Interior and Exterior Designs Combined in Caribbean Beach House

The beach house in sunny Barbados, on which Celia Sawyer and her design team had been working on, was a total refurbishment. The house was dated, with a pitched roof and internally not very beach like.

In charge of the whole design inside and out, Celia wanted to create a really simple, textured beach house, contemporary and cool. Her vision was that outdoor living was key here as the days and nights are very warm, so she wanted to create an outdoor living and dining area. The original house was completely opened up and the only areas existing were the exterior side walls. Everything was kept light and a stone effect tile was used to create some texture on the front and back of the house.

The bedrooms were given a recess so that the room could be given a four-poster type of feel without the four poster bed, using elegant soft curtaining on each corner giving the room height combined with glamour.

Wishing to add some drama in this room Celia decided on a very dark brown – almost black back feature wall, which was textured plaster, creating interest. The artwork was a large piece of coral in a large perspex box, and thankfully it made it in the container all the way from the UK in one piece! In fact as Barbados is an Island with limited supplies, Celia had to ship out every item, including taps, w/c’s sinks, lights, even the w/c flush and all the furniture and kitchen.

Celia used white in colour and loose covers for much of the furniture, and the bathrooms were made white with textured walls, to keep it with that cool, beach vibe. She also created a bar area outside, as it is the perfect country for outdoor entertaining; the outside areas were put into zones, so that there was faux grass in one area with a four poster bed, a jacuzzi tub in another and then, of course, the bar and the outdoor living and dining rooms.

The six-month project was a labour of love and a real success, and just in case the client wanted to put another floor on top, Celia designed the upper floor so that everything is in place for that if it happens. Another trip over to Barbados could be on the cards for Celia very soon!

If you’d like to feature your project news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

Bolon is recognized all over the globe for its award winning and sustainable woven design flooring. This year the design company launches a unique and bold collection created by its inhouse team. The Truly collection let flooring become the statement of any room.

“We’ve been braver than ever before; we gave ourselves the freedom to try out and create all that we have been curious about over the years. Questioning technical challenges and our own perceptions to innovate new expressions, weaving flooring in colour effects and patterns never seen. I feel we’ve really outdone ourselves this time and pushed the idea of what woven flooring can be”, says Klara Persson, the company’s Head of Product Management.

The Truly collection consists of five different patterns, all with their own expression and identity. Enlarged patterns, colour effects and hyper texture is what Truly is all about.

Bolon is bold and is always pushing the boundaries, challenging the perception of flooring design. This year more so than ever. The global campaign, created by Bolon’s in-house marketing department, focuses on brand values such as creativity, craft, passion, colour and heritage. “We love creating the unexpected, we love moving forward. This is Bolon”, say Annica, Cathrine, Klara, Lisa and Marie.

“Along the way, we found ourselves right in the middle of our DNA, the very heart of Bolon. All that we have ever created and experimented with have brought us here. Five different faces of Bolon, showing who we truly are”, says Annica Eklund Chief Creative Officer at Bolon.

Truly is made in Sweden only with renewable energy, contains recycled material, is easy to maintain, has a high-performance classification, 33 Heavy commercial and a 15-year warranty. The designs comes in roll, 50×50 cm tiles and as Bolon Studio tiles, except Anything Everything, only available as roll. The collection is accessible worldwide from the 26th of January and is ideal for spaces with room for high-end design with a unique expression.

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

“A brief from the team to the team”. The new 4SPACE Design offices are designed for the team. The leaders put together a questionnaire asking the team to imagine their new workspace. Overall, the team wanted there to be an intrinsic sense of wellbeing and belonging within the space. They wanted light. And lots of it. Neutral monochromatic schemes and a large breakout area with a games and relaxation space for the team to draw breath and find a sense of peace from a busy day.

Concept

“When brutalism meets minimalism with a twist of industrial”. 4SPACE has paired unfinished concrete breeze blocks with a smooth monochromatic pallet and verdant trees to nod to biophilic living. Richly covered modern furniture, exposed piping, stainless steel accessories, and fluorescent lighting create exciting spaces for work, meetings, and play.

Various design elements

The 4SPACE Design offices are exciting. The exposed breeze block walls are treated with sealer material to enhance and preserve the brutalist look. It’s raw, unfinished, and playful. Modern angular lighting bounces light throughout the open spaces and communal workstations.

The central atrium of the offices boasts a beautifully preserved, semi-artificial olive tree that has been hand-fashioned by craftsmen in Dubai. The trees have come from historic groves across the region. Olive trees are known to flourish until they are several thousands of years old. Introducing biophilic design elements into a space can help alleviate stress, improve cognitive function, and enhance mood and creativity. The space is multi-functional, with open spaces for teams to assemble, but the team can create private spaces with impressive pivotal doors for important meetings.

The execution and ambience

This project was extraordinarily fast and only took a month to complete. It was a complete family affair where the 4SPACE design team, contractors and suppliers all contributed to the seamless execution of the new office space. Each person provided valuable support to achieve the tight timeline for the transition from the old offices to the new.

The 4SPACE office has the appeal of a solid but inviting fortress. The distinctive concrete modernism provides light-hearted intrigue yet is minimalistic and intimate. The office is set amidst endless city skyscrapers. As a result of the open workspaces, the office possesses spectacular views across the Dubai waterfront and the iconic Dubai Eye.

Challenges overcome and the unique key features

Contractors struggled to manoeuvre 2.70-metre glass partitions in the elevators; their hard work and brave efforts have created a remarkable installation. The concrete flooring was quite challenging; it had to be poured, dried and levelled precisely. From the questionnaire, the entire design process and construction took a mere 45 days.

There are many focal points, but the most exciting key features are the olive tree, concrete and exposed breeze blocks, the neutral monochromatic colour scheme and the open ceiling concept with exposed industrial metal piping.

Material selection: concrete, glass, metal, aluminium, wood and black leather.

If you’d like to feature your news or stories with SBID, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winner for the Bathroom & Sanitaryware Product category, RAK Ceramics, the designer Patrick Norguet talks about the industry trends’ influence on the designing process and shares his predictions on the future bathroom design direction.

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

It is always important to measure the reaction to a product or a collection and the industry recognition that the Award demonstrates is an important indicator of the likely success of the product once it is available commercially. For me as a designer, it is always pleasant to receive congratulations for my work and that of my team.

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

As with any first collaboration I spent a lot of time trying to understand a brand, its origin, its strategy, its culture, and its production capacity. RAK- Valet is the result of this research. Beyond the design, the success of a product is also about timing. RAK-Valet brings together all the elements, thus making the collection a sweet blend of elegance and modernity.

How do evolving trends in the KBB industry inform the design decisions you make about RAK products/collections? Where do you find inspiration?

The word trend is contradictory to a designer’s work. My job is to understand the evolution that is needed related to a particular company or industrial sector. RAK Ceramics came to me as they were looking to increase the perceived value of their products, with a unique collection that has an international cultural approach. I think we succeeded in this challenge with our first collaboration.

To answer your question, which is often asked of me, my inspiration comes from my work. As a designer as well as an industrialist, I like to offer products that make sense, because there are too many objects already surrounding us. My inspiration therefore comes from a conscious and unconscious set of things that nourish my creativity according to what is needed.

As a leader of innovation within the sector, what recent developments in bathroom design do you think will become commonplace in the coming years?

It is an interesting subject because the bathroom for several years has become much more of a living space and a room in its entirety.

The notion of comfort and well-being is at the heart of the needs of our Western society. Tomorrow may be different. The density of the population has an impact on us and our living spaces, so it is therefore also necessary to think and design spaces that are more compact, but that offer quality. Bathroom design also needs to address societal challenges, like the consumption of energy and water, maintaining comfort while bringing meaning to our actions.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

It would be terrible for me to settle for one award alone. To design and offer products correctly, it is important for an industrialist to establish a collaboration that lasts over time. I hope that this first collection designed for RAK Ceramics will lead to a continued relationship and to win another SBID Award in the future. In the meantime, I am focused on many projects ahead of the Milan show in April 2022.

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

My advice would be that it is a difficult job, which requires a lot of work and skill, but it is also a job that offers a lot of freedom. So never give up and work hard.

Questions answered by Patrick Norguet, RAK-VALET Collection Designer, RAK Ceramics.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a family home design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Artwill Interior Design House.

Today, living well is many people’s dream… then “how to live well?” may be the next question. To the couple owners of this 1,792 sq.ft. duplex in Hong Kong, they want to live happily together with their sons and form a big family when their sons get married.

The couple prefers modern contemporary style, however, their sons have their preferences, too, making the task of the designer even more challenging. The designer has fulfilled the individual needs of the family members and linked different styles to form a harmonious atmosphere for the whole family. “Harmonized atmosphere should not only be presented in style and form, but also transformed into daily life. Our design has successfully encouraged interaction between the family members, which the owners have always longed for” said the designer Regina.

What was the client’s brief? 

The clients are a family of five, including the owner couple, the elder brother with his girlfriend and his teenage brother. As the owners always wanted to build up a big family with their sons, and enjoy easy retired lives, we transformed the 4 bedrooms into 3 en suites. The master bedroom is set on the lower floor and sons’ rooms are set on the upper floor. Now the sons can share sweet moments with the family members, while at the same time retaining their own space.

What inspired the design of the project?

As always, our inspiration is derived from home owners’ needs – we restructured the house to cater for different requirements of the family members.
In addition, we were inspired by the magnificent view and the exquisiteness of the duplex, therefore we opened up the foyer, and used diverse range of materials like marble, leather, metal, wall paper so as to bring out the extraordinary taste of this mansion.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The toughest challenge for us was to revamp the foyer. Before the foyer was dark and cramped, the designer then turned the enclosed kitchen into a semi-open space and extending its functions to the foyer. She also changed the direction of the staircase and used transparent glass stair-rails to broaden the magnificent sea-view and enhance the exquisite taste of the house.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Thanks to designer’s speciality in combining different styles, we are all in love with the harmonized atmosphere that we created. As different family members have different preferences, such as modern contemporary on the lower floor, the luxurious touch for the elder brother and his girlfriend’s room, and the minimalism for the teenage brother’s room. These styles were linked up with neutral palette, black lines, metal finishing and wood flooring.

The harmonized atmosphere is also transferred into the daily life. Whether at the desk, the pantry, living area, or the common area on the upper floor, the goal is to encourage interaction between the family members.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

Project The Bond is one of our favourite recent projects, it does not only cater for the needs of the home owner and bring out the extraordinary taste of the mansion, but also has created a harmonised atmosphere for this sweet family. Therefore, we want to share our favourite design with the world.

Questions answered by Regina Kwok, Design Director, Artwill Interior Design House.

The Myers Touch designed a new-build family home based in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire for owners that wanted a sociable, connected, family kitchen space with neutral tones that they could entertain and cook in.

Designer, Keith Myers worked with the client and builder to propose a solution to the kitchen living space that involved knocking down a wall, redesigning a larger kitchen space and relocating the utility room to another area of the house.

Siematic S2 handleless furniture was chosen for the cabinetry with 12mm Silestone Niebla and Dekton Fossil worktops.

Three unique zones – cooking area, prep area and storage that connected the kitchen within the dining space.

Photography credits: Phil Green

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

4SPACE provides quality, distinctive architectural, interior design and design solutions for commercial premises, restaurants, entertainment venues, retail spaces and private residences throughout the United Arab Emirates and further afield. 4SPACE has blossomed over the last 10 years and continuously innovates and intentionally disrupts interior design in one of the world’s most extraordinary cities, Dubai. Recognised as one of the finest interior design companies in the region, the company prides itself on blending light and space with delicate, well-considered features to create memorable aesthetics.

Firas Alsahin and Amjad Hourieh adeptly lead the award-winning interior design firm. Their international experience encourages the team to go beyond limits in Dubai. They explore different shapes and forms to create unique buildings that incorporate feasibility, efficiency, and originality. They led 4SPACE to be the overall winner of the Society of British and International Design (SBID) Awards in 2018. Commercial Interior Design Magazine voted the firm among the top 20 most successful boutique interior design firms in the Middle East in 2019.

Firas Alsahin was named one of the 50 most influential interior designers on the power list in the Middle East. He’s a fully accredited design professional with SBID. Alsahin’s design finesse embraces futuristic, minimalist, functional and sustainable design. He is well regarded in the industry and has an active voice on various discussion platforms in the Middle East.

Amjad Hourieh is also a fully accredited design professional with the SBID. He loves to create an element of surprise and intrigue with his designs. His designs incorporate the organic influence of Art Deco with the expected natural curves and geometry but with an unexpected sense of drama. Hourieh strives to unify visions between each client with innovation and technology.

Their imitable growth led to Ehab Alhariri joining 4SPACE as the principal architect to shape the new architectural division. His experience has seen him work on various projects in the USA and with world-famed Emaar, Dubai properties, Wasl, and Hilton. Alhariri earned global recognition for his sustainable mountain pod that pushed boundaries and merged his design capabilities by integrating art and science.

4SPACE work and experience

4SPACE creates environments that inspire well-being, drive innovation, and boost company development. Dubai is the world leader in unique and well-designed properties. 4SPACE, as a full-service design firm, has revolutionised the hospitality industry with its unique floating villas, futuristic sustainable mountain pod, the tube house and the towering Marina Twin Towers. The city’s impressive VR Park located in Dubai Mall is over 5,000 square metres and is the largest virtual reality experience venue in the region. On a smaller scale, designers have created extraordinary interiors for restaurants and retail including, Kava and Chai, Space Cup, Charcoal Garden, Karamna, PAPA Dubai, Tutus Kurniati and the Discovery Channel Store in Dubai Mall.

4SPACE has two fully immersive experience parks in the pipeline; 7000 square metres in Dubai Mall and 2000 square metres in Wafi Mall. The team are also expanding into Saudi Arabia with many food and beverage projects being successfully delivered such as Kactus and Dopeamine. Steam Kitchen, HOOK, Verde and Sandwhere are currently being designed and constructed.

Design approach and process

For a comprehensive understanding of the client’s needs, the interior designers examine the context of every space and deliver innovative solutions. 4SPACE is considerate and intimately works with each client to generate a comprehensive plan using physical models and mock-ups and provide accurate time frames and budgets. They seamlessly manage projects from beginning to end and communicate freely throughout the design process. The extensive team draws on the knowledge and expertise of in-house architects, technologists, engineers and project developers.

The team of architects and interior designers provides wide-ranging designs for various buildings, including homes, hospitality and entertainment venues, offices, and event spaces. They sympathetically design every element of a visitors journey. 4SPACE intelligently reformulate expectations and create innovative experiences that encourage interaction by playing with textures, materials and light. Their designs encourage touch and are delightful to the eye. 4SPACE creates memories and pleasure.

The pandemic experience

2021 has seen various successes for 4SPACE. Not only has the firm formed the architectural division, but they have moved offices, launched a new website and expanded their team with new hires.

Throughout the pandemic, each designer’s curiosity contributes to impressive restaurant design transformations; they are learning how to evolve, improve and remain relevant. Alsahin and Hourieh believe that their transformational philosophy, continuous development and evolutionary approach will ensure that they remain front of mind in the design field.

If you’d like to feature your news or stories with SBID, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winner for the Residential Apartment Over £1M category, IAIA – Idea Art Interior Architects, Darine Jabeili talks about creating personal designs and maximising and manipulating natural light in interiors.

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

The SBID awards offer an international benchmark for design around the globe, featuring work from world renowned architects and designers. Entering the SBID Awards is opening a gate to international exposure and a chance to connect with many other professionals in the field.

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

The unconventional client’s lifestyle led us to sit with them on endless discussions to guide our design and adhere to their best needs. This penthouse was created for a young and sophisticated couple with their own understanding of aesthetics and design. Coupled with the clients’ desires, daylight was delicately directed into the space, creating different scenarios and ambiances.

What inspired the design scheme of the luxury penthouse? How do you ensure the end result of an interior design is unique and personal to the client and their lifestyle?

Design is a process. In fact, it is a constant growth starting with a conversation with the client.

We always make sure, to sit down with our clients and understand their intentions and aspirations. The conversation gets personal, and we dive deep into their lifestyle and habits. We then brainstorm on many ideas and iterations that we think would suit the client and start working on developing them. Throughout the development phase, we discard some of the ideas, develop others and come up with new ones along the way. This process is what we love the most about our work, because it gives life to the project, and challenges us to outwork ourselves every time.

What are the key considerations when it comes to utilising or maximising natural light within interiors? Why is this important?

Whether we are designing spaces in the city or in remote locations, nature and the environment of the project are crucial. We, humans, are designed to live with Nature and be a part of it. One major natural component is: Natural Light. We study each space according to the depth of the slab, the ceiling height, and the openings proportions, leaving no room for deep or dark spaces with low natural light. We also work on the play of shadow and light in a space, by designing artefacts that respond to different scenarios of light.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

We are happy to have landed the SBID Award this year, and for a project that we love. We are working on numerous projects which we are very excited about. One of our current projects is the interior of a residential apartment combining the four natural elements of Nature: Water, Earth, Fire and Air. The elements come together to sculpt the spaces and generate immersive design features in the apartment.

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

The design industry requires talented and self-driven leaders who are patient and enthusiastic. For all the young designers we advise that they never lose the spark and the curiosity to explore beyond the market and trends. Break the mould, and do not conform to what the industry has implemented.

Questions answered by Darine Jabeili, Head of Design Department, IAIA – Idea Art Interior Architects.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a light and airy spa design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Bishop Design by Paul Bishop.

Traditional ideologies of a spa have been abandoned, where functional expectations remain but are orchestrated in new forms – using natural materials in modern manners which gives this offering a unique edge, whilst never forgetting the most crucial of factors – serenity. The design approach has been heavily focused on introducing natural materials yet integrating them in a way to appeal to a contemporary new age, reflective of the SLS brand. Our methodology of tone-on-tone applications, with teases of pink and references to the sky, elevate an immersive getaway experience. Light palettes mix with darker shades, greenery and plenty of light to create a feeling of openness; allowing guests to fully surrender to tranquillity.

What was the client’s brief? 

Serenity and exclusivity were to come hand in hand at Ciel, the spa offering on the 69^th floor of SLS Hotel & Residences in Dubai. The concept itself was an inherent part of SLS properties across the world, however it was up to us to enhance the offering. Still respecting the previous designs, but evolving the Ciel brand as a refreshed and new identity.

We conceptualized the narrative to focus on the view, and the notion of being high up in the clouds. This would lead us to orientate the space to capture the exterior perspectives, and that fascinating Dubai skyline.

What inspired the design of the project?

Nestled in the hustle and bustle of Dubai’s Business Bay, Ciel Spa offers a hideaway for those seeking out more peaceful moments. Our inspiration for the spa became rooted in celebrating the natural beauty of raw, soft tone materials; much like the essence of a spa would. Welcoming guests stands a fluted concierge desk that is complimented by rose tinted lighting, an oversized planter and contemporary retail display which creates a softness yet contrasts to the space through a harder material selection.

Key characteristics within are the ephemeral pink tone on tone colour palettes. These hues signify the mystical skylight moods that edge our environment. These soft shades balance beautifully with textures and accessories within.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Operational requirements called out for independent Female & Male entities, where each area would have its own jacuzzi/wet zone, treatment rooms and relaxation zones. Despite these individual areas, we were also challenged to create a neutral zone for couple treatment rooms which required intelligent consideration towards spatial planning. Besides from functional aspirations, we were given freedom to explore aesthetics and determine how users should interact with the space.

Treatment rooms offer both couple and individual offerings, where we decided to derive certain aspects from existing Ciel outlets yet evolve them for our Dubai venture. Storage facilities are three dimensional pyramids with diamante handles, a subtle reference to the luxury sentiments of the hotel and a reminder of the exclusivity which guests are treated with. White illuminated sheer curtains elegantly surround the back walls, intervened with an extravagant oversized bevelled mirror in the centre. These areas are ever so slightly moodier than the otherwise light and airy spa environment to create an intimate retreat for those seeking out something a little more personalized and private – a sense of escapism.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

At the heart of the spa is our wet zone. Grey stone steps lead guests up to the jacuzzi pools, where differing shades of natural wood panels are manipulated to form a beautiful backdrop to the relaxation that’s about to take place. These spaces were choregraphed to provide unobstructed views of the city. Flooring in these areas is an eclectic array of muted monochromatic mosaic tiles, encouraging feelings of movement, taking simplistic elements but combining them in a way that becomes much more visually interesting. Biophilia is introduced to contribute to the overall calmness that flows through the space, and an abundance of natural light is always evident.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

Each year Bishop Design feel very fortunate at having the chance to submit our latest works to the SBID Awards, and 2021 is no different. We would like to take the time and say thank you to the prestigious awarding team, as well as the esteemed panel of judges, for their time and consideration. It is events like these that continuously motivate our team to create iconic experiences all over the world.

Questions answered by Paul Bishop, Owner & Founder, Bishop Design by Paul Bishop.

Sans Souci, Czech designer and creator of glass lighting and architectural installations, introduces lighting installation in the centre of Burj Al Arab’s new lobby in Dubai. The stunning chandelier was adapted from Sans Souci’s signature Symphony collection and is comprised of 210 crystal tubes, weighing around 450 kilograms.

The installation seamlessly integrates heritage craftsmanship with the latest nano-technologies. Using cutting-edge techniques, each glass tube was coated in gold and engraved with a unique leaf motif taken from the luxury hotel’s wallpaper.

Designed by KCA International for Jumeirah Group, the newly renovated Exit Lobby features the magnificent spiral chandelier as the bespoke centrepiece for the interior. The installation’s design plays with light to create a glowing piece of art in the heart of the new space.

“Burj Al Arab is a globally recognised symbol of Dubai and luxury so we were delighted to work on this project” commented Elie El Khoury, Managing Director of Sans Souci Middle East. “We wanted to create a unique installation for the new interior that embodies the opulence of this iconic hotel.”

Jiří Krišica Head of Design at Sans Souci, added “The core design for this piece is taken from our Symphony collection and we then worked with the design team to create a truly unique chandelier that highlights the stunning interiors of the hotel. The final effect is an installation that plays with light and shade, creating a beautiful focus for the space.”

Burj Al Arab’s new Exit Lobby opened in October 2021. This installation adds to the list of Sans Souci’s projects in the Middle East which includes the W Hotel The Palm, Waterfront Market, Central Park Towers in Dubai or Al Rayyan Hotel in Doha.

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.