Life & Style | Education
Furnishing ideas
Interior design students give furniture designers a run for their money. Maysam Ali reports.
- By Maysam Ali
- Published: 00:34 April 20, 2008
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
- Shrouq Mohammad adds colour and light to her display
What started out as an academic project ended up being a talking point in the market. Interior design students from the Ajman University of Science and Technology Network (AUSTN) recently had their design projects on display for a week at Dubai Festival City.
Students met with customers and presented them with ideas they had worked on semester as part of their Textile and Accessories course at the AUSTN Interior Design Department. Some customers even asked the aspiring interior designers whether they would design their homes.
From imagination to reality
The project began with the instructor of the Textiles and Accessories course, Zahrah Al Sa'adoon, asking students to outline a sketch of their ideas on specific themes assigned to them. Themes ranged from nature to human to simplicity, truth and other topics.
Starting with a simple idea, the students developed it into a more complex sketch and then created the actual design using materials and fabrics.
They and their professors, were proud of the final products. "The quality of their work is no less than the quality of items found at furniture stores.
This exhibition is to encourage them to enter the Dubai market and develop more ideas and projects," Al Sa'adoon said. "Dubai is a great place to be for them because it has taste and it is an international city where they have a lot of exposure."
International exposure
Perhaps the most gratifying experience for the students was presenting their work to the public. "It gives me confidence to see people pass by and ask me about my work," said student Yousuf Ayesh.
The others agreed. "People liked what I did," said Behnaz Zaboli, who had designed an easy chair set in surroundings done up with banana and bamboo leaves. "Many told me they wanted to buy my project."
Her colleague, Hanan Ahmad, said that the exhibition was very important to her because it highlighted her work and made her feel proud of it.
Kernal of an idea
Sara Abu Laila, a third-year student, stood proudly in front of her project. She had carefully designed the chair and its fabric, the background mix of gold, blue and brown, the lighting and hanging curtains. "I used sea sand in the room to bring the beach inside the living room," she said.
She explained her original concept, from which she developed the design. "A grain alone might seem nothing, but in fact it is everything because it forms our shores and everything in life." After graduation Sara wants to work in an interior design company.
Talking through art
Hanan Ahmad created a portrait of half a woman's face on a glass, using black and fuchsia fabric. She named it 'Coz the face ain't listening,' and placed a chair underneath for the woman to lie down on it as her own space at home.
"I made her face bare of all senses; beauty and humanity are dead and only the face shows," she said.
Alongside her artwork she put in a short text to explain what she had tried to show through her art.
'The eyes are the silent tongue of life, and Time engraves our faces with all the tears we have not shed. Rather it is interpreted in our faces, indexed in our minds and represented in our souls,' it read.
"The eyes can talk to us; we just have to listen," Ahmad told Notes.
Another student chose to blend her own Iranian culture with Arab culture in a beautiful blue, brown and gold-patterned display. "I chose the classic design and introduced a blue, modern touch. People have different tastes and may or may not like my work, but I am happy to see it on display," Nahal Sadat said.
'Men fancy simple designs'
Yousuf Ayesh designed office shelves targeted at men. "I didn't use many accessories and I chose black because it's men's favourite colour. I am trying to show the masculine element in a simple office," he said.
His colleague, Rashid Salem Al Shamsi, integrated shades of purple in curtain drapes that fell on top of an old-fashioned chair, glass table and cushions.
His work was labelled 'A story of endless rings,' with Al Shamsi using the thread stacks for the walls, table and chair. The cushions and curtains were sewn with white, lavender and brown buttons and pearls.
"Even after the thread is all used up, the thread holder can still be useful," he said.
Al Shamsi confessed to having a flair for interior designing as a child. "I used to interfere in every aspect of design at home and later realised this is what I wanted to do as a profession," he added.
His design attracted a number of visitors, one of whom offered to buy his project for Dh8,000. "Some people came to me asking me to design their bedrooms and living rooms," he said.
Students compete with professionals
Going by their exhibition, the students seem more than prepared to enter the furnishing industry, even though they still have a year to go before graduation.
They stood next to their exhibits, located inside the mall near some big names in the furnishing business, explaining their concepts to potential clients.
"We did this in our third year at college; I am sure we can give more as we gain more experience," said Ayesh.
If you are interested in seeing the students' work, log onto www.ajman.ac.ae/stylelak.
Talent and training combined
Dr Abdul Samad Al Khalidi, assistant professor of interior design at the Ajman University of Science and Technology Network, spoke to Notes about the students' success at the exhibition and the quality of their work.
"Students always ask, 'What comes after graduation?'. But there is no need to worry because they are talented, trained and needed in the market," he said.
"The UAE market, particularly Dubai, demands a great number of interior design students."
And meeting this demand are students trained and ready upon graduation to enter the world of employment and competition, Dr Al Khalidi added.
"Students have to take two internships during their last two years; the first deals with the fundamentals of the interior design industry and the second focuses on designing and redesigning specific places in venues in the UAE. . . . We teach students how to present their concepts to the market."
Communication is the key
Students have the talent and passion but have to work on their communication skills, Dr Al Khalidi said. "As students reach graduation they have to realise the importance of marketing their work, satisfying clients and developing strong relationships with them," he said.
He added that the university is constantly developing relationships with companies in the industry to encourage the students to get more practical, hands-on experience in the interior design field.
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