Picture a successful fashion designer 50, 20 or even ten years ago, and you’d likely be thinking of a white man tailoring evening gowns in London or Paris. But today, one of the world’s most watched, most discussed designers is a black man from Chicago; the 37-year-old son of Ghanaian…
Category
Design
It’s only been five years since Khaled El Mays launched his own furniture design brand but he’s already garnered an incredible amount of coverage with features in Wallpaper, The Observer, The Financial Times’ How to Spend It and Architectural Digest. The Lebanese designer’s upcoming participation in Milan’s Salone del Mobile…
House of Today’s Cherine Magrabi is propping up regional talent on the international stage. Her visionary concept is inspired, innovative and most of all- it’s working. Anyone casting even a cursory glance over the Lebanese design scene today will notice that the country’s game has strengthened significantly. The number of…
With a sharp eye and a curator’s approach, Chahan Minassian creates unpretentious, tasteful interiors. It’s little wonder then that he was chosen to help renovate one of Paris’ most prestigious projects – the Hôtel de Crillon. Picture the plump curves of two soft grey armchairs, mirrored in the wavy metal…
The port city of Jeddah, located on the shores of the Red Sea in western Saudi Arabia, is home to some of the country’s most spectacularly designed homes. But since virtually all of these extraordinary houses are hidden behind walls – privacy is of the utmost importance in the Kingdom…
Once the capital of the old kingdom of Oman, Mleiha is now part of the UAE and it happens to be a treasure trove of ancient sites and artefacts. As a result, the Sharjah Department of Antiquities has built a stunning new archaeological centre to attract tourists and residents alike.…
Henry Dakak Jr. is a designer with a singular vision. His beautifully made creations, whether furniture, functional objects or jewellery, exemplify a judicious mix of modernity and antiquity, and bely a delicate attention to detail. The history of design is rife with drama. Truthfully, no one would care about the…
Beirut was once home to hundreds of palaces. Perched on the hills of Ashrafieh, Zokak El Blatt, Clemenceau and Kantari, and spreading east to Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael, these spectacular gems of the Ottoman and French Mandate eras were built by wealthy Lebanese merchants seeking peace and quiet, with easy…
Not all houses were created equal. In the pretty town of Monsef, on a particularly scenic stretch of Mediterranean coastline a few minutes’ drive north of Byblos, Villa Kali attests to that adage. Completed just last year, and often referred to as the El Khalil Beach House (after the family…
WHY DID YOU BECOME A DESIGNER? I’ve always been an observer of things around me. It began naturally, exploring and investigating the objects in our home. It was second nature to look at and think about those products and decipher how they represented what people like and need. I’ve always…