If you've read this column more than once or twice you'll most likely have noticed my love of the contemporary-yet-timeless, simple-yet-decorative and artisanal-yet-sophisticated.
This picture frame by Mukul Goyal ticks all of those boxes - and another one: it's one of those great pieces that looks much more expensive than it is.
An alumnus of Milan's Domus Academy and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Gurgaon-based Goyal is a star of India's burgeoning contemporary design landscape. And he is hugely prolific: working mostly in metal, his output ranges from candelabra and clocks to curtain poles and door handles.
But it's his work in forged brass that I like best: the forms have an elegant simplicity and the crumpled surface has a rustic, hand-beaten effect that ensures the gold finish stays well on the right side of bling. That said, whatever your taste, it will fit right in.
With its off-set photo "window" this frame plays nicely with proportions - and it's infinitely adaptable: you can hang it on the wall or sit it on a shelf or console, horizontally or vertically. How much more mileage could you want from a thing of such simple beauty?
Crumpled frame by Mukul Goyal, Dh255 from Etcetera Living, Beach Road, Jumeirah 1, Dubai; 04 344 8868, www.etceteraliving.com
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
