Think of an escape room and most of us immediately picture The Crystal Maze-esque notions of a frantic scurry to decipher codes, scramble through obstacles and beat the clock in an attempt to get out. However, a new trend is emerging in the interior design world and, this time, the frenzy is to get in — and stay in.
Themed rooms or “emotional escape rooms”, as they are labelled on Pinterest, have always been a bit of a novelty, from reality star Candy Spelling’s gift-wrapping rooms to the endless man caves that popped up during the pandemic.
However, according to Pinterest’s 2022 trends report, emotional escape rooms are on the rise, with more people than ever before ideating, designing and bringing themed rooms to life as a space to unwind and find freedom without stepping outside their front door.
The report shows a 150 per cent rise in searches for “rage rooms” and a 100 per cent rise in “music-themed rooms”, while searches for “tiny library rooms” multiplied by 12.
Here are some of the more unique we've come across.
Building blocks
Dubai resident Caroline Rowe has spent the past five months assembling her Lego room, consisting of tens of thousands of Lego bricks.
“When the pandemic hit, I wanted to find a way to take my mind off work and my eyes away from a screen as I was working from home for up to 12 hours a day,” says Rowe, a communications consultant.
“I ordered my first Lego set just to get back to play and as something to distract me. Little did I know I would get totally hooked.”
Rowe’s collection quickly flourished and after moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a town house in The Springs last December, she decided to dedicate an entire room to her new hobby.
It’s too much to be spending on Lego, really, but I didn’t play with it as a child so I've been making up for lost time
Caroline Rowe
“I soon had all of the city skyline sets and many of the architecture sets apart from the rarest ones, which are pretty expensive and hard to come by,” she says. “When I moved to a villa, I wanted to have a place to disconnect from work, so I made sure my study was downstairs and I turned my second bedroom into a place for me to relax.
“It’s now a space to display my Lego and also a place for me to build more Lego and relax in the evenings. I've even set up lights so I can work on it more easily.”
Rowe estimates she has about 50 Lego sets, with some of the more intricate structures, such as the Taj Mahal, comprising more than 2,000 pieces.
As any parent knows, Lego sets can be expensive, with some of the rarer sets creeping into the thousands, but for Rowe, her hobby is not about investing but purely for the enjoyment it brings.
“I haven't really added the price up,” she says. “It’s too much to be spending on Lego, really, but I didn’t play with it as a child so I've been making up for lost time.
“Lego isn't about value creation for me. If it were, I shouldn't have taken the sets out of the box because it destroys their value. Lego is to be enjoyed, not put in a bank vault. That's where the real value lies.”
Magical moments
Over in the UK, mum-of-two Sophia Daly’s themed room features a magical twist.
In 2020, Daly transformed the bedroom of her daughter, 8, into a Harry Potter wonderland, complete with an enchanted ceiling, an Azkaban teddy prison and a Hogwarts-style library.
“My daughter loves everything about Harry Potter, and I decided to makeover her bedroom as a birthday treat,” says Daly, who is from Nottingham.
“When I was young, my grandmother made me a Narnia-themed bedroom that I even had to walk through the wardrobe to get to. For me, it was magical and I wanted to do that for my daughter as well.”
By upcycling the existing bedroom furniture and sourcing second-hand accessories from the Facebook Marketplace and eBay, Daly, who works for the NHS, was able to pull off the makeover for only over £500 ($610).
“I spent a few months planning and finding lots of second-hand memorabilia,” says Daly.
“I then spent about a month hand-painting the furniture in the theme of the Hogwarts houses and printing the vinyl. I wallpapered the doors to resemble the Daily Prophet newspaper and bound the window blinds with glow-in-the-dark wallpaper styled on the Marauder's Map.
“The ceiling above her bed is one of the greatest bits about the room. It really does look like the enchanted ceiling from the Great Hall.”
Rock out
Also in England, in the peaceful hamlet of Shaw Mills in North Yorkshire, lies an unsuspecting chapel on the outskirts of Harrogate.
From the outside, the building looks like a peaceful haven to visit after a day’s strolling on the moors, but inside is a different story entirely.
Sandy Spilsbury and her partner, Ian, spent a decade transforming the entire building into a “chapel of rock”, featuring a jukebox, musical instruments in every room and memorabilia covering every last inch of the walls.
“We built it as our first home together, and it’s taken 10 years to get it to where it is today,” says Spilsbury. “I’m a huge fan of disco and Barry White, and Ian loves boogie-woogie. Our relationship has always centred around music, so it was only natural that it filtered into our home.
“There’s a jukebox that we love, and the walls are papered in covers from our favourite albums. It really is a party house and it’s been a total labour of love.”
The renovation included knocking through walls, stripping back floors and replacing the altar with a bedroom, while preserving original features including an impressive stained glass window.
“It cost us about £20,000, and we’re thrilled with how it turned out,” says Spilsbury. “The Hairy Bikers even filmed one of their TV shows here and they absolutely loved it.”
Now Spilsbury is opening her home to fellow lovers of rock and roll and is accepting rentals through gorgeouscottages.com.
“We’ve taken so much pleasure from it over the years,” she says. “Now we want to give other people the opportunity to rock out.”
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
%3Cp%3EMATA%0D%3Cbr%3EArtist%3A%20M.I.A%0D%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Island%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Result
UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
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
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
- Brentford v Arsenal
- Burnley v Brighton
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace
- Everton v Southampton
- Leicester City v Wolves
- Manchester United v Leeds United
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Norwich City v Liverpool
- Tottenham v Manchester City
- Watford v Aston Villa
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
