A couple of weeks ago I noticed that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Ruler of Dubai, had tweeted about the importance of preserving the past in order to achieve in the future. He couldn't be more right; we are entering a period where looking back is the way forward.
As we enter the 2012 spring/summer season, we embark on a journey towards discovering common cultural connections.
One of our favourite themes right now is "deconstruct to reconstruct". We're seeing this happen in North Africa and across the Middle East as the foundations of countries are being shaken. In design, fragmented and networked structures and patterns take inspiration from these regions, joining together to create a contemporary classic aesthetic. Key pieces within this trend mirror the overall theme of combining many parts to make a stronger whole; products with connecting elements create unity.
Last week I mentioned metallics, and this season we are advocating the mixing of white metals with warm metals: tarnished pewter, brushed steel and blackened silver with pale gold, hammered copper and antique bronze. The traditional patterns and crafts of the Middle East shine in these metals and can be admired against minimal backdrops. This is all about establishing a sophisticated and intricate balance of the old and the new.
This trend examines the concepts of tradition and modernity - it's about regeneration and the use of traditional materials and styles in a contemporary yet classic way. The 2012 season will be a time to be patriotic, to revisit forgotten history and to embrace the past. Through a renewed discovery of our past and our reignited pride in who we are, we will have a vision of what can be achieved in the future.
By focusing on bringing all of our values and traditions together, we will begin to create a new, common community. Francesco Binfarè's Damier sofa for Edra perfectly captures this idea in its modern take on majlis furniture. It has a respect for past traditions and for a way of life that should be preserved, but also embraces a more contemporary aesthetic that will fit into modern homes for all cultures. We can all learn from this ideal of sitting together, sharing time and talking. In this way a dialogue is formed between the past and the present, resulting in a stylistic pathway we can follow into the future.
Work this trend with a palette of arid, weather-worn shades including dry parchment, sand and sienna. You can then lift these sun-baked desert tones with hazy blue/green accents.
Also think about dark malachite and iridescent beetle-wing blue and purple to add greater depth to your interior scheme. And elements of dark, exotic wood tones; matte black and mother-of-pearl will really complete this look.
Trendspotting is written by Shelley Pond, the creative director of Scarlet Opus. For more information, visit www.trendsblog.co.uk or www.scarletopus.com
RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
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 specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
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
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EDate%20started%3A%20January%202022%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Omar%20Abu%20Innab%2C%20Silvia%20Eldawi%2C%20Walid%20Shihabi%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20PropTech%20%2F%20investment%3Cbr%3EEmployees%3A%2040%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Seed%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Multiple%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
