< Previouscommercialinteriordesign.com December 2021 20 commercialinteriordesign.com December 2021 20 DESIGNERS Paul Bishop Owner & founder, Bishop Design by Paul Bishop It's diffi cult to ignore that Paul Bishop's achievements, not just in the past 12 months but throughout his 25-year career, along with his daring approach, infectious character and passion to break boundaries has made him both a power-house and fi gurehead leader of the industry. Leading by example, Paul relentlessly dedicates himself to shaping the future of global design by taking an active, hands- on-approach to all of Bishop Design’s clientele, interior design projects and overall company growth strategy; going to the extreme without compromise to ensure the successful delivery of a project. Three-time winner of the highly desired CID interior designer of the year, in 2021 Bishop Design collected fi ve additional CID design awards, including Firm of the Year, fi rmly establishing Paul Bishop as the go-to name in interior design for his design excellence. With exciting adventures already in motion following a recent expansion to Miami and MENA and co-curating a new hotel brand of its own to enter into the market mid next year; Bishop is aiming for the sky for 2022. Bishop is aiming for the sky... 1Power 50: Top Designers 21 December 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com 21 December 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com Emma Stinson + Nicola Fahy Founder & creative director/design director, Studio EM Sharjah-born sisters Emma and Nicola are the creative powerhouses behind the multi-award-winning Studio EM. Emma was runner up for this year’s interior designer of the year at the CID Awards and going into this year's awards ceremony, Nicola was the reigning young interior designer of the year. A terrifi c feat for one studio, let alone one family. Kristina Zanic CEO, Kristina Zanic Design Consultants Kristina has been an outstanding leader in the design world throughout her career. She established her fi rst design fi rm at 26 years of age and has the range of skills to not only create exceptional designs but also to establish successful businesses that are well managed and highly profi table. The company has grown in the past year by 30 percent, and there are plans to further expand. With massive tourism and hospitality developments in place for Saudi's 2030 vision, 2022 will see the offi cial opening of KZC Saudi. Pallavi Dean Founder and creative director, Roar Design Services Pallavi is the driving force behind Roar, an architecture and interior design studio based in Dubai. 2021 has been a big year for Pallavi and her team. The number of staff tripled in the span of just a few months to support the growing number and scale of projects. While the lion's share is still in UAE, they currently have projects underway in KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan and London. 2022 will see Roar move into their new offi ce space in Al Serkal Avenue. 2 3 4Power 50: Top Designers commercialinteriordesign.com December 2021 22 Carla Conte Founder & creative director, Brand Creative Carla is a celebrated interior and branding specialist with years of experience in brand creation and brand redefi nition. Her strategic design methodology is the major force behind the multi award-winning work she has produced in North America, Latin America, Asia and presently the Middle East. In 2011 she founded Brand Creative, an agency that champions multidisciplinary thinking and bilateral collaborations with artists and thinkers from varied backgrounds. As creative director her mission is to provide design solutions that encompass IQ and EQ components that work to resolve social, environmental and economic issues through a highly considered aesthetic lens. Carla dubbed 2021 her Year of Bravery, meaning she was going to push the team to do things they've never done, but also do things she's not comfortable with. Also this year, she personally continued creative design work for the agency's Fempreneur programme – specifi c to homegrown female led SMEs – and worked on retail and beauty concepts for TKD Lingerie, Furless Beauty Institute and Bellacure. Carla is keenly focused on her team's mental health and regularly fi nds time to mentor the younger designers. 5Power 50: Top Designers 23 December 2021commercialinteriordesign.com Firas Alsahin Co-founder & design director, 4SPACE Firas Alsahin heads up 4SPACE– a dynamic, multi-talented, and multi- awarded design studio delivering quality architectural and interior design services in Dubai. Firas is the creative driving force at 4SPACE and is wholly engaged with all design processes from conceptualisation to completion. He keenly maintains a hands-on approach that allows him to meticulously manage every phase of the design process, including 3D modelling, design development and site supervision. He eschews quantity for quality and his innovative and supportive approach inspires his team to create distinctive designs. Firas is also the creative infl uencer and has organically built 21,000 followers on 4SPACE's social media. This year was hectic for 4SPACE, with a new workspace and teams in the UAE and KSA expanding. 2022 will be even bigger; there are mega architectural and interior projects in the pipeline and Firas has continual expansion plans for the vision of the company. A new department will help businesses prepare for META space design using futuristic technology from VR, AR, architectural NFTs, and virtual real estate. Quality over quantity... 6Power 50: Top Designers commercialinteriordesign.com December 2021 24 Chris Barnes Owner & founder, Broadway Interiors As the creative brain behind Broadway, he is a success with his team, a hands-on inspirational design leader, driving creative success, nurturing and empowering them to evolve, keeping the family ethos and high standards strong. He is looking to explore new territories and solidify Broadway's presence in an emerging market, so in 2022, he will seek to extend Broadway’s penetration in KSA, where he has undertaken some very high- profi le projects to date. Jonathan Ashmore Founder and principal architect, ANARCHITECT A practicing architect and active design critic, Ashmore is a post-graduate of the Bartlett School of Architecture, participant of the RIBA Gulf Chapter and a British Council Cultural Excellence Fellowship Mentor. 2021 saw Jonathan growing the number of RIBA Chartered architects at ANARCHITECT; along with the Dubai studio space expansion, given the practice's most profi table year to date, whilst remaining a boutique, family owned, highly crafted and design driven studio. Jesper Godsk Founder & CEO, LW Design Jesper can stand back and assess the growth of his business. He mentors young and inspired designers by exchanging ideas and sharing experiences. He’s excited that architecture and design are in constant fl ux and change. LW Design continuously shapes the global hospitality industry by working harmoniously with architects, designers and leading operators. Jesper aims to deliver the best results and create unique hotels, restaurants or bars for the Middle Eastern, Asian or European markets. 8 7 9Power 50: Top Designers 25 December 2021commercialinteriordesign.com Gerard Glintmeijer Founder & lead concept designer, GDS – Glintmeijer Design Studio Gerard has been working in the hospitality industry for more than 27 years and still develops creative design concepts that are visually striking. In addition to being founder and lead concept designer of GDS, Gerard is also founder of new F&B brand GOODNESS the Discovery Space. Gerard’s role is to lead and build a strong team for both the design studio and GOODNESS. Gerard makes sure to never stop learning and refl ects on future projects, creating story telling concepts with the focus on balance effi ciency. He created GOODNESS, a platform where ideas can be shared under the pleasure of having a hand-brewed coffee and home-made treats, to refl ect a home-grown brand in a storytelling and visually striking space that shares the passion for design, retail and art. This is precisely what Gerard stands for. 2022 is all about connection and the team is beyond ready to bring major success and milestones to the GDS story. The target for the GOODNESS brand will be expanding to multi-locations in the GCC and potentially Europe and Asia. Gerard never stops learning... 10Power 50: Top Designers commercialinteriordesign.com December 2021 26 Vera Dieckmann Design & founder, XO Atelier XO Atelier has lit up the Middle Eastern design world with Vera at the helm. This bold and ambitious interior architecture company, straight out the gate, secured global awards for design with their ingenuity and passion. Her nominator enthuses: "I can't see any other designer in the region with this much energy, stamina and drive to produce ground breaking, unique and supremely original designs. I look forward to seeing what this sole female founder has in store in 2022." Hasan and Husain Roomi Co-founders, H2R A design fi rm based in both London and Dubai, H2R was founded in 2012 by Hasan and his brother Husain, and has established itself as a bold, innovative player within the design world. As a leader, Hasan takes each project personally, as if it is his own, and inspires his team to do the same. They are blessed to have a lot of great projects already being worked on for 2022 – both in the UAE and wider region. Dina Murali Design director, DZ Design Dina is a major creative force behind all of studio’s hospitality, residential and commercial projects. In her role, she overlooks each and every of the projects - from the feasibility study to initial concept development through to the completion. The next stage for the company is expanding its operations to become a global practice. Already active in India and the Middle East, DZ Design is looking at new and emerging markets to further its growth. This year alone, Dina and her team have delivered four luxury hospitality and residential projects in West Africa. 11 12 13Power 50: Top Designers 27 December 2021commercialinteriordesign.com Govind Shepley Creative director & owner, Twentyone06 Govind is the driving force of TwentyOne06, the creative director overseeing all projects. As TwentyOne06 has grown his role has evolved into more running the business than focusing on the day-to-day design, managing the team, meeting new clients, and making sure the vision for TwentyOne06 is driven in the right direction. For Govind, his biggest achievement is not just the abundance of projects completed this year, but it has been how he has pulled the company together from the aftermath of Covid, achieving growth and taking on larger projects, through taking the company in to the niche of data-driven design. For Govind, 2022 will be a continuation of 2021, growing the business and making sure that it is offering is strong, along with the team structure. He still has a lot more to achieve in the realm of data-driven design, spending many hours educating and pushing the industry forward. As a strong believer in this fi eld, Govind believes it's his duty as a designer to change the way it is perceived. He's the driving force of the business... 14Power 50: Top Designers commercialinteriordesign.com December 2021 28 Justin Wells CEO, WELLS INTERNATIONAL Justin Wells is the founder and CEO of WELLS INTERNATIONAL global hospitality design consultants. The company's new model in hospitality design is as a global, work from anywhere company that inspires its design talent and exceeds creativity output for clients. The Dubai-headquartered fi rm has enjoyed an extraordinary year in 2021, having been invited as exclusive interior design consultant for the creation of the newest global luxury lifestyle hotel brand for Porsche Design. Some of other great achievements include designing two projects currently in construction with giga developer Diriyah Gate Development Authority in Riyadh, KSA. These projects both required immersive research into Najdi architectural vernacular due to the historic sensitivity of the sites being close to the UNESCO World Heritage Listed site At Turaif and Salwa Palace, the birthplace of the House of Saud in the Kingdom. New hotel signings in Italy, Germany, Saudi and the UAE, on top of a year of growth, will ensure multi-million dollar revenue targets are exceeded. We believe design mirrors theatre... 15Power 50: Top Designers 29 December 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com Rabih Geha Founder, Rabih Geha Architects Joakim de Rham Co-founder & CEO, Swiss Bureau Interior Design & Build Of Lebanese and Croatian descent, Rabih understands all too well the architect’s mission to create with purpose and rebuild where others have destroyed. Fifteen years of practice have taught Geha to derive inspiration from a trifecta of brand, space and individual, to marry between the intuitive and the learned, the imaginary and the rational. Ongoing projects are as diverse in terms of sectors and include works in the GCC and the USA. In the second half of 2021, RG/A signed hospitality projects in Doha, Qatar; a Vagabond concept nightclub project in Italy and new F&B concepts in the UAE. In 2022, Rabih's fi rm will open new and improved offi ces in Downtown Beirut, as well as a more active presence in Dubai with a new offi ce in Dubai Design District. Joakim is deeply involved in all aspects of the company and has evolved it to unparalleled heights in the last 18 years. With much of the transformation credited to the shifted perspectives and procedures implemented this year alone, his new plan of action has positively infl uenced the whole company, resulting in one of the best years yet. As his primary role will always be to provide guardianship over Swiss Bureau's design output, he is focused on furthering his role as CEO, creating a refreshed platform for sustained success and resiliency long into the future. Under his leadership, he has inspired his team to embrace change by fostering a company culture of accountability, ownership, and workplace autonomy. Laila Al-Yousuf Design director & partner, SAY Studio Laila is co-owner and design director of SAY Studio, an interior design fi rm of 11 people based in Dubai. SAY is a collection of creative and passionate designers, specialising in multiple sectors, namely workplace, hospitality, F&B and residential. In only three years, they have designed for the region's most notable blue chip clients including PwC, Pepsi, Facebook, Uber and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The studio is committed to sustainability and wellness in design, while its focus in immersive design technologies enables the creation of fresh interiors for clients. An Emirati American, Laila epitomises everything that can be achieved through dedication and talent. Mustafa Khamash Founder, K.art Group Mustafa Khamash is a well-known personality in the Middle East's design industry and personal advisor to many UAE leaders and government entities. Mustafa has designed award-winning interiors of ministerial offi ces, residences and palaces. In 2004, he founded the luxury interior design atelier and modern furniture importer for homes and offi ces. Kart Group is instantly recognisable by its bespoke details and authentic design language. Mustafa is keen to explore the making of new material surfaces from local recycled materials to contribute to environmental efforts and create exciting new textures for home and corporate projects. He's keen to focus on high-end properties and visual art installations. 16 17 18 19Next >