Since its launch in 2010, Pinterest has established itself as one of the most popular image and idea curation sites, with an incredible 100 million monthly active users. There are plenty of other social-media sites, but for design lovers, Pinterest is still the ultimate source of inspiration, with everything from room makeovers to colour palettes, creative projects and insider tips. Here’s a rundown of some of our favourite pinners.
Abigail Ahern
www.pinterest.com/abigailahern
2,792 pins
16,419 followers
If you appreciate someone who’s taken some thought over naming their Pinterest collections, you will enjoy browsing Abigail Ahern’s relatively small but perfectly formed series of 22 boards, from “Making an entrance” (gorgeous hallways and landings) to “Dining room drama”. There are some genuinely stunning images in “Wonderful walls” (including a shimmering blue and green crocodile wall treatment), and for the gents there’s a board dedicated to that all-important space, the “man cave”. Elsewhere, “In my pad” lets you take a sneak peek inside the designer’s own East London home, and if you want to know how to style like a pro then visit the “Vignettes” board for some tricks of the trade.
Apartment Apothecary
www.pinterest.com/aptapothecary
13,110 pins
312,846 followers
Blogger Katy Orme started Apartment Apothecary in 2013, and within a year she had given up her job as a teacher to run it full-time, alongside writing for interiors and craft magazines and helping other people design their homes. Her Pinterest account reflects the blog, with room and product boards providing plenty of inspiration. If you like to snoop into other people’s houses, you will enjoy the “Room makeovers in my home” board, where each photo links back to a blog post about that room’s restyle journey, and there’s lots of great advice in “Ask Apartment Apothecary”, curated in response to questions from the blog’s followers. Don’t miss the “Styling the seasons” board, based on a monthly blog series by Orme and Charlotte Smith of Lotts and Lots, which features a selection of reader photographs in which they style and photograph a surface in their home to reflect changes of season and what a month means to them.
Curbly
www.pinterest.com/curbly
17,576 pins
120,510 followers
Curbly is a “DIY design community for people who love where they live”, a website covering everything from room makeovers and creative projects for the home to printables and Ikea hacks. The site’s Pinterest account covers similar topics, with 33 boards ranging from “Tips and tricks” to a collection of pictures that inspired the styling of the Curbly office. The “Eye candy” boards are particularly attractive, and there are some great project ideas for outside spaces in “DIY gardening and outdoor projects”.
Holly Becker / Decor8 (pictured right)
www.pinterest.com/decor8
19,200 pins
362,902 followers
There aren’t many design fans who haven’t heard of interiors author, journalist and stylist Holly Becker, founder of the popular blog Decor8. Born in the United States and now living in Germany, she has been sharing her style tips and inspiration for an impressive 10 years, making her a true veteran of the blogging world. Becker’s Pinterest account offers something for every interiors fan: as well as more-general style, trend and room boards, she has fantastic collections such as “Beni Ourain rugs”, “Pegboard” and “Feathers”, all bursting with inspirational shots. Don’t miss the “My home” and “My styling work” boards, which are proof positive of this popular blogger’s design credentials.
Homegirl London
www.pinterest.com/homegirllondon
51,357 pins
265,112 followers
Describing herself as a “London lifestyle blog featuring finds, trends, rooms, profiles, shops and eats”, Homegirl London – also known as Tanya Lake – has an eye for a quirky find and has filled her Pinterest page with more than 50,000 gorgeous images that will keep you entertained for hours. She categorises her boards with a satisfyingly meticulous consistency, making it easy to find the most relevant pins for your project or tastes. There are colour boards, ones dedicated to room types, and those about different trends, from “Industrial” to “Rustic & rural”. She has also put together a series of fantastic product collections, including birdcages, milk bottles, and tea and coffee pots.
Ikea Family Magazine
www.pinterest.com/ikeafamilymag
7,760 pins
84,369 followers
Search for Ikea on Pinterest and you will come up with a lot of results – there are accounts for many of the different countries where the Swedish mega-brand has stores, not to mention endless pins of their products and the increasingly popular “Ikea hacks” (where people customise Ikea products to suit their needs or make them that bit more stylish). But the best account to follow is definitely Ikea Family Magazine, with boards stuffed full of ideas for everything from workspaces to teen bedrooms, storage ideas to urban gardening. While the images themselves are great, it’s the detailed captions that are really worth reading, giving some great tips and ideas that add real value to each of the pins.
Jessica Colaluca / Design Seeds
www.pinterest.com/designseeds
7,507 pins
758,663 followers
American colour and design consultant Jessica Colaluca is the founder of Design Seeds, creating colour palettes that celebrate the innumerable shades found in nature. These are a great source of inspiration if you’re trying to decide on a colour scheme for your home, often showcasing unusual combinations that work surprisingly well. Colaluca’s Pinterest boards are mostly themed groupings of things that inspire her, from “Edible colour” (artistically styled foodie pictures) to “Creature colour” (beautifully shot animal pictures), plus colour focus boards and a selection of other design topics such as “Colour and typography” and “Interior motives”.
Kelly Hoppen
www.pinterest.com/kellyhoppen
429 pins
16,931 followers
Fans of this British design icon will fall head over heels with her Pinterest account, which beautifully reflects her classic, strong, monochromatic style. There are the usual collections of images divided by room and colour, and plenty of her own projects and design collaborations to be seen, too. Best of all are the inspiration boards, from “Geometry” to “Coral”, all of which are full of incredible imagery as well as actual buy-it-now products – her own and others – so it’s easy to add the look to your home. All pins are well-captioned, with design tips to help you recreate the look, and product prices where appropriate.
Laura Bielecki / Luxury Interiors
www.pinterest.com/luxuryinteriors
26,700 pins
27,269 followers
If you like your interiors high-end rather than high street, you need to check out Canadian designer Laura Bielecki, who blogs as Luxury Interiors Design Journal. Currently based in Dubai, she has worked with clients around the world, from Miami to Mumbai, and definitely has an eye for the more upmarket things in life. Her boards are mostly divided by room, and include some really exclusive options such as mud rooms, libraries and pools/spas. For something a bit different, don’t miss the “Elevators” board (who knew lifts could be so stylish?) or the clever, eye-catching design touches on the “God is in the detail” board.
Made.com
www.pinterest.com/madedotcom
10,549 pins
30,991 followers
Some design stores stuff their Pinterest boards full of their own products and little else, but Made offers much more. There are some unusual trend collections such as “Hard candy”, “Memphis” and “Going Dutch”, as well as boards put together by dust pinners such as bloggers Hege Morris (Hege in France) and Helena del Rio (A Diary of Lovely). Other boards well worth a look are “Rented home” (containing “tips and tricks to turn your rented house into a home”), “Infographics” (featuring everything from “Which indoor plant is right for your home?” to “9 ways to create a productive home office”) and “Made unboxed” (where you can see how customers use and style their Made products).
homes@thenational.ae
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Company%20profile
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHusam%20Aboul%20Hosn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDIFC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%E2%80%94%20Innovation%20Hub%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%20funding%20raised%20from%20family%20and%20friends%20earlier%20this%20year%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
