Forgive the cliche, but more often than not, beauty resides in simplicity. Proof can be found in one of Jordan's most iconic contemporary shops, Silsal. The name translates to "clay" in Arabic - a choice akin to labelling a bakery "cake" or a department store "fabric" - and purity of design is the focus at the ceramics and furniture shop.
Inside this atelier's gallery in Jabal Amman is the stunning collection of ceramic designs that gave the shop its name: vases, bowls, plates, trays, teacups, coffee mugs, lamps and more testify to the myriad ways in which clay can be shaped. There is also a new line of furniture and accessories.
At the rear of the gallery, Samar Habayeb, Silsal's director and chief designer, is inspecting a new batch of pieces. Producing each piece requires 25 people working in tandem during seven stages over two months. All work takes place on site, and whenever possible, all materials are local - even the glazes are homemade. Samar inspects every piece before it leaves the workshop, scrutinising the composition and the details of the design.
"Take these four but not this one - look at the crack there," she tells an assistant. "It's one of the worst parts about making ceramics by hand," she explains. "After we put the pieces into the kiln, there's nothing we can do if there's a mistake."
Samar's mother and aunt, Reem and Rula Atalla, started the business when Samar was barely five years old, and she's grown up with the shop.
"There was no workshop and no staff when we first opened, just my aunt Rula and mother using a small potter's wheel and kiln in my aunt's basement," she recalls. The sisters' goal of preserving traditional ceramic craft came hand in hand with developing the country and offering gainful employment. Soon, the handmade crafts became popular with both Ammanis and tourists visiting Jordan.
Eighteen years in, the business had earned Silsal a sterling reputation in Jordanian society, and had become the go-to gift shop for individuals, families, foreign embassies and corporations. But for the founding sisters, sustaining the business, serving customers, and dealing with all those chipped plates and imperfect glazes just became too much.
"My mother and my aunt told the rest of our family, 'It's been 18 years. We've had great success but we've never made a profit and both of us want to retire,'" explains Samar, who at the time was completing an architecture degree. "I had these plans in place, but when my mother offered the job, I couldn't resist the challenge." She quickly changed gears, enrolling in a ceramics programme at Cardiff University in the UK, and returned to Amman to take the helm of Silsal.
Four years later, the 27-year-old designer has already made a deep impression. Last winter, she took Silsal into the furnishings arena, designing a diverse line of tables, stools and chairs whose common thread is simplicity of form, experimentation with materials, and homage to Silsal's signature ceramic motifs. Samar printed Arabic calligraphy onto a steel tripod stool, for example, and set a pastiche of ceramic Arabic letters directly into the wood of a side table. "The point at which two materials meet is so very important," she says, before explaining that setting Arabic letters into wood requires tracing, then carving out the exact position for the piece. Some tables have as many as 100 letters. The commitment to quality and beauty, however, is the priority, and Silsal's reputation for this accounts for the high demand for custom tables, chairs and, of course, ceramics.
In ceramics, Silsal's bread and butter, Samar has also given the atelier new directions. She maintained the traditional motifs such as Kufi Arabic calligraphy and a circular design inspired by an 11th-century Samarkand plate, but the catalogue is wider and cooler. On the rims of bowls, plates and trays, she has encouraged experimentation with block calligraphy, with the edge carved to correspond with the curves and notches of the Arabic script. Many bowls, cups and vases also feature a retro floral print, evocative of 1960s wallpaper patterns, and the modernist influence is increasingly apparent.
The unique blend of Arabic and modern aesthetics in such a bespoke style is earning Silsal wider recognition - and demand - beyond Jordan. Last month, Samar began selling Silsal's furniture at Kuwait's BTZ Gallery, which also sells Silsal ceramics. Silsal will also be present at the next edition of Maison et Objet, the premier biannual design expo in Paris. In addition, the shop's online store is attracting customers from around the world.
While her vision for the company includes further global expansion, the integrity and craftsmanship at the heart of Silsal remain immovable. "When people think of modern Arabic ceramics and design, I want them to think of Silsal," she says. "But I also want them to think of Jordan and the people of Jordan who make each piece."
Silsal products can be shipped to the UAE (price includes insurance) via the online store at www.silsal.com
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The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
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.”
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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SPECS
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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
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Under 12 – Minerva Academy
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Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
