Alcatraz Hotel. Behind the more than 100 year old sandstone wall lies this unique event hotel which is located in the heart of Kaiserslautern, Germany. What was once a prison now consists of 56 rooms and suites that offer a different kind of stay. What do you think, would you like to stay there?
Woodwork from our Shehrayar Collection, Runners from our Soft Furnishings Collection
“Enthusiasm is half of the journey to success, and all of the journey to joy”
Recently I picked up a book from my library that I bought many years ago. You know what they say, when the student is ready the teacher appears. So I guess I was ready for “Conversations with God”, the wonderful book by Neale Walsch. I received the above quote today in one of his newsletters and I really liked it. Don't you notice that when we loose our enthusiasm things start to look and feel bland and it is down hill from there on?
Outstanding design in any form, beautiful unusual color combinations, and creative displays always make me feel enthusiastic and want to create better designs which all lead to a certain kind of joy that only a designer or a creative person can know. I for one always believed that enthusiasm & joy should lead to success, what makes you joyful?
This is X’s, the close relative of the “O’s” (our previous post). We were very happy to receive all the suggestions and comments made on this collection, this is the reason this blog was started for, to be able to interact with our friends and discuss our designs. you never know where inspiration comes from. So what do you think of this variation?
O’s Bench from Polka Collection in Beech & Palisander
Following our Circles Circles coffee table we introduced several pieces from the same collection. This is the O’s bench. These benches look so good sitting next to the coffee table even though I am not a person that likes coordinating sets or repetition, but this time I will make an exception. Maybe it is all the circles creating different abstract combinations when viewed from different angles.
Ottomans from our Japasia Collection
This was a huge living room in one of our projects. A double volume ceiling with a 7 meter high window wall on one side and another huge window on the other. The fireplace was just a hole in the wall when we started and I decided to make a feature out of it, first of all to give it proper scale and proportion and also to make the room warmer. It was framed with this huge custom made wooden frame in Cherry and Walnut that was 2 meters high and was left floating above the floor. This is the end result.
For the past two decades all we have been hearing about Iraq was war and destruction. We never heard that Iraq is one of the richest countries in the world in it’s culture and heritage. It is home to some of the best artists in the Middle East and in some cases in the world. Shaker Hasan is only one of them.
Shaker Hasan is one of my favorite Iraqi Artists. One day my best friend called to ask me if would like to own one of his paintings and I jumped at the opportunity. When I went to see it, it was a small ink drawing that I did not fall in love with, not immediately that is. I bought it upon the recommendation of my friend, not knowing that it will become one of my most loved possessions.
I have been looking at, and loving, paintings by this incredible artist for years at my friends’ homes who were lucky to buy them when they could and thought I should share this artist with all of you. Unfortunately his ingenious use of light does not show in the pictures, but trust me when I tell you that his paintings look as if they have a hidden light in them.
Enjoy
PS. Michelle from A Schematic Life asked about a painting in one of our posts titled In the Mirror. So here it is Michelle
Wishing everyone around the world a very happy Eid Al Fitr full of happy moments with family, friends and loved ones.
It is one of those pieces that you design and everyone in production decides to HATE you for it starting with the production manager, to the person actually making it, all the way to veneering and last but not least the painters, especially the painters, those guys really hated me for it.
At the beginning I thought what is all the whining about, then I went to the factory and saw it in all its stages and understood. Of course I had to bite my tongue and not tell them that a little surprise was waiting for them, benches, ottomans, side tables, on and on... But that is a surprise for another time.
Circles circles coffee table from The Polka collection in Beech and Palisander
In a few days the month of Ramadan will start in the Islamic world. This is the Holy month of the year for Muslims during which they are required to fast from sunrise to sunset.
Ramadan is a beautiful month with families and friends gathering daily to break fast at sunset. People feel closer and bond together. Fasting is supposed to teach people patience, modesty and spirituality. It is a time when people think of the less fortunate others and are humbled by remembering that we are all equal. It is the time when people in general are in a giving mood and feel the urge to do good. Very similar to the Christmas spirit in the Western world. I just wish more people would feel that way throughout the year.
Ramadan is a lunar month and is symbolized by the crescent moon which signifies its start. We thought it would be only appropriate to show our crescent dining table from the Shehrayar Collection.
Crescent Dining Table, Shehrayar Collection, Wenge wood
Happy Ramadan Everyone
Following our Basket Table we decided that it is time for Half A Basket.
The “Half A Basket” is a wall mounted console with the same inverted cone shape as the Basket Table, made of slanting half circles. It is quite versatile and would fit in small spaces and entrances, or make a statement on larger walls. This picture features the console in dark stained Walnut.
I received this picture in an email titled “How to get a man to wash his hands”, I have no idea who the designer is. I did not like the title of the email even though I got the “humour” in it. I could also see the creative element of the design, but people in the email thread were mostly unhappy about it. They were debating whether this is done in good or bad taste. Some said it is tacky, some said it is a sexist design, some liked it. What do you think ?
A few days ago I came across Reeves Design, founded by John Reeves, a UK award-wining designer who's designs immediately captured my attention. The beauty and fluidity of his designs deserve all the recognition he is receiving. I liked all the designs in the portfolio, but I thought these two pieces were particularly special, maybe because of the inspiration behind them.
Meet Omar
& Suzan
About “Omar” Reeves says “I decided to design a shelving and console table reminiscent of an Arabic style, a tribute to the passion and creativity of Middle Eastern culture, while using materials and processes which are Western in technique, production and finish. It is also inspired by the classic Candelabra which has been a beacon of light and a detail of sophistication in many a European household”
Both consoles are made from rolled sheet steel, in a tough black or white powder-coat.
Beautiful work and an inspirational success story. Do check John’s website to see his collection.
In a previous post titled Japaroque, Michelle of A Schematic Life & Albarosa of Brilliant Home Decor commented on what is reflected in the mirror. So, I thought I would post an image of that reflection. Here it is, it is a chair that was made in 1948. I have written about the story of these chairs in a previous post titled 1948 , click the year to read it.
I love how the artwork works so well with the chair, it was not planned by the way since the artwork & antique Ottoman brocade cushion are all from the client’s collection.
ZigZag Mondrain Collection
“The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery but, a process of creation”
In a project we had done several years ago, the idea for the guest bathroom was to have a Japanese look, with clean straight lines, completely white tiles and a thin vertical line of natural multi colored slate and a black granite counter top. Then, one day while looking for something in our warehouse, I found this gilded mirror that I had totally forgotten about. I bought it in London many years ago and never used it (an impulse buy and not really my style) I thought maybe this will give this small bathroom the oomph it needed. Once it was used out of context i actually liked it even with all the carving and gilding. The owner loved it and this is the result.
My blogging friend Michelle from the wonderful blog A Schematic Life pointed out that the 1st of July was Canada day . Since most of my blogging friends are from Canada, I felt a bit embarrassed that I did not post Happy Canada Day wishes (excuse my ignorance of international national days)
I hope you all accept my belated best wishes.
Tareq
Happy 4th of July to all our American readers.
I remember (with lots of fond memories) the times when I used to go see the fireworks with friends when I lived in the US. I hope you all have a great day and enjoy your time with friends and family.
I was looking at our blog statistics and found that 20% of our blog readers come from the US, so we thank you for your support and for continuing to visit and read our blog.
Tareq
Like a wedge that needs support to sit straight the Harun coffee table from Shehrayar Collection is our new addition to the continuously expanding collection of modern pieces inspired by Islamic motifs. With the Palisander Arabesque inlays that have become the trade mark of this collection, the Wenge wood table is 160 cms x 70 cms.
I got these pictures in an email a few days ago. It is an aquarium thing full of fish that is supposed to be a garden wall in a villa in Kuwait !
Looking at the pictures I feel that they look more like a rendering of an idea and not an actual structure, the movement inside does not look too real. Regardless, if we were to assume that this is an actual wall that could be executed, would you want to have it in your house ? Would you want your garden wall to look like this or does this look more befitting of a theme park ? Is this a brilliant idea or a tacky one ? I will keep my opinion to myself for now. One more point to add, I am wondering, in degrees that can reach more than 50 Celsius would this become a huge fish “BOIL”
From The Shehrayar Collection this is the Laila side table in Walnut and Palisander. As with the Laila screen each side of this simple cube has an Arabesque design that is part of a larger design which was enlarged many times to achieve an abstract modern feel which contrasts with the clean lines of the cube.
Measuring 55 X 55 cms this table is quite versatile, it can be used as a night stand, or several cubes can be grouped to form a bigger coffee table.
We are very excited about all the attention our Wave Server (click here to view) has been getting lately. After being featured on the home page of Designspotter in May, it was featured again in this month’s issue of the UK design magazine Icon (click name to view). This is a particularly nice issue of Icon since there is a roundup of the latest from Milan’s Salone del Mobile and covers a lot of great design topics. If you can find it were you live pick one up
From The Interior Of The Umayyad Mosque - Damascus
“People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Ombra. Shadow in Italian. This was the inspiration for this chair, a shadow of a chair that I saw in the room when the sun was setting with the shapes laying elongated on the floor. To keep that feeling of a mirage I used a textured & creased silver vinyl (normally I prefer natural fabrics). I liked the way it looked with the stainless steel sides making the wood look like an outline of a “shadow”.
Artwork in the background by Shaker Abu Ghazaleh
We have just displayed our summer table linen collection. We are so excited about how colorful they are. All the pieces are hand made and part of a limited edition collection made especially for this summer. The fabrics have been individually chosen from several countries and are really colorful and the textures are a wonderful mix of silks, linens, hand painted organza, silk & cotton nets, cottons and some synthetic fibers to add whimsy. We see them adding that extra kick to setting the table and dining whether indoor or outdoor. Hope you like them.
In 1994 I planted two small trees I bought from a nursery. I had never seen trees like them before but I liked the shape of the leaves that looked like the hooves of a camel. Actually this is what the owner of the nursery told me they are called, camel hooves!!
The first three years they were nice green trees that kept growing without anything really remarkable except the shape of the leaves and the fact that they shed their leaves in February and would start to bud in late May early June which I though is weird. Then one year the first bloom appeared. The most spectacular flower with beautiful shades of pink. The following year the tree was in full bloom, a huge umbrella of Pinks with the most beautiful subtle scent. To my delight the other tree was a different color, white. It is my Bauhinia tree or what is commonly known as the orchid tree, and this is it. They are now almost 6 meters high and growing, It will soon loose the flowers and the green leaves will start appearing again, and will only see this beautiful canopy next year.
In April we posted our Wave server from The Mondrian Collection. This is the dining table that is designed to go with it, Sort Of “X”. The whole set is abstract in design were we went with a fluid design for the table base with square and rectangular openings that look different from different angles. The server follows the lines with an abstract hand inlaid design.
To see more of the Mondrian Collection click here. The Sort of “X” also comes as a coffee table which we have previously posted (here)
Image via Windwood Farm
I thought a lot before posting this entry since it has nothing to do with design or inspiration like our other posts, well, maybe inspiration in a way, but this has to do with something that I witnessed and disliked and had to share.
The other day I was in a toy shop. A man and his son, who could not have been more than 12 years old, were next to me also looking at toys. I overheard the boy asking his father if they can buy a certain toy and the father said no because it was too expensive. To my utter shock, the boy asked his father if they could not afford it because of the economic situation. What the H…??? I could not help but ask the boy were did he hear about the economic situation from. He said that all his friends were saying that everyone will now become poor. I could not believe it.
I have watched many TV shows and read many articles saying that we as individuals along with the media are not helping with the current situation, that we are only making things worse. For it to reach a 12 year old and affect his way of thinking, I will have to agree. I think that is a bit too much, Don't you think?
I am not about to embark on an economic discussion since I may not be equipped to do so, nor am I about to discuss how people should raise their children, but I am just wondering, is this what we want our children to grow up with? What did we do to burden a 12 year old with the shape of the economy? It is already a burden on us, adults, so why pass it on to a person that will neither comprehend the problem, nor assist in resolving it even if he thought about it. We will only provide a bleak outlook. Is this what we want to teach our children? Are we raising a whole generation that thinks in terms of “lack” rather than abundance? Should we, maybe, watch what we tell our children, at least during these times. What happened to having great intensions, positive thinking and attracting what we want that only until last year was the biggest thing to talk about. If we are to believe that we form our perceptions of life based on the circumstances we grow up with and from people around us, mainly our parents, then we are giving our children a lot of issues to deal with when they are adults.
The Shehrazad coffee table from Shehrayar Collection. The first piece was made in natural Wenge with hand applied Islamic/Damascene inlays in Palisander. It measures 140 x 140 cms and gives the impression as if it is made of two floating blocks. We will posting more of this collection soon. To see other pieces from Shehrayar click here.
While browsing one of my favorite online magazines, Dezeen, I spotted this very talented British designer and artist, Karen Ryan.
Karen says that her choice of creating designs which use discarded or unwanted objects and materials was not born out of fashion. The decision was a political one and a personal one, a reaction to the ever increasing consumer mountain of design and design waste as well as her own necessity created by a lack of money and resources.
She is definitely a designer with a conscience and a designer with a philosophy. Check her website and the articles about her on Dezeen, her work is a must see. Below are some of her chairs using pieces of old furniture she collects from around her home town. I would love to own one of them.
A few days ago we put on display our new server from the Mondrian Collection, The Wave, in ebonized Oak and Palisander inlays in an abstract design that flows all the way to the sides. It was designed to coordinate with a dining set which we will show in another post soon.
A few months ago Patricia Gray posted about Billy Baldwin’s Slipper chair. That post gave me the idea to post about our own take of that ever so famous design that the legendary Billy Baldwin originally designed.
Gretta has fine legs, almost like a ballerina preparing for her dance, it was upholstered in a beautiful black silk velvet. One very important aspect of these chairs is comfort. Even though without arm rests, these chairs are very comfortable because of their inclinations.
Gretta, from The Marlene Collection
Inspired by the reclining nudes of Mattise, this chair looks as if it is leaning backwards in a relaxed pose. I love luxurious linens, this one was upholstered in a plain cream linen.
Reclining Nude, from The Marlene Collection
For our Shehrayar collection which has modernized Islamic details, I designed this low chair with a hand made Mashrabiyah back. It is beautiful to keep exposed, but would probably place a cushion when used.
Dalila, from The Shehrayar Collection
Another slipper chair that we have posted before is the Sasan chair also from the Shehrayar collection. It is ideal to be placed in the middle of the room to show off its back which is intricately inlaid with abstracted Islamic motifs in Palisander wood.
Sasan – front Sasan - Back
Which one is your favorite ? We would love to know.
From the Mondrian Collection, the Sensation coffee table, in walnut
Simple geometric shapes of squares and rectangles can be dramatic just by playing with their scale and proportions, their thicknesses and heights. The first “Sensation” table we made (which was natural Wenge wood) was sold almost 5 minutes after being placed in the showroom, it was still partially unwrapped. The client placed it in front of an extremely beautiful and minimal plain white leather sofa which sat in front of 20 meters of floor to ceilings uninterrupted glass elevation with the most beautiful view, something like this beautiful image below, minus the waterfront view. The perfect home for this piece.
Image via Nouvel Chelsea
I had a wonderful surprise over the weekend. Michelle, designer, author of one of my favorite blogs, Schematic Life, AND a wonderful artist that creates amazing renderings, wrote a beautiful post about qerat’s designs for JRF.
Michelle says “if items have energies”. I think they do. I believe that this is what makes us decide to buy, or want to own a piece, it is about energies. It is the energies that went into designing and making them.
Thanks Michelle.
Happy Easter to all of you our friends, everywhere.
I know that different countries celebrate at different dates so I leave you all with the beautiful angelic voice of Fairouz. This is from the year 2003. Fairouz the Arabian diva of Lebanese origin who is known internationally for her great voice, performs the Good Friday prayers every year in a different church in Lebanon. What is worth mentioning is that both Muslims and Christians attend mass showing that great art and great artists only serve to unify countries, religions and people. Their common denominator becomes higher and purer and they rise above any differences they might have.
Fairouz is the voice that inspires, she is the voice that accompanies me when I am up very late at night creating and dreaming of creation. She is the voice that helps me float to a new dimension.
For more of Fairouz Easter hymns you can search on her channel on youtube.com.
Kelly from Design Ties in one of her comments about my trip to Syria asked to see the red & lime rug I bought in Damascus. So here it is Kelly. Now that I have it at home i like it even more.
I have to add that lime is one of my favorite colors and I love to mix it with so many other colors. It looks grand with browns, blacks, charcoals and silver tones. It looks exotic and vibrant with fuchsia, mauves, reds and orange shades. And can look fresh and country with white, yellow and some shades of blue.
This details shows the lime better
This is the final post about Damascus. We don't want too much of a good thing.
Details of an entrance to a restaurant were we had lunch, this technique of decoration is created using a special kind of gel that is applied on the wood, filling a design that is drawn on the surface. When dry it is extremely hard and then can be sanded and painted.
Al Thahiriyya Library. The Islamic ceiling detail is called “Muqarnasat”
Above & Below Courtyard of Al Thahiriyya Library
King Al Thaher Hammam established in 985 A.D. !!! And still there
A Beautiful wood panel in one of the streets. The piece of paper is a death announcement. I thought it was strange how this is done. the name of the deceased is printed with all of their relatives all the way to grandsons and cousins so that everyone knows and can go to offer their condolences.
A highlight of Damascus is Al Azem Palace (Below). Originally built in 1750 as a residence for the Ottoman governor of Damascus As'ad Pasha al-Azem. The palace now houses the Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions. The palace is really beautiful, but the museum collection and the display is a bit disappointing, but that did not take away from the beauty and splendor of the building
A beautiful restaurant where we had dinner. The owner displays his collections and finds of different antiques from Syria and other countries
A haberdashery of plates glasses & paintings
The group performing traditional Arabic music, notice the huge mosaic behind them
The Dervish Dance
The young Dervish, he could not have been more than 12
An old horse statue that I loved
Hope you enjoyed the pictures of this trip. Damascus is a great place to visit, it was like walking in a huge real life treasure chest.
A beautiful door, could not resist the patina, the design or that lamp on the right
Details of the door
A relatively wide little alley in Bab Toma
Going down the stone steps a statue of Ananias guards overlooks visitors
In a really small road, we passed by an open door. Being a bit nosy I looked through the door and young man reading the morning newspaper invited us to go in and have a look. We discovered that the house is actually open for the public only after 12 noon. Since it was quite early he asked us to be quiet while looking and taking pictures because the owners, living in the upper floor are still asleep. 
The courtyard with the typical fountain
The “iwan”, the outdoor living room found in most traditional Syrian houses. This is an especially beautiful one.
Ceiling details
An interior door covered with mother of pearl
A curious statue/artwork of a man pulling a Corinthian column capitalThe Beauty of Damascus is that you can have breakfast in a beautiful café right next to a Roman arch. One of the main streets of Bab toma is an area dedicated for shops selling things that I as a designer would want to see. Endless shops selling rugs, old textiles and antiques. A bit expensive, but a bit of haggling would get you somewhere. I got a rug of course, the most unusual lime green and red. Walking down the long street you find remnants of Roman columns and capitals casually scattered around showing that this might have been a Roman colonnaded street
A door leading to a boutique hotel that are filling Damascus. Lots of the old houses are being renovated and turned in hotels, like the Talisman which I wrote about (here) and visited. It is one of those places that pictures don't do justice.
There are so many beautifully detailed old buildings like this one being renovated 
So many alleys and doorways like this one. I fell in love with them
The day ended in a beautiful surprise when we discovered Narinj, a restaurant in a beautifully renovated old house. We had what is probably the best Arabic food.
The courtyard of the old house is now the main dining room mixing old and modern design
Stairway leading to the ground floor, the stone and basalt are original to the house. The landing is decorated in a beautiful marble mosaic
Floors of the terrace, a traditional pattern which was found in most houses
The view from our table on the terrace. A Church and a Mosque
Rules of the game are:
- If I am tagged, I need to give away 6 deep secrets about myself. Well, not necessarily secrets and definitely not deep, but more about likes & dislikes maybe. I hope the world is interested to know.
- I should tag 6 people.
- I should inform 5 of the 6 that I have tagged them and leave the 6th totally ignorant of this fact only to be surprised months later that they should have shared embarrassing facts about themselves but lost the chance :) OR according to Patricia, Let the 6th person wander blindly in the wilderness for 40 years, then tell them they have been tagged. Of course if the 6th person is lucky they will be daily readers of the blog and save themselves the embarrassment !!
So here we go:
1- I am a night person. I design better at night when the world is sleeping and wish I could always do that and not have to wake up in the morning to go to work.
2- I can be a “colorally” (just invented this word by the way) confused person. I love almost all colors and sometimes hate it when I cannot decide what color is a favorite of mine. I switch between extremes of totally neutral schemes and very colorful ones. I love black as much I love lime. Maybe one day I will make up my mind !
3- I HATE (not dislike, but pure hatred) mobile phones. They are intrusive and one day I will let go of mine, maybe when we redevelop our telepathic abilities. On second thoughts it would be more intrusive to have someone directly connect to your brain. Anyway will think of that when brain to brain connections are reestablished.
4- I used to be a perfectionist and proud of it, until I read somewhere that it is a disease which made sense because it made me tired & edgy all the time, so I took a few doses of carelessness and I am a recovering perfectionist. The virus reappears every now and then but in a much weaker state.
5- I love gardening, used to have a beautifully kept garden that went according to no rule of landscape design until work hours became insane. I sometimes secretly envy the gardener that he does this for a living, but would not want to trade places I love my work too much to do that.
6- I would like to take a year off and travel the world spending as much time as I want in every country I like.
Now my victims in tagging will be
Design Ties, pve designs, The Style Files, Charlie's Design Diary, Designalogue, Design Therapy
I would have loved to tag Ivan Meade and Michelle, but Patricia already did that!!
The Entrance to the Umayyad Mosque
All the columns in the courtyard are clad in inlaid marble with beautiful Islamic designs
The central courtyard of the mosque
The remains of the mosiacs that used to cover the walls
The church facade 
The beautifully detailed mosaics in the courtyard
The shrine of John The Baptist or for Muslims Yahya.
The church facade viewed from the interior
Magnificent domes intircately detailed and decorated
A close up of the mirrored ceilings. Could not believe the intricacy of the workmanship or the amount of labor that went into making it
The shrine of Al Sayyidah Ruqayya
Details of the intricate gold designs on the shrine
The mirrored cross vaulted ceilings
Klimt, Mother & child 
The Souk Entrance 
The facades and details are all original.
A close up of the shops. For some reason there is a fascination with underwear with feathers (notice the red and pink ones in the corner)
Fox furs, star fish and a weird mixture of "stuff"
Towards the end of the Souk, you can see a Roman gate with all its majesty sharing its shoulders with an Umayyad arch which in turn is supporting the walls of a tiny shop. History is treated casually in the manner of something that is common to the people, but never insulted and always held with pride like an old member of a family that is held in high esteem but familiar to everyone around them.
A bazaar literally stuck to the Roman column must be the best location in Damascus with a balcony on top (previous picture) overlooking the square
A series of open domes found in a small side alley
Under the domes shops sell wedding gowns, night gowns and .... gowns for ummm...unknown uses
The most beautiful dome with frescoes
Anyone going to Damascus has to stop at this ice cream shop, established in 1895
This and the following 2 pictures are Al Ghrawi Sweets shop established more than 100 years ago. The interior says that it must have been renovated in the 30's or 40's - Notice the ceilings
We leave you with this magnificent door. Hope you liked Al Salt series.
The ancient cave where people pray asking St. George each for their own miracle to happen. It is said that this cave is the original holy site used for prayers since the 3rd century A.D.
