Kristina Zanic Consultants designs Accor HQ; inspired by fascinating Parisian mansions
Kristina Zanic Consultants has designed a stylish new office space in Dubai for French hospitality group Accor.
The headquarters office for India, Middle East, Africa, and Turkey features a newly refurbished reception and corporate hospitality area that welcomes visitors in a sumptuous style rarely seen in workplaces, and blurs the lines between hospitality and office design.
Accor appointed Kristina Zanic Consultants to help realise its vision for the new space to be an accurate reflection of its brand ethos, and to display the same luxury elements and feel as seen in its exclusive hotels and resorts around the world.
The scope involved the design of a 300sqm area to host meetings with partners, collaborators, and VIP guests for its luxury brands. It included a lift lobby, reception and lounge, spacious conference area with food and beverage facilities, informal meeting space with relaxed social areas, and two lavish guest washrooms.
The new corporate hospitality area reflects the group’s expertise in delivering luxury hotels and gives a taste of the Accor guest experience. Visitors stepping out of the elevator doors are immediately immersed in a sophisticated ambience of sumptuous velvets, natural marble, intricate wall paneling and gold detailing.
The design is inspired by the exclusive Parisian mansions that showcase haute couture collections, and pays homage to extravagant French luxury and timeless character. A colour palette with a black and white base has pops of colour added through rich jewel tones of warm rusts, mustard yellows and midnight blues used in the bespoke lounge-style furniture and carpeting.
Although the dominant style is classic, it also blends in touches of mid-century and contemporary de-sign in the lighting and furniture selections. This is demonstrated further in its eclectic collection of artwork, focusing on style and fashion that adorn the meeting room walls and corridors.
“This was a one-of-a-kind project to work on where we got to translate the luxury hospitality aesthetic into an everyday office space,” said Justin Condon, design director at Kristina Zanic Consultants. “We’ve designed luxury hotels and offices before, but never one that is a perfect blend of both. The challenge was in finding the right balance between creating an experience of luxury hospitality but also delivering on the functionality needed from an office space.”
“Workplaces more than ever are expected to embody a company’s brand and work culture. The standard run-of-the-mill designs are completely out the door today, and are being replaced by highly customised spaces that reflect personality, promote well-being, and enhance collaboration and productivity.
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.5&appId=https://www.facebook.com/designmiddleeast”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
Dewan introduces Babel 4.0, the Middle East’s first architecturally inspired NFT
Dewan Architects + Engineers introduces Babel 4.0, the first architecturally inspired NFT from the Middle East. The culturally positive, forward-thinking and inclusive non-fungible token provides a futuristic experience for architects and designers in the metaverse. The firm sees the introduction of Babel 4.0 and NFTs as the next logical step as they experiment and research further into the metaverse and internet-of-things.
Ammar Al Assam, CEO of Dewan Architects and his team understand the importance of championing various backgrounds, cultures, visions and experiences, exemplified by the firm’s diverse multi-cultural team with over 50 nationalities represented. With these values in mind, Dewan Architects has created the Babel 4.0 NFT, a reinterpretation of the mythical Tower of Babel previously cited as, ‘A united human race in the generations following The Atrahasis (The Great Flood), speaking a single language, migrating westward, come to a land where they agree to build a utopian vertical city tall enough to reach the heavens and live in perpetual harmony’.
Al Assam says: “Our plan is to launch this NFT collection which will encourage academia, government bodies, architects, engineers, universities, material and product producers and the community to interact and exchange ideas in a virtual world. Babel 4.0 is a formal adaptation and interpretation of life today. Babel 4.0 is a modern metaverse where tower silos are created to provide a platform that connects digital communities to promote the overall greater good and collective advancement of its members. Babel 4.0 is not a physical building and intentionally opposes style, location, culture and budget but is a blank canvas for hybrid cultures. The proposed ‘helix’ propagates infinitely. Babel 4.0 is now available on OpenSea. The infinite-helix inspired Babel 4.0 encourages visitors to explore the entire community tower. Visitors always start their journey at the arrival communal space where they make connections and initial contact with others. Travelling anticlockwise, visitors ascend to exhibition and museum levels where they can exhibit their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in a virtual museum. The public exhibition spaces are reserved for the members, the 100 initial invited ones, could be extended later.”
Interestingly, Babel 4.0 has no owners. The plots are occupied by members eager to express their culture and share their knowledge and relies solely on autonomous dialogue and exchange between its members. Visitors can dictate how long they stay in the tower by accessing and utilising various time zones and shortcuts. Babel has its own parliament and speaking corner where members discuss and share their thoughts. The information discussed and lessons learned can be used within the Metaverse but also in the real world.
The extraordinary non-profit community provides architects, designers, project managers and suppliers an inspiring space to connect from around the world. Circular movement within Babel constantly reinforces the sense of community. The tower is an infinite ramp suitable for various sensorial travel experiences. Stairs, slides and cables serve as shortcuts whilst elevator and teleportation transport responds effectively to long-distance journeys. The beautiful gardens just below parliament connect Babel 4.0 to the real world. The original Tower of Babel had 100 gates; 25 on each side. Dewan intends to create 100 NFTs as part of the Babel 4.0 collection, which will be donated to prominent academics and leaders in the fields of design and architecture. These NFTs can be used and exchanged for plots in the tower to access various exhibition or presentation spaces.
Metaverse architecture is the logical next step for Dewan. Dewan is developing a dedicated design research lab to support investors and virtual developers entering the Metaverse. By introducing various new elements into the traditional field of architecture such as gaming, hardware developers, coders, VFX specialists, and storytellers, Dewan truly bridges the gap of today’s architecture industry; the physical and the metaphysical.
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.5&appId=https://www.facebook.com/designmiddleeast”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
Home Centre’s new brand identity – ‘Inspired By You’
As a climax to a series of meaningful touchpoints in celebration of its 25th anniversary, Home Centre, one of the largest retailers of furniture and home furnishings in the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian sub-continent, today unveiled a new brand identity that is underpinned by their customer-first approach of enabling every home to tell its own unique story. The dynamic brand identity, a first of its kind in the region, was launched with a campaign aptly titled ‘inspired by you’, as a touching tribute to over 25 million homes and counting, that they have been a part of and continue to be. The objective is to further strengthen the value of the iconic brand which has opened over 70 stores, delivering to 1,950 homes daily, over the past 25 years.
As a prelude to the brand identity launch and celebrating the people who are at the centre of Home Centre-its customers, the brand has also launched an emotional campaign, ‘Your Home. Your Home Centre.’ The campaign is reflective of the core brand values that celebrate the lives of customers who have been a vital part of the brand’s journey in enabling people to turn their houses into HOMES. At the heart of this campaign was a digital activation that reached out to people across the region. Customers could participate without any purchase and simply express ‘What home means to them?’.
Home Centre aspires to give its customers not the home they want, but the one they can uniquely design – in style, range, quality, and affordability. The new brand makeover and the collections inspired by this evolution amplify the message that every home has a unique story to tell. Home Centre enables customers to select from the wide range of products that reflect their personality. That is why the brand makeover, and their curated collections reflect unique styles and personalities driven by the theme ‘Inspired By You’.
With the brand makeover, Home Centre has stepped up its efforts to evolve with the changing consumer behaviour and offer the latest styles and designs. Celebrating how people live, Home Centre’s new brand identity is dynamic in nature representing trends, seasonality and personalisation. The new brand makeover is also a reflection of how Home Centre’s customers can update their homes and explore new ideas, designs and color palettes to give a stylish makeover to their homes. The new brand identity is in line with Home Centre’s vision to make beautifully designed homes accessible to everyone, offering aspirational designs at affordable prices.
Following the reveal of the new identity, Home Centre reimagined the customer shopping experience and journey for their store at City Centre Mirdif. The new format store houses 6 apartment set ups offering customers styling tips and ideas that will truly inspire the inner designer in them and will help them create a living space of their dreams. Offering an easy and convenient shopping experience, the store hosts dedicated category destinations, to offer range of choice. Parents can shop freely while the kids are engaged at the entertainment area. The new format store at City Centre Mirdif is Home Centre’s largest store in the UAE spanning across 79, 000 sqft of inspiration. Additionally, the store also offers click and collect and personalised design services.
Aarti Jagtiani, Group Director and Board Member, Landmark Group, said: “We are in the business of creating human impact and with 25 years in the business, it is time for us to take a fresh approach for the next 25 years and more. We are proud to be operating in a country that continues to seek new goals and ambitions under its able leadership, and we at Landmark follow the same vision of incorporating innovative ways to serve our customers and residents better. The Group and its business verticals have witnessed strong, steady, organic growth in this country with Home Centre and we are confident that we will continue this momentum in the years to come.”
Sameer Jain, CEO, Home Centre, added: “As part of our journey, we realised we need to stay even more connected to our customers and there was a need to evolve with changing consumer behavior. We are now looking at the next 25 years and want to reach out to our customers with a re-positioned look and feel of our brand which is not just a physical change in identity but a refreshed ethos that runs across the various touchpoints of our organisation. Through ongoing research and continuous engagement with our customers across the region, we have been working towards evolving our offer based on consumer needs which has culminated in the launch of a new positioning and brand identity that helps us connect better with our customers.
Home Centre is inspired by all the things that make your home different. To ensure that customers experience the new brand makeover, Home Centre has launched a New Trend collection with a catalogue showcasing the latest designs and styles including a capsule collection by the Lebanese – American designer Farah Merhi. Home Centre is constantly in sync with the latest trends and offers artistic collaborations and interior design services to help consumers find the very best in-home decor to transform everyday spaces.
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.5&appId=https://www.facebook.com/designmiddleeast”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
Inspired by UAE Mars mission, ‘Hala, Mareekh’ carpet by Design Matter is to be unveiled at Dubai Design Week
A unique carpet, inspired by the UAE’s mission to Mars, is set to be unveiled during the Dubai Design Week, as part of the event’s UAE Designers Exhibition 2.0. The rug, known as ‘Hala, Mareehk’, or ‘Hello Mars’, is the work of boutique design firm, Design Matter, and is the first piece from their sustainable furnishings collection, ‘series of hope’.
Setting out to craft a metaphor for conquering the unknown, the Design Matter team, led by business founder, Fabidha Safar Rahman, has brought together traditional and modern design concepts to create a contrast between two sides of the same coin: a side of nature and tradition, and one of modernity and innovation.
Explaining the journey from inspiration to creation, Rahman said, “With so much to celebrate as a country, we wanted to curate all our emotions of pride, ambition, and hope into a product that recognises such a historic year for the UAE. We were inspired to commemorate the Mars mission by doing what we know best, design.
“Motivated by the feat, we took it upon ourselves to develop something that reflected the pride, the ambition, and of course, hope. Creating a designer rug that curates these concepts, we aimed to depict the journey from nature and humanity to modern technology and new ventures into the unknown. Fusing forms of fluidity with modernity, it is a metaphor for the UAE; a country deeply-rooted in its culture and traditions, while constantly evolving to new heights.”
Featuring free-flowing curves with linear forms, the design aims to characterise the natural lines of topography that meet with the final frontier of technology. A hand-like form wraps itself around the core of the rug, with the grey colour representing the unknown that is yet to be discovered. The final feature of modernity is inspired by the wings of the Al Amal Hope probe, while the gentle lines of yellow denote hope.
Reflecting the hope theme, the piece incorporates 15 % recycled PET yarn, an innovative, sustainable method of reducing the impact of plastic bottles on the environment and reusing them in a constructive way.
With 75% less CO2 emission than virgin polyester, PET yarn is a sustainable material that gives the luxurious look and feel of wool with no synthetic coating. The rug is the first piece in the Design Matter ‘series of hope’ collection, which aims to create unique, sustainable, and limited-release pieces, inspired by the UAE.
Hala, Mareehk will be one of 25 pieces from local designers to feature in the Exhibition, which can be viewed at Downtown Editions, part of Downtown Design Dubai, from 8th – 12th November.
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.5&appId=https://www.facebook.com/designmiddleeast”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
Inspired by art deco, Form Hotel Dubai is a wellness hub
Traditional Arabic heritage. Spectacular cultural offerings. The Culture Village is an exciting place to be. And with so much to explore and experience, Form Hotel Dubai, Design Hotels’ first property in the region, is the perfect stepping board to experience it all.
With magnificent touches of elegance and a carefully curated concept that relives the origins of Dubai’s heritage, Form Hotel Dubai brings a unique and uncharted experience to the neighbourhood.
Sublime design? Check. Highly personalised? Check. A bespoke individual experience? Check. In a city long defined by over-the-top grandeur, there’s something refreshing about stepping into Form Hotel’s contemporary art deco-inspired interiors, brought to life by Paris-based Architecture Studio.
Everything here is custom-made. The brushed brass knobs. The polished art frames. The glistening marble countertops. The delightedly detailed wood paneling. It’s all luxurious no doubt, but it’s not blinding in-your-face luxury. There’s lot of white, perfectly punctuated with marble, brass, walnut wood furniture and few other colours.
And all guest rooms come with custom-crafted art and photography by Nina Dietzel, completing a sharp, tightly curated visual experience that is both contemporary and timeless.
The calming wellness driven concept is noticeable throughout, especially with their food and beverage outlet and terrace that boasts sustainable, good-for-you menus. Looking for relaxation? Take the ride up the elevator and you are greeted with a serene rooftop pool, offering stunning views over Al Jaddaf’s boatyards, private yoga sessions and much more. There’s also Salũs Housetop, a designer sky lounge with great seating and even better mocktails.
With an emphasis on well-being, a carefully curated design and an array of visual experiences and moods, there is a discreet yet instantly timeless allure to Form Hotel Dubai, one that’s completely in sync with the heritage of Culture Village.
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.5&appId=https://www.facebook.com/designmiddleeast”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
BE INSPIRED BY THIS CAPTIVATING LIVING ROOM INTERIOR
This living room interior can be described as more grown-up and captivating with luxurious and exclusive furniture and lighting designs. Feel inspired and turn your living room into a glamorous dream with the comfortable and unmistakable Gable Single Sofa!
As for the lighting choices, from the Coltrane Family, the Coltrane Floor Lamp and Coltrane Wall Lamp are sophisticated and aesthetic designs that provide a smooth lighting effect.
Trend Interior Design Projects To Be Inspired
Hi trendies! Today Trendbook shares a curated selection of trend interior design projects. According to the next interior design trends 2022/2023. See more in detail inspiring rooms for your next project.
See also: Discover: Interior Design Trends 2022
This hallway decor has a modern contemporary wall mirror, as a statement piece. Featuring nature inspired aesthetic elements.
Dark and Classic Living Room with brown sofas and gold details on the wall lamps, side table and center table.
Make your kids’ bedroom even more comfortable with the Whale’s Tale Rug. This rug was inspired by kids’ favorite tales about the ocean and about the whales
Cosy and personal dining room design with round gold brass and black dining table, gold with black velvet dining chairs and round brass wall light. Involved with a terrazzo wall decor, a current interior trend.
A mid-century modern living room with a black and gold bookcase.
This bathroom is the ultimate representation of luxury with a deep bathtub that creates a pleasant black contrast with the accents of gold of the Empire Side Table.
Make your own private oasis in your bathroom with the Koi Mirror and the Agatha Rug.
Modern contemporary dining room design with rectangular black dining table, beig and brown velvet dining chairs and green console.
Modern hallway design with the black console table BRYCE, black wall mirror HELIOS and decorative area rug.
Earth-inspired hallway design with the velvet 2 seat sofa ANDES and the hammered brass pendant lights VELLUM.
*Like what you’ve read about the Trend Interior Design Projects? Feel free to share on your social media by using the super-easy share buttons on the left! If you want to see other decor and interior trends just click here.*| Don’t forget to follow us on our social media, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
English