Putting the pieces together at the Abu Dhabi interiors boutique Mosaique

Lama Qaddumi Shahin is matter of fact when she tells me she has three babies, only two of which are human. The third, she explains, is her store.

“Mosaique is my child, I call it my third baby,” says Qaddumi Shahin, the managing partner and creative director of the boutique. “It’s my passion, my love, my home away from home.”

This is apparent from the moment you enter the Mosaique concept store in Abu Dhabi’s Nation Galleria – a stark, white, gallery-like space that stocks an eclectic selection of high-end fashion accessories and funky furniture from established designers and up-and-coming artists from the region and beyond, with many brands exclusive to Abu Dhabi.

Within moments of walking into the store, a sales assistant appears with a chic acrylic tray in hand, offering a double-layered glass cup by the Czech brand Verreum, filled with warm water infused with orange blossom. The drink is the perfect accompaniment to perusing the treasure trove that is Mosaique.

“It’s about being hospitable and welcoming people, making them feel at home at a place that is an extension of my home,” says Qaddumi Shahin. “Guests to my home are offered refreshments automatically, and it’s no different in the shop. I want people to relax and enjoy the experience of looking at these beautiful things. It’s our way of saying ahlan wa sahlan – welcome. And it’s my way of hoping they will begin to see the items in Mosaique as pieces of art, as that personal touch they’ve been coveting for their home, and to fall in love with these pieces, hopefully, like I have.”

Every item in the store has been personally chosen by Qaddumi Shahin. If an item has made it through the door, then, she stresses, it has automatically become an item that’s loved and adored. “I’m in love with every item,” she tells me.

And no wonder. There are hundreds of beautifully designed wares and tasteful accessories on display. Woven bamboo lamps on the floor; mouth-blown Czech glassware and Italian china on the shelves; Taschen coffee-­table books everywhere you look; brightly coloured trays from Jordan with Arabic calligraphy engraved on one side; a rainbow of mix-and-match dials and watch straps made from stretch silicon from the Italian brand O Bag spread across a table; handmade cloth dolls from the Dubai brand Dumyé punctuating displays; stools and side tables and armchairs and vases everywhere.

But there’s a marked absence of clutter. Somehow, despite the cornucopia of one-of-a-kind finds, eclectic pieces of art, quirky pieces of furniture and one-off pieces of unique homeware, Qaddumi Shahin has managed to create a space that’s both stylish and homely.

Originally Palestinian, but raised in the UAE between Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, ­Qaddumi Shahin has dual degrees in business management and interior design, and years of experience working with international design and architecture firms. Returning to the UAE after a stint studying and working in London, she was all set to decorate her own home in Abu Dhabi three years ago.

“I had my big items of furniture already, but I was always on the lookout for standout pieces for my home,” she says. “I was looking for unique, different, quirky things you won’t normally find in big stores that cater for the masses. I think of them as conversation or accent pieces, pieces I’d use to highlight a corner of my home. They are the ‘wow’ pieces that create contrast in a home, like when you put a traditional item such as a lazy Susan made out of mother-of-pearl and wood in a contemporary home, or a traditional backgammon set made out of blue plexi. And I couldn’t find what I wanted.”

Thus, the idea for Mosaique was born. With her background in interior design, Qaddumi Shahin was already well aware of small design brands from around the world that create the niche items she was looking for. Months of late-night research and stints of travelling also helped her discover a handful of international brands that she could stock.

“Mosaique means the coming together of pieces to form a whole, which is what we are. We’ve got things from literally all over the world. This is a place where Arabesque East meets contemporary West. It’s interesting – that’s your first impression when you walk in here. It’s ever-evolving, because I’m always on the hunt for new pieces; it’s a bit of the traditional and a bit of the absurd; there are classical pieces and contemporary pieces and pieces that combine the two. And their one common denominator is that I’m in love with them all,” she says.

Whenever she places an order, ­Qaddumi Shahin makes sure it’s in a limited quantity, so that a flamingo armchair, mirrored drinks tray or patchwork pillows all have an exclusive feel.

Take the candles by Welton London, newly unveiled at the boutique. The brand’s latest collection, honouring fashion guru Karl Lagerfeld, consists of 300 pieces, and Mosaique, says ­Qaddumi Shahin, is the “proud owner of four of these 300 candles. I have a feeling one of them might come home with me. My husband jokes that I am the store’s best customer”.

She’s already established that every item selected for her store has to be an item that speaks to her, but Qaddumi Shahin says some items have the added bonus of giving back in some way.

“Although we are still small and new, I am still fortunate to have this place. There’s no reason not to give back to society, and support designers and companies that embrace that,” she explains.

It quickly becomes apparent that she’s serious about this side of the business; so many of the brands she chooses have a social-­responsibility slant. Dumyé, for example, gifts a doll to an orphan or vulnerable child for every one of its dolls purchased. The Emirati brand MKS jewellery sells a bracelet that is essentially a brightly coloured satin ribbon woven through a single Emirati pearl. The proceeds from every bracelet sold go towards preserving and maintaining marine life in the UAE. There are also products on display from the Jordan ­River Foundation, an NGO chaired by Queen Rania of Jordan that enhances women’s livelihoods by creating socio-economic projects for them to engage in. The disadvantaged women create the unique Jordanian ­handicrafts.

Similarly, Malaika linens from Egypt boasts the same format, by teaching women hand embroidery and employing them to create luxury bedding made out of Egyptian cotton. Mosaique also stocks colourful animals from Ocean Sole, made from recycled flip-flops found littering the beaches and waterways of Kenya.

“Supporting these types of brands – which also happen to make things that are beautifully designed – is my way of thanking God and saying alhamdulillah.,” says Qaddumi Shahin.

Mosaique at Nation Galleria is open from 10am to 10pm daily.

homes@thenational.ae