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Art of celebration: festive design scenes
Iconic illumination: LED outshines the bulb
Dutch master: contemporary canal style living
On time: around the clock with SOM
Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority
Fresh perspective
to the festivities.
Some things never have to change. Like tradition or our Dining Collection in classic forms,
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 INSIDE

identity
DECEMBER 2010

Cover: Dining room in Remy

Meijers’ home. Photography:
Vincent Leroux.

UTRECHT HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINCENT LEROUX

LOFT CHAIR BY SHELLY SHELLY

ROLEX TOWER LOBBY

25 60
28 83

FEATURES

25 Are you sitting comfortably? 60 Back to basics

Stunning sofas, loveseats and chairs from the biggest names Dutch master designer Remy Meijers’ complete redesign
in design, commissioned by Bernhardt. and refurbishment of his canal-side house in Utrecht.

30 Resourceful proposals 83 Time keeping

The latest eco-friendly design initiatives and products from As SOM’s Rolex Tower opens, George Efstathiou talks about
the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. new sleek glass building, the global firm’s latest in Dubai.

36 Simply perfect
Antonio Citterio speaks about his emphasis on timeless design
and his take on Dubai’s architecture.

December 2010 19
 Furnishing is the outer expression of our inner style.
Philipp Selva Home.

Foto: Vogelsänger Studios, Germany

S p e c i a l p romo tio n d u rin g th e Festive Season

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

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DESIGN FORMULA

ISSUE 87
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Obaid Humaid Al Tayer
GROUP EDITOR & MANAGING PARTNER
Ian Fairservice

ANDE TABLE AND CHAIR BY FASEM

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Iain Smith | iains@motivate.ae

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43 Table manners
ART DIRECTOR From combined and separate kitchen and dining
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areas, we look at stylised tables, concept lighting
GENERAL MANAGER – PRODUCTION AND CIRCULATION and the latest kitchen furnishings.
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December 2010 21
 EDITORIAL

Italian connections
The Italians are once again flexing their creative muscles as they continue
to extend their presence in the UAE.

PHOTOGRAPHY: JUERGEN EHEIM

Flavio Briatore, the controversial former Formula One boss, has set his
sights on a new joint venture with Lebanon’s Pragma Group to transform the
Palladium site in Dubai’s Media City into a Dhs551 million Billionaire’s Square –
a spin-off from the Billionaire brand that he launched in 1998. The flamboyant
Briatore recently announced that the project would include a 45-suite boutique
hotel and a Billionaire Bar and Grill, as well as other restaurants and a fitness
club. MZ Architects have been appointed as the lead architectural consultant.
Pragma Group brought The Cavali Club and 400 Club to the UAE in
collaboration with fashion designer to the stars Roberto Cavalli.
Meanwhile, on Abu Dhabi’s increasingly chic Yas Island the Cipriani family,
best known for their Harry’s Bars, have opened their first outlet. Synonymous
with the jet-set crowd since the 1930s, Cipriani’s latest joint venture adds to
Abu Dhabi’s increasing focus on show business and celebrity sports personalities.
The Abu Dhabi Formula One also saw the über-chic Italian entrepreneur
Luca di Montezemolo back in town, making a pit-stop for the launch of the Clockwise from top left: Luca di Montezemolo; Simone
official 852-page Ferrari Opus, a hefty book that weighs in at 37 kilograms. Micheli; Flavio Briatore; Professor Massimo Papiri.
Personally signed by iconic Ferrari driving legends, the Ferrari Opus is available in
three different limited editions and renowned interior designers Candy&Candy
have been commissioned to design a special stand for the Enzo Ferrari edition.
As Hollywood actor Tom Cruise suspended himself in a daredevil stunt from
the heights of Burj Khalifa, the Italian Trade Commission hosted a lavish launch
celebration for the Contract website. Held at the Armani Hotel, the event drew
a number of illustrious Italian architects, including Marco Piva, Carlo Colombo,
Simone Micheli and the Papiri brothers, who in turn spoke about the Italian
industrial design phenomenon and its future.
The flurry of new design destinations continues to increase in Dubai, with the
opening of the 557-square metre Sara sanitaryware showroom, which houses
the latest collections from Villeroy & Boch, Grohe, Gardenia-Orchidea and
Versace. Selim Semaan, Grohe’s Regional Director, was present at the glitzy
inaugural event during the INDEX design week.
Interior designer Leen Vandaele has relocated her company Squisito to an
extravagant 250-square metre loft gallery Al Quoz where she has created a
design haven in her trademark style.
Rumour has it that an estimated Dhs265 billion worth of new contracts are
expected to be awarded in the region before the end of 2010. A third of those
PHOTOGRAPHY: VIKRAM GAWDE

are expected to be in the UAE where, despite the obvious slowdown, there
are still an estimated 1,600 construction projects ongoing worth more than
Dhs2 trillion. Surely this is news to be celebrated as we come to the end of a
year that challenged the sector’s resilience.

Group Editor Catherine Belbin.

December 2010 23

Are you sitting comfortably?
Furniture designer and manufacturer Bernhardt commissioned some
of the biggest and most daring names in design to produce a series of
stunning sofas, loveseats and chairs, which were put on display in London.
TEXT: RICHARD WARREN
In September, American furniture maker Bernhardt premiered
“seating concepts” by four designers at the London Design Festival, the
British capital’s annual jamboree celebrating art, design, fashion and all that
is new in the fields of creativity.
New chair designs by Jaime Hayon, Monica Forster, Jephson Robb and
Harry and Claudia Washington were presented by the company at the
Pool and Shooting Gallery at Piccadilly’s historic Haymarket building, and
TRENDS
then displayed at Bernhardt’s new showroom in Clerkenwell, on the
City of London’s northern fringe.
It was a busy month for the company because it also held a
retrospective of Suzanne Trocmé’s work at East London’s Andaz Hotel.
Sadly, another show, Bernhardt’s invitation-only exhibition of four
designers work at Levy House, an iconic Bauhaus building in London’s
West End, had to be cancelled as the property’s owner fell ill.
Lofty ambition
The complex joinery of this hand-carved lounge chair has
generated many admiring glances and comments. Made from
walnut, the Loft chair was created by Indonesian designer Shelly
Shelly, who has travelled a long way in the world of design from
her beginnings as a science enthusiast. As a young girl growing
up in Indonesia, Shelly concentrated on studying physics and
maths at school, unexposed to formal training in art and design.
However, as she grew older she developed a passion for design,
later studying it at Maryland Institute College of Art in the United
States. Working mainly in the US and Japan, she has explored
several areas of design, including hospitality design. Her recent
work includes Pacific Rim, a Tokyo exhibition of a disaster relief
collaboration project between Japan and the US.
December 2010 25
 Grande elegance
The Calibra collection of chairs, sofas and loveseats is El
Salvador-based Harry and Claudia Washington’s international
debut. Briefed by Bernhardt to combine the most appealing
aspects of commercial and residential design, blending modern
and classical styling, reflected in the form of the seating legs.
“There was something about the image of this massive body
pirouetting gracefully on small legs that seemed to reflect what
we wanted to accomplish in our design,” Harry says. “We knew
that the body of the sofa needed to be very generous to be truly
comfortable, but we wanted it to appear as if it was levitating
rather than anchored to the floor, so it would have a more
modern feeling,” Claudia adds.

Visual connection
Scottish product designer and artist Jephson Robb made his debut in
furniture design at the Haymarket show with the Amri chair. Conceived
to be a visually inviting and comfortable lounge chair, it took nearly a
year to design. Following Bernhardt’s brief that ergonomic engineering
be incorporated into his design, Robb created a full-scale prototype,
adjusting its form and materials over 11 months. A chair must look
comfortable as well as be comfortable, he says, because how we see
something influences how we feel about it. Since graduating in design
from the Royal College of Art in 2003, Robb has created sculptures and
installations that have been exhibited in Europe, North America, South
America and on British Council touring exhibitions of China. He is art
director for Bernhardt exhibitions at the Salone Del Mobile, Milan.

Movie star quality

Creating the Bardot sofa was a labour of love for Spanish designer Jaime
Hayon. Inspired by iconic images of French film star Brigitte Bardot, the
sofa and accompanying armchair were displayed in lipstick cherry coloured
stretch knit fabrics that highlight the pieces’ contours. The designer wanted
the sofa to “feel like a fruit, tender to the touch, while at the same time be
extremely durable like combining the lightness and strength of a ballerina.”
“Many sofas are too big to actually use in city apartments, so I wanted
to make one that looked big and felt generous, but would actually work
in smaller spaces,” Hayon says. The Bardot collection includes 87 sofas,
plus 72 loveseats and chairs. In addition to working for Bernhardt, Hayon
designs for Fabergé, Baccarat and Swarovski Crystal Palace.

26 identity [interior/design/property]
 TRENDS

The way it should B

Designed as casual seating for the home that can also be used in some
office situations, the Remy chair comes in red or white upholstery on a
stainless steel frame. Aside from creating furniture, the chair’s American
designer Jeffrey Bernett works in other disciplines, too, including interior
architecture, transportation design, household products, lighting,
fashion accessories, design communication and strategic planning for
Boffi, B&B Italia and other international clients. The award-winning
designer lectures at schools and design events around the world. A
Midwesterner, he was born in Champaign, Illinois, and studied business
at Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota before
pursuing furniture design at Parnham College in Britain. In September
1995 he founded his New York-based studio, B.

Wood work
Parisian designer Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance began with modern technology and ended with traditional craftsmanship to create the
Corvo chair. Turning contemporary design approaches on their head, he made the chair in carbon fibre before reinterpreting it in
wood. “I didn’t want to focus on the limitations of wood, but rather to explore what I could create with the freedom and versatility of
composites,” Duchaufour-Lawrance says. “This approach resulted in a chair that was more challenging to execute, but hopefully one
that is noticed and appreciated.” The complexity of the chair’s various shapes, angles and transitions meant using modern fabrication
equipment was impractical, so it was made by hand using 15 different carving tools. Built from solid American walnut, each chair is
slightly different, reflecting the personality of the artisan who made it.

December 2010 27
 TRENDS

Freedom form
For British-born designer Suzanne Trocmé, the strict structure of the
formal Paris garden was the catalyst for her creation, the Allée chair.
Trocmé chose the name Allée since “the word relates to the stringent
design of French classical gardens – a pathway that is bordered by
strict lines of trees, between which you can stroll freely so there is a
contradiction of freedom with formation.” Like a formal French garden,
the chair is designed to possess tension in its form. “We all know
that a chair is architecture in miniature, as mid-century Modernists
proclaimed, but it is vital to go beyond that statement to create
pieces which are wholly original and are suitable for [the] modern
temperament, yet embody their own personalities,” Trocmé says.

Take me to the river

Like many artists, designers often take nature as a starting point for their work and the Vika seating collection Bernhardt
commissioned from Swedish designer Monica Förster is inspired by rivers. The undulating form of her chairs reflects northern
Sweden’s gently rolling landscape shaped by its many rivers, she says. Förster modelled her chair with a computer, but the
final forms were hand-sculpted in plywood to give them the desired sense of fluidity. To help them translate topography into
furniture design, her team experimented with height, width, shape and ergonomics. “If we wanted to see how the piece would
look an inch wider, we would add a segment, or if we wanted to open up a curve, we would reshape three segments,” says
Jerry Helling, president of Bernhardt Design. The chairs were showcased at the Haymarket.

28 identity [interior/design/property]
 Lace Hill. One.
Terreform

30 identity [interior/design/property]
 ECO

Resourceful proposals
The dramatic reimagining of New York, with seven new islands created from
waste materials, Hetty Rose’s first ready-to-wear collection of shoes featuring
vintage Japanese kimono material and solar panel projects in Canada and
the United States make this month’s green headlines. TEXT: STEVE HILL

WASTE NOT

Terreform One, a New York-based non-profit design group headed by architect Mitchell Joachin, promotes green
design in cities with its innovative thinking.
Scientists, artists and individuals from a range of backgrounds come together to develop imaginative solutions and
technologies for local sustainability in energy, transportation, infrastructure, buildings, waste treatment, food, water
and media spaces.
Its Waste to Resource City 2120 project, for example, starts with the fact that New York City disposes of 38,000
tonnes of rubbish per day. Most of this discarded material was dumped in the Fresh Kills landfill before it closed.
Terreform One supposes that the city can be reconstituted from its own landfill, creating seven completely
new Manhattan islands with automated robots – based on existing techniques commonly found in industrial waste
compaction devices – processing the rubbish.
These devices would have jaws that make simple shape grammars for assembly. Different materials serve
specified purposes; plastic for fenestration, organic compounds for temporary scaffolds and metals for primary
structures with this new city making no distinction between waste and supply.
“Our foresight of ecological design is not only a philosophy that inspires visions of sustainability, but also a focused
scientific endeavour,” Joachin says.
“The mission is to ascertain the consequences of fitting a project within our natural environment. Solutions are
derived from numerous examples; living material habitats, climatic tall building clusters and mobility technologies.
These design iterations succeed as having activated ecology both as a productive symbol and an evolved artefact.”

December
March 2009
2010 31
 ECO
BOTTLED UP
Walmart is providing Worldwise, a leading environmentally responsible
consumer products company, with recyclable waste materials that are being
turned into a range of pet products.
Plastic bottles are being recycled into dog beds, hangers are being turned into
cat scoops and corrugated cardboard is being processed into cat scratchers.
“This programme will set a new standard for consumers looking for products
that are better for themselves, their pocketbooks and their planet,” says Aaron
Lamstein, Worldwise’s executive chairman. “We believe this has the potential to
spark a revolution in how manufacturers and retailers can work collaboratively
to offer better products for its customers.”
Worldwise has built a reputation as an industry leader in sustainable
manufacturing and marketing, using recycled plastic bottles in its EcoRest fibrefill
in PoochPlanet pet beds for 10 years. It estimates that these beds will keep the
equivalent of some 100 million plastic bottles out of landfills in the next year.
STEPPING OUT
Bespoke shoe designer Hetty Rose launched her first ever ready-to-wear
collection at the recent London Fashion Week.
Hetty has created a stir by reworking and remodelling vintage Japanese
kimono fabric into bespoke footwear with the aim of making an environmental
statement in an aesthetically pleasing way.
They have been such a success that there are plans to expand collections to
include accessories such as bags, baby shoes and men’s ties.
“The ready-to-wear range takes the essence of our bespoke, handmade
shoes in our signature vintage kimono fabric style and makes them more
accessible, so clients can buy without the six to eight week wait for bespoke
32 identity [interior/design/property]
Left to right: Worldwise’s Pet Bed made of recycled
plastic bottles; Hetty Rose bespoke shoes made from
vintage Kimono fabric.
shoes. Clients can own a precious piece of designer footwear at a more
affordable price,” Hetty says.
REFORESTATION DRIVE
Timberland is to plant five million trees in five years as part of its global
reforestation programme.
To date, the premium quality footware manufacturer has planted more than
one million trees over the past 10 years, but it is stepping up these efforts,
specifically in Haiti and China’s Horqin Desert – two regions that have suffered
severe and widespread problems from deforestation.
“You can’t just throw a sapling in the ground and expect the world to change.
But done thoughtfully and strategically and with committed partners, planting
trees really can lead to meaningful long-term solutions to a whole host of
environmental, social and economic problems,” says Jeff Swartz, Timberland’s
president and CEO.
SOLAR-POWERED JETS
The New York Jets recently announced that it had installed the largest solar
power system in the National Football League at its New Jersey headquarters.
More than 3,000 Yingli Solar panels have been placed on the roof of the
Atlantic Health Training Centre. The panels will generate some 750,000kW
hours of power each year. The project will reduce CO2 emissions by 540
metric tonnes each year, which is equal to taking over 100 cars off the road.
The solar power system is owned by Syncarpha Capital which will sell the
energy to the Jets under a long-term power purchase agreement. The project
marks another success for the state of New Jersey, which is second only to
California in the generation of solar energy.
 ECO
Top to bottom: IKEA Canada is installing solar panels in Ontario, Canada; Toronto-based company Me to We Style is made from organic cotton.
HERE COMES THE SUN
IKEA Canada is installing solar panels on the roofs of three of its
stores in the province of Ontario. The systems at stores in Etobicoke,
North York and Vaughan in the Greater Toronto area will together
have a capacity of 750kW, which is the approximate equivalent of
what is needed to power 100 average Ontario homes.
IKEA Canada will be the first retailer to exclusively own, install
and operate what is expected to be the largest rooftop solar panel
networks in Ontario under the Feed-in Tariff programme, which
enables small energy producers to sell power produced from
renewable energy sources.
Almost 3,800 solar panels are in the process of being installed
at the three stores, while IKEA has made an international
commitment to produce solar power at 150 of its outlets over
the next three years.
GREEN CAPITALS
Spanish regional capital Vitoria-Gasteiz and the French city of Nantes
have been named as winners of the European Green Capital award
for 2012 and 2013 respectively.
Vitoria-Gasteiz, a city of 250,000 people, has made great progress
in greening a traditional urban environment with numerous measures
in place to assist and increase biodiversity and ecosystem services.
It is successfully coping with water scarcity and has steadily
decreased its water consumption over the last decade. Now the city
has an ambitious objective of reducing domestic water consumption
to below 100 litres per capita per day.
34 identity [interior/design/property]
Nantes, France’s sixth largest city with a population of 285 000,
has successfully linked its green and blue urban areas, integrating
urban challenges with a location on two major rivers (the Loire and
the Erdre), through a sustainable water management programme.
It has a long established integrated and sustainable transport
policy with a focus on public transport and cycling and was the first
French city to successfully reintroduce electric trams. Its ambitious
transport policy has reduced air pollution and a new
climate plan aims to cut CO2 emissions by a quarter
by 2020.
ORGANIC GROWTH
Organic cotton is the foundation on which
Toronto-based company Me to We Style
has based its men’s and women’s clothes
and accessories.
This cotton is grown without using
synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides,
insecticides or defoliants on land that has
been free of these chemicals for at least
three years. Organic cotton farmers also use
sustainable practices that do not pollute the
environment and do not pose a threat to
plants or animals.
Me to We Style also uses viscose from
highly sustainable bamboo and donates 50
per cent of its profits to the charity Free
The Children. ID
 Axor Citterio collection for Axor Hansgrohe.

36 identity [interior/design/property]
 PROFILE

Simply perfect
Antonio Citterio has carved a stellar career for
himself by adhering to the principles of ‘timeless’
design, which is why he is not a fan of ‘spectacular’
architecture. TEXT: RUBY ROGERS

December 2010 37
 PROFILE
Clockwise from above: Charles outdoor chaise for
B&B Italia; Antonio Citterio; Acanto chair for Maxalto.
Countless column inches have been devoted to Dubai’s architectural
landscape, condemned and congratulated in equal measures. Architect and
designer Antonio Citterio maintains that it is simply “too much”.
Speaking from his studio in Milan, he refers to the city’s buildings as
“spectacular images” but questions their quality. And while Citterio concedes
that some buildings are well designed, his concern is that the most progressive
emirate in the UAE is losing a golden opportunity to create something more
worthy than the world’s “biggest,” “highest” or “most expensive”; but more
about that later.
Citterio is among the lucky few to have realised his childhood dream. His
father owned a small factory producing cabinet furniture and clearly imbued
the young Antonio with an appreciation for design. He went on to study
architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan, winning his first competition at 18 and
opening his own office at just 22.
Not unexpectedly for a young man who would later earn the moniker
“master of timeless design”, Citterio was inspired by the work of eminent
architect Louis Kahn who, despite creating relatively few buildings in his
turbulent lifetime, is one of the most influential architects of the mid-20th
century. “He used really simple architectural elements,” Citterio says. “His
38 identity [interior/design/property]
buildings are not shiny, they are not for show, but after 50 years they are
still around.”
Here lies Citterio’s issue with Dubai’s gleaming skyline. “Are they thinking
about maintenance?” he wonders. “What about the next 10 or 20 years? What
are they going to do with these shiny show buildings?”
He has his sights firmly fixed on the future, eschewing fickle fashion trends
for what he believes to be a longer-term solution – timeless simplicity. “If you
design something that is really fashionable then it eventually becomes old,”
Citterio says, recalling “terrible” architectural trends of the 80s, the spoils of
which have since been reduced to rubble.
He goes on to explain how the same timeless simplicity translates to his
product design, bringing our conversation around to the very reason for my
early morning call to Italy – Charles. Designed by Citterio for B&B Italia in the
90s and still one of their best selling sofas, Charles has recently been tweaked
to make its debut into B&B’s Outdoor collection. Fans will wax lyrical about its
slim line styling or distinguishing L-shaped foot detail, but Citterio prefers to cut
to the chase. “People buy it because it is comfortable. It is well made, it has
nice proportions and it is a good balance between innovation and technology,”
he says.
 PROFILE
Clockwise from above: Gelso for B&B Italia; Mida for Maxalto;
Eracle for Maxalto.
I ask if Charles was chosen largely for its indoor success? “No, no, no,”
Citterio exclaims. “I said to myself, why choose a different typology for
outdoors.” So he didn’t, taking Charles in all its original glory, but substituting a
lightweight aluminium frame wrapped in weather resistant open weave polyester
bands, expertly preserving the beauty and simplicity of the original piece.
Citterio has worked with B&B Italia since 1972. “When people ask me about
my favourite product, my answer is always the same, I don’t have a favourite
product but what I really love is my relationship with people,” the Italian says.
“From my point of view, the quality of a relationship is more important than
a product and to be able to retain that relationship is an honour, as well as an
incredible opportunity to design something with real sincerity.”
Citterio credits his success to teamwork: “I have great people who
have worked with me for 30 or 40 years, they know what I want. ”Good
old-fashioned hard graft has also played its part: “Success is the number of hours
you dedicate to your job. I work from 8.30 in the morning to 8.30 at night, 12
hours a day and many weekends,” he explains. “My profession is not a question
of money, it is not a question of power; it is a question of passion. Some
people are frustrated by their work, but this is not my case. This job is not an
inconvenience, I love it.”
The upshot is a solid work schedule until
2012. The bulk is architectural. “65 people
work for me, 60 are architects, four deal
with administration and only one is a product
40 identity [interior/design/property]
designer,” he says. Projects run from a hotel in London, another in Milan, a
couple in Venice and one in St Petersburg. I wonder how easy it is for Citterio
to remain hands-on with so many projects in progress.
“I really like to be involved in the preliminary part of the project and develop
the model. Then, during the day, I stop by each desk to see how things are
going,” he says. “It is all about the process. How you develop the idea, how
you come up with solutions. If you understand the process of a project then
you are able to look at the details and say change this here, be careful there.
This way it is possible to control everything.”
It would seem that the whole world is clamouring for a slice of Citterio, and
the Gulf is no exception. “I know the area very well because I am doing a big
job there,” he explains (the obligatory chat about their crippling summertime
heat follows; “I tried to walk somewhere but it was really tough”).
“I don’t understand why there are so many buildings made out of glass.
It makes no sense. With technology we can now work with a lot of glass that
is true, but with the sand and humidity there I think that it is a mistake to
go in this direction,” he says. “It’s not the tradition of Arabia to have this type
of building.”
Does he feel that Dubai should develop its own style? “The problem is not its
own style,” Citterio replies. “The problem is the environment. Dubai is different
from other cities and it is important to build according to that. Architecture is
like a tree, you know. It’s not possible to use the same tree everywhere, a tree
in the Alps cannot be found in the desert.”
Citterio turned 60 this year and I ask what still drives him. He says it is
curiosity and an optimistic mind. “You have to have a positive vision of the
future. You have to believe in humanity. If not then don’t do architecture, don’t
do design.”
We talk about his buildings and their place in the future. “At the moment the
trend in architecture is for nothing to be straight, there are many many curves,”
he says. “But I am doing the opposite. What I am designing is very clean, vertical
and horizontal.”
Will simplicity stand the test of time? Citterio certainly
hopes so: “In the 80s and 90s, many products were very
strange. When I designed Charles it was really simple, but
has been very successful. Maybe it will be the same for
my architecture.”
I suspect it will. ID
id limited
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 DINING ROOMS | DESIGN FORMULA

Table manners
Be it a combined kitchen/dining area or a series of separate
rooms, some highly stylised tables, fantastic furnishings and
luxurious lighting can transform any space into a model of
gastronomic greatness. Here’s what’s cooking up a storm
this season. TEXT: RUBY ROGERS

DESIGN FORMULA

CONTENTS:
44 Life without limits
48 Expert advice
50 Leg work
52 Material world
52 Sit-up
54 Outdoor offering
56 Hang out
Valcucine’s new Sentis table features
57 Final thoughts
strong lines and a textured quality.

December 2010 43
 DESIGN FORMULA | DINING ROOMS
Boffi’s Aprile Kitchen system designed by Piero Lissoni.
Cooking and dining have become inextricably linked, influencing – or
perhaps being influenced by – the way in which we live. To understand this
rapidly changing landscape, where consumer habits and aspirations are evolving,
IKEA recently commissioned an independent report by international trend
forecasters The Future Laboratory to investigate the key factors driving the
adaptation of the kitchen and its usage today.
One of the most significant drivers is mass urbanisation, which refers to the
staggering statistic that, as of 2008, half of the world’s population (some 3.3
billion people) were reported to live in urban areas, a figure that is set to rocket
to 60 per cent within the next two decades, according to the UN.
“With cities in the developing world gaining five million inhabitants a month
overall, the world’s mega-cities – with populations of more than 10 million –
are expected to form vast ‘mega-regions’ that will span hundreds of kilometres
across countries and be inhabited by more than 100 million people,” the report
states. “This urban sprawl will have major implications on a broad spectrum of
resources. Family size and structure will change globally, with domestic spaces
adapting to accommodate new social and environmental behaviours.”
LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS
One of the most tangible signs of changing times is the continuing trend for
open plan living. As space becomes more precious, homes are increasingly
experimenting with furnishing ideas that replace walls but are equally capable
44 identity [interior/design/property]
of harmoniously dividing spaces without separating them altogether. The key
phrase is “open plan”, no matter the size of the domestic setting.
A prime example is the universal appeal of integrated kitchen-cum-dining
spaces where meals are made and conversations are shared. This less formal
approach to eating is part of a wider trend for multi-functional living whereby
the kitchen has become the hub of the home, fundamentally used for cooking
and eating but also entertaining, working and relaxing.
And what of the dining room? Traditionally it was in the kitchen where the
most advanced materials and cutting edge technical solutions were found.
With the demand for open-plan living increasing and home owners looking for
ways to visually bridge the gap between the kitchen and dining area, high-tech
materials have made the leap into living spaces to create a seamless aesthetic in
the home.
“The dining area doesn’t have to be a little box that is separated from
the rest of the home. You can have an open concept living and dining area
where the design elements just naturally flow through,” says Christopher
Guy of luxury home furnishings brand Christopher Guy. “It’s true that space
is becoming more valuable, especially in key cities the world over, but family
meals and entertaining remain a part of every modern home. It’s a part of life
and, for some, a tradition that will continue for generations. I think people
are becoming more inventive in how they entertain. Limited space can be
transformed into a versatile, multi-function area that works and at the same
time makes a style statement.”
 Zanotta’s new collection includes the Album
table handcrafted in Canaletto walnut or natural oak.

“This less formal approach to

eating is part of a wider trend
for multi-functional living”

46 identity [interior/design/property]
DINING ROOMS | DESIGN FORMULA

December 2010 47
 Clockwise from above: Schiffini’s G.One by Giuliano Giaroli; Rodolfo Dordoni’s
Loving chair for Minotti is available in three versions; Eileen by B&B Italia.
The trend for open plan kitchen-diners has triggered a demand for one-stop
solutions that service the need to cook, eat and socialise in the same space.
Italian manufacturer Boffi has recently launched the Aprile Kitchen System,
designed by Piero Lissoni and featuring a combination of treated wood finishes,
stone and industrial materials, such as stainless steel. The upshot is a unique
and versatile kitchen solution that is instantly appealing and of particular note is
the integrated solid wood breakfast bar perched on stainless steel legs, which is
perfect for informal dining.
Similarly, Schiffini’s G.One by Giuliano Giaroli effortlessly merges the practical
needs of the kitchen together with those of dining. Created as part of a
sustainable architecture project, highlights of G.One include invisible handles and
doors with slightly rounded corners, which soften the rigorous lines and lighten
the overall effect. The highlight is a curvatious island element extending off the
countertop to create a continuous, multi-functional worktop and dining area.
48 identity [interior/design/property]
EXPERT ADVICE
With kitchens shaping-up to be the living and entertaining hub of the modern
home, there is a strong argument that stand-alone dining rooms are a dying
breed. “Absolutely not,” says international interior designer Joanna Wood. “A
separate dining room is quieter, more private and provides a more intimate
dining area away from the clatter and bang of saucepans. It also provides an
opportunity to create an exotic, different scheme that is more opulent and
ornate than you would choose for an open plan kitchen/dining space.”
Her advice? “I love being dramatic in a dining room as it is probably mostly
used in the evening. Here you can go for something strong such as dark red,
blues or golds, with silver to pick up the light. Be adventurous,” she says.
Wood’s top tip is to create a versatile dining space that is not only reserved
for high days and holidays, but is used throughout the year. “I often combine a
 DINING ROOMS | DESIGN FORMULA

“I think people are becoming more

inventive in how they entertain”

Bonaldo’s new Vanessa table is inspired

by the shape of butterfly wings.

December 2010 49
 DESIGN FORMULA | DINING ROOMS

Clockwise from above: Monica Armani’s new Tred series for

Italian manufacturer Moroso; J.Robert Scott’s Regent dining
armchair; formal dining chair from Christopher Guy.

dining room with a library, which can also operate as a study space. A desk can
be cleverly concealed behind built-in joinery, with nicely arranged books and
shelves adding to the ambience of the room,” she explains.
Sally Sirkin Lewis, founder of American home furnishings manufacturer J
Robert Scott, agrees that the dining room continues to have a place in the
contemporary home. “I will often use my dining room for meetings. I spread
my floor plans and textiles out, and organise my papers,” she says. “The dining
area in my home is perfect for special gatherings with friends and family; it is not
at all fussy. It’s visually peaceful because of its simplicity.”
LEG WORK
The beating heart of any dining room is its table, usually positioned centre-
stage and best lit by a statement pendant. Eye-catching designs include the
beautiful sculptural base of Bonaldo’s new Vanessa table, inspired by the shape
of butterfly wings and available in re-composed multi-laminate layered wood
or lacquered opaque wood in different colours. The curvy legs support a large
glass tabletop – round, rectangular or made to measure.
Vanessa is just one of a crop of new designs that are remarkable on account
of their striking base. Excellent examples include Porro’s Synapsis table by
French designer Jean Marie Massaud, which features a web of white-painted
or chromium-plated steel rods that look comparatively light when compared
to the glossy lacquered top; and the Joco dining table by German brand Walter
Knoll, which is described as a “minimalist design for an individual lifestyle” owing
to its lightweight wire base supporting a slim-line table top in black paint or
elegant wood veneers.
A playful leg detail defines Monica Armani’s new Tred series for Italian
manufacturer Moroso, a collection of hardworking tables with a linear profile.

50 identity [interior/design/property]
 Promemoria’s Oliver dining table features chiselled bronze legs.
The thickness of the top gives the structure strength while the wood ensures
that it is light and refined. Tred comes in three sizes and can be finished in
embossed white matt lacquer or multi laminar veneer in shades of silver-black.
“In my work I seek to embody my concept of living: a space free from detail
overload, aspiring to rigorous geometry,” Armani says. “My design aims to
define sophisticated, measured objects, marked by a drastic refusal of all things
superfluous, ceaselessly working to extract its essence”
A final mention must go to Promemoria for its show stopping Oliver dining
table, which sports legs in either smooth or chiselled bronze. Designer Romeo
Sozzi says his ambition was to create a collection of basic everyday objects
rendered in precious materials. Oliver is the quintessence of this.
MATERIAL WORLD
Concrete emerged as a key material in 2010 – polished to create durable and
easy-to-maintain flooring, sculpted into beautiful bathtubs or integrated into
kitchen design to create an industrial edge. Hardwearing and hardworking,
concrete is the perfect candidate for dining furniture.
Italian furniture designers Molteni & C recently collaborated with British
architects Foster + Partners to conceive the contradictory Arc, a sculptural
dining table fashioned from a material called Ductal, a high strength fibre-
reinforced concrete by French company Lafarge. As its name suggests, the
material has ductile qualities, which means it can be used to create complex and
elegant forms. With regards to sustainability and its environmental impact, the
CO2 emissions are claimed to be 44 per cent that of standard concrete.
“The material is very refined and has a tactile quality that lends itself to use
in the kind of objects we come into personal contact with,” states John Small
of Foster + Partners. “The material is intended for external use, it has a great
52 identity [interior/design/property]
resistance to abrasion and corrosion, and we were drawn to the idea of
concrete in the home.” Asked about Arc’s free-flowing form Small says: “Arc is
‘soft’, it is a non-aggressive object – the idea that it is made from concrete yet
appears to be so light and sensuous is a wonderful contradiction.”
Moving on to a more traditional material, wood shares a long history with the
dining room for the simple reason that it is effortlessly elegant. Antonio Citterio’s
new Acro collection for Maxalto is a contemporary take on traditional designs
and includes the Plato table, characterised by two solid wood ‘X’ shaped legs
coupled with a solid wood top comprising a frame and a central strip. Similarly
simplistic but equally striking is Big Margot by Jesse, a rectangular dining table in
rich dark oak that can be extended to make it even more impressive.
Italian manufacturer Valcucine believes that anything made of wood will
immediately create a more intimate and familiar atmosphere. Enter its new
Sentis table, which is instantly appealing because of its strong lines and textured
quality. Treated only with a water-based varnish to capitalise on the tactile
beauty of natural wood, the top is made of solid wood slats joined together
without glue but using a steel stay rod and a spring that compensates the natural
expansion and retraction of the wood.
Completing the line-up of interesting launches in 2010 is Zanotta’s Album
table, which is handcrafted in Canaletto walnut or natural oak. Sometimes it is
the smallest details that make the most impact and what makes Album standout
is its gently angled legs – simply stunning.
SIT UP
It stands to reason that a stylish dining table is worthy of equally attractive dining
chairs. Acknowledging the trend for beautifully made and ultra-simple pieces that
exude true elegance is Jean-Marie Massaud’s Fitzgerald chair for Poltrona Frau,
 DINING ROOMS | DESIGN FORMULA

Top to bottom: Gallotti & Radice’s Trian table merges whitened oak or wenge
with a 12mm transparent glass top with mirrored sides; Molteni & C has
collaborated with Foster & Partners to conceive the sculptural Arc dining table.

a seat of formal simplicity whereby delicate hand crafted cross seams embellish
the inside of the seat and back while the edges of the backrest are further
enhanced by an aluminium profile with gun-metal grey galvanic processing.
Formal dining designs are not typically associated with cutting edge innovation
and yet J Robert Scott has challenged this perception with the introduction of
Ombré, a proprietary finishing technique that was three years in the making.
“I was intrigued by the transparent effect of watercolours and I wanted to
translate the concept of seamless colour transition to wood veneer,” Sally Sirkin
Lewis says.
The resulting finish exhibits subtle gradients in intensity and shade from light
to dark, producing a distinctive, individual effect on each veneer. Ombré has
been applied to selected new designs; particularly successful is the Regent dining
armchair, produced in Ribbon Stripe Mahogany veneer.
New to the world of less formal dining is an updated version of Kartell’s most
fashionable armchair, Mademoiselle Moschino, which has been launched in four
fresh designs. There is a stylised heart print in black and white or white and red;
cheerful daisies set against a black backdrop; or an original print from the files of
fashion designer Franco Moschino.
Whatever style of chair takes your fancy it will instantly create a vibe, so
choose carefully. Rodolfo Dordoni has created three versions of his Loving chair
for Minotti to cover all eventualities. Take one features slightly tapered legs for a
retro flavour, take two sits on casters for a more imposing look and take three
is a floor standing version that is ideal for lounge situations.
Christopher Guy stresses that it is not necessary to stick to one style of chair.
“I have had a lot of fun lately mixing various dining chair designs into a single
dining setting. Playing around with the fabric colour palette is another way to
add visual excitement to a regular set of dining chairs, so that each chair carries
a different fabric in terms of colour or/and pattern, yet work together,” he says.

December 2010 53
 Le Soleil lighting by Foscarini.
OUTDOOR OFFERING
To add significant value to your home, create a desirable outdoor setting that
becomes an extension of your indoor space. Quality and design of outdoor
furniture has improved tremendously in recent years and with just about
everyone getting in on the “outdoor” act, whether it is with one-off pieces or
complete collections, there is plenty to choose from.
Fendi Casa’s new outdoor offering is inspired by Hamptons elegance, the
myth of the Cote d’Azur and the sparkling Caribbean ocean. Indulge in sleek
modular sofas and armchairs, tables and coffee tables, all made to the highest
standards using handcrafted weather resistant weave in a soothing palette of
bronze, ivory and charcoal grey. Completing the line-up is Amore and Intrigo,
classic Fendi Casa pieces that are now suitable for outdoor use.
Fendi’s decision to introduce two of its signature indoor pieces into its
outdoor collection not only speaks of the growing importance of outdoor
furniture, but also the trend for updating existing designs. Thirteen years after
it was introduced into B&B Italia’s home collection, the best selling Charles
sofa by Antonio Citterio has made its outdoor debut. The characteristics that
established it as a classic have been left unchanged, but it is now available with
a slim aluminium frame wrapped in open weave polyester bands and weather
resistance fabric covers for the seat cushions. Team it with a table from B&B’s
existing collection and you have the perfect outdoor dining set.
54 identity [interior/design/property]
Fellow Italian brand Promemoria sources inspiration from its surroundings:
Lake Como and the majestic mountains of Lecco. “It is the very pleasure of
living close to nature that led to the creation of a collection of outdoor furniture
which reflects the styles and shapes of Promemoria,” says founder Romeo
Sozzi. “We are witnessing a change in lifestyle and values which is embracing all
things green, outside spaces and nature itself. The barriers between inside and
outside domestic spaces are disappearing, with new architectural and furnishing
solutions which create stylistic and environmental continuity.” Appealing designs
from Sozzi’s latest offering include the luxury Erasmo table with a white Carrara
marble or pietra top together with a hammered bronze base.
Products conceived for both indoor and outdoor further explain the extent
to which outdoor furniture has adopted the shapes, materials and textures that
work well indoors. Audrey by Piero Lissoni for Kartell is an excellent example.
Designed to go just about anywhere – indoor, outdoor, office, home – the
Audrey chair has a die-cast aluminium frame, which guarantees it is versatile,
light and simple.
HANG OUT
Lighting is a well-established art form with the power to create any look or
effect. Expert Sally Storey, from John Cullen Lighting, advises that you consider
your life and how you will use your dining space before making any decisions.
 DINING ROOMS | DESIGN FORMULA

Top to bottom: Joco dining table by German brand Walter Knoll;

The Plato table from Antonio Citterio’s new Acro collection for
Maxalto; Clipper by Poliform.

December 2010 55
 Top to bottom: Armani Casa’s Butler chair by Kasper Salto; Ligne Roset has
reissued Pierre Paulin’s Antigone table to celebrate 150 years in the business.

56 identity [interior/design/property]

Kudlik lighting by Axo.
“To achieve the best results, and keep costs and upheaval to a minimum,
install your lighting scheme at the beginning of a project – ideally at the same
time as the plumbing,” she says. “Always fit dimmers so that you can change the
mood of the room. Having dimmable lights on different circuits will allow you
to create a variety of lighting effects. For example, put your table lamps on one
circuit, low voltage downlights emphasising pictures on a second, downlights
focusing on the centre of the table on a third and recessed uplights or shelf lights
on a fourth.”
When lighting your dining room, Storey suggests installing one or two narrow
beam Polestar 2010 downlights over the middle of a dining room table to
provide a soft, atmospheric glow. “Decide what your focal points are within the
room and light them accordingly,” she says. “For example, if you are planning to
use the room as a study or home office as well, make sure you have adequate
lighting for reading and working. A freestanding uplight can often provide the
answer by reflecting light off the ceiling.
“You might want to softly light your curtains with low voltage downlights,
uplight an alcove with an LED Lucca or use an LED Contour strip to make
a china cabinet a real feature. And finally, don’t be afraid of mixing traditional
lighting effects with contemporary solutions. A good example is using downlights
to complement a chandelier. The chandelier should always be dimmed to little
more than a decorative sparkle – leaving the discrete downlights [which must be
DINING ROOMS | DESIGN FORMULA
on a separate circuit] to do the work. While the room will seem conventionally
lit, the chandelier will appear to be lit internally, producing an almost magical feel.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
“Put things away,” Sirkin Lewis says. “I have never been one to tolerate clutter.
If you display your dishes and crystal in the dining room, take more than half of
the display and put them away. Leave a few of the most special things out – that
way those pieces will be seen and appreciated. Most important, let the dining
room be a place that works for your family and your lifestyle.”
Joanna Wood says to focus on lighting and opt for something versatile that
easily adapts from daytime to night-time. “Use candles to create a moody
effect,” she says. “Also have a dramatic focal point, such as a stunning chandelier,
a mirror wall or a piece of dramatic art. Have very comfortable chairs so that
your guests stay all night.”
The final word goes to Guy: “Think of a dining room as your favourite
restaurant where the atmosphere is of as equal importance as the food. So
my tips are: one, ensure that the seats are comfortable; two, make it visually
stimulating by selecting a theme with a coordinated colour scheme, and intimate
lighting; three, where possible use a round or oval table to allow guests to chat
with one another. Bon appétit!” ID
December 2010 57
 DESIGN FORMULA | DINING ROOMS

Design sources
aliasdesign.it; tel: (04) 295 2180
axolight.it
bebitalia.it; tel: (04) 340 5795
boffi.com; tel: (04) 334 9943
bonaldo.it; tel: (04) 425 7888
christopherguy.com
fendi.com; tel: (04) 337 7825
foscarini.com; tel: (04) 338 8276
ikea.com; tel: (04) 203 7555
jesse.it
joannawood.co.uk
johncullenlighting.co.uk
jrobertscott.com
kartell.com; tel: (04) 348 8169
ligne-roset.com; tel: (04) 347 5090
maxalto.it
minotti.com; tel: (04) 347 5090
molteni.it; tel: (04) 297 1777
moroso.it; tel: (04) 425 7888
poltronafrau.it; tel: 295 2981
porro.com; tel: (04) 334 9943
promemoria.com
schiffini.it; tel: (04) 268 1288
valcucine.it
walterknoll.de
zanotta.it; tel: (04) 391 7446

Frtiz Hansen’s Nap chair by Kasper Salto.

58 identity [interior/design/property]
 At the centre of the living room are a woollen rug
from Danskina and a solid oak coffee table, designed
by Meijers for Odesi.

60 identity [interior/design/property]
 INTERIORS

Back to basics
Dutch interior designer Remy Meijers knew exactly
what he wanted to do when he found his canal-side
home in Utrecht – rip everything out and start again.
TEXT: IAN PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY: VINCENT LEROUX/TRIPOD AGENCY

December 2010 61
 Left to right: In the office, an FM Janssen the synthetic rug, custom-made MDF table and Meijers cabinets on the right; during the renovation work, Meijers found
a scrap of newspaper from 1864 behind the wallpaper, which he framed to display on top of the cabinets in his office.
Utrecht-based interior designer Remy Meijers remembers his childhood
room as being extremely neat. “There were no posters, no toys,” he recalls.
“I was always very organised and a bit neurotic like that.”
The house he shares today with his partner Tineke Faassen is equally
orderly. There is nothing out-of-place and nothing that is not essential. “We are
materialistic,” Meijers admits, “but we only want good things. We only want
things in the house that we use.” And in Faassen, it would appear he has found
someone even tidier than himself. “When she puts the pans in the cupboards,
all the labels have to be at the front,” he says. “Even I don’t go that far!”
Meijers first moved to the Dutch city to study at the Utrecht School of Arts
but has ended up staying, saying he particularly likes its small-town nature.
“Compared to Amsterdam, it’s not so big and hectic. But it still has everything
you want from a city — nice restaurants, shops,” he says.
Their 330-square metre house is just a 10-minute walk from the town
centre. Located picturesquely on a canal, parts of the building date back 400
years. At one time, the street was home to warehouses, although now Meijers
lives next to a Chinese medical practice.
When he first saw the structure, it was in a dire state. The roof had more or
less collapsed, there were holes in the floors and walls and pots and pans were
strategically placed to collect rainwater from leaks. “It was all glued together with
a lot of duct tape and stuff like that,” Meijers remembers.
However, that was exactly what he was looking for. “Everything I would buy
that was in good shape, I would destroy,” he explains. “That’s what designers
do. They want to make their own interiors with their own ideas.” That may
be understandable, but what’s a little less comprehensible is the fact that the
62 identity [interior/design/property]
building previously housed the offices for a canal boat tour company and
accommodation for some 15 students.
Little of what was there remains after Meijers gutted the place. “We knocked
out everything that was possible and more,” he says. In total, 450-square
metres of rubble was extracted from the building and 45 containers were
required to transport it away. The roof had to be completely redone. The
façade was also reworked (there had formerly been a shop window at street
level) and most of the structural beams were replaced – the only ones Meijers
managed to keep were those on the living room ceiling. He also salvaged a
number of the interior doors.
Inside, Meijers decided to create very open spaces. This is in part due to a
touch of claustrophobia. Small volumes, he claims, make him “nervous”. “What
I like is when you’re in a room and you get an overview of the whole building,”
Meijer insists. The approach also made sense because there are very few sources
of light in the middle of the building, the majority of the windows being at either
the front or back. The ground floor is now home to Meijers’ office and on the
first floor is a big, open living space and above that the bedroom and bathroom.
The style of the decoration throughout is typical of Meijers’ aesthetic and
the words he uses to describe it are “calm” and “peaceful”. He enjoys natural
materials and has an aversion to bright colours. “They give me a feeling of
unrest,” he explains, preferring to play with 100 different shades of grey.
Meijers also likes to design as much furniture for his projects as possible.
“When I start, I have an image in my mind and I want to realise that 100
per cent,” he declares. “Most of the time, what you’re looking for does not
already exist.”
 INTERIORS

“Most of the time, what

you’re looking for does
not already exist”

The kitchen was custom-designed by Meijers and made

by Peter Vocking Meubelmakers. The countertop is made
from a synthetic material called GetaCore; the kitchen
units are made from a Tabu wood veneer.

December 2010 63
 INTERIORS

Clockwise from top left: Remy Meijers; in the bathroom, the drawers are made
from bleached, smoked oak, and the Meijers-designed sinks are made from
Diresco engineered stone; dominating the dining room is a glass ceiling light
from a firm called Muurbloem; the bedroom, with a bed designed by Meijers,
and the bathroom just visible in the background.

That said, Meijer has worked in a number of items by other designers.

Among them are the Naoto Fukasawa’s aluminium bar stools, Christien
Meindertsma’s iconic Urchin Pouf, the Rabbit Lamp created by the Swedish
design collective Front for Moooi and a stunning glass chandelier from
Muurbloem. For Meijers, the latter’s sparkle provides a pleasing counterpoint to
the predominantly matt surfaces elsewhere.
Both the sofa and bed are custom pieces and Meijers has also integrated
numerous elements from a collection he imagined for the Dutch furniture firm
Odesi, among them the dining table and chairs, the bedside tables and the
office storage units. He even took the black and white photo, which dominates
one wall of the dining space, himself – an image of two surfers on the beach at
Sagres in Portugal.
Both he and Faassen are keen on surfing and their holidays are generally
planned around where they can find the best waves. Among other destinations,
they have travelled to Bali, Hawaii, South Africa, Costa Rica and Brazil. Meijers
also recalls once driving through the Nicaraguan jungle for hours to find the
perfect surfing spot.
At home, meanwhile, the focal point is definitely the kitchen, and it’s
there that he and Faassen get together in the evening to discuss their day. At
weekends, Meijers often spends hours cooking as friends are invited over for
dinner. Soirées inevitably begin at the kitchen counter. “They all sit at the bar
with a glass of something nice and a bit of cheese,” he says.
“Dutch cheese?” I ask.
“Italian, actually,” he answers, more than a little apologetically. ID

64 identity [interior/design/property]
 Office 502 Dusseldorf Business Point Al Barsha 1 - Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 447 4634 | Fax: +971 4 447 4635 | Email: info@sensi.ae
Website: www.sensi.ae
 idProperty

CONTENTS:
68 Living like a King
74 Portfolio
YOO ISTANBUL

80 Antennae

December 2010 67
 The Jawhar Resort, Spa and Private Residences,
Marrakech, Morocco. Albert II of Monaco is fronting
a joint venture to build 25 holiday homes and hotel.

68 identity [interior/design/property]
 INTERNATIONAL | idProperty

Living like a King

The world’s kings and nobles are lords of all they
survey from their castles and increasingly of lands
far away as the beginning of the 21st century
is marked by their leading role as international
property developers TEXT: RICHARD WARREN

December 2010 69
 idProperty | INTERNATIONAL
From the deserts of Saudi Arabia to the moors of Scotland, the world’s
royalty and aristocracy are running property empires that grow bigger by the
day. They fall into two main camps: European bluebloods looking to fund
costly maintenance of their ageing country mansions, and Middle Eastern royals
investing billions made from oil.
Not only are they buying houses, offices, farms and hotels, they are also
building them. As property developers, they are changing the face of our cities,
sometimes with king-size schemes, including record-breaking tall buildings and
model communities.
Liam Bailey, head of residential research at international estate agency Knight
Frank, says the involvement of the world’s royalty and aristocracy in property
development is growing. “It stems from their growing wealth and power, in the
Middle East especially,” he says.
A leading royal property developer is Saudi Arabia’s Prince Al-Waleed bin
Talal, whose property holdings include Monaco’s Monte Carlo Grand Hotel.
He is building The Mile-High Tower, a 1,608m-high skyscraper in Jeddah, which
could be the tallest building ever built.
Other Middle Eastern royals expanding their property empires include the
Qatari royal family, whose Qatari Diar sovereign wealth fund has bought the
former United States Embassy in London for redevelopment into a hotel and
apartments. In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum oversaw construction of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-
made structure ever built. Middle Eastern aristocracy are investing far and wide,
from Colombia’s Caribbean coast to Manhattan, where estate agents selling
homes for $5 million or more say they are doing plenty of business with Saudi
and other Arab royalty.
70 identity [interior/design/property]
Left to right: Castello di Reschio, Umbria, Italy. Conte Benedikt Bolza and
family creating 50 holiday homes and hotel on their 1200 hectare grounds;
a townhouse on the Grosvenor Estate in Belgravia, London. The Duke of
Westminster’s Grosvenor Estate owns 120 hectares of Belgravia and Mayfair.
In Europe, the biggest group of blue-blooded property developers are
British. In central London, it is possible to walk five miles without stepping off
land owned by seven aristocratic families. The Grosvenors, led by the Duke
of Westminster, has the biggest London landholding – 120 hectares of Mayfair
and Belgravia. The Duke’s $3 billion, Grosvenor Estates, empire has expanded
across five continents. The Duke of Northumberland is building shops and
homes on his 40,000-hectare estate in northern England to help pay for the
upkeep of his family seat, Alnwick Castle.
In Italy, Conte Benedikt Bolza and his family have a property development
business that constructs holiday homes on its own estates and provides
consultancy services to other developers. At the family’s 1,200-hectare Castello
di Reschio estate in Umbria they are converting a castle into a hotel and 50
derelict farmhouses into holiday homes. In Perugia, they plan to turn a former
monastery into a hotel and build 34 holiday homes in its grounds.
In France, the Countess Dominique d’Artois is collaborating with French
developer Garrigae Investissements to create La Redorte, a spa and 35 holiday
homes on her estate in Langedoc.
Monaco’s ruler Prince Albert II heads SBM Monaco, a company that owns
some of the world’s most valuable property – Monaco is the most expensive
place on the planet to buy a home. With land reclamation costs proving
prohibitive during the global recession, he abandoned plans to expand the
principality further out to sea in favour of going into a joint venture with
Architecture

Interior Design

Engineering

www.lwdesigngroup.com
 idProperty | INTERNATIONAL
Top to bottom: NEO Bankside apartment blocks nearing completion next to Tate
Modern Art Gallery on London’s South Bank. NEO Bankside is a joint venture
between the Duke of Westminster’s Grosvenor Estates and Native Land, a
developer half owned by the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury; La Redorte,
Languedoc, France. Countess Dominique d’Artois is collaborating with Garrigae
Investissments to develop 35 holiday homes and spa on her estate.
Moroccan developer Aerium Atlas Management to build a leisure resort
community on the outskirts of Marrakech, his company’s first scheme outside of
Monaco. The Jawhar Resort, Spa and Private Residences will have a hotel and
25 villas when completed in 2012.
In Southeast Asia, the king of Thailand’s property holdings, including 1,400
hectares in Bangkok, are held in trust for the state. Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal
Bolkiah has expanded his property holdings through the country’s $30 billion
sovereign wealth fund, the Brunei Investment Agency, whose assets include
London’s Dorchester hotel.
Some parts of the world are magnets for blue-blooded developers. On
London’s South Bank, three families are involved in schemes neighbouring
the Tate Modern Art gallery. In a joint venture with Grosvenor, the developer,
Native Land, a company half-owned by the Duke of Buccleuch and
Queensbury, is building NEO Bankside, 199 multi-million dollar apartments
in four blocks overlooking the River Thames. Scottish-based Buccleuch owns
100,000 hectares of land, $520 million of commercial property and two million
square feet of buildings under construction worldwide.
On the other side of the art gallery, Qatari Diar is helping fund construction
of Shard London Bridge, popularly called “The Shard of Glass”, because this
72 identity [interior/design/property]
310m-high, fully glazed building rises to a tapered point. It will be the tallest
building in Europe when completed in 2012, accommodating shops, offices,
restaurants and apartments.
Some British aristocrats have bought land from struggling farmers in Britain
and Eastern Europe following the start of the economic downturn in 2008. For
instance, Prince Charles owns a relatively modest 15 hectares of Transylvania.
East European kings, queens, counts and barons are a growing presence
in their native countries. Since the fall of Iron Curtain 20 years ago, they have
slowly reclaimed land seized by past Communist regimes, some regenerating
run-down estates.
In eastern Germany, returning aristocrats are nicknamed “gumboot barons”
because of their hands-on approach to restoration. Their numbers include
Baron Helmuth von Maltzahn, who restored and converted the castle of
Ulrichshusen, Pomerania, into a hotel.
There are some blue-blooded developers who want to create model
communities. In Britain, Prince Charles is building Poundbury, an urban
extension to the West Country town of Dorchester, where 5,000 people will
live in Georgian-style homes and travel by foot to independent shops and their
workplaces in small businesses.
Then there are royals who become property developers as heads of
government. In Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz oversees the
development of King Abdullah Economic City, which will be home to two
million people when it is completed in 14 years. He wants the city to become
the industrial hub of the Middle East, to help Saudi Arabia diversify its economy
away from oil.
“In reality, in lots of locations, sovereign wealth funds are headed directly
by royal or aristocratic families,” Liam Bailey says, “the overriding direction of
these funds by individuals or families can be seen in their investment decisions
or targeting strategies, which tend to be an effort to secure trophy assets, high-
value and high-profile properties. The way these assets have performed they
have been good strategies over the past few years.”
The rest of us sometimes benefit, too. Economists at London-based The
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors say property investments by aristocrats
and royals can lift an area’s property values and local economy. In central
London, the Howard de Walden Estate has revitalised Marylebone High
Street, where it owns one-third of the shops, by attracting big name retailers
and improving housing stock. Knight Frank says this regeneration has elevated
Marylebone from being a merely “prime” residential area to “super-prime.” ID
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 Design on track
There are a slew of hotel openings catching
the eye as other developments garner prizes
across the Middle East and Ferrari World roars
into Abu Dhabi. TEXT: GLENN FREEMAN
VIP Pod at Allure by Cipriani.
CIPRIANI CHIC
Italian hospitality entrepreneur Giuseppe Cipriani also launched his first Middle
East venture to coincide with the Abu Dhabi Yas Island Formula One Grand Prix.
With a glamorous ambience, the chic, ultra modern and elegant design and
style of Cipriani blends Italian authenticity and cosmopolitan flair. Set within
beautiful surroundings and with the lavish backdrop of Yas Marina, the yacht club
features restaurants, bars, outdoor lounge terrace and catering facilities.
Regarded as a pioneering leader of the ultimate “good life” social experience,
Cipriani has a 79-year pedigree in the hospitality business, with properties in the
United States, Europe, Asia and now the Middle East.
The plush surrounds drew a raft of A-list celebrities in town for the Formula
One, including His Majesty the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His
Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, Sir Richard
Branson, Bernie Ecclestone and Massimo Ferragamo.
STYLISH STAYS
Two hotel openings showcasing designs by WA International have now opened
in the Gulf – The One&Only The Palm, on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, and Sofitel
Al Khobar The Corniche, Saudi Arabia.
With interior design by the Dubai studio of WA International, The
One&Only The Palm blends Moorish and Andalucian architecture with
74 identity [interior/design/property]
contemporary interiors. With only 64 rooms, 26 suites and four private
beachfront villas, the resort is boutique in the size, but makes generous use of
space throughout.
A Moroccan inspired exterior opens into a clean, white, bright lobby with a
contemporary, modern feel. Once inside, design features include high timber
walls and Bohemian black crystal chandeliers in the signature restaurant.
Majlis-style gazebos are incorporated in the beachfront villas, along with huge
bathrooms featuring expansive mirrors.
Located on Saudi Arabia’s east coast, the elegant Sofitel Al Khobar The
Corniche is a 229-room hotel looking out over the Arabian Gulf, with views
over both the city and the sea. Also created by WA International, the hotel’s
interiors are imbibed with the spirit of the Orient, with the powerful silhouette
of the building dominating the coastline.
Sofitel Al Khobar The Corniche joins other Sofitel hotel properties due to
open in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Egypt and Mauritius in 2011.
AWARD WINNERS
Properties from across the Middle East were recognised recently at the Arabian
Property Awards. Part of the prestigious International Property Awards, with
commercial and residential categories, they attract elite architectural designs
from across the region.

The Qatar Science and Technology Park took the top award for best
commercial building, with numerous other projects and concepts from across
the Middle East also winning acclaim for their innovative designs.
From Woods Bagot, a multi-disciplinary firm with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi
and Bahrain, the modern architectural theme is specifically suited to the desert
climate and also incorporates Qatari cultural themes.
The distinctive “veil” roof structure, constructed of perforated aluminium, runs
along the front of the site, being both functional and a striking visual element
of the project. It provides shade and forms the basis for the development of
microclimatic environments, with carefully selected finishes and softscape areas.
Aesthetically, the veil is a reinterpretation of the surrounding desert’s shapes and
other influences from Qatari culture.
Materials used throughout include steel, glass, stone and concrete. A
dual-layer skin of perforated stainless steel, with a curved, futuristic look, is
used in all of the project’s buildings.
Part of its environmental sustainability criteria, the metal outer layers and internal
glass walls are designed to control heat gain and to disguise building services.
The eco-friendly theme is also echoed in building interiors, where natural
materials such as travertine stone floors and grained hardwood timber ribbed
wall paneling are used.
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, with architectural design from SOM, won the
regional award. As the world’s tallest building, the design combines
cutting-edge technology with cultural influences to achieve its high-performance
characteristics. Its massing is manipulated in the vertical dimension to minimise
the impact of wind on the tower’s movement.
PORTFOLIO | idProperty
Clockwise from top left: Sofitel Al Khobar; Qatar Science and Technology Park
from Woods Bagot; Ferrari World.
DAMAC Tower in Beirut, the region’s first Versace Home-branded residential
tower, won two awards in the categories of best high-rise architecture and best
interior design.
Featuring spacious private units with custom-designed interiors, the tower
is outfitted with products from the world-renowned Italian fashion house. The
28-storey building’s flowing curves and undulating volumes were designed to
emulate the surging waves of the ocean.
Situated in the up market marina area of Beirut’s new Solidere development,
DAMAC Tower also delivers extensive views of the Mediterranean. “DAMAC
Tower is a majestic development which strikes a balance between technology
and luxury without compromising on style and aesthetic appeal. This innovative
collaboration between DAMAC Properties and VERSACE Home will deliver
to residents the luxurious Italian lifestyle concept” said Niall McLoughlin, Senior
Vice President of DAMAC Properties.
Other shortlisted projects included entries from Egypt, Kuwait, Tunisia and
Jordan. Citystars Heliopolis, by The Cassia Group, is a Dhs293.7 million urban
development project including three hotels, some 1,500 rooms, and one of
the Middle East’s largest retail and leisure centres. With design following a local
Egyptian theme, interiors resemble the inside of a Pharaonic temple with huge
pillars, colourful floor patterns, exotic wooden bridges and water features.
Jordan’s residential apartment building Crystalle, by Maisam Architects was
another nominated project. Designed in collaboration between the Jordanian
Government and the US Department of Energy, this high-end, mixed-use
residential and commercial development will highlight green building design
in Jordan.
December 2010 75
 idProperty | PORTFOLIO
yoo Istanbul.
Kuwait’s Madinat Al-Hareer/City of Silk project is a large-scale long-term
development spanning more than 250 square kilometres. Master planned
by UK architects Eric R Kuhne Associates, the Subiya-based project is an
ambitious development envisaged with a kilometre-high tower, Olympic
stadia residence, hotels and retail outlets along with a wildlife sanctuary
and parks.
POLE POSITION
After three years of construction and preparation, the world’s first
Ferrari-inspired theme park opened to the public in November, just prior
to the Abu Dhabi Formula One race. Designed by international firm Benoy,
Ferrari World’s sprawling, curved building was conceived as an architectural
interpretation of the Italian automotive design icon.
The centrepiece of Abu Dhabi’s 25 square kilometre Yas Island is the scarlet
three-pointed star shaped structure, which also bears the iconic “prancing
horse” Ferrari logo – also the world’s biggest. Reflecting Ferrari’s sinuous form,
the 86,000 square metre building is directly inspired by the classic double-curve
side profile of the Ferrari GT chassis.
According to Benoy’s chairman Graham Cartledge: “Our design echoes the
integrity and passion of the Ferrari brand whilst embodying the ambitions and
vision of Abu Dhabi.”
The location, scale and purpose of the project presented significant
architectural challenges that required a revolutionary design. With a metal skin
roof providing high insulation, the centre of the tri-form structure of this slick
roofing system is drawn down into the ground, creating a conical funnel that
provides the foundation for its 60 metre -high “G-Force Tower.”
76 identity [interior/design/property]
A GLASS OF ITS OWN
JAL Sheikh Zayed Road is a 51-storey slick glass tower on the prominent arterial
road running through the glitzy emirate of Dubai.
With a contemporary, modernist exterior combined with style and luxury, its
471 guest rooms and suites all overlook the vibrant Sheikh Zayed Road, with
views from one side of Jumeirah beach to the other.
Speciality restaurant and bars also feature in the development, each with
unique luxury décor, ambiance and entertainment, following Japanese, Asian,
Arabic and International themes.
Hotel JAL Tower Dubai is the second five-star hotel of the brand to open in
the UAE, joining the JAL Fujairah Resort and Spa.
TALL TALES
Rihan Heights, a five-tower mixed-use development in Arzanah, Abu Dhabi,
designed by UK-based architects Sparch, has reached its final height.
For the high-end development, Sparch selected building materials
corresponding to the unique location of the island, its climate and residential use.
In minimising reliance on air conditioning, the design of the residential towers
incorporates horizontal, fixed brise soleils, which wrap the structures and add
shade, character and definition to the facades.
Sky gardens are also featured across the two wings of each tower, adding a
touch of greenery to the desert surrounds. These make generous use of palms,
horticultural shrubs and tropical plants.
Located on 38,000 square metres of land, the mixed-use development
encompasses residential, commercial, sports and leisure components.
 idProperty | PORTFOLIO
BILLIONAIRE’S PLAYGROUND
Italian business personality Flavio Briatore will launch a Dhs550 million
“Billionaire’s Square” in Dubai in conjunction with lifestyle-based investment
company Pragma Group.
Locally-based MZ Architects lead the design of the project, which will consist
of a boutique hotel, alongside restaurants, bars and a fitness club.
“We have appointed the lead architectural consultant, MZ Architects, and
we’re in the process of appointing the full contractor,” says Joe Tabet, Pragma
Group’s chairman.
Billionaire’s Square will be built on the current site of the Palladium
entertainment venue in Dubai Media City and is scheduled for full completion in
December next year.
The development will join other Pragma Group lifestyle brands in the Middle
East. From its headquarters in Lebanon, Pragma already operates a number of
lifestyle destinations in Dubai, including the Cavalli Club in the Fairmont and the
400 Club.
YOO HORIZONS
yooistanbul, an exclusive 100 luxury-apartment development in Istanbul, Turkey,
marks the first of a number of new residential projects to feature the work of
celebrated international design house yoo. From Turkish developer Say Yapı,
with interiors by “yoo inspired by Starck”, the development is a boutique
residential property in the suburb of Ulus, Istanbul.
yoo co-founder Philippe Starck is also the creative director behind the
yooistanbul concept’s four design palettes of Culture, Classic, Minimal and
Nature. These range from the dark woods and timeless appeal of the Classic
palette, to the smooth, clean lines of the Minimal palette.
78 identity [interior/design/property]
Left to right: Dubai Marina Mall’s water tree; Rihan Heights.
“Our aim was to create a new interior design style based on the human
values that perfectly match the spirit of the wonderful Turkish people, and we’ve
done just that,” Starck says.
yooistanbul’s distinctive character lies within the design-led common areas,
including the lobbies, lifts and landscaped areas. All are curated to give the sense
of a calm oasis in the midst of a crowded city.
John Hitchcox, co-founder and chairman of yoo, adds: “We wanted to
provide intimate living spaces where residents can get to know one another in
the stunning surroundings of the common areas.”
Scheduled for completion in late 2011, the development offers studio, two,
three or four-bedroom apartments with the choice of a garden or terrace for
the three or four-bedroom options.
TREE-MENDOUS
A water tree feature, an innovative combination of hydro-jets and lighting, has
opened in Dubai Marina Mall. At 7.5 metres high, the water tree is the first of
its kind in the region, with previous water trees in the US and Europe rising to
only about half the height.
Formed by an intricate network of nozzles, jets and pipes, the water feature
is set around a pool and creates the illusion of a beautifully structured tree,
complemented by dancing lights.
Designed and executed by water engineering experts and designers from
France, the water tree has an intricate network of bead-like water jets. These
spray 30,000 litres of water in an eight square metre pool, creating a stunning
visual experience, as the water shimmers through dazzling lights.
The water tree at Dubai Marina Mall will be on show through the winter
months, with a number of other attractions expected to be added to the venue
during the cooler season. ID
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 idProperty | ANTENNAE
Egypt and Hungary are both looking hot this winter – and Cambodia and Albania may be heating up, too.
TEXT: RICHARD WARREN
BUSINESS AS USUAL
The world is returning to normality and the East-
West see-saw in house market fortunes is starting
to level out. Governments in East Asia are just
about managing to stop lids blowing off property
markets in China, Hong Kong and Singapore,
where prices are as much as one-third higher
than 12 months ago, and price falls in Europe are
easing, according to the Knight Frank Global Price
Index. Among 15 nations recording price falls, all
but one is European. That odd one out is Japan,
where prices are down 4.4 per cent. In Dubai,
meanwhile, prices are up 5.2 per cent. “There is a
sense that the headline grabbing double digit price
changes that almost became the norm in 2008
and 2009 are lessening in scale and number,” says
Liam Bailey, Knight Frank’s, head of residential
research. “Prices are beginning to return to
something close to a sustainable level.”
80 identity [interior/design/property]
GOING UNDERGROUND
In New Zealand they specialise in making films
about hobbits. In Britain, growing numbers of
people live like hobbits. Mortgage scarcity is making
home buying tough in Britain, so house owners
who want more space are going underground
by digging basements, sometimes with mixed
results. Some new basements are huge, extending
to the full length of a garden, and many are filled
with fancy lighting and are stylishly designed, but a
few result in chaos. A basement dug by designer
developer Finchatton in Belgravia became a hole
in the ground after a skip laden with rubble from
the dig crashed through the street into cellars
below. Other basement digs have destabilised
neighbouring houses, necessitating evacuation of
residents while engineers shore up walls. With
sales activity expected to fall in Britain in 2011,
more homeowners may dig in, literally, until the
market recovers and they can get a mortgage to
buy a larger house.
HUNGARY FOR INVESTMENT
Hungary is Europe’s best investment opportunity,
says the Global Property Guide’s website, because
it has the continent’s second lowest property
prices, averaging Dhs8,600 per square metre,
and its third highest rental yields – 8.11 per cent.
Bizarrely, this happy state of affairs is down to
“incompetent government”, the website states.
A government subsidised housing boom in the
early noughties has imploded, leaving rich pickings
at the bottom of the market cycle for foreign
investors, states the website’s report Hungary:
Housing Market Reaches Bottom? “Hungary is an
investment opportunity,” the report says. “Not
because buyers have made a lot of money out
of Hungarian residential property. They have
not, though the rents can be good, but rather,
Hungary’s crisis gives buyers an opportunity.”
A resurgent economy, falling interest rates and
renewed confidence will spur an upturn in the
housing market, the website’s analysts consider.
 SPANISH SIGHS

They are still slashing prices in Spain. Developer

Taylor Wimpey de Espana is knocking 50 per
cent off some “remaining stock.” In a bid to gee
up the market, the developer claims it is “offering
the last chance to purchase completed homes
in hot locations across Spain,” emphasising that
sales in August 2010 were 30 per cent higher
than the 12 previous months. Prices are still
GOING FOR A SONG falling, reports Knight Frank, and the economy
remains troubled. Spain may re-enter recession,
Holiday homes on a private island off the coast of Cambodia are being offered for sale. Song Saa Private because of government austerity cuts warns
Island will be the first resort built in Cambodia’s Koh Rong archipelago. Six villas are offered for sale from consultancy Capital Economics. It says Spain may
Dhs1.6 million in the latest marketing launch and the developer, Australian-based Brocon, promises owners have to suffer “a decade of deflation, stagnation
who rent out their homes a return of eight per cent guaranteed for five years. When the resort opens in late and sky high unemployment” to straighten its
2011, it will feature 25 rainforest, beach and over-water villas, all with private pools. “Our private island is trade balance, adding that withdrawal from the
discreet and we only have a very small number of villas on offer,” says Rory Hunter, chief executive officer of Eurozone is possible. However, re-adopting
Brocon. “There is nowhere else a buyer could get this standard of investment at such a low price.” Features the peseta could devalue Spanish property in
include marine reserve and restaurant and lounge sited out to sea, and the resort spans two islands, Koh international currency terms, because it is likely
Ouen and Koh Bong, which are connected by footbridge. to be worth less than the euro.

THE NEXT BIG THING HOME PAGES

Bulgaria was the new Spain, but now that
Bulgaria’s holiday homes market is in trouble, that
means a new Bulgaria must be found. Could this
be Albania? Marketers are sparing few adjectives
to let us know Albania is the next big holiday
home-buying destination. “Thus far this jewel
of the Adriatic has been a secret only shared
among the more adventurous and inquisitive
holidaymakers... welcome to the secret Adriatic,”
say publicists for Lalzit Bay Resort, a holiday
homes development planned for Albania’s coast
which they describe as having “beautiful golden
sandy beaches, stunning mountain ranges and
natural scenery, Albania represents an unspoilt,
pristine environment.” Well that’s the poetry, now
here’s the maths. Forty-eight homes are on offer
for sale in “pre-releases” at prices starting from
Dhs257,500. Investors are promised six per cent
rental guarantees over two years in the resort’s
rental programme.
HOT PROPERTY
The privately built new town of El Gouna on
Egypt’s Red Sea coast is a holiday rentals hotspot,
website HomeAway Holiday Rentals reports.
Bookings have doubled in the town over the
past 12 months and the average weekly rent
for a two-bedroom property in El Gouna
is Dhs2,825, nearly double rents in nearby
Hurghada, which reach Dhs1,589, and Sharm
el Sheikh, which pull in Dhs1,648. A town of
interconnected gated resort developments, El
Gouna has a permanent population of 10,000
people and a university, with properties for sale
including studio apartments at the Ancient Sands
Golf Resort, which are set around an 18-hole
golf course. Sale prices start at Dhs689,000. “El
Gouna is a beautiful, up and coming resort on
the Red Sea coast offering an unrivalled lifestyle,”
says Steven Worboys, managing director of
property marketers Experience International.
New property portals are coming online thick
and fast. In Britain, fabricproperty.com lists 9,000
homes for sale and rent in central and north-
west London, including Hampstead, Highgate,
Notting Hill and Knightsbridge. Focused on the
prime end of the housing market, sales prices for
homes listed on the portal range from Dhs1.5
million to Dhs294 million. The website features
narrated, three minute walk-through videos of
“showcase properties” that take the viewer from
the street outside through each room inside.
At least 71 properties will be filmed in this way
between now and June 2011. Meanwhile,
property investment company Assetz has
launched a property finding website for French
homes, rance.assetz.co.uk. As well as helping
buyers find a home in France, the company’s
home-finding team and website provide
information on French mortgage applications,
market updates and legal and tax advice.

December 2010 81
 DESIGN@LARGE

Time keeping
The new Rolex Tower on Sheikh Zayed
Road is a perfect illustration of the luxury
watch brand – stylish, understated and
internationally oriented. TEXT: GLENN FREEMAN

Rolex Tower.

December 2010 83
 Top to bottom: SOM’s futuristic design for the
Bahrain headquarters of Arcapita Bank; Soundwave,
an art installation in Rolex Tower’s lobby by
James Clar.

Amid the exuberance of Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, Rolex Tower

is defined by its refined simplicity and classical, understated elegance.
Rolex Tower is the latest Dubai development from Chicago’s Skidmore,
Owings and Merrill (SOM), the world-renowned architects behind the
record-breaking Burj Khalifa. Commissioned by Ahmed Siddiqi & Sons, the
exclusive regional distributor of luxury Rolex timepieces, this latest offering
from SOM is a 59-storey mixed-use building comprising residential and
commercial apartments.
The exterior of the building is clad in highly durable, patterned green glass,
with the colour fading as it ascends, a detail that accentuates the building’s
height. Viewed in the bright Dubai sunlight, this glass coating also creates a
shimmering effect. Rolex Tower’s two setbacks create the sky-terraces and give
the building its three-tiered structure, also denoting its different office, residential
and amenity sections.
SOM was involved with the entire project, from the architecture of the
building exterior through to the interior design of the lobbies, health club and
penthouse suites. George Efstathiou, general manager of SOM, was in town
recently for the inauguration of the building, and spoke about the understated
elegance of the tower and gave some insight into the interaction between the
architectural firm and the client.
“We designed it with a very classic, elegant look and, as it turns out, that fits
very well with the Rolex brand… the simplicity of the building is the theme,”
Efstathiou says, revealing that although his firm knew the client was Ahmed
Siddiqi & Sons, the decision to brand the building as Rolex Tower was not made
until after the design had been agreed upon.
“They wanted a very simple, minimalist, modern expression and that fitted
perfectly with our thinking. It was also specified to have high attention to quality
and high attention to detail and material. We had a great partnership with the
client and it shows in the finished building,” Efstathiou says.
However, as he points out, it is one thing to specify the use of premium
materials, high quality workmanship and detailing, and quite another to execute some subcontractors’ inability to execute, or in their workers’ lack of experience
it. “We worked with a contracting company, Dubai Contracting Company, on or training,” says Efstathiou, who points out there were no such issues with this
a day-to-day basis. When we were finished with our work in specifying what project.
was needed, they executed it perfectly. They demanded a very high level of As he explains, one of the earlier stages of SOM’s involvement in creating any
execution from their subcontractors, and you can see it in the end result,” project starts with the client’s idea for the mix and number of separate units,
Efstathiou says. such as apartments, parking facilities and offices. “Typically, the client has a pro
This is one of the major challenges he identifies in the project and in working forma for the number of units and the mix of these that they want, that then
in this region generally. “There were a number of details that can get lost in gives us something that allows us to sit down, and look at how it fits into an

84 identity [interior/design/property]
 DESIGN@LARGE

SOM’s concept for Pearl River Tower, Guangzhou, China.

efficient and rational footprint for a building and allows us to plan the structure,”
Efstathiou says.
“Any good developer will have a financial model before the project, it’s not
up to the architect to decide what the uses are… with that we can create the
design and then share some basic design philosophies with the client.”
In creating the interior theme of the building design, he points out that SOM
followed a modern, predominantly Western-style concept, in recognition of the
largely international population that inhabits Dubai: “There are few references
to local culture in the building. It was conceived as a modern building with an
international style that would appeal to a wide range of people.”
Efstathiou also points out that the large, transient expatriate demographic
of the UAE influenced the design. “This is predominantly a rental building,
especially given the transient expatriate community, which have a tendency to
want a cleaner, international style,” he says.
He says one of the few things that may differentiate apartments in Rolex
Tower to those in Western apartments is the addition of elements such as a
maid’s room. “There are also certain ways of handling kitchens so as not to
open them to living areas too much,” Efstathiou says.
However, he believes that the cultural differences between apartment living
in the UAE and the West are changing, with considerable convergence in
styles. In particular, he refers here to SOM’s experience as architects on the
Burj Khalifa as an example “here we found that the open Western-style kitchen
arrangement was used anyway.”
Efstathiou also talks more generally about architectural trends in the UAE,
which he has been visiting on and off for the past seven-and-a-half years. “In
the course of that time, we have seen a wide range of building styles with a lot
of international architects coming to Dubai and a lot of locally-based architects
trying to compete,” he says. Out of these, he believes there are a handful that
really stand out, including the Beirut-based architectural firm Erga, which SOM
partnered with on Rolex Tower.
An important role Efstathiou sees for Dubai in setting the agenda for
architectural style regionally is in office-building design. “When trying to grow a
city, you need to make buildings that fit the needs of the people who live and
work there,” he says.
Particularly in attracting increasing numbers of multinational companies.
Efsthatiou believes more needs to be done to ensure office space meets
increasingly sophisticated demands in terms of design quality rather than volume.
“Work is a very important part, yet I don’t see many good examples of good use
of office space – most of the architectural work being done here is residential.
You have to ask the question: ‘Where is everybody working?’” he says.
Especially along the more saturated Sheikh Zayed Road commercial and
residential areas, where Efstathiou says sites are relatively small, presenting
architects and designers with the challenge of creating spaces as flexible and as
open as possible. “Leaf-spans here are often very tight and not very conducive
to modern design styles,” he says.
SOM worked around this in Rolex Tower by minimising the use of columns
in interiors and using floor-to-ceiling glass. “You don’t see a lot of that here [in
Dubai]. Rolex Tower also has high ceilings, which provide a good, open feel –
those things are very important in being an effective workspace, ” says Efstathiou,
drawing the conversation to a close in order to make a soon-departing flight.
But with another project due for completion soon – the striking, 90-degree
twisted Infinity Tower at Dubai Marina, which is set to open in 2011 – he’s sure
to be back again soon. ID

December 2010 85
 ANTENNAE
An energy-efficient new corporate headquarters for the Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires, an ambitious
vertical campus in Chicago and an innovative new landmark for the Australian city of Melbourne are in this
month’s architectural spotlight. TEXT: STEVE HILL
1
2 5
1. CHICAGO
HIGHER LEARNING
Roosevelt University in Chicago is to become
home to a 32-storey vertical campus which will
be the second tallest educational facility in the
United States when it opens in January 2012.
The structure is unique because it will combine
academic, administrative and student housing
functions under one roof. The top 17 floors will
act as an upscale residence hall for 600 students,
featuring 295 private rooms, and the top 22
levels will have clear views of Lake Michigan. The
project will be LEED certified, featuring a green
roof, recycled and sustainable building materials,
energy and water efficiencies and attention to
indoor environmental quality.
86 identity [interior/design/property]
4
7
8
6
2. BUENOS AIRES
INTEREST RISING
Foster and Partners have won a competition
to design a new corporate headquarters for
the Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Plans for
the energy-efficient building echo its park-side
setting with landscaped courtyards and shaded
walkways. The scheme occupies the whole site
to create an internal campus of “villages”, which
are connected by circulation routes and external
landscaped patios and are unified by a flowing
roof canopy. Sustainable features include utilising
the exposed thermal mass of concrete soffits with
chilled beams for cooling; and reducing energy
demands through shaded facades, which are
oriented according to the path of the sun and by
encouraging natural ventilation.
3
3. FOSHAN
CENTRE OF ATTENTION
BDP is to masterplan the new Cultural and
Administration Centre for the Sanshui district in
Foshan and design the new cultural centre, library
city archive, senior university, medical research
building, laboratories, city exhibition hall and civic
offices. It has approached the project with the
aim of delivering excellent learning and research
environments, stunning performance venues
and galleries and stimulating office environments,
which reflect the rich culture of Sanshui. The
buildings create sustainable places responding to
the climatic conditions that are fully integrated
into a new landscape incorporating the features
and natural topography of the elevated site and
expansive waterfront location.
 PHOTOGRAPHY: ROLAND HALBE
5. MELBOURNE

PICTURE PERFECT

Melbourne is set to become home to a dramatic

and innovative landmark featuring the image
of Aboriginal leader and artist William Barak. It
4. VEJLE has been claimed that the proposed 32-storey
Portrait Building will be the first structure to
CREST OF A WAVE feature an image of this kind. Designed by
architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall, the face
Henning Larsen Architects has won a prestigious Leading European Architects Forum (LEAF) Award. of Barak – best remembered for his artworks
The Wave, a nine-storey structure featuring 100 owner-occupied apartments, was recognised in the showing both indigenous life and encounters
2010 Residential Building of the Year multiple occupancy sub section. It overlooks a fjord and features with European settlers – will be difficult to see
architecture that relates to these surroundings. During the day, the white “waves” are reflected in the when close to the building but will be easier to
fjord while, at night, they stand out as an undulating mountain landscape of colour and light. Together make out from a distance. The project is due to
with the public promenade in front of the building, The Wave creates a connection between the fjord, feature some 530 apartments and be completed
landscape and town and consolidates the different elements in a clear and recognisable signature. in 2014.

6. RIYADH
TOWERING AMBITION
Chicago-based Goettsch Partners are serving
as the design architect for a new five-star,
900-key business hotel and serviced apartment
complex in the Saudi Arabian capital. Comprising
two towers connected by a large podium, the
project includes a 20-storey, 650-key hotel
and a 14-storey, 250-unit serviced apartment
building. To be operated as a Hilton property,
the complex will include a variety of food and
beverage outlets, two outdoor lounges, 6,500
square metres of meeting facilities, and a 4,100
square metre multipurpose hall, the largest in
the city. The Dhs1.6 billion project is in the
final design phase and scheduled for completion
in 2013.
7. SBERBANK
INVESTING IN EDUCATION
Leading Russian bank Sberbank has signed a
contract with Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat
to realise its new Corporate University, west
of Moscow. It will consist of education and
conference spaces, dormitories, guest teacher
quarters, teacher accommodation, a club building
and sports facilities. Most horizontal surfaces will
be executed as vegetated roofs, improving both
the appearance and the insulation qualities of
the building. Materials with a low environmental
impact, such as wood, mineral stucco and
granulated concrete foundation, will feature
extensively. Summer shading will add to the
building’s thermal mass, reducing the need for
mechanical cooling and heating.
8. TEHRAN
ON TO A WINNER
Bonsar Architectural Studio has won a
competition to design the Tehran Business
Hotel. The starting point was to improve upon
an already completed blueprint for the project
which also features a conference centre and
commercial facilities. Bonsar added specialised
working areas, private meeting rooms and a
traditional restaurant to the design after analysing
the predicted profile of guests and their needs.
Attention was also paid to the siting of the
project on its 1,000 square metre plot, and care
taken to ensure that the client’s desire to create
a landmark building with high visibility across the
city was achieved.

December 2010 87
 Furnish with ideas
INDEX 2010 showcased some of the brightest and best in
design from across the world, with Mediterranean companies
and creatives coming to the fore. TEXT: GLENN FREEMAN

This majlis design from

Isabel Pintado was identity’s
favourite, though it didn’t win
INDEX’s Contemporary Majlis
competition. Glowing chairs bordered
by the darker environment symbolise growing
enlightenment where ideas, creativity and generosity
flow, while the knotted ropes create a permeable screen
allowing respite from the outside world.

88 identity [interior/design/property]

From innovative, hand-crafted lighting to stylish bathroom interiors, and
quirky outdoor furniture to laser-cut wall-hangings and natural timber flooring,
displays of cutting edge design from Europe, Asia and the Middle East were
everywhere you looked at INDEX 2010.
The best designers from the Mediterranean featured especially prominently
as the event marked two decades as the biggest interior design exhibition in
the Middle East and North Africa. A number of designers from Italy and
Spain showed the latest from Europe at the stand of Interiors, a UAE-based
furniture and accessory supplier. Among these were Porada, combining classical
high-quality timber with contemporary design features, and DL Décor, showing
old-world Italian style as well as superior quality for both home decoration and
residential furniture.
From Spain, Coleccion Alexandra, renowned for its young, fresh design and
unique leather-craft techniques was a stand-out exhibitor, along with Mariner,
a label founded in the 19th century, and renowned for its high quality furniture
and accessories.
Another Spanish exhibitor, Jordi Mila, was named the top exhibitor by Victoria
Redshaw, lead trend forecaster and managing director of the UK’s Scarlet Opus.
Jordi Mila showcased a collection of stunning furniture designs, including the Hot
Rider carbon fibre stool, influenced by the English horse-saddle.
French designers were also out in force, including designs from EGO Paris. Its
striking outdoor furniture makes use of bright, primary colours combined with
the trademark French attention to quality and detail. Meanwhile, Saint Gobain,
FORUM
Clockwise from top left: the TENSHI7 sculptural wall-light and clock; the
winning entry in the majlis design competition was inspired by Bedouin
poetry; the elegant, flowing lines of the X2 chair by Giorgio Caporaso; the
clean, minimal style of Ego Paris outdoor furniture.
a French manufacturer of “active glass” products displayed its new Quantum
range. With optical, thermal and physical properties, these products change
when subjected to low-voltage electrical input and can be used in creating
interactive artworks and as interior architectural features.
Sweden’s Nordic Homeworx launched its Kahrs Supreme and Kahrs Artisan
ranges during the show. Made from oak treated with a variety of finishes and
patterns, including oiled, brushed, bevelled and smoked, each board has a
unique but natural look.
Locally-based lighting from Alpha Crystal was another stand-out exhibit,
with its striking collection of classical Arabic and contemporary lighting designs,
including the Pliet range of chandeliers. The largest piece in the collection
features a number of silver-glass, LED-lit snake-like tubes, suspended to create
a hanging lighting sculpture.
December 2010 89
 FORUM
Greek architectural lighting specialist TENSHI7 also displayed its unique
wall light and timepiece, Time Square. Consisting of 12 cylindrical aluminium
components with LED lighting, attached with metal joints in a square
frame, it creates a dramatic wall-mounted sculptural light and clock. The
illuminated cylinders display the 12 daily hours while the lower left horizontal
cylinder displays the minutes, with 12 circular LED spots illuminating on a
five-minute frequency.
Poggenpohl showcased its luxury kitchens, including the latest Artesio
concept, developed in collaboration with architect Hadi Teherani. Incorporating
new technology and innovative interior fittings for drawers and pullouts, its
design also recognises the contemporary trend toward a fusion of kitchen and
living environments.
The latest in wall hangings and textiles from Al Quoz-based Yalda Deco
Tone made an appearance, too. Bringing the best materials from Germany,
Britain, Switzerland and the Netherlands, a range of its mid to high-end targeted
products for interiors were on display.
Another important aspect of INDEX is the fostering of local talent and the
second Contemporary Majlis Competition was held as part of the show. Four
leading UAE designers were asked to present their vision of a modern majlis,
using contemporary furnishings and accessories to create personal interpretations
of the interior feature that is so much a part of the modern-day Arabic home.
This year’s participants were Laurike Muller, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority;
Rashida Rajkotwalla, Design Work Portfolio; Sonal Jakkal, Green Curve; and
Isabel Pintado, Godwin Austen Johnson.
90 identity [interior/design/property]
Clockwise from left: Classic timber flooring from the Nordic Homeworx
Artisan collection; the Bloom chair by Philippine designer Kenneth
Cabonpue is inspired by the flower blossom; Spilt drinks, a surreal,
Dali-esque melting table from French designer Florent Degourc.
The winning design by Rajkotwalla drew inspiration from Nabati poetry, a
popular literature in the Arabian Peninsula. Much like the poetry, the majlis
reflects a strong sense of fluidity captured through the design’s circular form.
Inspired by Bedouin culture, the theme of fluid movement is also continued
throughout the majlis. The carpet was reminiscent of sand dunes, along with
other natural elements such as stone, wood and earth used throughout the
design to reflect Arabic cultural roots.
The Al Habtoor & ISG Student Challenge and Fekra Design Competition
also involved students from local universities, including the University of Sharjah
and Ajman University of Science and Technology. Tasked with designing a
playground, the theme was Urban Playground: Active Design for a Healthy
Urban Environment.
Each design needed to utilise recycled elements and also harness the physical
motion of those playing, to create enough energy to power an additional
device or product. Among the end results were pedal-powered play-cars and
other vehicles, along with fountains powered purely by kinetic energy from the
movement of playing children.
The latest in materials were displayed in some of the designs, including
ferro-fluid, a highly versatile, aesthetically-pleasing metallic substance used in
creating entertaining and functional play equipment.
 FASHION HOUSE GOES FESTIVE

Versace has unveiled its latest festive-themed range

of household giftware items. These include a teapot,
covered creamer, ornamental ball and bell, vases, a
candleholder and trays. Christmas in Your Heart is
the theme for Versace’s 2010 collection of limited
edition giftware. Crafted from fine porcelain with
gold accents and flashes of red, design features
COOKING UP A STORM include arabesques, snowflakes, sprigs of holly and
all manner of wintery themes. As collector’s items,
Spurred by the ever-growing influence of the kitchen on home life in general, each giftware piece is also stamped with the year.
bespoke kitchens from Italian designer Pedini have landed in Dubai. “We
are convinced that the relationship between people and their surrounding
environment characterises their quality of life, thus making meal preparation a
more pleasant experience,” says Simone Gennari, Pedini’s managing director. In
conjunction with local company Rono Interiors, Pedini designers tailor each kitchen
to a client brief, considering variables such as space, lifestyle, budget and style.
Aesthetics, functionality and budget are given equal consideration, with a high
level of commitment to innovation. Beyond simple meal preparation, aspects of
living, eating, cooking, relaxing and entertaining are considered in each
design. “Today, kitchens tend to become open spaces
as opposed to being in separate locations in the
house; this is why the design and the practical aspect
of kitchens are becoming more and more important,”
Gennari says.

GREENER PASTURES

GreenEcoStore.com is a new internet portal enabling UAE residents to order green-designed products
online, the first such store in the Emirates. All products are guaranteed to be “green” and are easily
absorbed into the ecosystem, without compromising on design or quality. All have one or more of
the following attributes in being biodegradable, environmentally safe, hand-made, natural, recycled,
recyclable, reusable, sustainable or organic. A wide variety of eco-friendly designed products,
including soy candles, gadgets, appliances, solar lights, recycled stationery, eco-friendly shower heads
and bamboo kitchenware are now available from GreenEcoStore.com. “We have carefully selected
the best eco-friendly products from the US, Canada, the UK, India and Australia and brought them
to the Middle East,” says Anu Agarwal, founder of TheGreenEcostore.com. “I am confident that
once people start using some of these products they will realise the importance of embracing
eco-products and fine tuning their way of living to a ‘greener lifestyle’.” Launched
to coincide with the 2010 festive season, the portal is open for business now,
with new products to be added each month.

92 identity [interior/design/property]
 FORUM

TAKEAWAY TABLE

Italian designers Alessandro Loschiavo and Michele Russo have unveiled the Wa
Table, a versatile unit that serves as both a coffee and dining table. Launched
at the Ateriali Creative 2010 exhibition in Milan, the collapsible, light and easily
transportable table is conceived as a crossover between indoor and outdoor use.
It features an acrylic circular top and a translucent container base, which acquires
weight when filled with water. A strong, lightweight carbon-fibre tube connects
the two portions and this is removed when converting the piece into a coffee
table, simply by assembling the top directly to the base. The Wa Table is aimed
at both household use and also commercial applications, equally at home on
porticos, terraces and patios or in temporary or seasonal public settings at sea
or pool-side establishments. For added portability, the table’s three portions can
be simply unscrewed, with the base then screwed onto the tabletop and the
attaching tube then clipped onto this. A carry handle on the base – which also
doubles as a watering can – also aids this maneuverability.

CRATELOAD OF COLOUR

Bold colours in abundance define the Crate & Barrel Holiday

Collection for 2010. From the rich, bright pallete of the gift
stockings, to the deeper, simpler hues of the antique-look
onion shaped tree decorations, square candles and ruffled foil
platters. The shining elegance of the rustic silver star is also a
standout. The Holiday Collection also brings authentic furnishings
that are comfortable and inspiring yet affordable. For that extra
presentation space as friends and relatives gather, the bright
yet minimal design of the Walker rectangular table is ideal. Soft
cushions with themed, colourful covers also brighten up a room,
with tartan plaid designs along with jewel pattern to match the
same range of gift stockings.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Bloomingdale’s Home Store is getting into the festive spirit with a

dazzling array of eye-catching decorations and gift ideas scattered
throughout. Keeping things simple but colourful are its tree
decorations and ornaments, part of the Bloomingdale’s Museum
of Modern Art collection – a relatively inexpensive way to add
colour and festivity. Bloomingdale’s Fink ornaments, in the form
of a reindeer and a bell, with their subtle yet striking silver and
red can also introduce an elegant vibe. The old-time Santa cards
in various styles also bring a touch of seasonally-inspired class.

December 2010 93
 FORUM
FACTORY FUN
Bloomingdale’s has unveiled its annual festive window displays at its
Dubai Mall store. Featuring the work of in-store designers Matteo
Magnanini and Gavin Farrell, the windows follow a slightly offbeat
festive-cum-industrial theme. Each of them features mechatronic moving
parts, including brightly-coloured retro robots as factory helpers, with
extending arms along with animated spinning cogs and moving conveyor
belts. Inspired in part by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the theme
is intended to reflect the origins of the numerous gifts, with many such
goods produced in factories – in addition to the handcrafted items.
Bloomingdale’s range of designer goods for the season are showcased
within the window displays, including high-end haute couture fashion,
family-oriented products and brightly coloured, sparkled baubles and
decorations.
94 identity [interior/design/property]
Design agenda
Heimtextil Frankfurt 2011, Frankfurt, Germany, January 12-15
The ARC Show 2011, London, United Kingdom, January 12-13
DOMOTEX 2011, Hannover, Germany, January 15-18
Living Kitchen 2011, Cologne, Germany, January 18-23
LED OLED Lighting Japan 2011, Tokyo, Japan, January 19-21
Maison & Objet 2011, Paris, France, January 21-25
Maison & Objet Projets 2011, Paris, France, January 21-25
NOW! 2011, Paris, France, January 21-25
Interiors Birmingham 2011, Birmingham, United Kingdom,
January 23-26
Hospitality 2011, Birmingham, United Kingdom, January 24-26
Mobist 2011, Istanbul, Turkey, January 25-29
Macef January 2011, Milano, Italy, January 27-30
FAST READER
As we wave goodbye to the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix for
another year, celebrated Italian Ferrari designer Pininfarina has paired
with Ferrari team sponsor Mubadala Development Company to
release a limited-edition commemorative book, The Ferrari Opus.
It is an 852-page, 37 kilogram tribute to the passion, style and
timeless design – in red – that characterises the Ferrari automotive
marque. A number of limited edition options are available, including
the ultra-rare special Enzo edition, signed by iconic Ferrari legends.
Packaged with a custom-designed book-stand from Candy & Candy,
only 400 of this version will be printed, with prices starting from
Dhs11,700. The first printed edition, which will be signed by Ferrari’s
Luca di Montezemolo and Mubadala’s chief executive, Khaldoon
Khalifa Al Mubarak, will tour every grand prix-hosting city in 2011
before being auctioned for charity.
 Inspirations

December 2010 95
 BOOKS
Books covering sustainable design from across the world, the art of compact Japanese living, a Californian
house designed by Oscar Niemeyer and the work of architect Ross Lovegrove are on identity’s reading list
this month.
SUPERNATURAL
ROSS LOVEGROVE
PHAIDON
DHS175
A pictorially-focused book,
Supernatural displays and analyses
the work of Ross Lovegrove, a
celebrated contemporary industrial
designer, spanning a wide array of
organic-inspired forms and materials.
More recently, Lovegrove has focused
on ‘organic essentialism,’ a theme
reflected in the large-scale pictures
wonderfully presented and insightfully
discussed in the generously-sized
pages. A highlight is the intriguingly
off-kilter quality of the photos, from
silvery images of his water bottle
design, through to bamboo-framed
bicycles and the awe-inspiring
DNA-strand inspired staircase.
Each page leads to questions about
the materials and thinking behind
each product, with most answered
towards the book’s end. Lovegrove
himself delivers interesting insight
throughout. Third-person accounts
from his contemporaries add to
this, though they are, of course, all
glowing assessments. A book equally
at home on the coffee table as in
the collection of budding industrial
designers, the visual spectacle
of Supernatural alone makes it a
worthwhile read.
96 identity [interior/design/property]
SPACE
MICHAEL FREEMAN
UNIVERSE
DHS125
Shock and discomfort are two words
that spring to mind after reading
Space, which looks at classical and
contemporary Japanese interior
design. From a Western perspective,
some of the comparatively cramped
building and interior spaces provide
an uncomfortable but timely reminder
of the architectural challenges faced
in the world’s most populous cities.
Compact minimalism is the raison
d’etre of Japanese interiors, a theme
also reflected in the volume’s own
neat, square design. Without being
a how-to guide, it provides an
outsider- looking-in perspective to
some of the more surprising elements
of Japanese architecture, at the same
time imparting a number of subtle
lessons. From quirky creativity to
attractive functionality, albeit on a
small scale, it provides an insight
into how smart design combined
with Japan’s natural minimalism
creates contemporary residential
and commercial spaces – with some
plot sizes as small as 322 square
feet. Despite its slightly confusing
layout and some overlap in topics, it
contains plenty of inspiration for those
interested in using space economically.
DESIGN FOR A LIVING WORLD
LUPTON AND MILLER
COOPER-HEWITT
DHS150
Published to coincide with The
Nature Conservancy’s 2009-2010
Design for a living world exhibition,
this book documents 10 designers
commissioned to create objects
inspired by and reflective of the
cultures and landscapes of specific
countries. Combining fascinating
photography with intelligent, interesting
essays and personal accounts, it
examines the connection between
designers, consumers and cultures.
Providing a vivid insight into the design
process, it also emphasises the
hands-on physicality of the designers’
trade. Pieces and materials vary widely,
from an Alaskan salmon-skin dress
to a Bolivian plywood chair, and a
uniquely versatile organic wool rug to
a topographically-inspired red maple
bench. The artisans include New
York-based industrial designer Stephen
Birks, Swiss designer Yves Behard,
artistic exhibition designer Abott Miller
and fashion designer Paulina Reyes
of Kate Spade, dispatched to Bolivia,
Micronesia, Australia and Mexico.
A worthy read, the earlier chapters are
the most engaging in highlighting the
crossover between art, nature
and design.
MODERNIST PARADISE
MICHAEL WEBB
RIZZOLI
DHS175
Modernist Paradise revolves around
the Santa Monica house designed by
Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer,
the father of Brazilian modernism. It
traces the history of the 1960s-built
property, along with its transformation
into a ‘living museum,’ with one of
the largest private collections of
20th century modernist furniture.
Interspersed throughout are detailed,
entertaining and informative essays
from Michael and Gabrielle Boyd, a
New York-based design couple who
rescued the home from almost certain
demolition and now live there with
their two sons. It includes discussions
of the famous chair designer Gerrit
Rietveld and furniture designers Jean
Prouve, Marcel Breuer and Arne
Jacobsen, among others. While
painstaking in its process, from a
practical viewpoint, some of the
captioning and layout of the hundreds
of pictures of furniture, books and
period posters leaves the reader
slightly confused. Providing a snapshot
of the modernist movement, this
book will be of particular interest to
students of design, though more casual
enthusiasts will also enjoy it. ID
BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM BLOOMINGDALE’S
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Scrabble
TEXT: STEVE HILL
Alfred Butts designed the Charles Berry housing project on Staten
Island and the Stanford Free Library in Stanfordville New York, but is best
remembered for inventing a board game during the Great Depression that is
now played around the world.
Scrabble may never have been devised but for the economic crisis. Butts
lost his job with architecture firm Holden McLaughlin and Associates and, with
nothing to do and plenty of time on his hands, steeled himself to produce a
letters-based game.
His idea was fine-tuned and evolved gradually under a range of names with
only modest success before James Brunot in 1947 made further adjustments,
including altering the colours of the board, adding the 50-point rule for playing
all seven tiles in one go, and changing the name to Scrabble.
The game slowly grew in popularity before renowned department
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISABELLE SCHNOECKEL / GETTY IMAGES
98 identity [interior/design/property]
store Macy’s placed a large order in 1952 to help bring Scrabble to a mass
audience. It is estimated that the game can now be found in one of every
three American homes and today sells around three million sets worldwide
in 23 languages.
The advent of the computer age and online gaming has boosted the
popularity of Scrabble still further. It has sparked a range of imitations and
has become so deeply ingrained in the public psyche that this humble
word-based pastime has even inspired furniture and jewellery makers.
Stephen Reed, for example, produced striking tile-holder-style benches
for the London offices of Bloomberg, complete with Scrabble pillows for
employees wanting to create words or leave messages for their colleagues.
Letters have also been utilised in earrings, rings, necklaces, pendants and
even pony-tail bows by a range of artisans. ID