< PreviousRADAR Debut 26 admiddleeast.com CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Shaikha Al-Sulaiti applied bedouin weaving styles to bouclé tweed for a new seating range; the dome of the Nur lamp recalls air bubbles in water; the carrom board inlaid with semi-precious stones. I ’ve tried to imagine what Qatari furniture could have been without the colonial design infl uences that seeped into our homes in the 1940s,” says Doha-based Shaikha Al-Sulaiti who, after spending the last decade envisioning up-scale residences in the Arab nation, has turned her attention to product design. “I was always designing furniture and objects for my clients, the diff erence is that now I am designing for myself and I can show it to the world.” Her new collection, Imagining Utopia, is inspired by local traditions of coming together, of making and celebrating. Amongst those, the game of carrom which Al-Sulaiti holds dear, plays a stellar role. “It is a pastime that has stood the test of time,” she says of the game that is still played in many Qatari households. “I wanted to show how special this ritual is in our lives.” Taking cues from a Khaleeji style of jewellery called Hilaliya, she has reimagined the humble carrom board as a pre- cious object, with brass, mother of pearl and other semi-precious stones inlaid in designs that recall the shapes of Qatari ornaments. To help her bring her vision to life, and to meet the high standards of workmanship she is accustomed to, Al-Sulaiti found a raft of col- laborators in Italy and would often travel to Milan to approve samples. “The people who have worked on this collection are world- class,” she says, “but only I can tell if the colour of the gemstones or the dye of the yarn speaks to my culture. I think that the creative process behind this collection was a cross-cultural collaboration in the truest sense.” This creative code-sharing is most evident in the Sadu chair, for which Al-Sulaiti reimag- ined Al Sadu, the historic weaving technique of Bedouin women. Traditionally, the weavers would make use of natural fi bres found in their immediate environment – camel fur, goat hair or sheep wool. For this collection, the pattern and rhythmic symmetry found in the tightly woven textile was interpreted in couture-quality bouclé tweed. An onyx and bubbled-glass table lamp, Nur, rounds up this series that pays tribute to Qatari traditions. “I wanted to celebrate the pearl divers who would go into the ocean with their fi shing nets,” she says of the eff ervescent quality of the lampshade. “From the land to the sea, there is so much from of our region that inspires me and I’m just getting started.” @shaikhaalslaiti – P.S. CLOCKWISE: The bijou Saint-Germain gallery; the designer; Sunny Ipanema armchair; Seashell vase; Marshmallow console. Shaikha Al-Sulaiti steps into the light with a furniture collection inspired by Qatar’s heritage History Class AD_047_26_Radar_Debut Shaikha AlSulaiti_12648408.indd 2604/10/2022 09:55:33 PMFLAGSHIP STORE Milano, via Borgospesso, 11 meduri.luca@turri.it | www.turri.it DUBAI - CasaMia Shaikh Zayed Road, Street 2A, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, UAE Ph +971 4 258 7777 | diab@casamiauae.comPhotography Daniel Asater / Styling Jeff Aoun RADAR The Find French perfumer Francis Kurkdjian is a devoted urbanite. With roots in Paris and stints living in New York, LA, Tokyo, London and Berlin (among many others), he’s an expert on the energy of the modern metropolis, and what today’s cities share in common: as he puts it, an effervescence, a creative spirit and a magnetism that lures newcomers in. For his new fragrance, he’s sought to bottle this urban energy, in particular that of New York, his “home away from home”. Named 724, Kurkdjian’s creation offers “an olfactory wardrobe for 24 hours of living, seven days a week”. Fresh and uplifting, it refl ects the dynamism and constant motion of big cities, opening with an accord of bergamot and sparkling aldehydes that recalls the fresh aromas emanating from New York laundries at daybreak. At its heart is a bouquet of white fl owers, including Egyptian jasmine, and in the base, there’s the warmth of sandalwood and musk. “It’s a soothing perfume with a vibrant yet enveloping spirit,” says Kurkdjian. “It brings a sensation of comfort and protection, like that of cleanli- ness, which I crave when I’m wandering around the city.” Kurkdjian’s design sensibility has always been equal to his perfumer’s skill: this is a man who’s created scents for artists like Sophie Calle and “olfactory installations” for the Palace of Versailles. For 724, the stream- lined logo evokes digital p rinting, while the packaging features a unique “urban blue” shade that blends architec- ture-inspired cement grey with the hue of denim. For city dwellers, it’s the ultimate fragrance accessory. franciskurkdjian.com – AMY BRADFORD Innovative perfumer Francis Kurkdjian’s vibrant new scent takes inspiration from modern city living Urban Legend GLOBAL GATHERER: Francis Kurkdjian has lived in 16 cities, including fi ve years in NYC. AD_047_28_Radar The Find _12635303.indd 2804/10/2022 09:56:49 PMIn a world full of dreamers, be a We are how we sleep; that’s why we handcraft extraordinary beds so you can feel the most awake version of yourself each morning. Since 1852, we have followed our dream of making the world a happier, more peaceful and loving place, and our new drēmər bed designed by Ferris Rafauli embodies 170 years of craftsmanship, excellence, and of course dreams.FROM TOP: Giovanni and Servane Giol approaching their home, the Palazzo Falier, along the Grand Canal; Servane Giol in one of the palazzo’s liagò (glazed terraces); transposed to Venice from Rome, the hall of mirrors at Casa Cicogna in Dorsoduro has a dramatic draped ceiling with a modern Fortuny chandelier. V enice’s public spaces – museums, galleries, architectural monuments – are familiar to our gaze, but its private homes are largely a mystery. As the French writer Jean Giono once observed, tourism has transformed the place into a “stage set”, whose true nature visitors can scarcely detect. Author Servane Giol has set out to change that with her new book, Venice: A Private Invitation ($75, Flammarion). Off ering a glimpse inside the personal spaces of Venice’s most creative residents, it takes in ancient artisan traditions like Murano glassmaking, mirror craft and textile weaving, as well as a new generation of talents bringing their energy to the city. Aristocratic sisters Viola and Vera Arrivabene, for example, whose shoe label Vibi Venezia is making waves on the fashion scene, and contemporary glass artist Marcantonio Brandolini d’Adda. Elsewhere, chefs, gallerists and jewellers all make an appearance, alongside legendary Venetian homes created by artist Mariano Fortuny, interior designer Renzo Mongiardino, and composer Richard Wagner, who lived in the Palazzo Giustinian Brandolini d’Adda in the late 1850s. Mattia Aquila’s sumptuous photography reveals Venetian interiors in all their classical elegance, as well as a few surprises: notably, behind the scenes in a Murano glass workshop. editions.fl ammarion.com – A.B. A new tome off ers a privileged look inside Venice’s hidden homes and palaces Water World RADAR Books 30 admiddleeast.com Photography Mattia Aquila AD_047_30_Radar_Books Venice_12647186.indd 3004/10/2022 09:57:38 PMAgrippina: a t e chnical silk in double width Dub ai, Business Bay, R e gal Tower, rub ellist udio.com - dub ai@rub elli.com | w w w.rub elli.com S TYLING S TUDIO SAL ARIS - PH. MA TT EO IMBRIANIRADAR Object Lesson 32 admiddleeast.com P H O TO : TI LL J A N Z ( P O R TR AIT ) I t’s 5:15 p.m. in London and Philippe Starck is schooling me on square roots over Zoom. “You make a sign like this,” he says, gesturing from his offi ce chair. “You put a number beneath and you divide, divide, divide until there is nothing left to divide because you’ve reached the prime number, le chiff re premier. This is my way of working. I try to go to the bone, to the minimum of the thing.” Over the course of his prolifi c career, the French design star has applied that reductive approach to domestic mainstays ranging from tables to toilets. Staunch minimalism, he argues, ensures timelessness. His latest subject: Dior’s Medallion chair, the Louis XVI-style seats that Christian Dior lined up for fashion shows at his famous 30 Avenue Montaigne headquarters and sprinkled about his homes. Philippe Starck has reinvented Dior’s iconic Medallion chair with a new, super-skinny silhouette Sitting Pretty Starck’s reinvention, titled Miss Dior, marks the latest in the brand’s present-day revivals, commissioned from the likes of Pierre Charpin, Atang Tshikare, and India Mahdavi. With its subtly tapered legs and oval back – the couturier liked to upholster it in toile de Jouy – the Dior Medallion is, to Starck, the Platonic ideal of a chair. Similar seats graced his grandmother’s home, where he recalls spending days as a child seques- tered beneath their slipcovers. “It was a small house for me,” he says. “I lived in the icon.” Starck has revisited the Louis XVI silhouette before in his now famous Louis Ghost chair, made for Kartell using see-through plastic. But for Dior, he insists, “this is the ultimate – we cannot have less.” By reducing the original Medallion (which Dior once described as “sober, simple, and above all classic and Parisian”) to a skeletal form so thin that only one metal-injection atelier would agree to the job, Starck has created what he dubs “an icon of an icon of an icon.” His aluminium version can be gussied up in three fi nishes – black chromium, pink copper, or gold – and ordered matte or polished. Each got its moment in the spotlight during the brand’s cinematic presentation at Palazzo Citterio, unveiled during Milan’s Salone del Mobile design week in June. The stackable chairs, their backs stamped with a Dior logo, come with arms, without, or, perhaps most poetically, with a single rest, meant to nudge the sitter into an elegant leaning pose à la Marlene Dietrich, whose portrait inspired the idea. “Don’t forget, we are in Christian Dior,” says Starck with a laugh. “We are in haute couture.” dior.com – HANNAH MARTIN The gold-fi nish version with two armrests. RIGHT: Philippe Starck sporting a model from the series. AD_047_32_Radar_Object Lesson Dior_12639099.indd 3204/10/2022 10:00:37 PMRADAR Design Flexform’s fresh outdoor furniture combines luxurious modern style with adaptability and w eather-resistant fi nishes Outer Space W ith its new outdoor collec- tion, the Italian furniture supremo Flexform invites you to slow down and make the most of time spent in the open air – whatever the time of year, and no matter how big or small your space. Conceived by revered designer Antonio Citterio, the collection spotlights weather-re- sistant materials and stackable forms that maximise usability, while delivering a look that’s as luxe as any indoor furniture you own. The range is notable for its generously pro- portioned sofas and chairs. The Crono iroko armchair and dining chair, with their hand-braided cord backrests, are reworkings of an indoor piece, and can be customised in any number of colour combinations to suit your taste. Colour options for the Camargue armchair are dominated by nature-inspired hues that complement garden environments: think terracotta and earthy grey. The Camargue is made from powder-coated alu- minium with removable cushions – a light- weight formula that makes it easy to move around and stack when not in use. Aluminium is both recyclable and highly weather resis- tant, so only the cushions need to be stored indoors in harsh weather. Both designs co-or- dinate perfectly with the Parker outdoor sofa, whose iroko frame is complemented by an airy woven backrest and plump scatter cush- ions, and Desco iroko dining table, whose rus- tic solidity is enhanced with tops in timber, porphyry or lava stone. Complete your outdoor lounge with the 1960s-style Alcamo three-legged side tables. Ultra-lightweight and portable in aluminium, they come in bold shades (including leafy green and terracotta) and a range of sizes – there’s one for every space, from large country gardens to city balconies. Even the classic Atlante daybed has a multipurpose aspect – this sleek, mesh-and-aluminium design is both stackable and, thanks to a natty set of wheels, a versatile poolside or terrace com- panion. fl exform.it – AMY BRADFORD FROM TOP: Alante loungers; Parker sofa; Crono outdoor dining chair; Ottavia chair; Alcamo coff ee table. AD_047_34_Radar_Design Flexform_12622635.indd 3404/10/2022 10:01:59 PMInspiring Solutions For Tomorrow IDEAL STANDARD MENA T + 97148042400 | E idealstandardgulf@idealstandard.com IDEAL STANDARD DESIGN & SPECIFICATION CENTRE Building 7, Happiness Street, City Walk, Dubai, UAE | T + 97143096000 www.idealstandardgulf.comNext >