Dubai Design Week is a vivid expression of the varied and talented design community established in and drawn to Dubai, the region’s design capital, we get to know a handful of home-grown architecture and interior design talents who are shaping the future of design in their city and beyond.
Dubai Design Week is a vivid expression of the varied and talented design community established in and drawn to Dubai, the region’s design capital, we get to know a handful of home-grown architecture and interior design talents who are shaping the future of design in their city and beyond:
Pallavi Dean Interiors
Pallavi Dean Interiors is a UAE success story. Half the eight-strong team at the studio in based d3 – including Pallavi herself – studied in the UAE. Since launching in 2013 with a very clear mission “to create unforgettable experiences through design”, the boutique interior design agency has built an award-winning international portfolio spanning three continents and four sectors: hospitality, commercial, residential and education. Flagship projects include the Edelman head office in Abu Dhabi, the Sheraa entrepreneurship centre at the American University of Sharjah, and the forthcoming Delano Dubai hotel and Yotel hotels on Palm Jumeirah.
For Downtown Design 2017, Design Director Pallavi Dean has designed a biophilic installation-led booth for leading carpet tile brand, Interface. Pallavi was irresistibly drawn to the concept of ‘metamorphosis’ as a way of conveying the true DNA of the company to Downtown Design’s audience of architects, interior designer and specifiers. “In a very literal sense, Interface’s recycling is the epitome of metamorphosis. “They take old rugs and discarded fishing nets and turn them into beautiful carpet tiles,” explains Pallavi. “More profoundly, their mission is to fundamentally transform the way people feel when they step inside a building. Using principles like biomimicry and biophilia to bring the natural world indoors, they help create what they call +Positive spaces.’ The result: people are more creative, more productive and happier. True metamorphosis.”
Book ahead for ‘Revealed: Pallavi Dean Interiors’ (14 November, 2-4.30pm, d3), a 90-minute seminar in which Pallavi and two other experts reveal proven methods for using the media to drive a design business. Also head to the newly-opened restaurant of LebaneseStar Chef Maroun Chedid, Shababeek, the studio’s first restaurant design.
Viktor Udzenija Architecture + Design
Established in d3 in 2014, Viktor Udzenija Architecture + Design works nationally and internationally on high-end residential and commercial projects providing full architectural and interior design, product and furniture design services for both public and private sectors, from conceptual studies up to project execution.Over the last few years the Studio has secured several design awards, amongst others ‘Sustainable Initiative of the Year Middle East’ for its HQ ofs ice in d3, ‘Best Residential Project Middle East’ for its recently completed Jumeirah Residence project. The office is currently working on several luxury residential projects in the UAE as well as developing a5 star hotel in Prague, a luxury residence in London as well as multiple projects in Croatia expanding their reach past the borders of the Middle East.
The Studio’s principal architect and founder, Viktor Udzenija is also actively involved in the world of furniture design and is represented by world-acclaimed Carpenters Workshop Gallery.For the last two consecutive years he has featured in Architectural Digest Middle East’s top 50 Architect and Commercial Interior Design magazine’s top Interior Designers in the region.
The studio invites Dubai Design Week visitors to their exceptionally-designed d3 space showcasing some of their award-winning completed and ongoing projects, both regional and international, from the world of architecture, interiors as well as design.
Fadi Sarieddine Design Studio
Founded in 2013 by the Dubai-based Lebanese architect Fadi Sarieddine, the multidisciplinary atelier is dedicated to innovation in design across a wide spectrum of scale, media and context. Continually challenging traditional design and examining them through new materials, applications and technologies, Sarieddine’s experimental approach to design is the springboard from which the studio explores the intersections of art, architecture, interiors and product design. Be it a singular object that investigates the evolution of Middle Eastern design ideologies to large-scale residential, retail, hospitality and corporate projects that champion creative excellence in region, the atelier treats each project an opportunity for creative discovery and cultural storytelling.
Marking its third activiation during Dubai Design Week, Fadi collaborates with experimental jewellery designer and multi-media artist, Nadine Kanso, on ‘Khawatir’, a limited-edition collection applying Nadine’s calligraphy designs to a collection of mirrors and seating. And, head to L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels, the Dubai edition of the prestigious nomadic school, which the studio is crediting with designing.
T-Zed Architects
T.ZED Architects is a progressive international Architecture and Design practice based in the UAE and operating internationally, founded by Tarik Zaharna. Based in Dubai, the architectural practice focuses on delivering niche projects for clients across the Middle East and around the world that have a key, culturally relevant component to the development of the contemporary architecture. T.ZED Architects has completed several commercial and cultural projects in the UAE, most notably KOA Canvas, Corcel, S'wich Gourmet, 8th Street Studios, The Cocoon and Ataraxia – as cultural initiatives , ORA (Japanese restaurant) in Kuwait, and AlJAda Maserplan Development. T.ZED Architects’ ongoing interest in the UAE and Middle Eastern context has developed into various submissions for international architectural competitions, as well as an ongoing consistency for delivering detail-rich, contextually-relevant private as well as commercial projects. T.ZED Architects’ forward-thinking vision of contributing to the ‘evolution of the regional Architecture’ allows the practice to keep an eye on heritage and culture, whilst devising a modern design language.
For Dubai Design Week, visitors will get to know the studio, meet the architects and enjoy the plethora of architectural projects and creative approach presented across the studio space. In particular, T.ZED Architects will aim to communicate the concept of ‘techne’ - from the Greek ‘craftsmanship / craft / art’ - which is at the heart of the practice philosophy. We will showcase our works following a more curated and abstract approach, by presenting different phases of the design process, various architectural details and aesthetic expressions of key projects that strongly define T.ZED Architects design language. The visitors will have the opportunity to engage in an inspiring exhibition which sheds light into the practice’s ethos and contribution to the development of the contemporary architecture of the region.