Design & Lifestyle Blog

Skylines and Icons: The Controversy

Almost every city has its icon building or skyscraper making it the symbol of the city if not the entire country. Kuwait has its “Kuwait Towers” but now this might change, a new iconic tower is emerging. Like everything so big, controversy arises, many people are against it due to the high cost and its “alien” character in a city where no proper city planning has been done, others however are thrilled to have such a monument that would draw international attention. The AlHamra tower is 412m high, one of the 10 highest towers in the world, however this is not the main special characteristic of this tower, its pride resides in it being the tallest “sculpted” tower. It is about time we appreciate design and form over just height. This tower captures it all.

Its southern wall acts as the backbone of the skyscraper, yet it is designed to decrease solar radiation. In a country as hot as Kuwait, creating such an aspect that protects the building against harsh environmental conditions is essential.

It’s a pity how the area around it is very primitive with old 1 and 2 story structures that are an eyesore for everyone passing through the city. In addition to the unfortunate surrounding, the angle at which the tower is situated does not allow much ability for passers by to view the entire monument, it can only be seen fully from a distant angle.

Instead of criticizing the AlHamra tower for being among these buildings, instead, I think its a step to find a solution for everything that should NOT be there.

Below are images taken from AlHamra website, the video from Discovery’s “Build it Bigger” , and the last one from my phone’s camera couple of days ago to show the tower’s recent status.

For details, floor plans, and images please refer to the tower’s web site.

2-alhamra-tower — sculptural maquette of tower

IMG00618-20100831-1040 — Stage of completion of Al Hamra Tower now

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3 Sep ’10

Maison & Objet 2010: 10 years 10 designers

It’s that time of the year again, tomorrow Maison & Objet 2010 officially kicks off in Paris, France. The exhibition featuring the best brands of furniture, home decoration, and accessories starts tomorrow September 3rd till September 7th,2010. This year for the exhibition’s 10th anniversary the featured designer is the well known Philippe Starck who is the creator of the year 2010, 10 years after his first nomination. The showcase will feature 10 talents for 10 different designers who will be the generation of the next 10 years.

A 5 minute video interview with Starck himself explains it all.

For those who are visiting, hope you enjoy it.

2 Sep ’10

Paintings: Tales from Lebanon

Paintings are very personal; their addition to any space can transform its entire character. An interior designer feels the project is complete with these valuable additions especially if they reflect a character or tell a story. In our modern times, with the advance and appreciation of forms and colors, well established proportions are essential in every artwork, if not done properly, could cause an eyesore and mess up the entire feel of the space.

In this post I will be mentioning two young Lebanese artists I had the chance to see their work evolve in the past few years. Their work is abstract yet full of emotion and character.

Paula Chahine is an artist I know personally, her work is very inspiring. Her display of the human body and its movements in addition to the vibrant colors and beautiful lines has made her very popular among those who have an appreciation for the young spirited art. The selection below is among my favorites, as an added service she does custom-made paintings, “l’art sur mesure”, to accommodate a client’s color or theme preference while maintaining her own style.

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31 Aug ’10

The Story of a Scarf

Once a sweat cloth, now a fashion statement, the scarf has become one of the must-have accessories for every woman to spice up her look. But to Hermès it became not only that, but part of the legendary brand’s identity as well. In the light of that, they came up with the idea of Le Carré Hermès, a book all about the famous Hermès square scarves. This book features 150 scarves each of which tells a story through its colors, designs, and patterns. The book is by the art and architecture writer Nadine Coleno.

Inspired by Burberry‘s “Art of The Trench” which was a big hit, Hermès launched at the beginning of this month “J’aime Mon Carré“. A web site dedicated to the “Carré” and all the ways girls around the world are wearing it. It even teaches you how you can wear it or tie it in the same way. The possibilities of wearing the scarf are endless. Most Luxury brands have among their collections beautifully designed scarves and pashminas. Below you will find images from those brands namely Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo,Missoni, & Emilio Pucci. The first batch is from the book “Le Carré Hermès”, the remaining are selections from each brand’s Fall/ Winter 2010/11 collection.

Hope you like them.

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29 Aug ’10

The Siesta and its essentials

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything about it.” M. Scott Peck

What do Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einsten, Thomas Edison, Margaret Thatcher, & Bill Clinton have in common aside from being well known, powerful, and smart people? They are famous nappers. The nap in itself is a habit many people master naturally, some thrive to have the priviledge, and others just believe its a waste of time.

The famous nappers I mentioned earlier all had little time to sleep at night but believed in several short naps during the day to rejuvenate their brain and creativity. This has been proven over and over in numerous recent researches. The recent addiction to technology and social media is a faster way to reveal our lifestyle flaws yet we never do anything about it. I speak from personal experience, as I am getting more and more attached to the current popular devices my shut eye time is diminishing, I am sure I will soon start seeing the consequences if I don’t start taking “me” time.

A short afternoon catnap of 20 minutes enhances alertness and concentration, elevates mood, and sharpens motor skills. To boost alertness on waking, you can drink a cup of coffee before you nap. Caffeine requires 20 or 30 minutes to take effect, so it will kick in just as you’re waking. Limit your nap time to 45 minutes maximum.

The art of napping takes practice. You have to learn to switch off from concerns, demands, and stresses of daily life for a short period.

There are many aids for napping such as herbs, mainly Lavender , chamomile, geranium, jasmine, & ylang ylang which have calming effects among others. You can apply their use through aromatherapy oils. You can find oil burners at shops such as The Body Shop and get these soothing oils. Using these oils is part of my daily ritual, I realized when I was living in Lebanon, that friends who came over kept complimenting me for the relaxing atmosphere in my house. In addition to my hospitality *blushing* I knew the oils were a big part of that reputation.

The colors used in the room where you nap are very important. You can’t have a red bedroom and expect to wake up in a relaxed condition. Over time you will realize something is wrong. Chromotherapy is an ancient science as well. The colors to use while napping are: Rose for tranquility, Blue for relaxation, Green for renewal, Lilac for equilibrium.

Researchers are realizing the importance of the “siesta”, hence the new concept most of received in our emails. The sleep box is an office workstation and resting pod designed for public places like train stations, airports and bus terminals. These small pods are rental units that provide travelers peace and quite as well as a place to work.Currently, there is construction of these units in the Dubai airport with hopefully more places to follow.

Buenos Aires 20 min Siesta Company - Preparations for a Nap

In Buenos Aires, city residents are fighting work-related stress with a 20-minute nap at the center. Employees at Siestario tailor to each client the music, aroma and colors that would be most conducive to sleep. (Photo taken from Reuters)

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29 Aug ’1021 Oct ’11

For The Love of Chocolate…| Restaurant Design

“Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies.” – John Q. Tullius

As much as I am enjoying this post, it is actually painful at the same time. I admit, I am a chocoholic and don’t plan on recovering anytime soon.

But truth is, the love for Chocolate concept has become a hit over the past few years. We are used to the old fashioned chocolate boutiques where we go in, buy a box, and just leave. Usually as gift for occasions or people we love, sometimes just because we don’t have other ideas. However the “Chocolate Cafe” theme is becoming very popular. Reputable chocolate brands such as Godiva, Lindt, Alison Nelson’s Chocolate Bar, Max Brenner, and Jeff de Bruges all have opened fully fledged chocolate bars/cafes all over the world. They are focusing on chocolate themed interiors that are inviting and warm, with the main colors derived from the 3 chocolate flavors.

The “Chocolate Bar” concept has invaded the Arab countries as well. Alison Nelson’s Chocolate Bar opened branches in Dubai and Qatar, Kuwait have their own “Chocolate Bar” and have several branches. They have not expanded beyond Kuwait yet though. Their theme colors are brown and Fuchsia, an interesting combination of contrasts. I noticed in the Gulf region most people are not comfortable with dark and earthy colors, the Fuchsia in this case livens it up yet blends in the concept.

In Lebanon, a year ago “The Chocolate Lounge” opened in the Sodeco area and has a very interesting location and menu. Their main entrees have chocolate as part of their ingredients as well. That in addition to a large selection of desserts. Their Interior is very interesting, where they relied on square chocolate shapes and very soothing colors, design is very coherent as is the overall furniture layout.Also In Lebanon, “Chocolat Milano” opened in Downtown Beirut specializing Italian Ice cream and chocolates.

I still have a question though, why Nutella haven’t opened a cafe yet?

Since this post is about chocolate it is only natural that I add one of my favorite Chocolate Fondant Recipes. This recipe was given to me by the owner of one of Lebanon’s top food service companies.

Hot Fondants with Chocolate and Orange Glaze

serves 6-8

Fondant

6 eggs

5 oz caster sugar

11oz good quality dark chocolate

11 1/2 oz butter

3 oz plain flour

2-3 tbsp brandy (optional for those who don’t mind the alcohol)

Melt the butter and chocolate together in microwave or pan with simmering water (bain marie) In a bowl beat together the eggs, sugar, brandy. Add the hot melted chocolate and butter. Mix well. Whisk in sifted flour Line the moulds and bake for 15 min at 350 deg F Glaze 17 1/2 oz good quality dark chocolate chopped 4 fl oz water 4 oz caster sugar 1 1/2 fl oz liquid glucose 9 fl oz whipping cream juice of an orange zest of half an orange Put the cream, water, sugar & glucose to a pan. bring to boil. pour on to the chopped chocolate, orange juice and zest. mix thoroughly. To serve, turn out the puddings and pour over the chocolate and orange glaze, Decorate with orange peel.

Enjoy!!

28 Aug ’10

The “Wanders” of Design | Famous Designers

"Luxury starts where functionality ends and where the true value is personal and so has no price or reason."

Marcel Wanders, Designer

Marcel Wanders tops the list of my favorite designers of all time. From the Netherlands and born in 1963, he started his career in 1988 and became popular because of an iconic chair he designed for Droog Design in 1996. Now his name is linked to designs for such big companies such as B&B Italia, Bisazza, Poliform, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, Cappellini, Droog Design, and Mooi of which he is also art director and co-owner.

"I think Humor is a beautiful way to get connected to people and to get their attention for the things I really like"

You can recognize alot of his work through "the nose" impression he displays in most of his accessories which is his humorous approach in communicating his designs and thoughts. He is also known for his very intricate and unique design style manifested through use of lace patterns and variety in scales and proportions.

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27 Aug ’10

Table Manners and Settings | Etiquette

We have all seen Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" and most of us remember the scene where she was in a fancy restaurant and didn’t know the first thing about using the utensils, or any table manners for that matter. Table etiquette has always been associated with snobbish people who just "know-it-all". However, people now are going out more often, hospitality has become a large part of our daily lives, no one cooks for anyone anymore.

However it is always interesting to know Table rules and try to apply them, it kind of gives a sense of power infront of those who are etiquette-challenged.

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