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NURAI,
ABU DHABI
A very special desert island residential
project, NURAI has been conceptualised
and designed by the progressive New
York-based industrial designer and
architect Dror Benshetrit, whose clients
include the likes of Boffi, Rosenthal and
Swarovski. With water villas, beachfront
estates and a boutique hotel, the island
has been designed to resemble a rug, its
edges ‘lifted’ to reveal the villas. Dror was
given carte blanche and, as a result,
Nurai’s emphasis on architecture and
sustainability makes it entirely different
from other island developments in the
Gulf. Seventy per cent of the villas were
sold within two days of launching, to
buyers for whom getting what they want
means much more than the money paid.
+971 (0)4 349 0337; www.nuraiisland.ae
O’ DE ROSE
In a city obsessed with big brands and bigger
shopping malls, O’ de Rose located in a villa,
off Jumeirah Beach Road provides a welcome
relief to those looking for an alternative
shopping experience. One of Dubai’s handful
of original stores O’ de Rose is the brainchild
of Lebanese-born fashion designers Mimi
Shakhashir and Dania Atallah . This treasure
trove of a place stocks artisan-inspired objects
that clearly portray their Middle Eastern
influence in all their glory. From Egyptian
legend Umm Khaltoum-inspired home
accessories to hand-made contemporary
objects, Shakhashir takes great pride in
showcasing the cultural icons of the Middle
East in their modern avatar. +971 (0)4 348
7990; www.o-derose.com
Mimi shakhashir’s
villa has the o de
rose touch
QQATAR
To say that Qatar’s design and architectural
evolution is inspiring is a huge understatement.
The tiny Gulf country has eschewed fast-track
results for a more organic growth that continues
to climb uphill. A roll call of star-architcets such
as Jean Nouvel, I.M.Pei and Arata Isozaki who
have infused the city with a raft of cultural
centres has made the world sit up and talk about
Qatar as the next Dubai. Last year’s unveiling of
the ethereally beautiful Museum of Islamic Arts
by the Pritzker Prize-winning Pei set the capital,
Doha, in a design-forward position. The city’s
arts and design intelligentsia descend on the
quaint Souq Waqif cultural centre for their fill
r
of contemporary art, as well as getting design
fixes at the original Zari Boutique, which uses
the i.M.
pei-designed Arabic cultural references in its collections. The
Museum of complex also houses the Arabic architecture-
islamic arts inspired Souq Waqif hotel, which has been
in Doha
given an updated spin.
RAMI FAROOK
Dror’s concept
The most dynamic and visionary poster boy of the
drawing of a
water villa on
UAE’s design world, Farook has the world’s best-known
Nurai island
art and design personalities on speed dial. And yet the
entrepreneur (in his late 20s, he holds a management
degree from the US) remains impressively unpretentious
– wearing his A Bathing Ape sneakers and kandoora
a sitting room
Marco piva
with effortless ease and talking affectionately about his
in Dania psitting on the
Mow chair by two children, who already show an interest in design.
atallah’s
Miss_You chair
Fadi sarieddine
Dubai villa
that he designed
for LoCaL The young Emirati’s passion led him to open the region’s
for pedrali
first high-design gallery, Traffic, three
years ago. It quickly became a meeting
point and a platform to showcase the
region’s emerging talent, in the process
gaining an international
reputation. This year Farook
launched his homegrown label
LOCAL during the Salone del
Mobile in Milan and was
named Entrepreneur of the
Year award at the London rami Farook
with a painting
Design Festival.
by ramin
+971 (0)4 347 0209;
haerazideh,
www.viatraffic.org
from his own
collection
S
a sanctuary Falls
show villa by hirsch
SANCTUARY
Bedner associates
FALLS
The real estate business in Dubai might
have taken a hit in the global recession
but some luxurious developments have
remained untouched. Among them is
Sanctuary Falls – a resort-style
PIVA, MARCO
residential development within the
prestigious Jumeirah Golf Estates, whose
Marco Piva, the hyper-talented Italian
clients include corporate bigwigs and
architect and designer who has amassed
well-known Bollywood stars. The
fans with his Milanese good looks and
celebrated design firm Hirsch Bedner
equally admirable creative streak, is a name
Associates (credits include Ritz Carlton
to reckon with not only in Europe but also
worldwide, Mandarin Oriental in New
the Middle East. Here, he has been
York and St. Regis Shanghai) is the
working on several high-profile hospitality
name behind the interiors of the
and residential projects including hotels on
Sanctuary Falls villas. With spectacular
The Palm Jumeirah and in Ras Al
landscaping and state-of-the-art kitchens
Khaimah. Piva’s product design repertoire
by the Italian company Scavolini and
features work for prominent brands such
Germany-based Miele, the project seems
as Arflex, Moroso, Pedrali, Unopiu and
to tick all the right boxes to attract
Rapsel among a host of many others.
buyers even in a decidedly slow market.
www.studiomarcopiva.com
www.sanctuaryfalls.com ➤
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