
that has been incorporated by British it seems, does he. Although a this collection of images. Japanese is an experienced architect who has
interior stalwarts Habitat, Marks & prominent designer and stylist, the photographer, Yoshio Kawashima, worked with a broad range of clients
Spencer and Laura Ashley, among author is also a talented photographer visited the city for just one week in during her career, tailoring designs
others. Here, together with her and avid traveller, making a point 1962 and the photographic legacy to specific preferences and lifestyles.
talented photographer, Henry of taking at least one extended of those few days offers a fascinating Here she brings together many of the
Bourne, she lays out the ground trip from his New York home to a insight into daily life in the Dubai of lessons that she has learned about
rules that will allow even the most far-flung corner of the world each old. Lost in an archive for several the unique and sometimes testing
novice hobby-decorator to put a year. In this book he unites his decades, the valuable photos were relationship between professionals
coherent scheme together. Starting artistic talents with some globally recently rediscovered and presented and homebuilders to offer seven
with colour, Cumberbatch moves sourced inspiration to form a stylishly to the UAE's delighted leaders. themes on which to meditate before
through texture, scent, taste, presented and engaging book Although many of the same customs calling the professionals. Articulating
fabric, furniture and objects in turn, peppered with interesting tales from and sites remain, it couldn’t be more what you want can be as difficult,
explaining the fundamentals of each his travels. There are snapshots from different nowadays. If you have visited Geiger says, as describing the feelings
before demonstrating insider tips and tours around Ethiopia, Madagascar, Dubai Creek and the heritage area, evoked by a piece of art, but it is
simple, inspirational ideas for whole Myanmar, Borneo and Syria sitting marvelling at how quaint the old the very foundation of a successful
spaces. Interior advice and inspiration alongside subtle and enviable interior houses were, you might be surprised project. She sagely suggests that
is interspersed with instructions on schemes. Colour and texture are to see that in 1962, fishermen were prospective homeowners consider
what to eat if you want the most thoughtfully incorporated as well as still living in a field of barasti houses their personal inspiration, site, style
uncluttered kitchen, preserve recipes trinkets from along the way. Ever creekside. Longstanding Dubai preferences and individual lifestyle
and instructions on basic home wondered how to do justice to your residents will tell you how the when developing their design and
decorating projects but, while a souvenirs and travel shots when you World Trade Centre was once offers a range of images from 50
curious addition, these add a homely, get home? Look no further – Wolf’s the tallest building in Dubai and inspiring homes across North America
relevant dimension. The critical passion for design, photography and the boundary of the city – see for to whet your appetite. Geiger is at
will – and do – say that it’s travel make him the perfect tutor. If yourself. You can also glimpse a pains to emphasise that it is not
image-heavy and content-light, but you can't look at a world map without relaxed Sheikh Rashid in his majilis, a set of rules, but as a blueprint
it’s certainly a beautiful coffee getting itchy feet, this book offers the holding audiences with his people. for a blueprint, it is an excellent
table book and offers some solid, perfect way to channel your energies This is a great retrospective on starting point. ID
inexpensive ideas. until the next trip. Dubai’s rich heritage. BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM MAJOR UAE BOOKSTORES

Inspirations
October 2010 113

ICON
Tavolo con Ruote

TEXT: STEVE HILL
Gae Aulenti is perhaps best known for overseeing the conversion of wheels. Her table consists of a floating glass top 15 millimetres thick and
the Gare d’Orsay into the Musée d’Orsay, which houses a world-renowned four industrial-type wheels supporting the top via four varnished black bolts,
collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces. which have deliberately been left visible.
But the Italian architect, who celebrates her 73rd birthday in December, The striking final result was an instant success, celebrated for its restrained
earned a special place in the pantheon of industrial designers with her Tavolo elegance, minimalism and clear, uncluttered lines. It soon achieved critical
Con Ruote table, which was first unveiled 30 years ago. praise by being housed in the permanent collection of the Museum of
Aulenti, a member of ADI (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale), holds Modern Art in New York as well as at the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
the post-war Italian belief of adopting a unified approach to design – an Aulenti has been a prolific designer of furniture and lighting, and has also
attitude that is demonstrated by the way in which she was inspired to design created showrooms for Knoll and Olivetti, as well as sets for La Scala opera
her classic table. house in Milan. However, Tavolo Con Ruote has proved to be enduringly
The concept had its origins in the way glass was handled by a Corsican popular and its 30th anniversary is being celebrated with a limited edition
company, where glass sheets were laid on wooden surfaces supported by of 400 numbered pieces, all signed by Aulenti. ID

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Home Furnishings. Housewares. Accessories.

24 Designs from Paris 60 A Moorish majlis

28 Community spirit 66 LOCAL authority

Selva Middle East L.L.C.

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT 35 Ray of light

GENERAL MANAGER – GROUP SALES

GENERAL MANAGER – ABU DHABI

Head Office: PO Box 2331,

Website: motivatepublishing.ae IDENTITY NEXT ISSUE NOVEMBER 2010

Group Editor Catherine Belbin.

Breath of fresh air

Silver screen glamour

First class service

Viva Las Vegas

HMC Architects’ Frontier Project in Cucamonga, southern California, is a 1,300

Clockwise from above: Greenway Self-Park in Chicago;

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ON TRACK “I am dedicated to producing innovative limited edition clothing for a

“We are all becoming increasingly aware of the

“Highly polished surfaces

Tom Dixon’s Void lights.

Fora outdoor lamp from Bover.

Moooi’s Brave New World lamp.

“We see the development

Bloom lamp by Ferruccio Laviani for Kartell.

“Welcome to the dawn of a

Geisha outdoor lamp by Christy Manguerra for Hive.

Left to right: Bellaflor, designed by Beppe Benenti for B.Lux; Wonderlamp

Scantling lamp by Mathias Hahn for Marset.

Moroccan is probably the most distinctive, best known and popular of

“Important features in every room

Steps lead up to a tiled bathtub

During Milan’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile, tucked away in a

Visit us! Visit us!

One of the One of the

Respectable but risqué

Scarlet table top in the billiards room at Switch.

SWITCHED ON STICKING TOGETHER

It’s all heading south up north. House prices may

In 1944, furniture manufacturer Emeco designed an aluminium chair for the

If you like to squeeze exercise into your working day

Acclaimed American sculptor and designer, Richard Frinier, has announced

Contrary to immediate appearances, this is not just a

best in new fixtures and fittings.

Hidden Art, a London-based organisation aimed at helping designers

Are you concerned about the impact your furniture has on

Bonhams, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious

SUHAIL JASHANMAL PHOTOGRAPHY: FAROOK SALIK

PAINT THE TOWN GREEN

It is a well-documented fact that the UAE is the world’s biggest

Exhibition dates: 15 October – 5 November

100 identity [interior/design/property]

The Empty Quarter gallery is running a vintage photography show

Exhibition dates: September 14 - October 17

102 identity [interior/design/property]

October 2010 103

8 –11 NOVEMBER 2010, DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE

8–11 NOVEMBER 2010

REGISTER ONLINE TODAY AT

International Exhibitors - Innovation - Top Brands -

ALL YOUR DESIGN NEEDS IN ONE PLACE OVER

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