Maximalism has been deemed one of TikTok’s top home decor trends for 2022, according to a study commissioned by Stelrad. The research team found that #maximalistdecor roped in more than 25 million views on the app, making it the most popular interior design trend after “vintage revival”.
Lively and exuding oodles of personality, maximalism calls for more colours, more patterns and more accessories. But before you begin bringing out all of your clashing clutter — forgotten figurines, framed artwork, mismatched cushions and the like — consider investing in statement rugs to liven up your space while still grounding it with a sophisticated edge.
Although we reside in the Middle East, we need not limit ourselves to traditional Persian and Oriental rugs, for there are a handful of local designers and interiors aficionados who are creating one-off styles that make bold statements. From colourful gemstones and sneaker-shaped rugs to designs that combine pop culture with a punch of pizzazz, here are the UAE brands making carpets for the style-conscious consumer.
Rugs in Vogue
"Make your home reflect your personality." That’s the motto behind Dubai brand Rugs in Vogue. And if you’re a sneakerhead, or admire a celebrity or even a pop culture mascot, this brand can hand-tuft you a carpet shaped to look like a pair of Air Jordans, Cristiano Ronaldo or Pikachu, to name but three of potentially infinite possibilities.
Farida Master, who launched Rugs in Vogue last October, says while the brand produces a range of designs, its best-selling pieces take the shape of popular trainers. “Our best-selling sneaker rugs attract a young crowd, who love Air Jordans, Habibi Dunk, which features the colours of the UAE flag, and more.” The brand offers rugs in the form of solo trainers or clusters of different varieties.
Its celebrity-shaped carpets, meanwhile, are best placed as wall hangings, with past designs showcasing Kobe Bryant, Lionel Messi, The Weeknd and even a carpet shaped as an emoji of Drake crying. For complete customisation, customers can supply images in jpeg or vector format, to be transformed into a rug of any size, shape and colour.
Fabric choices include wool sourced from India and New Zealand or viscose, which is more cost-effective than natural wool, and looks and feels like silk.
FMM Dubai
Cover Magazine, which features the latest trends in carpets and textiles, deemed “bolder colours” to be one of the top five rug trends for 2022. “Pattern on pattern”, “personality” and “storytelling” were some of the other focal features, and it’s safe to say the new designs by Fatma Almulla of FMM tick all of these boxes.
The Emirati graphic illustrator and designer known for her statement kaftans, has put her creative touch on everything from stationery and travel accessories to a Toyota Land Cruiser. This year, she trained her sights on carpets.
“To be honest, like everything I do, it begins with an idea and the love for experimentation,” Almulla tells The National. “I've always expressed how I would love to see my art on different mediums, and with the trend now on people creating tufted rugs, I wanted to see how my art can be applied to products that can be enjoyed around the house.”
Almulla’s rug designs embody her distinctive Khaleeji pop culture aesthetic and her brand’s philosophy is “you take a piece of culture with you wherever you go”. Some appear in the shapes of gold Rolex watches and traditional Din Oud bottles, while larger area rugs are decorated with Dubai architecture, colourful clovers and bold evil eye emblems.
“A lot of people are attracted to the colours and love the designs because they are inspired by Middle Eastern culture,” says Almulla. A rug featuring two hands, adorned in Bulgari Serpenti-style watches, outstretched towards a majestic blue evil eye, has been Almulla's best-selling design so far, and it’s also her personal favourite.
Wear the House
Jennifer Black, the designer and embroidery extraordinaire who previously worked as senior womenswear designer and brand manager for S*uce boutiques in Dubai, launched her own home decor and accessories label, Wear the House, in 2019. The brand is an ode to all things eclectic and maximalist punctuated with peppy pop art motifs.
Inspired by the rectangular, jewel-emblazoned cushions she designed in 2021, this year Black has added gemstones-shaped rugs to her portfolio of cushions, poufs, posters and pyjamas. Shaped in circular, teardrop and rectangular octagons, each gemstone rug features a colour theme, and is panelled with various hues of that colour to mimic the reflective and resplendent appearance of real jewels — such as rubies, amethyst and turquoise stones. These can serve as large area rugs, or be arranged in smaller sizes in a cluster or line along a hallway.
“I couldn’t live without my gems; they are like jewelled art for the floor,” Black tells The National. The rugs, which are made from 100 per cent New Zealand wool, are hand-tufted in India and can be produced in any size.
“We offer a customisation option, where you can add your favourite quote, which is hand-tufted and carved into the rug,” says Black, who recently created one emblazoned with the words “It’s hard to be rich”, in hot pink block letters. She explains these words are not meant to be boastful, but instead point to the fact that it's difficult to “make it as a small brand”.
Black says her gemstone rugs have been particularly popular among clients in the United States, and that this year, she plans to focus on both the US and UAE markets: “My dream is to produce our largest gem yet. I would love to make one for a palace!”
“The intention when designing them were to make them a focal point of the room. They are conversational pieces that I think will break any ice and portray a story wherever you put them in the home.”
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
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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.”
Packages which the US Secret Service said contained possible explosive devices were sent to:
- Former first lady Hillary Clinton
- Former US president Barack Obama
- Philanthropist and businessman George Soros
- Former CIA director John Brennan at CNN's New York bureau
- Former Attorney General Eric Holder (delivered to former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz)
- California Congresswoman Maxine Waters (two devices)
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
