Dima Hallal, the vice president of jewellery and home at Al Tayer Group, talks about new brands and developments at the furniture retailer Aati, which currently offers the likes of Fendi Home, Minotti and Ligne Roset.
What new brands do you have coming on board?
We are always trying to revive our portfolio to include different styles and different price points to accommodate all customers. In the past few months, we have added a new brand, Heritage, to our portfolio; it’s from the same group that manufactures Fendi, so it’s a similar quality, but a slightly lower price point. We also have Bentley Home on the way, which is absolutely beautiful and of a very high quality, similar to the cars themselves. It’s a very masculine brand, which we don’t really have right now. We also have the Trump Home by Dorya collection coming, which is a collaboration between a Turkish brand [Dorya] and the Trump family. These are very unique designs. Finally, during the Milan fair this year, we had talks with Casamilano, which has the same modern style as Minotti, with a little bit of a more casual touch to it.
How do you choose the companies you work with?
The first thing we look at is the quality. We don’t really mind how big the brand is, as long as it’s something that we don’t already offer. We don’t like to repeat the same styles with different brands. We like to offer something different. We believe at the moment that the only category really missing in the portfolio is classic.
At the last fair we went to, the team and I fell in love with the use of marble in different colours and the mixing of marble and gold. Minotti was leading this, with case goods and tables where completely clean marble tops were combined with a gold base.
Our customers are well educated; they travel everywhere and they know the latest trends. Middle Eastern customers still have a very specific taste – they still love that timeless element when it comes to furniture, and things that are luxurious. They wouldn’t change their decor every year depending on the trends of the season.
What do you love about interior design?
The creativity. It’s unlike any other product category. You can really add your own personal touch – you can change fabrics or play with layouts. It’s never boring.
What is your go-to piece of design advice?
In general, I advise people to be more minimalistic in their design choices. Your home should be comfortable, because that’s what you come back to. And it’s nice to have a touch of elegance and luxury – luxury for us means high quality. But keep things timeless.
Aati stores are in Dubai on Zabeel road and in Abu Dhabi's Shining Towers; www.aati.ae
