A yellow version of Mies van der Rohe's instantly-recognisable Barcelona chair is set against a dramatic piece of art. Antonie Robertson / The National
A yellow version of Mies van der Rohe's instantly-recognisable Barcelona chair is set against a dramatic piece of art. Antonie Robertson / The National

Bold furniture and Middle Eastern art make for a quirky Jumeirah villa



We are in George Salamoun's exquisite-looking living room, flipping through pictures of some of his design projects. There are luxury offices and swish art galleries, a signature villa on The Palm and a contemporary, light-filled apartment in the Marina.

Four years ago, the Dubai-based Salamoun left a successful 15-year career in finance to pursue his passion, interior design. He set up Quarters UAE, a turnkey design practice - and hasn't looked back since. He has worked with a number of high-profile clients, from multi-national companies to high net-worth individuals. "I always did it personally. I collect art and buy furniture from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Then I got my break four years ago. I was given the opportunity to do a villa on The Palm and that led to other things.

"It was second nature for me. I had this kind of undiscovered talent that I took for granted all these years. But a friend of mine fired his architect and asked me if I would like to design his home on The Palm. And I said, 'Really, you would trust me to do that?'."

Ensconced in the comfort of Salamoun's four-bedroom home in Jumeirah, it is easy to see why this friend would be so trusting. Colourful, quirky and masterfully put together, it is a flawless advertisement for Salamoun's design capabilities.

He moved to the house with his wife and two children nearly three years ago, when the economic downturn and falling rents presented an opportunity to upsize. "For me, Jumeirah is very central. It's an expat community, it is clean, it is close to the malls, yet far enough away from the malls, and there are good schools nearby. It is very accessible," says the Lebanese national.

He was won over by this property because of its high ceilings and bright, open spaces. In the large living and dining area, he capitalised on these features by leaving the floor-to-ceiling windows free of curtains, allowing natural light to stream into the space. The windowsills were repainted from a dull, dark green to a light grey. Accentuating the feeling of openness, the living and dining areas merge into one another, separated only by a single, narrow console table.

"I don't like to put a lot of obstructions in a space. Life is already full of obstructions - whether they are psychological or physical. You have traffic lights and you have doors and all of those things, so you want to go home and feel comfortable. If you have the comfort of space, what's the point of blocking it with furniture?"

When it came to furniture, Mr Salamoun opted for distinctive, iconic-looking pieces by big-name European brands such as Minotti, B&B Italia, Knoll and Vitra. In the living area, a white three-seater sofa is flanked by a medley of statement chairs. There are design classics such as the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, Marcel Breuer's Wassily chair, as well as pieces by emerging talents. The Edna Rocking chair by Lebanese designer Karim Chaya, an unlikely mix of solid French oak and Carrara marble, is Salamoun's latest acquisition. It was bought during last year's Design Days Dubai.

Elsewhere, a pair of colourful patchwork chairs by Lebanese design house Bokja create an intimate seating area in the entrance hall, and a yellow version of Mies van der Rohe's famous Barcelona chair is set against a dramatic, oversized piece of art to stunning effect. Each chair acts as a sculpture in its own right. "I like chairs. A lot. You can probably tell," laughs Salamoun. "Every chair is comfortable in its own way. You get a different seating experience. And no, I don't always end up sitting in the same one."

Other furniture pieces are equally eye-catching. An old wood-and-metal cabinet is used to display books, but started life as a mail sorting unit in a factory in the south of France. For the dining room, Salamoun chose a sprawling glass table designed by Norman Foster, paired with wire chairs by Charles Eames. A side unit by Nada Debs combines white lacquered wood and mother of pearl with a bright yellow interior. Light fittings are also characterised by their uniqueness, from the bone china pendants bought online from Original BTC that hang over the dining table to the original vintage studio light by AE Cremer that stands proudly in the corner.

While furniture is important, it is accessories and art that really make or break a space, says Salamoun. "I lived in Europe, mainly in London and Paris, and had a chance to go to flea markets and immerse myself in the design world there. I have spent ten years picking up little things for my home."

For the walls, Salamoun selected bold, arresting paintings by contemporary Middle Eastern artists, bought from local galleries such as Ayyam and Etemad. Occupyinga place over the sofa is a bright abstract, Trial No. 29; A Vision in the Colors of Gauguin, by Syrian artist Mouteea Murad, hung on a bare concrete wall for striking contrast.

"If you want to make a real difference to your interior, buy art. Art fills spaces. It doesn't have to be to everybody's taste - as long as you like it. I don't think you can go wrong with art. It's better than choosing the wrong furniture."

The success of the space lies in Salamoun's ability to take a series of highly distinct pieces and make them work together. Each element complements the next and everything has been artfully combined to create a visually impressive and unified whole. However bold or striking, no single piece overwhelms - not even the bright yellow sculpture of a screaming head.

For more information, visit www.quartersworld.com

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Napoleon
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About%20My%20Father
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The Bio

Name: Lynn Davison

Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi

Children: She has one son, Casey, 28

Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite Author: CJ Sansom

Favourite holiday destination: Bali

Favourite food: A Sunday roast

U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh

UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith

Tips on buying property during a pandemic

Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.

While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.

While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar. 

Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.

Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities. 

Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong. 

Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

Seven tips from Emirates NBD

1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details

2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet

3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details

4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure

5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs  (one-time passwords) with third parties

6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies

7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately

SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The%20specs%3A%20Macan%20Turbo
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'The Lost Daughter'

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson

Rating: 4/5

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

And%20Just%20Like%20That...
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2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
  • Parasite – 4
  • 1917– 3
  • Ford v Ferrari – 2
  • Joker – 2
  • Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
  • American Factory – 1
  • Bombshell – 1
  • Hair Love – 1
  • Jojo Rabbit – 1
  • Judy – 1
  • Little Women – 1
  • Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
  • Marriage Story – 1
  • Rocketman – 1
  • The Neighbors' Window – 1
  • Toy Story 4 – 1
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY

Centre Court

Starting at 10am:

Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)

Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog

Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan

Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)

Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)

Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)

Court 1

Starting at 10am:

Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska

Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh

Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet

Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)

Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage

Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse

Court 2

Starting at 10am:

Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang

Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka

Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic

Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri

Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova

Court 3

Starting at 10am:

Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang

Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar

Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.

Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.

Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.

When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety

THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Monster

Directed by: Anthony Mandler

Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington 

3/5

 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

The specs: 2018 Renault Megane

Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200

Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder

Transmission Continuously variable transmission

Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200