COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGN

< PreviousAdvertorial commercialinteriordesign.com November 2021 10 CREATING KUURU Forsite Creative creates a dynamic Japanese Peruvian concept restaurant that's unique to its location of Jeddah in KSA Kuuru is a Japanese Peruvian concept that embodies an elevated casual atmosphere and is truly unique to the Jeddah market, setting itself up to be one of the most popular restaurants to have opened this year. Kuuru's aesthetics and concept have come together to be a dynamic premium–causal Nikkei concept that blends both cultures' heritage in a modern way. Through clever space planning and by creating an omokase styled kitchen at the heart of the space, Forsite is showcasing a new cuisine to the region that contributes to the cultural awareness in Saudi. The centrally designed omakase kitchen showcases the kitchen staff and the preparations of a new cuisine while allowing guests to engage with the chefs in a way that has yet to be seen in the Saudi food scene. The design narrative was based on creating a concept with a degree of mystery and sense of discovery while striking a balance between elevated Japanese satai (food stalls) with a punchy Peruvian ﬂ air; all to be achieved through a minimally evasive renovation with little impact on the existing space. As Kuuru is a restaurant within an existing and operating restaurant, the biggest challenge was how to create an impactful design with minimal disruption to the existing restaurant operations. Structural limitations aside, ensuring a logical transition relevant to each concept aesthetically while not diminishing from the other was also a signiﬁ cant driver in ﬁ nding the right design solution. In order to give back to the community and ingrain a sense of local pride, Forsite with Leylaty, the owners and operators of Kuuru, sourced local artisans and craftsman to realise the custom wood wall, omakase bar structure, development of unique OS&E, and decorative pottery and accessories throughout the space. To further inspire and cultivate local talent, Forsite enlisted a Saudi artist who was commissioned to create signature murals narrating the Nikkei story of land and sea. All these elements culminated in a unique approach to the restaurant scene in KSA, making Jeddah the ﬁ rst restaurant to introduce not only this type of experience– led design, but also a Saudi female chef, keeping this truly a groundbreaking restaurant to its core, with a unique service style that is enhanced through its vibrant ambiance, curated playlist and atmospheric lighting. www.forsitecreative.comDesign news 11 November 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com Ain Dubai opens after nine million man-hours on site Ain Dubai, the world's tallest and largest observation wheel, opened to the public on October 21, 2021. Sited on Bluewaters Island, the huge attraction took nine million man-hours to build. The 48 passenger cabins that circle the enormous circumference of the wheel have the capacity to carry more than 1,750 visitors at once. One complete rotation of the wheel takes 38 minutes. Ain Dubai's key components were assembled using two of the world's largest cranes, and the structure used 11,200 tonnes of steel in its construction, 33 per cent more than the amount used to build the Eiffel Tower. WSP was appointed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction as the lead consultant and architect of record for both the wheel and terminal building. In this role, WSP managed and coordinated the design input from the 11 specialist designers/suppliers appointed by Hyundai across the project. Wells International inks deal to design new Porsche hotel brand A Porsche Design hotel is on its way to Dubai and Wells International is the interior design ﬁ rm at the wheel. The joint collaboration with Germany's Steigenberger Hotels creates a new hotel brand that draws upon Porsche Design's luxury and craftsmanship, as well as Steigenberger's hospitality standards. Conﬁ rming the news, Justin Wells said: "Wells International has the privilege to be interior designer for a new global luxury lifestyle hotel brand launching in Munich, a brand synonymous with design." A ﬁ rst tranche of 15 hotels is conﬁ rmed for London, Singapore, Dubai and Shanghai. Once complete, the properties will offer at least 150 rooms, suites, and penthouses. They will also have a restaurant and bar concept, Meet&Greet Cubes, and a health and beauty facility as well as a gym of at least 100 sq m. "Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels will boast an unusual and exceptional spatial and lighting concept," said Dr Jan Becker, CEO of Porsche Design Group. "Innovative rooms and suites will feature a singular design and interior." Image credit: Viktor Pazemin Justin Wells, founder of Wells InternationalPartner content commercialinteriordesign.com November 2021 12 O CARVEPartner content 13 November 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com Umesh Punia, CEO of GLAZE GRANITE & MARBLE, on the company’s fascinating history and bright future OUT More than a quarter of a century ago, Umesh Punia travelled to the UAE. That year, 1995, has since been spoken about by regional ﬁ nancial experts as the year the government acted with determination to secure the country's economic future, laying down the building blocks of a sophisticated new economy with the private sector at the forefront. Umesh was to be among these private companies setting up business in the relatively new country and, in his own words, describing himself as "like a dog with a bone," found his hard work and loyalty to the UAE repaid with success and a thriving business. Here he talks us through his work and tell us why GLAZE is the number one choice for sourcing granite and marble. Commercial Interior Design: What is your main role and responsibility at GLAZE and has that changed over the years? Umesh Punia: My main role has always been the same, sourcing the top-quality marble, at the best prices, from all around the world. Natural stones can be quite deceptive for an end user, and our job is to source and stock the best options. Even today, my role is to supervise, monitor imports, and uncover the best value for investment on behalf of our clients using all of our expertise, network, and resources. After which, we have an amazing team overseeing operations, sales and ﬁ nance, so I don't need to worry about those details. After more than two decades in the industry, we can really guarantee that we are sourcing the best selections for our clients from every corner of the world. CID: What excites you the most about your work? UP: Marble is my passion. Discovering new and quality marble has always been more of an obsession than a livelihood. When I started traveling to Italy in the late '90s, visiting the world's most important stone galleries, I was fascinated and excited every time I stumbled upon a new exotic stone. I would jump at the chance to learn its origin, its source, its chemical composition, and would eagerly study its DPartner content commercialinteriordesign.com November 2021 14 grain size, texture, hardness, polishing degree, so that I could add it to my own growing collection. In my work, the only thing I do effortlessly, with earnest passion and joy is adding more and more better-quality marble to our stone gallery. I believe this is why today we not only have the largest collection of stones in the Middle East, but probably in the world. CID: What's your most signiﬁ cant accomplishment? UP: I feel incredibly proud of the ways we have changed, and I believe elevated, the way marble and other natural stones are sold in the UAE. When I started out in 1995, marble was kept in open dusty yards, like any ordinary construction or masonry stones. GLAZE conceptualised marble from a totally different perspective. When I saw the way marble was displayed and showcased in the top galleries in Europe, I was mesmerised and inspired. I realised that marble is no less of an investment than a gemstone stone from a reputable jewellery store. You must understand, people don't buy marble as a basic necessity; people invest in marble for their home or ofﬁ ce for future generations to marvel upon. Like a Hermes bag or a Rolex watch – it is a statement, a declaration of success, an arrival. Whatever profession or business one has made their fortune in, when they picture their dream home or ofﬁ ce, do you think they would settle for a cheap ceramic ﬂ oor? Of course not! So, what I am trying to say is that we gave the respect to marble that it deserves. Moreover, this attitude translated into all aspects of the business, not only hand picking the best stones from every corner of the world, but also the way we showcased and displayed these materials in our stockyard, and the way we trained our sales team. We feel proud that today the quality of natural stone in the UAE, not only in our stockyard but in that of some of our competitors as well, is far ahead of other GCC countries and the Middle East as a whole. Initially, people were surprised that we were trying to sell stone as a luxury product, and my answer has always been the same – why not? You spend millions to buy quality cars, furnishings, or artwork for your home, why not on the ﬂ oor which you use much more than your Ferrari? Understanding the value of these stones radically changed the way the marble business and its trade takes place in the UAE. I consider this as my biggest accomplishment and contribution to the industry. CID: How have you contributed to the UAE's countertop business? UP: Apart from sourcing only the top- quality marble from every corner of the world, we have introduced many new types I’m highly grateful to the visionary leadership of the UAE The GLAZE showroomPartner content 15 November 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com of materials, like reconstituted quartz, for ﬂ ooring and counters, such as the world's number one quartz brand, Caesarstone, to the UAE, or Coante, another BRETONSTONE technology quartz for kitchen tops. Both of these products provide a 20-year warranty for your kitchen countertop. Last year, we introduced the most revolutionary product, a sintered stone, called Neolith. This next generation product is not porcelain; it's a nearly indestructible slab which can be used for exterior cladding, countertops, ﬂ oors, and no other product can match its quality and character. These slabs are completely scratch, heat, water, chemical, and ﬁ re resistant, they offer complete peace of mind. In the second quarter of this year, we also introduced GEOLUXE, another next generation product, which is applicable for all surfaces and is produced with 3D printing technology using melted minerals as ink. We have also introduced some other state-of-the-art products, such as ARIOSTEA, the most impressive porcelain slab brand from Italy, which belongs to the oldest and largest Italian porcelain group, Iris Ceramic Group. Above all, we are constantly evolving the brand with engineered and natural stones. For instance, we were the ﬁ rst to bring in Brazilian natural quartzite as a ﬂ ooring and countertop product. Quartz or quartzite is the hardest material besides diamonds, so their performance as ﬂ ooring or counter material is incredible. The most popular quartzite is from Brazil and is extremely popular in the USA. The trend of quartzite emerged in the USA in the 2010s, and it took us no time at all to introduce these products to the UAE market. Quartzite such as Mont Blanc, Super White, Quartz Cremo, Fusion, and Corteccia was once very new in the UAE, and they were a risky investment because they are expensive, but they are now some of the most popular products in the gallery. At this current moment, there are over 400 natural stones in our collection. The introduction of these exotic and rare stones was our brainchild – many of them are extremely popular today, and found exclusively at GLAZE. CID: What is your business niche? UP: We not only have the top brands in our bag, like Neolith, Caesarstone, Coante, ARIOSTEA, KoZo, and GEOLUXE, but our real strength comes from the exclusive agreements we hold with top quarries in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece and Brazil. This allows us a continuous ﬂ ow of material and exclusive access to the very best collections. And of course, our huge inventory, the greatest in the Middle East, which means we are able to deliver immediately for projects of any scale. CID: What do you think makes GLAZE special when it comes to ﬂ ooring solutions, when there is so much competition in the local market, especially around showrooms UP: We have created a totally different experience for our clients in our state-of- the-art gallery. In all of these showrooms, you can only see a sample of the materials you are interested in, even though the ﬁ nal material that would be delivered to you is stored somewhere far away in Umm Al Quwain or Ajman, in a dusty open stockyard. The ﬁ nal product you would receive may look and feel completely More about Umesh After completing his civil engineering at MIT, Pune, he got the chance to work with a granite company in India and in 1995 was required to travel to the UAE for the sale of some granite slabs. During that ﬁ rst visit, he realised that most customers preferred buying locally over importing, and basically ready stock was lacking in the market. From there it didn't take him very long to realise the potential of setting up his own shop. He started at the micro level, importing just one or two containers a month at a very low operating cost. Our showroom is a totally different experience different, as is often the case with natural stones especially. In fact, you should never buy a natural stone from a sample, because no two pieces of natural stones can ever be the same, nature never repeats its designs, and so each block or lot is completely different from the others, in terms of quality, colour, texture, tone and veining. Even in the case of porcelain slabs, you never get a real feel of the ﬁ nal ﬁ nished ﬂ oor from a sample in a showroom display. At GLAZE, our clients walk through the real stock, which would ﬁ nally end up as the ﬂ oor in their home or ofﬁ ce. In this case, there is no chance of an error and selecting a material that would deviate from the concept and theme of the homeowner and the designer's vision. Our gallery is like a fresh fruit store, you get to feel, touch, and smell before putting anything in your cart. Our store not only allows our clients to touch, feel and see how the ﬁ nal ﬂ oor or wall would look like but ensure there is no chance of misjudgment or error in selecting the most suitable surface solution. It's a totally different experience. CID: What are your goals in 2021? UP: We are currently working on establishing our newest stone gallery in Abu Dhabi, in ICAD Mussafah, which is under construction at the moment. Completing this gallery by the end of this year, and as always adding new natural stones, as well as engineered stones to our collection from different parts of the world is an ongoing process. www.glaze.ae Umesh PuniaDubai Design Week 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com November 2021 16 Nikko, the cat of serenity, is designed to convey calmness Pola Lounge by LC DesignDubai Design Week 2021 17 November 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com WELCOME BACK Downtown Design returns with an in-person showcase of 150-plus international and regional exhibiting brands and designers Energy and enthusiasm Leading regional design fair Downtown Design is about to draw back the curtain on its 2021 interation. This year's event will showcase a global spread of brands and designers in a purpose-built venue on the waterfront at Dubai Design District (d3) from November 9 to 12. The sum of many parts, Downtown 2021 includes Downtown Editions, a boutique exhibition of limited-edition and bespoke pieces and The Forum at Downtown Design – afternoons of discussions between leading regional and international architects, interior and product designers. Entry is free by registering at downtowndesign.com or through the Dubai Design Week app. Fair director David Ross enthuses: "Having so many high-quality brands travelling in from around the world to connect with the regional design community clearly reflects the energy and enthusiasm that's now coursing through the market, with the fair creating a perfect platform to interact with each other, new collections and limited-edition design in person again. We're proud to be collaborating with such a talented group of regional and international exhibitors, designers and architects to deliver an exciting, inspiring and purposeful visitor experience throughout the week."Dubai Design Week 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com November 2021 18 New launches In keeping with the innovative spirit of Downtown, local furniture brand Custom No.9 will launch a new chair combining UAE design with international roots. With a nod to founder Amy Durnford's heritage, material for the Campbell Lounge is produced in the heart of the Scottish Highlands Photo credit: Natelee Cocks Italian Institute for Foreign Trade The Italian national presentation, 'Luxury Interiors – The Art of Italian Design' from ICE, will be the largest in the fair’s history, featuring over 40 Italian companies, including luxury furniture supplier De Facto Mobili. The Beirut Concept Store This Post Industrial Crafts Tripod Maxi by Guillaume Crédoz is among works by 50 established designers and emerging creatives based in Lebanon that'll be unveiled at Downtown Dubai's dedicated Beirut Concept Store. Knit! by Kvadrat Knit! by Kvadrat is a series of work by 28 different designers exploring the potential of knitted textiles by Kvadrat Febrikr. Each designer was picked for their curiosity in experimenting with materials, form and colour, with many operating on the border between industrial design and craft. Photo credit: Luke EvansFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT: Rebecca Lockwood Sales Director +971 55 484 8301 +971 4 444 3268 Email: rebecca.lockwood@itp.com LET'S TALK ABOUT IT LE ROYAL MERIDIEN BEACH RESORT & SPA, DUBAI TIMINGS TBC www.itp.events/CIDSummit SPOTLIGHT ON LIGHTING DESIGN – ARE WE CREATING A BRIGHTER FUTURE? NOVEMBER 24, 2021Next >