Umm Suqeim home's surprisingly witty design

Clothes and accessories that make you smile. This is how Zayan Ghandour would describe her ‘oh so feminine', vintage chic-inspired shop at The Village Mall, dearly loved by Dubai's fashionistas.
 

A few years ago, shops as quirky as S*uce would have had few aficionados. But with Dubai's art scene morphing into an upbeat culture, it was simply a matter of time before clothes and interiors received a creative overhaul, resulting in shops like these where witty, stylish and even poetic pieces clamour for space in a ‘no-holds barred' environment. 

When capturing the mood of her home, Zayan rejected the ultra-modern sleekness and, at times, accompanying coldness of modern aesthetics, and made it a design environment that comes from the heart, where function is matched with the demands of emotion, be it nostalgia, fun or happiness.

"People often think I haven't finished decorating the house," smiles Zayan, mother of gorgeous twin girls. The sitting room does not possess any trappings of conservative living, such as a coffee table or little side tables. Instead, white linen-covered sofas, a few pouffes and a couple of chairs are the only seating options provided. A gigantic table makes an unexpected appearance in the middle, and vases of every description are scattered across it, each carrying her favourite flower - the rose - in shades of pink and orange. It is hard to imagine how anyone could think of cutting a living room in two in such a novel manner... and making it work. However, someone with Zayan's astute sense of design could not just imagine it, she put the concept into practice and managed to pull it off.

The entire home is awash in a translucent white haze - white walls, white furniture, white floors. Added to that is the copious amount of light that pervades the home, filtered only by the sheerest of voile curtains.

There is, however, ample colour injection through vibrant artwork and an extensive collection of personality-loaded accessories that appear almost everywhere. A considerable number of these were sourced from Fleux, an unconventional design store in Paris.

Phillipe Starck is her inspiration; his wacky, clever and kitsch designs have captivated Zayan. One side of the living room plays host to two large-scale paintings that capture Bambi, the endearing cartoon character, in shades of pale yellows and browns. However, Zayan explains that there is much more to the paintings than meets the eye.

She bought these pieces simple because she fell in love with them. It was only recently that she found out that the artist had been making waves with his beautiful, concept-laden pieces. These particular works have a hidden quality.

If you look closely, you will see that they are made of layers of newspaper cuttings, the premise being that despite all the gloom and doom depicted in the world everyday via newspapers, it can actually all come together to make a much more joyous whole. "I love this," says Zayan, "and believe in it utterly. Every day is a joy if you look at life that way. It lies in your point of view."

Zayan was born and raised in Lebanon, apart from two years spent in London studying for a diploma course in design. Despite having spent only a few years in formal design training, her inherent grasp of visuals and aesthetics is evident and so her chosen career comes as no surprise. She is a lover of anything pretty that has an element of surprise.

Take the dining room, for example, where a rather long dining table seems to strangely fit in, despite its mammoth proportions. The table started its life brown, quite like most of the pieces in the home, but has now received layers of white paint. Its large surface remains uninterrupted except for a couple of tiny potted plants. Three disparate but enticing paintings embellish the space.

Zayan is happy with the design strides that Dubai has taken recently. She believes it is quite a departure from a few years ago when only mainstream stores presided, so everyone's home was a copy of another. Individuality and character had to be brought in from shopping and travels abroad.

But where some design-challenged individual would bring in ubiquitous travel finds, Zayan came armed with the most unusual accessories, such as antique baby shoes that she painted in neon bright colours, vintage biscuit tins and even chocolate wrappers which she then framed.

"I love what I love, and buy it with no big master plan in mind... and it always fits," she says. It is then even more difficult to comprehend that, despite the character and personality that is infused in this home through so many items on display, there is an overwhelming sense of neatness and certainly no evidence of clutter anywhere

Her husband's grandfather's collection of walking sticks takes pride of place right at the entrance, and over the years, she has added to the collection. Also holding court above the landing is her husband's collection of Swatch watches.

Zayan loves the local art galleries, and a large painting by Irish artist Jonathan Gent in blues and whites, sourced from XVA Gallery, anchors the living room. Unexpected accessories are placed around, such as a papier mâché sheep with long platinum-plaited locks, fake metallic eyelashes and ruby red lips, and old battered leather suitcase.

A collection of Eames chairs add to the modern feel and were brought into the home by Zayan's husband, whom she refers to as her comrade-in-arms when it comes to design. In fact it was he who first spotted this villa while it was being built, due to his involvement in the construction business.

It was one of the first in a long line of modern-toned villas that are making more of an appearance in today's Dubai. "My husband knew the architect and his credentials to be excellent. Everything in the home is simple and wonderfully executed," says Zayan.

Of course, the amount of light that floods the villa throughout the day was also a major driving factor in their decision to live there. Light is another of Zayan's penchants and she is drawn to odd lamps like a moth to a flame.

One of her favourite pieces in the home is a lamp made of antique porcelain cups that appear to be skewered together, hence the name ‘Kebab Lamp'.

The garden, which is visible from everywhere, has been left minimal with a profusion of gardenia and jasmine, the idea being that, come November, it will not only blossom but also fill the air with fragrance for beautiful al fresco nights.

Doubt remains whether Zayan will ever fall into the trap of conservatism and bow to convention by purchasing a coffee table or maybe even more seating.

But this is precisely where the charm of this home lies - in its inordinate bias toward everything that is unconventional and all things completely off the beaten track.