Brazilian luxury bespoke furniture and interiors brand ‘Ornare’ opens flagship showroom in Dubai
Brazil headquartered international luxury bespoke design brand, Ornare, announced the opening of its Middle East flagship showroom in Dubai. Operating out of the iconic Opus Tower designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the brand’s expansion in the region will be led by the dynamic trio Carina Fontes, Maryam Al Nabooda, and Shalise Basso – businesswomen with deep experience in the design industry.
Commenting on how the opening aligns with the brand’s expansion strategy focused on growth markets like the UAE where the luxury retail market has seen double-digit growth over the past decade, Carina Fontes said, “The country is marked by economic prosperity and high demand in the luxury market from customers who give priority to quality. It is an audience that is willing to pay for sophistication and refinement. The UAE is therefore a very strategic market for Ornare and we have positive expectations for the new showroom”.
As a brand well established in the global interior design and architecture market, Ornare prides itself on providing complete customized solutions for the whole house – from kitchens to wardrobes, bathrooms, wall systems, accessories and more. Stressing on its authenticity as a 100% Brazilian product made in São Paulo, the brand’s Founding Partner Esther Schattan added, “We have grown year after year, and we are consolidating ourselves internationally as a Brazilian luxury company. In Brazil and the world over, consumers are spending more time in their homes, investing even more in their environments by increasing the comfort and beauty of their living spaces. This is the right time for us to introduce a taste of Brazilian luxury into homes in the UAE.”
Ornare specializes in offering a high degree of customization for discerning clients, allowing them the freedom to execute extremely sophisticated projects. As part of the service, the brand also uses state-of-the-art technology to enhance customer experience. Clients and business partners can view 3-D modelled designs of the project via Virtual Reality or video before it goes into production.
In addition to the new Dubai flagship and showrooms in Brazil, Ornare has eight others strategically located in the United States. The company has ambitious goals to grow the international business to account for 40% of total sales by 2024.
Photo credit: Marko Zirdum
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Saudi developer Dar Al Arkan opens office in China to drive global growth
Dar Al Arkan, the leading real estate company in Saudi Arabia, continues its dynamic growth momentum by announcing the opening of its office in Beijing, China. The announcement is in line with the Dar Al Arkan’s strategic expansion and builds on spreading the leading Saudi Arabian brands globally.
Dar Al Arkan’s Beijing office will serve multiple functions to allow for joint ventures between Dar Al Arkan and leading Chinese real estate developers for the Chinese and the Saudi market, further increasing and facilitate collaboration between Saudi Arabia and China and enhance investment and knowledge sharing opportunities. The office will primarily promote cooperation and partnerships within the real-estate and technology sectors to exchange and implement global best practices in these respective industries
Dar Al Arkan recently appointed Guo Jiancheng as General Manager for Dar Al Arkan’s office in Beijing to lead the company’s operations in China. Following the announcement Jiancheng commented: “Over its 27-year history in Saudi Arabia Dar Al Arkan has pioneered a distinctive approach to development, introduced new technologies, and raised the benchmark for the real-estate and technology sectors in the Kingdom. With this expertise and industry know-how, the company is well-positioned to take this knowledge and creativity to a global level and promote it as best practice. By entering into the Chinese market, Dar Al Arkan is also well positioned to enhance relations between the Kingdom and China across multiple fronts.”
Dar Al Arkan’s office will act as a hub to support Chinese companies and investors seeking expansion, company formation and investment opportunities in the Kingdom. By providing access to required information, permits, legal and financial knowledge, as well as support on partnerships and other requirements, Dar Al Arkan is making entry into the Kingdom more accessible.
Likewise, the office will support Saudi Arabian companies to explore expansion opportunities and gain entry into the Chinese market. Furthermore, will encourage other areas for mutual collaboration, especially in tourism and cultural exchanges.
Starting in 2021, Dar Al Arkan has embarked on a global expansion drive starting with the announcement of its Sidra project in Bosnia last March, followed by the launch of two luxury co-branded towers in the United Arab Emirates in collaboration with luxury fashion brand, Missoni, and hypercar manufacturer, Pagani Automobili, respectively. The company also announced expansion into the Qatari and Omani markets through premium residential and commercial projects.
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Homegrown brand Royal Furniture opens a new store in Sharjah
Homegrown brand, Royal Furniture has just opened doors to its brand-new store in the UAE in City Center Al Zahia, situated in the heart of Sharjah. The new store is the first-of-its-kind concept store featuring a unique design, aesthetic, and a brand-new collection to cater to the growing demands of today’s consumers.
Operating for over 30 years in the UAE, the brand is committed to breaking boundaries within the premium furniture space and is the only furniture brand in the UAE with a localised production facility, offering complete customisation to customers.
Sprawling over 4,200sqm in space, the new concept store has been crafted with wooden and earthy interiors to give a modern and minimalistic feel. The store has been meticulously designed and segmented to feature different zones, as one would have in their home, including a living room zone, dining zone, lounge area, and bedroom.
“The brands’ UAE expansion is in response to the growing demand we see from our customers for accessible furniture & inventive designs. We are committed to innovation and work very closely with our customers to give them what they desire through our dedicated customisation arm. Additionally, we have experienced an exceptional month-on-month growth in the last year alone and are excited to be opening our first concept store in Sharjah reaching out to more of our customers,” said added Richard Snowball, the general manager at Royal Furniture.
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World Bazaar opens the UAE’s first outdoor furniture experience centre
World Bazaar launches UAE’s first luxury outdoor furniture experience centre for both residential and commercial spaces.
Located in Umm Suqeim, the 14,000sqft centre features an extensive range of unique and urban garden/ patio furniture and accessories from 10 European designer brands. Every collection emulates relaxed luxury resort living for both residential and commercial spaces.
“The launch of our truly unique and immersive experience centre marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our business, enabling us to connect with our international client base,” said Randip Dhingra, Founder, World Bazaar. “We are the only place in the UAE to offer the largest Collection of Luxury outdoor furnishing and accessories that combines durability, elevated style, and limitless design possibilities under one roof.”
World Bazaar UAE is set to become a destination for the homeowners, Landscape Contractors, Architects and Interior Designers looking for high-end outdoor furniture. The centre helps customers to visualise the space in real-time negating any use of renders or 3D modelling – serving as a lighthouse for individuals, thoughtful lifestyle designers and start-ups who want to bring their inspirational concepts to life before investing in the purchase. Their goal is to help in formulating residential and commercial furnishing solutions to maximise collaboration, creativity, flexibility, and promoting innovative ideas.
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Imkan Properties officially opens Sheikha Fatima Park, Abu Dhabi’s first urban park
IMKAN Properties has officially opened the first of its kind premium urban park in the Capital. Nestled within Khalidiya District along Al Bateen Street, Sheikha Fatima Park is just minutes away from the famous Corniche in the heart of Abu Dhabi
Historically known as ‘Khalidiyah Ladies Park’, the 46,000m2 plot has been redeveloped into a vibrant space re-imagined for the community. Retaining its legacy, and a tribute to the mother of the nation, Sheikha Fatima Park will be a place of permanent discovery where families come together to explore the different environments within the park and engage in an active healthy lifestyle.
Highlighting IMKAN’s priorities, Engineer Suwaidan Al Dhaheri, Managing Director of IMKAN, said: “At IMKAN, our primary aim is to enrich the lives of city dwellers by providing creatively-designed spaces, which also enhance the surrounding environment. Sheikha Fatima Park is a reflection of our ability to think innovatively as we try to protect nature and promote community well-being in line with our vision to make meaningful contribution to the development of the local community.”
Al Dhaheri reiterated IMKAN’s commitment to actively supporting the UAE’s public and private sectors through supporting home-grown brands that embrace the finest local concepts. In implementing special projects such as Sheikha Fatima Park, which has created a model for an ideal public-private partnership, we continually seek to exceed the aspiration of the local population.
“IMKAN’s creative vision has helped it promote entrepreneurship, adopt new business concepts and implement unique ideas and facilities that best serve societal needs and promote sustainable living in Abu Dhabi,” he added.
Sheikha Fatima Park is split into three experiential areas — A Discovery Zone, an Adventure Zone and an Experience Zone. Activities within the park will center around the wellbeing of the community with a year-round calendar of wellness and fitness events, family-friendly interactive activations, a pet zone, and a retail space featuring boutique shops and food and beverage pop-ups.
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Casa Milano opens 40,000 sqft showroom in Abu Dhabi
Luxury home solutions retailer, Casa Milano, opened its doors to the people of Abu Dhabi on 12 December, a couple of months after celebrating two successful years of inception.
What started as luxury sanitaryware and tiles brand has now diversified to complete home solutions by beautifying the outdoor spaces with landscaping and pools solution, creating unique indoor spaces with parquet, and designer kitchens making it a destination for designers and for those planning to build/refurbish their homes.
The outlet is offering an exclusive assortment of designed counter bowls, showers, faucets, tiles and slabs, and solid surfaces manufactured by over 40 of the world’s top brands in the largest luxury showroom in UAE spanning over 40, 000 sq. ft.
As the company continues to align with different luxury brands like Glass Design, Devon & Devon, Roberto Cavalli, Cristal et Bronze, Maison Valentina, Isvea Italy, Cora, Ter Hurne and much more Casa Milano is turning out to be an experience rather than just a showroom.
The retailer will showcase a few new brands in their state of art Abu Dhabi showroom like Hansgrohe, Axor, Arredo3, Franke, Sanit, Porcelanosa.
“A very important moral that I have learnt from my father is we need to partner with brands who become long-term associates and have the same mindset for mutual benefit and growth. I am elated to say that we have recently partnered with two of the best names in the industry – Hansgrohe for faucets and showers with Arredo3 for kitchens,” says Azhar Sajan, who leads the luxury venture.
He added, “We intend to showcase all our products in a way that the customer can visualise having it in their homes.”
The lockdown also gave people ample time to refurbish their homes which has now become their offices, classrooms etc., leading to a demand for home improvement solutions.
Sajan added: “The home improvement segment has seen a significant growth in the last year. We received enquiries from our consultants in Abu Dhabi. This will hopefully be first of the many showrooms we plan to open in this emirate.
“Earlier people were keen on giving their living rooms a luxurious touch because they would spend most of their time at home in that space. Now the bathroom has evolved to become a personal space with people wanting to spend their ‘me’ time there, they want now add luxury to their bathrooms as well. If you’re spending a fortune on the house, then I am sure you can spend a fraction of it to add an aesthetic touch to the bathroom which you would be using multiple times in a day.”
The brand hopes to open a store in Sharjah next year and outlets across the entire GCC in the next five years.
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