UAE | General
A haven of peace with a touch of Feng Shui
Imad Bechara's Jumairah villa is a designer's home which is also a family man's personal haven. An address created with love for peace; a reflection of his passion for style; and an ode to contemporary spiritualism
- By Sona Mampilli
- Published: 00:00 February 2, 2001
 Imad Bechara |
Designer Values
Name: Imad Bechara
Profession: Lebanse interior architect who owns and runs Design People, an interior design company and showroom, besides designing furniture. He is also an artist and has held exhibitions locally.
Favourite design style: Mixing hi-tech with ethnic and antiques.
Favourite designer: Tadao Ando.
Favourite period in design: Art Deco and also contemporary.
Favourite destination: Far East.
Future plans: To create his own furniture design line under the label 'Design People'
Peace - absolute, uncluttered peace. That is what designer Imad Bechara's home is full of. Wind chimes tinkling in the gentle breeze and the minimalistic ambience lend the house an aura of serenity. "In my earlier house you could find my collection of objets d'art all over the place but in this one, I decided against it. I wanted simple, pure and clean space in my new home," he adds.
 The dining and living area |
Whether it is the singing bowl from Tibet, where he went on his honeymoon, or a carving made out of a stalactite, or an old wall light from Timor, each piece has beautiful memories and they lend the house an air of calmness as well.
When the Becharas decided to shift into a new home a month ago, they looked for a property with a garden. "My wife and I immediately liked this home." They moved in two weeks before Christmas and went about the business of making it a home.
"I follow Feng Shui. But due to the limiting shapes of the houses in this region, it is difficult to follow it by the book," says Bechara. "For instance, my 'relationship corner' happens to be the dining area and not the bedroom, which it would have been in the ideal situation. So I introduced relevant touches like red colour to give warmth and copper sculptures for the sake of good energy."
 Interesting corner... |
He designed this piece and got it sculpted in Surabbaya. "I did the sketch, chose the materials and had it sculpted. The big Chinese coin in the centre is used as a decorative detail in Indonesian gardens," says he.
The living and the dining room furniture is a perfect blend of chrome, wood and alcantara fabric and is from the famed Italian Saporetti label. "See the curved lines in the dining chairs. Hence, I chose the square table to break the monotony a bit." Lending a dramatic flavour to the ambience are the modern sculptures by Syrian sculptor Souheil Baddour.
His paintings hang on the neutral-coloured walls. "I would love to have colours on the walls like I have done at the entrance area and in the bedrooms, but this kind of furniture needs neutral coloured walls."
"We also changed the tiles to light colours to enhance the furniture." Instead of conventional curtains, Bechara has just draped linen fabric to let in the light and enhance the spacious look which prevails all over the house.
His daughter's room, on the other hand, is a vibrant shade of purplish blue - an unusual colour for an infant's room. "She is a fiery child and this will calm her." The room also has a lot of interesting accessories like a frog clock that croaks and so on. On the walls are three artworks in various shades of orange, yellow and green that Bechara has lovingly painted for her.
 Indian and Indonesian furniture... |
Bechara's love for the outdoor is evident in the patio. The furniture, which is Indian and Indonesian, is bought locally but the key hanging on the wall is from Tibet. "I like antiques. But too much of wooden pieces make for heavy interiors. So I mix it with the modern," he justifies.
Bechara likes to have his home reflect the change in seasons. "I want the house to have one look in summer (light shades) and another one in winter (warmer colours)," he says. Perhaps the designer in him urges Bechara to experiment with colours and moods. The strong fusion of Bechara's strong belief in Feng Shui, his basic love for life and his designer's eye, all blend to create a home and not a statement in trend.
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