How sustainability is taking root in the region PLUS FURNITURE IN FOCUS + INDEX GALLERY + FIRST LOOK AT ATHLEISURE HAVEN July 2021 Vol.17 Issue 07 An ITP Media Group PublicationContents 3 July 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com IN THIS ISSUE NEWS & REGULARS 08 DESIGN NEWS What's new? This fi rm, that website, but the CID Awards deadline is unchanged! 12 IN PICTURES Did our snappers seek you out at INDEX 2021 as the design fair returned to Dubai? 17 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... No time to waste in 24 hours with Dubai's Dress the Space founder Reem Moussalli FEATURES 20 KEEN ON GREEN A full SWOT on sustainable and eco- friendly design by those in the know 34 ATHLEISURE EXCLUSIVE Undoubtably fi erce and resolutely female- focused, Studio EM on creating L'Couture 34 17Contents commercialinteriordesign.com July 2021 4 SPECIAL REPORT 38 FOCUS ON FURNITURE Meet future classics and rising stars from the enthralling world of furniture design 40 HÄSTENS EVER AFTER A royally-connected brand meets its Prince and the result is a product design fairy tale 42 A MACRO FACT Design trends and professional development with the UK's Connection 44 WHAT'S UP, VAARNII? A Finnish design duo revives a favourite furniture material that's starkly beautiful WORLD VIEW 48 SUPPLIERS Creating appliances for kitchens and bathrooms is these fi rms' raison d'être 50 CHAIR TALK Primary coloured product design that charms us with native myths and legends 54 BLACK & BLUE The Russian restaurant inspired by part of an ancient ocean with a deep history LAST WORD 58 CID QUIZ GALLERY Brightening up our back page with a selection of snaps from our popular quiz 44 54 50MARBLE GRANITE QUARTZITE ONYX TRAVERTINE QUARTZ PRECIOUS STONE Surface Solutions, Designed By Nature www.glaze.ae/ Staturio MarbleEditor's letter commercialinteriordesign.com July 2021 6 Jane O'Neill Editor Green and serene This carpet by Ege is made from recycled materials There's a 'green thread' running through this issue, as our cover feature explores the shoots of sustainability taking root in the MENA region. Experts from across the industry weigh in on the opportunities and challenges they're dealing with and we hope it gives you food for thought in your own eco-friendly endeavours. We asked one vibrant young designer to let us into their world and you can read an engrossing report of that in this issue. Spoiler alert, she's always on the move. If you need to take a seat, our special report for July focuses on furniture, with an impressive array of global brands that we're predicting will be future classics. As well as looking forward, we're also refl ecting on two big industry events that took place recently – Dubai’s INDEX 2021 design fair and the return of the ever- popular CID Quiz. Our photographers captured the best of both get-togethers. You’ll see that a fantastic yet safe time was had by all. If we didn't see you at either of those events, we hope to catch up over the coming months. Could that be as you collect a winner's trophy at CID Awards in September? Nominations for the 15th annual awards close this month, so if you haven't already, get those entries in by scanning the QR code on page 16. Best of luck to you all! Published by and © 2021 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Alex Reeve EDITORIAL Editor Jane O'Neill Tel: +971 4 444 3626 email: jane.oneill@itp.com ART Art Editor Gerald Du email: gerald.du@itp.com Junior Designer Junemar Tulipas email: junemar.tulipas@itp.com ADVERTISING Commercial Director Saraswati Agarwal Tel: +971 4 444 3352 email: saraswati.agarwal@itp.com Sales Director, Hospitality & Design Rebecca Lockwood Tel: +971 4 444 3268 email: rebecca.lockwood@itp.com ITP LIVE General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549 email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Photographers Efraim Evidor Staff Photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Fritz Asuro, Ajith Narendra PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Coordinator Manoj Mahadevean CIRCULATION Circulation Executive Rajesh Pillai Distribution Coordinator Avinash Pereira MARKETING Director of Awards & Marketing Daniel Fewtrell ITP GROUP CEO: Ali Akawi CFO: Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader's particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review.commercialinteriordesign.com July 2021 8 Design news commercialinteriordesign.com July 2021 8 Former managing partners of the recently-shuttered Wilson Associates in Dubai, UAE, have launched their own interior design fi rm in the emirate. Tim Etherington and Iain McLaughlin created ema (Etherington, McLaughlin & Associates) after the closure of the global hospitality design studio. From its headquarters in Dubai Design District, ema will continue to cater to large- scale luxury hospitality, but also to F&B, wellness and corporate workspace markets as well. Joined by Wilson's former design directors Maud Capet and Julie Djohan, the studio will offer full-service interior design and FF&E services. "We stayed together because of the legacy we've built. Our objective remains the same. With a clear vision of strengthening and enhancing a team capable of designing and implementing luxurious projects, ema's emphasis is New interior design fi rm born out of Wilson Associates' closure Etherington, McLaughlin & Associates on creative excellence, documentation quality," says Iain McLaughlin, founding partner of ema and a former operations director at Wilson Associates in Dubai. Global design giant Wilson Associates announced in February 2021 through owner Arcplus Group that it would close its network of international offi ces. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Dallas, Wilson expanded to open offi ces around the world, including Dubai and globally employed about 300 people. Tim Etherington, co-founder of Etherington, McLaughlin & AssociatesAdvertorial 9 July 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com The UAE based design and consultancy ODG Design has clients in 25 countries who appreciate the team's talent & experience ODG is growing, from strength to strength and leaving a mark on the design and consultancy industries worldwide. Following its acquisition by the Altavia Group, a 40-year-old world leading retail consultancy and communication multinational, ODG is set to reach new heights, as a prominent consultancy, branding and spatial design fi rm. Headquartered in Emaar Business Park, Dubai, ODG's client base is truly international with projects across 25 countries, working with global brands, food service companies, retailers, shopping malls, hospitality groups, government entities, real estate developers, and airport operators to name but a few. "At ODG we consult across the entire customer journey from digital solutions, media to stores, master planning, branding, architectural concepts and category management to merchandising and activations. We basically work on any commercial bond that connects companies to customers," says Maurizio Fabbrini, head of marketing and sales at ODG. The ODG team of experienced designers and consultants are trained under LEED, the green building certifi cation used worldwide and have worked on large-scale projects such as the City Hall and Theatre of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, a food hall design in Singapore, the new F&B concept for Del Monte in Miami, Bahrain Duty Free and the Larnaca Duty Free in Cyprus, where they designed and coordinated the construction of the entire space. ODG has also worked on the design of the 3,000 sq m of ferry-on-board stores in Paraguay, multiple outlets at the Dubai International Airport such as the world’s fi rst Nutella concept store in an airport, as well as the fi rst KFC regional fl agship store in The Dubai Mall. Starting by designing small "shop in shops" for luxury brands, the company grew the scale of its projects across other industries. Examples of this evolution can be found in the new customer-centric concept for Faces beauty at Springs Souk community mall and the omnichannel store for sporter.com in Abu Dhabi, blurring the lines between physical and digital experience. Other feathers on the hat of ODG are the store branding and communication of 7-Eleven in the region, Waitrose, and Spinneys for their private label products, as well as on category management and merchandising for Redbull in Europe. As the world is getting back on its feet, ODG's reach in the region is getting bigger, bolder and louder. Find out more about the company at www.odg-design.com, or via email contact info@odg-design.com The Nutella store at DXB OMG IT'S ODG Next >