The new modern

Presented during the last edition of Dubai Design Week, ‘Saudade’ is an experiential installation reflecting a feeling of nostalgia, created by regional design studio Styled Habitat

Previous page: Chair by &tradition, coffee table by Norm Architects for Menu, candle holder by Colin King for Menu, rug by The Rug Company. Curtain and bench upholestry by Dedar. This page, from top left: Wallpaper by Dedar, chair by & Tradition, trolley and table by Gubi, flooring by KAHRS by Nordic Homeworx; sofa by & Tradition, chair by Gubi; fabric by Dedar, light by Viabizzuno, wall finish by Jotun The 2022 edition of Dubai Design Week marked a new milestone for Styled Habitat, which was founded in 2016 and specialises in residential, commercial, hospitality and creative projects. It was the first time the Dubai-based design studio presented an installation: an ‘apartment’ that saw its studio converted into a series of vignettelike rooms.

Titled ‘Saudade’, this warm and emotional interior space gave visitors the opportunity to discover Styled Habitat’s approach, which is based on contemporary style combined with cultured elements that pay tribute to a ‘multi-ethnic environment’.

The concept consisted in “depicting a timeline of someone’s life, a person that inhabited a space over [a] course of years,” explains Rabah Saeid, founder of Styled Habitat and creative director of ‘Saudade’. “Each element, whether textile, wallpaper or even paint finish, truly speaks to the influence of design during different periods. The interior is also testament to the quality and good craftsmanship of selected items that would weather the passing of time.”

With the objective to create “an experiential journey by intuitively tapping into the senses in reminiscence of life evolving with time,” as Saeid describes, the installation nurtured a sense of nostalgia for home. Every nook is adorned with pieces by Danish brands Gubi and &Tradition, which were sourced by Ikonhouse, wall coverings and textiles by Dedar, rugs by The Rug Company at The Odd Piece, as well as artworks provided by The Fine Art Group.

“Although challenging our audience with the perception of mixing colours and matching textures, we also wanted them to connect to recognisable classical elements as a backdrop to the new modern,” Saeid shares.

Offering a glimpse into an imagined life, the founder of Styled Habitat showcased the different objects as if they were placed in a real home, looking to provoke viewers’ memories and reflect the nuances of the regional lifestyle in her own way.

“Not to neglect the context in which this installation is taking place – [especially] considering the clientele we’ve worked with over the years and witnessing the shift in narrative away from what is perceived as ‘local traditional aesthetics’ – we wanted to represent the more modern demographic that is authentically after contemplative interiors, reflecting refined spaces and a lifestyle that speaks to a well-travelled and design-savvy consumer,” she concludes.

Elemental design

From globally renowned brands to emerging talents, this year’s Downtown Design showcased design in all its forms: from breathable 3D-printed cacti to exaggerated leather forms and psychedelic rugs. Here, identity shares some of the highlights from the fair in Dubai

WORDS BY AIDAN IMANOVA

Frozen moments Intersekt is the latest collection by The Line Concept that takes inspiration from intersections seen in nature and natural processes by merging tones and materials. It features pieces in stark mirrored chrome and marble such as the Ore table and Pluto chair, contrasted by the stone shapes in solid wood of the Mahalo table, a modern and abstracted ode to Polynesian surf culture. Boucle fabrics and finely executed marquetry further highlight The Line Concept’s long-standing level of craftmanship.

Flexibility first

Designed for material library Colab and manufactured by Kidzink, STAK by Rock Galpin Studio is a multi-functional table and break-out seating concept, made primarily from sustainable, locally available and discarded materials, that responds to the challenge of multi-functional spaces with no storage space. STAK is able to meet the challenge by morphing from a high table to a low table with two or three poufs. According to Galpin, the soft natural form of the poufs is deliberately designed to be welcoming and playful, making the act of moving and stacking, fun. It is also lightweight and mobile with the poufs created using off-cut and end-of-roll fabrics for the upholstery – all provided by Kvadrat. Additionally, the interchangeable tabletops explore exciting low environmental impact materials originating from date seeds, refrigerators, T-shirts, TVs, keyboards and small domestic appliances, while the table frame is largely made from low-environmental impact aluminium construction materials.

Beyond nature

Set across its gallery space and Downtown Design, Collectional – Dubai’s first permanent collectible design gallery – revealed its latest exhibition, titled ‘Beyond Nature’, that explored the ways in which nature has long served as inspiration for countless creations. Exploring the four elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire, it featured exclusive commissions from international names including denHolm, Duffy London, Jan Ernst, Laurids Gallée and Mark Mitchell, as well as debuting its collaboration with designers in the region such as Kameh, Nader Gammas and George Geara. For example, Laurid Gallée’s Empyrean suspended light is inspired by the celestial place of the same name that is occupied by fire. The warm glow of the ceiling light pays homage to this antiquated concept, featuring thick resin blocks that are translucent, allowing the forms of the LED strips to emanate from within.

The art of making

Designed as part of the final project for his MA in Furniture design at Central Saint Martins, London, Nareg Krikorian’s ‘Gaar’ collection reflects his “obsession with the minute details of leather craftsmanship”. Hailing from a background of artisans and makers, the handmade collection, comprising a lounge chair, a larger ‘collectible’ chair and a side table, is designed in various proportions featuring exaggerated hand stitches. The making process of the pieces is similar to that of assembling leather accessories, he says, focusing on flat surfaces constructed to form the objects. Meaning ’stitches’ in Armenian, ‘Gaar’ is a furniture collection that highlights bold and contemporary Armenian craftsmanship.

Collaborative spirit

Architectural surfaces leader Cosentino and multi-disciplinary design firm RSP Architects unveiled an installation – KASA Cosentino – that symbolised a need for responsible design, featuring a domical roof structure in the shape of a giant scale supported by a central arched portal. The symbolic structure alludes to the narrative of maintaining a balance between creating beautiful, dynamic spaces while simultaneously striving for sustainable solutions. Comprising a lounge space for conversation as well as show kitchen for casual catch ups, the ‘home’ was clad in Cosentino’s latest collection of carbon-neutral surfaces featuring colours and textures from its collections, including Silestone® Sunlit Days, Dekton® Onirika and Kraftizen.

Organic forms Envisioned as a cosy lounge space, space, TAM Studio’s latest flexible furniture range, Organicus, is composed of assorted forms and materials that can be pieced together in various arrangements, and comprises organic shapes and curves that juxtapose with the studio’s customary linear forms and monochromatic tones. “The inspiration (for Organicus) came from a recent trip to Mexico’s east coast, where neutral tones and black accents from the famous Mexican ‘Black Clay’ blended together with nature harmoniously, creating peaceful and modest settings,” says founder and designer Tamilla Jazayeri. The lounge, media library and parlour also featured lighting by Debbas, floral arrangements from Fleurology and textile art from fibre artist Adrian Pepe, as well as ceramics from Cole and Cinder.

Natural intelligence

Combing natural forms with technological and material research, Pure Plants is a family of 3D-printed plants that absorbs carbon dioxide. A collaboration between architecture studio External Reference and 3D manufacturing firm LAMÁQUINA, the Pure Plants family has been designed with the latest parametric design tools that “convert the natural laws of phyllotaxis, which regulate the arrangement of the leaves, into sculptures that breathe”. Printed in 3D, the ‘plants’ are able to absorb and neutralise CO2, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by using PURETECH, an advanced polymer composed of 100% natural minerals that can absorb CO2 and purify the air we breathe.

Groove is in the heart

An homage to the late 1960’s sees MODU’s new rug collection, Chill Pill – created in collaboration with Iwan Maktabi – as a pop of patterns and colours that celebrate a sense of fun and freedom, with hues ranging from more toned-down greens and blues to loud shades of pink and orange, reminiscent of lava lamps. The carpets are composed of ‘pills’ that double as modules which together form the distinctive octagonal shape of the rugs, taking cues from the mirrors found in the home of founder and designer Omar Al Gurg’s grandfather. To suit the vibrant and quirky feel of the rugs, the pieces have equally fun-loving names such as Jelly Bean, Peace Fuzz and Maui Waui.

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Crafting a legacy

Starting her journey 20 years ago, Nada Debs has become a name synonymous with artisanal craft and human-cen tric design. With a studio and retail space in Beirut and a second home in Dubai, Debs has spent two decades creating furniture and objects using intricate crafted patterns that resonate with time, tradition, the past and the future – themselves becoming heirlooms with timeless appeal. “My vision has always been to change people ’ s perception of local craft and design, presenting new techniques using age-old craft traditions to create objects with soul,” says Debs. Working with noble materials such as wood, stone, marble, mother-ofpearl, brass and leather, for her 20th anniver sary the designer showcased several collectible pieces, adorned with distinctive patterns, geometries and textures, within a warm and inviting space to engage, entertain and educate.

New classics

London-based lighting designer and consultant Joe Armitage presented the Armitage lamp collection, which stems from an original floor design designed in 1952 in Ludhiana, India by architect – and Armitage’s grandfather – Edward Armitage. Having completed the rest of the lighting collection in 2021, Joe focused on shared elements of the original design such as the conical shad. The collection features two suspension lamps, two table lamps and a wall lamp, using a new material for the shades developed from recycled water bottles. Symbolic of a design that represents the power of minimalism and the integrity of mid-century design, Joe preserved these characteristics by also honouring his grandfather’s use of recycled materials (motorbike spokes and paint top lids). By extracting the DNA of the original floor lamps, the spirit has been carried forward into the modern collection. id