Peter Ghyczy’s Garden Egg chair. Ghyczy Selection BV / www.ghyczy.nl
Peter Ghyczy’s Garden Egg chair. Ghyczy Selection BV / www.ghyczy.nl

How the space race influenced design



Just as today’s interior design has been shaped by the global recession and the need to reduce our environmental footprint – to name just a couple of examples – designers throughout history have been inspired and influenced by prevailing economic, social and technological factors. While the 1960s may bring to mind pop music and hippie festivals, there was another powerful influence on home interior trends that came to define the decade: the space race.

While the world’s superpowers were pouring their resources into conquering the universe, designers were competing to create the most ultra-modern homes they could imagine, drawing as much from science fiction as from the realities of the decade’s breakthrough technologies. Unlike anything seen before or since, many of these iconic designs remain desirable even today.

The overarching themes of the space race were experimentation, technology, modernism and optimism; a fresh new adventure after the tragedy of two world wars and subsequent years of rationing and frugality. In architecture, increasingly bold statements were being made by the likes of John Lautner, with his iconic Chemosphere in the Hollywood Hills hovering like a flying saucer above the treeline, and Eero Saarinen, whose elegant Gateway Arch in St Louis, United States, built between 1963 and 1965, still has a futuristic feel.

Indoors, capsule- and pod-shaped furniture dominated the prevailing decor. A new minimalism echoed futuristic labs, gadgets were in high demand and everywhere you looked, spaceships and rockets lent their form to furniture, fittings and accessories.

There were a couple of key areas where the space race had a particularly noticeable effect. The first was lighting. Could there have been a more ­rocket-like design than the lava lamp, invented in 1963 by Edward Craven Walker? Not to mention the high-tech nature of the wax from which it takes its name. Or the various “atomic” lamps, with their UFO-shaped shades and metallic bases.

The second was chairs. Every 1960s designer worth their salt was trying to invent a unique, futuristic design that would change the way seating was viewed, using cutting-edge technologies from polypropylene plastic to foam moulding and stretch fabrics. Hence, we have the ubiquitous Polyprop chair, invented by Robin Day in 1962, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Sputnik satellite, with its spindly chrome legs. And the 1968 Garden Egg chair by Peter Ghyczy, which opens from a ­flying-saucer form made of brightly coloured plastic. Also in 1968, the Panton chair by Verner Panton, a cantilevered design that was the first to be moulded from a single piece of plastic and was easily stackable.

In the kitchen, the desire for space-age gadgetry – not to mention the increasing liberation of women – gave rise to ever more sophisticated fridges and freezers, built-in ovens (far more streamlined than the previous free-standing ones), and time-saving technologies such as dishwashers and ­washer-dryers. There was also a rise in colourful appliances, many of which featured a removable front panel that could be replaced with one that matched your kitchen ­decor.

Elsewhere, clean lines were vital to the space-age look, leading to a boom in fitted furniture, with its clean lines and minimalist way of hiding clutter. Designers became cleverer at secreting elements of a room away – for example, creating disappearing tables in kitchens – and modular furniture, from shelving units to sofas, gained in popularity, too.

It’s funny to think that what we now see as retro was once considered the height of futuristic design. Then again, perhaps the homeowners of tomorrow will look back on our eco-friendly light bulbs and upcycled furniture – good for the environment and budget – and smile indulgently at the way it used to be.

Creating the space-race look

Choose bright colours

Or pure white; or a combination of the two. Just so long as you avoid subtle shades and blending tones. The 1960s were all about making a statement, and because the new polypropylene plastic of the time could be colour-matched to paint chips, designers had a field day with dramatic shades such as tangerine, fuchsia, aqua and lime. But you won’t go wrong if you stick to white, which brings to mind spacesuits, pristine labs and all the other futuristic fancies of a generation obsessed with who would be the first to land on the Moon.

Choose moulded plastics

This is by far the most important addition to your 1960s space-race-themed look. You’ll need at least one of the iconic chairs of the decade – ideally a set. If you really want to get authentic, try to source yourself a retro TV or radio, with funky plastic boxing.

Choose unusual shapes

Whether it’s a pod chair or a kidney-bean table with a tripod leg formation, forget traditional and go for outlandish wherever you can. Remember, this look was, in many ways, about making a statement about the future and how different it would be to the bleak decades that had just passed, so embrace wacky and unusual when recreating your look.

Choose built-in furniture

While your chairs and accessories should be making a statement, your storage furniture should be as sleek and minimalist as possible. Large built-in units are ideal, especially if they’re finished in some sort of laminate to create a high-tech sheen. Clever touches like pull-out shelving and modular units that slot together to save space are also a good choice.

Choose kitchen gadgets

Chances are that you’ve got most of the so-called “modern technology” that wowed housewives in the 1960s. But if your appliances are all white or silver, think about changing them for colourful ones. Yes, white and silver might feel more space age to us, but if you want a true 1960s kitchen, it’s all about embracing colour. Add as many smaller gadgets as you can, too, from coffee makers to electric can-openers and electronic food mixers – all in your theme colour, naturally.

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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Malcolm & Marie

Directed by: Sam Levinson

Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya

Three stars

Ipaf in numbers

Established: 2008

Prize money:  $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.

Winning novels: 13

Shortlisted novels: 66

Longlisted novels: 111

Total number of novels submitted: 1,780

Novels translated internationally: 66

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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.”

8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21

  1. Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
  2. Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
  3. Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
  4. Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
  5. Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
  6. Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
  7. Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
  8. Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
  • The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
  • The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
The 12

England

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus

Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid

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

North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice
 

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800

 

 

UAE - India ties

The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China

Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion

The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India

Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015

His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016

Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017

Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

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.

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