Nayef Francis believes in creating designs that are simple, functional, practical and suited to contemporary lifestyles. “My aim is to develop a design response that makes the most complicated design process end in the simplest outcome. I never follow trends and I do not want my identity as a designer to be limited to a specific signature style. My work is eclectic because the design process, materials and styles I use are dictated by the function that each piece has been conceived for,” he says.
The young Lebanese designer received his degree in Interior Architecture from USEK University in Lebanon in 2001, after which he worked for various design companies in the MENA region, including the UAE. He returned to Beirut in 2010 to open Nayef Francis Furniture Boutique, which offers furniture, household items and accessories designed by him and handcrafted in Lebanon.
Cities Boutique, which has brought his creations to Dubai, recently showcased his work with an installation titled “Undo, Move, Construct, Repeat” that highlighted his design philosophy with the focus on a range of furniture created with the mobility of today’s global citizens in mind.
While keeping the designs in this exhibition functional and minimalistic, Francis has added elements of flexibility that are suited to a modern nomadic lifestyle, making them particularly relevant to Dubai’s transient expat community.
“These designs are inspired by my own experience of living in Dubai. I realise that a lot of people come to the city for a short period, and they are reluctant to buy designer furniture because of the hassle of transporting it when they move to another city or back to their home country, and concerns that it might not fit in their next home. The idea behind ‘Undo, Move, Construct, Repeat’ was to showcase high end pieces that are easy to disassemble [undo]; that can be stacked or flat packed for easy transportation [move]; and then easily reassembled in the new location [construct], repeatedly during every move. Most of these pieces are modular and can be modified and customised by the user to fit the changing space constraints and functional and aesthetic needs of different homes,” he says.
The most eye-catching piece in the collection is the “Trapeze” chair, which is a great combination of innovative design and flexible, functional furniture. The comfortable leather, wood and metal swing-seats are suspended from the ceiling with strong steel cables and a simple hook system.
“This is a fun yet elegant way of bringing the outdoors inside. You just need two nails in the ceiling to install the chair, and it can be easily dismantled and flat packed for shipping,” Francis says.
Other equally innovative and flexible chair designs by Francis include the leather and metal “Cul de Sac” chair; the “Charlie” chair made from a single sheet of aluminium; and the “Pivot” chair, based on the contour of a kneeling human figure. The metal base of this curved, high-backed leather chair doubles as a roller, making it easy to move the chair. The base can be detached for stacking the chairs during transportation.
The “Pivot” chairs combine well with “The Wand” — a glass-top dining table with brass legs and brass candlesticks that can be attached to the table in different arrangements for different occasions.
Francis has also designed a variety of shelving units that can be adapted to suit different spaces and needs. In “The Stack”, marble shelves are held together with brass knobs, making it easy to assemble the unit in different configurations to fit varying spaces, and to flat pack it for transportation.
Similarly, the wall-mounted modular “Grid Library” features metal shelves, cups, hooks and knobs that can be adjusted to fit books of different sizes, plants, lamps and other items.
In another shelving design, playfully named “Do It Yourshelf” Francis has taken inspiration from the shelves in traditional Lebanese bakeries to create a refined walnut wood unit with adjustable glass shelves.
The designer’s versatility and his commitment to supporting Lebanese artisans and craftsmen can also be seen in products such as a rotating bookshelf-cum-coffee table, a painted brass bottle vase and a variety of lamps.
His designs for lamps include the hand moulded brass “Bivalve” lamp, floor lamps in the form of traditional brooms, a lamp made from a block of concrete, the “Karma” integrated table and light, and lamps inspired by traditional lanterns and the craft of cane weaving.
“I like to constantly challenge and reinvent myself by using different materials, design approaches and ideas, and by pushing the boundaries in finding solutions to technical and conceptual problems. I always try to present traditional crafts, materials and forms in a contemporary way because rather than following the present fashions, I want to create designs that are timeless and grow with the user.
“Every piece we make is handcrafted in Lebanon, and I give full credit to the craftsmen for putting the soul in my ideas. I hope that my design ideas will encourage advancements in the technology and processes used to craft industrial design items, helping Lebanon to become a more vital source of creation in the region,” Francis says.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.
Furniture and home accessories designed by Nayef Francis can be viewed at Cities Boutique, Galleria Mall, Dubai.
