A serving platter in chunky marble with gold leaf handles. A mabkhara burner with a crescent moon topper. A home fountain with water cascading down varying sizes of Arabian vases.
Home decor stores are pulling out all stops when it comes to furniture and accessories for Ramadan this year, as Covid-19 restrictions ease and socialising plans are in full swing.
Fahed Ghanim, chief executive of Majid Al Futtaim — Lifestyle, goes so far as to say the holy month is gearing up to be “one of the busiest sections for our homeware category”.
Scroll through the gallery above to see decor options for Ramadan from stores across the UAE.
Psychological appeal
“Home decor has a major impact on one’s mood,” says Adel Sajan, managing director, Danube Group. “Your home is a safe haven, a place where you feel like you belong, and one that reflects your personality and style. When you decorate your home for the holy month, the same feelings apply. The right furniture and accessories can create a sense of peace and invoke the spirit of the season.”
Hridesh Methwani, marketing head of Pan Emirates Home Furnishings, says that decorating is an emotional process that can bring the family together and infuse a sense of festivity. “It also makes you feel nostalgic, bringing back beautiful memories and leaving you with the hope of making new memories together with family and friends.”
Accordingly, Ramadan furniture collections often comprise traditional designs and patterns, albeit with some contemporary tweaks.
Trends for the season
Moroccan motifs are all the rage this season, with tile, ogee and latticework patterns spotted in various collections. We love the black-and-white rug from Ikea’s Hembjuden Ramadan collection, designed by British artist Jennifer Idrizi; and the Marrakesh cushion from Pan Emirates.
Islamic-themed accessories are another popular category at this time of year. “Creating prayer nooks and hanging Islamic decor is a great way to prepare for the holy month. Islamic-themed wall art and lanterns can be used to create a spiritual atmosphere,” says Sajan.
Racha Elabbas Studio offers wall art with pleasing geometric patterns that feel at once conservative and contemporary. These are available from Bloomingdale’s, Crate & Barrel and Ounass.
Serveware is perhaps one of the most effective additions to your iftar and suhoor table, with most home decor brands offering artisanal dinnerware, centrepieces and tea sets. We love the Calligraffiti tissue box by Kashida and dinner napkins by Racha Elabbas Studio, both stocked at Crate & Barrel; the Mazz decor tray and Asra placemats from Pan Emirates; and Ikea’s traditional cups and teapot decorated with a Moroccan flower pattern.
Contemporary accessories can make your space feel modern and lively — just ensure they are tasteful. Crescent moon trees, which were all the rage last year, are back in stores (Crate & Barrel does one with green LED lights) and we’re also loving the “Ramadan Mubarak” pop art cushions from Pan Emirates and colourful Moroccan tile-inspired cushion covers from Ikea; and indoor and outdoor home fountains from Danube.
When it comes to gifting options, home decor items are a good choice in addition to dates and sweets. Think wall clocks with Islamic elements, fragrance oils and diffusers, bedding sets, vases, candleholders and figurines.
Secure your investment
As for how to make more expensive furniture work even after the holy month is over, Sajan says: “Investing in good furniture, like a couch or dining set, will not go to waste just because Ramadan is over. You can simply add different cushions or other accessories to make the space work throughout the year.
“When shopping for Ramadan, it is a good idea to think long-term and select pieces that can be modified for future use. For example, if you want more seating space in your home for Ramadan, you can buy ottomans, bean bags or single seaters that do not take up too much space while also serving the purpose. In terms of dining furniture, an extendable table is a good investment as it can host all your guests for iftar and then be folded back to regular size on other days.”
Methwani reiterates the sense in choosing versatile pieces. “Gold, silver and other metallic accents will work perfectly all year round. You can also infuse accents such as marble, acrylic and glass, as they are trending now.”
Dos and don’ts
Sajan shares his top yays and nays when it comes to tweaking your decor during the holy month.
- Do create a dedicated space in your home for prayer, and adorn it with Islamic art, rugs and shelves to stack Islamic books.
- Do organise your pantry and decide in advance what you’ll be cooking each day. Arrange cooking equipment for ease of use and make sure they’re all in working condition. If not, invest in good-quality kitchen appliances, cutlery and dinnerware.
- Do ensure you have enough seating to accommodate all your guests if you plan on hosting a lot of get-togethers. Invest in a majlis or a large dining set to meet your requirements.
- Do burn bakhoor in your home to ensure it smells appealing. Bakhoor burners are available in a host of stunning designs that add to your interior’s visual appeal.
- Do keep bar cabinets unlit in order to not draw attention.
- Don’t display obscene or vulgar decor or wall art, nor depictions of living objects as these are against the rules of Islam.
- Don't keep ashtrays on the coffee table.
- Don’t display fruits or sweets on the dining table during fasting hours.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Price: From Dh126,000
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
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.”
Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
