I read in your pages a few weeks ago about the Neo-Deco trend; I know there's a lot of new-wave glamour around, but what does it mean and how can I introduce it without having to start all over again? I already have a few ornate, engraved-edge mirrors and I'd like them to be more visible in my apartment. It's small but flooded with light and it seems a shame not to make the most of that.
The Art Deco period produced so many enduring classics that can be easily adapted for modern day use with a little clever thinking and some imagination. For instance, I found a great 1930s mirrored sideboard that I adapted to house a basin with space beneath, as I like to have plenty of storage in my bathroom. The other great thing about the Deco days is that the look was intrinsically - you could say self-consciously - modern and thus the look and all its charms are easy to find.
The cornerstone of Deco glamour is shine and sparkle, monochrome, curved edges combined with sleek geometrics, and witty, interesting details. It's at once cool and comforting, warm and glossy.
Keep surfaces shiny. Glass is paramount and, by extension, Perspex. Brushed steel, polished chrome and every other shimmery surface right through to mother-of-pearl all look old yet modern, which is exactly the look you want. Zara Home has plenty of mother-of-pearl tabletop accessories.
Make the most of mirrors. Move your mirrors to centre stage - and remember that they needn't be arranged just by their function. Consider leaning them against walls or placing them on the floor. Use mirrors wherever possible, from stand-alone mirrors to mirrored furniture - they look grand in just the right way and always imply modern. Mirrored surfaces are also good for adding a sense of space to a room naturally lacking in it. If your home is already light-filled, even better - and if not, the mirrors will bounce around what light you do have. As much as I'd almost say you can never have too many mirrors, you can also get the effect with just a subtle touch here and there - a couple of mirrored photo frames, a mirrored candleholder or even Venetian-style coasters.
Add a splash of colour. Don't be afraid of surprising jolts of colour but add them wisely. The overall background effect of this look should be soft, which means choosing a base of neutral shades (I love taupe, grey-beige, and oyster pinks). A touch of colour can make you notice everything a little more - the key is to use it in measured doses. Chartreuse green, deep pink and navy blue all look glamorous but sober enough not to seem camp or crazy.
Go monochrome. Black and white always looks smart and fits this the trend perfectly. A chequerboard effect is gorgeous - and if you can't have the classic chequerboard floor, mimic it with the soft furnishings you choose, working with what you've already got. If you have a white or pale sofa, choose chocolate brown or black cushions and throws. If you have dark wood or lacquered-effect furniture, choose pale - white, cream or beige - accessories to sit on dining and coffee tables.
Pattern in surprising places. A quirkily detailed cushion or throw can be all the detail that you need - the Deco decorators loved interesting, intriguing eye-catchers, with feathers and geometric designs being favourites. Being as concerned with and adoring of modernity as they were, I think they would have appreciated that the best way to honour the look they pioneered would be to apply a shiny new edge using the best of the pieces we can find today.
Emily Davies was talking to Nina Campbell, an interior designer and author. www.ninacampbell.com.
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)
RACE CARD
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 (PA) Listed Dh230,000 1,600m
6.30pm: HH The President’s Cup (PA) Group 1 Dh2.5million 2,200m
7pm: HH The President’s Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,200m.
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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.”
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
SHAITTAN
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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
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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Results
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