DELUSION HOUSE of DECO www.delusionmag.com
Armani Hotel Dubai
Rooms designed by Giorgio Armani
Industrial Bedroom with Divine Detail
Bonsai In Interior Settings Via Poetic Home
NOVEMBER 2012,ISSUE 11
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FAVOURITE INTERIOR DESIGN
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HOTELS BATHROOMS
Armani Hotel Dubai
Unique Bathroom Design
Grace Santorini Hotel Amankora Resort & Spa
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INTERIOR
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KITCHENS Hakkasan Nobu-Dubai
Mirdif City Center
Beautiful Home Interior
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CONCEPT Top To Toe Ceramic Tiles Unusual Wall Art Ideas
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ROOMS Villa Moda Atlantis
Living Modern Industrial Bedroom
DECORATIONS Terrific Terrariums & Tiny Cacti Cool Wall Decals Bonsai In Interior Settings
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DELUSION INTERIOR DESIGN
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THE INSPIRATION Back in October 2012, author and interior designer, Syahmi Bostaman, founded Delusion House Of Deco with his friend Nabil Daniel & Hazwan to help people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy. As one of the most popular and influential design blogs in the country, Delusion House Of Deco speaks to a wide, enthusiastic audience because of its inherent belief that “simplicity and luxury are not mutually exclusive.” Come here to find interior design inspiration from real homes in major metropolitan cities and everywhere in between. At Delusion House Of Deco, we are in the privileged position of seeing, experiencing and writingabout some of the most inspired interiors in the Middle East. From fancy hotel lobbies and atmospheric restaurants to Living rooms and Creative ideas from designer, we see, on a daily basis, how spaces can impact experience and existences. It is a remarkable experience, watching your projects unfold, seeing how an under-nourished brief becomes an inspired sketch before evolving into a rendering and then magically morphing into a fully-fledged interior. It is a complex, painstaking, often frustrating process that is catalysed by your creative passion and stubborn determination. The Delusion House Of Deco is a tribute to that passion, and a celebration of your achievements. We’ve tried to include projects from around the region to ensure that this is a true showcase of Middle Eastern design. It’s also important to note that the projects are presented in no particular order. Projects have been selected for a multitude of reasons. In many cases we were struck by the originality of the design scheme, in others we were impressed by the designer’s efforts to address sustainability, in some instances we were awed by the designer’s ability to overcome significant challenges.We hope you enjoy the selection, nonetheless. Receive Delusion
House Of Deco every month.
Nabil Danial Designer
Syahmi Bostaman Managing Direc-
Hazwan Sahib Editor
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Armani Hotel Dubai Rooms designed by Giorgio Armani
nside Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, lives a luxuriously new and often dark world called the Armani Hotel Dubai. Elegant and understated only begin to describe this moody 11 story hotel where the exclusive Club members share access to the Armani restaurants, Spa, lounges and a Nightclub. Luckily, everyone has equal rights to the hotel’s own Georgio Armani retail store – they wouldn’t want to deprive you from that! The residences were designed by Armani
himself and the hotel architecture was designed by Wilson Associates. A clever job was done of reflecting the Tower’s spiraling form, which explains the soft cut corners and oddly cool spaces in some parts. Armani Hotel Dubai welcomes you to a place where every element embodies the Armani lifestyle and design philosophies and promises to take care of the guests’ every need and desire.
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Grace Santorini Hotel Designed by Divercity and mplusm Architects
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race Santorini is open seasonally, April through October, and does not allow children under the age of 14. A three night minimum is also required. When it comes to architecture and interior design, there was only ever a hair’s breadth between the Cycladic tradition and the modern minimalist boutique hotel. Both revel in absence of ornament, in geometric lines and vast expanses of white. And in Grace Santorini the two idioms are brought seamlessly together. It’s near colorless, crisp-edged, clean-lined and packed
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with modernist furniture, and yet still it looks perfectly at home. And like any good Santorini hotel, Grace knows when to get out of the way and let you enjoy the view. Most every hotel on the island is high up a cliffside, but Grace is high; the hotel cascades down a steep terraced hillside, and don’t tell the beach hotels, but the sea looks better from up here anyway. The view is, of course, the main attraction, and the infinity pool is nothing short of sublime.The hotel is happy to arrange seafaring or tours of island.
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Amankora Resorts & Spa 270 Asia Pacific’s Best Hotels 2010
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he richness of life is found in the still simplicity surrounding the remarkably unscathed geophysical and biological existence in Bhutan today. Due to a sincere Buddhist belief, adhered to since the 7th century, the co-existence of nature and nurture has resulted in a unique eco-system and a thriving mosaic of different peoples all linked by a common belief system that regards all life forms
sympathetically balanced to their environment, in order to discover and comprehend the extraordinary wonders above and beneath this treasured land. The lodges are created to provide a circular pilgrimage in Bhutan’s breathtakingly spectacular central and western valleys. Most journeys start at Amankora Paro or Amankora Thimphu. The lodge in Paro is as sacred. This prevailing ethos washes the staggeringly beautiful undulating valleys, plains, deep gorges, and mountainous landscape with a force of supreme greatness; that of genuine harmony and environmental compatibility. To this astonishing effect, Amankora has created a series of lodges, all creatively unique and
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nestled among glistening conifers in a 24-suite pine forest retreat. Amankora Thimphu, raised up in a blue-pine forest of the Motithang area, sits close to the capital’s intriguing sights and traditional shops. Amankora Punakha is set in sparkling verdancy east of the Dochu La Pass and just north of the resplendent Punakha Dzong. offers magical views across the bird-strewn
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Hakkasan Designed by Christian Liagre
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t’s dark, it’s noisy & it’s expensive’, but this overtly sexy, A-list haunt continues to lure fashion seekers, high rollers & the occasional oligarch. The attraction is a throbbing subterranean space divided by ornate fretwork, with moody illumination & spotlights over each table. Cantonese cooking with a luxurious, Michelinstarred edge is the kitchen’s
remit, & Hakkasan scores heavily with its top-end dim sum – although that’s just the start. Order from the carte & you can expect a procession of ‘phenomenal’ dishes running from a ‘glorious’ crispy lamb salad interleaved with slivers of melon to delicately steamed king-crab legs with spicy yellow bean sauce or
braised pork belly in plum sauce infused with kumquats (‘a triumph’). The Singapore noodles are ‘utterly fabulous’, & there are always plenty of takers for glamorous cocktails in the slinky bar. The bill might ‘make you screech’ & the two-hour limit on tables is rigorously observed, but Hakkasan remains an enduringly hot ticket.
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05. Nobu-Dubai Concepts by Rockwell Group
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obu Dubai was an evolution of many of the concepts Rockwell Group developed for the flagship Nobu Fifty Seven in New York, such as the emphasis on craftsmanship, natural materials and storytelling. The textures and materials in this particular location were chosen to reflect the finely crafted cuisine and Nobu’s roots in the Japanese countryside, while also celebrating the Dubai beachfront context. David Rockwell, Founder and CEO of Rockwell Group, explained: “The context, landscape and history of
this new restaurant brought about all sorts of new and exciting challenges. We had to think about its location not only in the Middle East, but also in Dubai as the epicenter of an ever-growing and flourishing environment for building, not to mention being more specifically in the larger-than-life Atlantis resort on Palm Jumeirah.” To anchor the restaurant in its location, Rockwell Group surrounded the restaurant walls and ceilings with large hand-woven curvilinear abaca panels.
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Mirdif City Center City of Gold
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trategically located between the Dubai International Airport and the Mirdif residential district, Mirdif City Centre is a reflection of Dubai’s position as an international retail destination and commitment to sustainability. The 230,000 sq m centre’s design is driven by its surrounding environmental factors including infrastructure and transportation systems, and water and energy sources. Mirdif’s interior ‘Desert Villa’ concept is designed as a collection of enclosed and semi-enclosed spaces connected by a series of
streets and passages. The centre combines traditional retail, dining, cinema and other leisure components within a two-level retail space that accommodates 430 retail outlets, including eight anchor stores, and a three-level car park with capacity for 7,000 cars. Mirdif opened with an occupancy rate of 85% and a 95% lease rate on its first day. The centre attracted more than 76,000 visitors on the first day and reached one million customers within three weeks of opening.
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Villa Moda Atlantis Design by Marcel Wanders
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illa Moda is a multibrand luxury fashion store founded by Sheikh Majed, one of the driving forces behind fashion in the Middle East. For the interior design of Villa Moda, Marcel Wanders found inspiration in the traditional souk, creating a melting pot of cultures full of surprising details: “The souk is the ultimate marketplace, a concentration of innovation and tradition, diversity and intimacy. Lose yourself in labyrinth passages and find yourself anew. We designed Villa Moda Bahrain as an international Babel of fashion, in order to share instead of divide. Meet the people of the own streets; shake hands and learn each other’s
language.” The prestigious Condé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards 2009 short listed Marcel Wanders for the interior design of the Villa Moda store in Bahrain in the Retail category. Situated in a prime central location with views over the sea, the store sits alongside luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Fendi. Villa Moda Bahrain is a cutting edge mix of innovative luxury brands which have little or no representation in the Middle East, such as Anya Hindmarch, Martin Margiela, Ossie Clark, rue du Mail, Nina Ricci, Christopher Kane, Comme des Garçons and Junya Watanabe.
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08. Living Modern
Nature tones & Colour Blast Pull out those paintbrushes and prepare to transform your living space with inspiration from this set of cool, modern living rooms
By Franky Winata Contemporary design sheds its edge with this curvaceous furniture set, the stone colored organic forms sit right at home in front of the wild garden beyond.
By Rusu Ruslan The nature colors in this living room scheme continue into the adjoining kitchen space, which take the natural scheme one step further with the addition of a printed backsplash depicting a serene pebble snapshot.
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09. Industrial Bedroom with Divine Detail
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elve into the detail of these two rather unique bedroom designs, the first by Blalank Studio and the second from 3D artist Ramon Zancanaro, each decorated in industrial style chic. Look closely to find an array of ideas to add character and whimsy to a blank canvas of space. The first combats the coldness of gray concrete walls
by incorporating the organic shapes and tones of driftwood into the scheme. The ragged edged wooden pieces are fashioned into a desk with an overhead shelf, which compliment the rustic wooden headboard, heavy door and two-toned storage unit. The charcoal gray walls are lifted by the presence of a bright white ceiling, and a large cream area
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rug sprawling from beneath the end of the bed, and the vintage style chest at it’s foot. The next space is packed with collections and unusual finds, from studio style lighting rigs to a menagerie of empty and distressed picture frames, stacked curiously over multiple surfaces. A mustard-toned soft leather bed takes
center stage, picked out by a circular Persian rug, A vintage suitcase forms an extension of a bedside table on which to seat a small library of bedtime reading books. A metal coat rack ties in with the industrial look, but brings with it a curvaceous silhouette.
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10. Unique Bathroom Design by Daymon Studio and Semsa Bilge
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ooking to add modernity, a touch of color and quirkiness to your bathroom? Perhaps you should take some cues from Polish designers Daymon Studio and Turkish designer, Semsa Bilge. Semsa Bilge’s bathroom designs incorporate vibrant color and graphic prints that seem to jump off the walls. The color combinations in this bathroom are striking, particularly the graphic prints that line the walls and the wonderful purple sink. Perhaps my favorite out of the whole bunch, Bilge incorporates Japanese Edo artist Hokusai’s famous woodblock print of “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” on the wall of this edgy bathroom. She maintains the same woodblock print look by using tiny, square tiles and keeps the rest of the bathroom in the same theme by lining all of the walls with the same tiles in
blue and black and engraving waves along the edge of the tub. Daymon created this 3D-design as a concept for a smaller bathroom. Lovely large, beige tiles line the walls and smaller, square brown ones encase the rectangular tub. A simple mirror hangs on the wall and a wood sink offers a natural touch. Pops of color in the towel, vase, and floor mat add a cheerful vibe to the small space. Here they create a bathroom in which one wall and the floor are covered in brown tiles, while the other wall and ceiling are simply cream-colored. Daymon Studio likes to create colorful, clean designs. This choice makes the room exciting by breaking traditional design rules, while also compromising two different tastes, which as a result, makes the space equally luxurious and comfortable.
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11. Beautiful Home Interior rendered by Dmitry Kobtsev
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esigner Dmitry Kobtsev seems to have a penchant for blending elegant modernity with retro glamor. In his renderings of the following living space, Kobtsev creates a retro-futuristic feel that brings back recollections of The Jetsons pad with light hardwood floors, brown and beige furniture, and a touch of modernity with a silver entertainment stand and silver star-burst chandelier. The curvy legs of the swivel chairs at the brown bar of the open kitchen add quirkiness as the recess lighting adds a hint of luxury.
The same example is illustrated in other renderings, such as this one of a luxurious house, with white marble floors, dark brown wood paneling on the walls and ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and retro-futuristic brown and white furniture. Perhaps another recurring theme with Kobtsev’s designs are his striking use of two or three contrasting hues. Here, Kobtsev renders a both modern and classically designed hall that exudes comfort and luxury with sleek black and silver furnishings, shiny white tiled floors, and spurts of purple here and there.
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12. Top to Toe Ceramic Tiles tile designs, from Italy’s FapCeramiche
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his stylish range of fresh ceramic tile designs, from Italy’s FapCeramiche, splashes new vigor and joie de vivre in our homes. Ceramic tiles aren’t just for the kitchen floor or the bathroom walls, tiles are en vogue throughout living and dining areas, hallways and even bedrooms. The benefits of cool tiling have long been recognized by those who live in especially warm climates, but have long been seen as a rather cold option for inhabitants of chillier shores, though with the developments made in toasty underfloor-heating options, the hard wearing finish should no longer pose a problem
for cold toes. Beautiful ceramic floors and wall coverings like these work in any kind of space, big or small, and bring huge benefits in hygiene as well as stunning style; the beautiful sheen and luster that makes this décor choice so appealing is also what makes it fully washable. Modern collections like this offer wallpaperlike patterns to create a chic yet cozy atmosphere when used across a vertical expanse, whilst decorative floor tiles can bring all of the interest that a rug brings to a room, whilst allowing the entire floor to be cleaned without the need to move–or trip on–a mat.
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13. Unusual Wall Art Ideas Via Armen Gevorkya
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dd wow factor to your plain walls with these set of tips on creating unusual wall art ideas and altogether unconventional ways to fill up your blank spaces. Forget the patent wars with Apple, Samsung’s test lab uses some of these drawings as cool art murals, both interesting to look at and fitting with the theme of their surroundings. This pop art wall feature is perfect for comic book fans; why not blow up a favorite super hero or villain scene as a
backdrop to your room? There are companies that will blow up the size of any image to create a wall covering for you, or if you are arty you could hire a projector to shine your outline onto the wall so that you can draw around it and then simply paint in the gaps. This colorful little gem appears to be made from old paint cans; an excellent way in which to recycle whilst forming something fabulous. Make the wall art as a medium to show fellings.
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14. Terrific Terrariums & Tiny Cacti stroll through the West Elm website
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e were just taking a casual stroll through the West Elm website when we stumbled across these beautiful terrariums that got our green fingers itching like they haven’t itched since we discovered Nature Aquariums and Aquascaping Inspiration. These little beauties are perfect for those of us who don’t have the luxury of a large garden to tend to, or for those of us who just love to bring the outdoors inside. Try combining your mini plant life with your other houseplants for an interesting play on scale. Even the earth itself forms part of the design of a glass terrarium, and a layered look can be created with different colors. Dinky plant arrangements in
shiny glass vessels have a cute sort of magic about them, like part of the earth has been shrunken down especially to fit neatly on your shelf. Terrariums come in all shapes and sizes, and they look great when grouped together in abundance. Hanging terrariums are amazing space savers, and we love the way they catch the light too. Try hanging a sequence of different vessels over a desk or dining table, or in front of a window for an extraordinary focal feature. The simplest arrangements can be packed with interest too, like this selection of mini cacti, along with a few succulents thrown in to balance out the prickles. Go green to save our nature.
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15. Cool Wall Decals from Walltat
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rt is, undoubtedly the best form of creative expression! It is a medium through which feelings are personalized with colors, emotions and expressions. It may not be the ideal form of expression for everyone, but with the digital age upon us, horizons can only expand. Walltat is a company that designs awesome wall decals. They have a wide range of art work
on display, some of which are posted here. Customized wall decals for the child’s room, your bedroom, the living room and even the kitchen are available. Straying from the usual, the company indulges in figures and other forms of abstract art. Varied colors and sizes are available, so you can choose the perfect match for your house and wall.
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16. Bonsai In Interior Settings Via Poetic Home
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dding a plant is a great way to lift a room scheme, but if you are looking for something just a little bit different, then why not try a Bonsai tree? Bonsai can bring an air of calm and class to many interior design schemes, and can provide a relaxing hobby too as you carefully trim the miniature branches
to resemble the outstretched silhouette of its larger cousins. A singular bonsai commands attention and looks great in a minimalist space like this contemporary bathroom. Be sure to keep them out of reach if your have children or pets in the home though, your precious plant will be ruined by hand or toxic.
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“Interior design is the ability to transform an ordinary space into a beautiful, well-designed and functional environment�