VCUarts Qatar student’s design chosen by world-renowned fashion designer
A furniture design created by Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) interior design student Maryam Yacoub AlKuwari has been chosen by world-renowned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and implemented in her apartment in Msheireb Downtown Doha.
AlKuwari’s design was handpicked from among other proposals submitted by her classmates in response to an invitation to collaborate with Olivier Gelbsman, von Furstenberg’s interior designer, to decorate the New York-based fashion designer’s Doha apartment.
“I worked so hard on developing this project, and now, to see it come to life is certainly a dream come true,” said the Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university interior design Class of 2021 student. “Not everyone gets the chance to say they’ve custom made a furniture piece for Diane von Furstenberg.
“I still remember my emotions when our class first heard the brief and who the client was we knew we had to bring our A game and it turned out to be a tough competition, with many other beautiful designs created by my fellow classmates.
“Today, given all that anticipation and excitement, the cherry on top is in knowing that, despite all the delays and doubts that COVID-19 threw in our paths, my design has already been implemented and installed in an apartment in my hometown Doha.”
Liam Cloquhoun, interim chair of Interior Design at VCUarts Qatar, noted how such projects add value to the overall experience of pursuing a handson programme such as interior design.
“Experiences of practice such as these are a vital part of our programme,” said Colquhoun. “And such initiatives would not be possible without the support of our industry partners such as Diane von Furstenberg and Msheireb Properties.
“To have already been part of such an initiative that culminated in the custom-design of a bespoke furniture piece for von Furstenberg’s personal apartment – while still a student – really is quite an extraordinary achievement for AlKuwari, but one that is richly deserved.”
“This project was a great opportunity for our students to experience developing shop drawings to fabricators,” said Dr Haithem A. El-Hammali, assistant professor of Interior Design at VCUarts Qatar. “They provide a necessary detailed explanation about fabrication and installation to realise their design intent. This major achievement by Maryam and all of our students is a perfect chance to remind them how talented, hard-working and deserving they are.”
Earlier this week, von Furstenburg herself thanked the students of VCUarts Qatar on her Instagram account and posted a photo of the winning headboard design.
“The opportunity to select a proposal from the next generation of designers is always an exciting and refreshing experience,” said Gelbsman. “And this was no exception. “The students from VCUarts Qatar really stepped up to the task that the brief presented and it was a challenge to choose among so many elegant proposals. In the end, Diane and I chose Maryam AlKuwari’s design for its functionality and sophistication. Congratulations to Maryam on this win – truly deserved ”
The project began around the beginning of February 2020 with AlKuwari and her classmates being provided a brief to custom design a piece of furniture – either a sofa or a headboard – for von Furstenberg’s Doha apartment. AlKuwari said that right from the outset of the project, she knew the years of training and mentoring she’d received during her undergraduate studies would stand her in good stead.
“We had the opportunity to visit the apartment along with Olivier Gelbsman (von Furstenberg’s interior designer) to envision the space,” said AlKuwari. “The first thing that struck me when I entered the bedroom were the dimensions. It wasn’t spacious and I immediately knew my design would have to be creative. I would have to design a multi-functional headboard that would allow me to minimise the need for additional furniture within the room.
“This is where the research skills I learned in class came to the fore. I started with background research on von Furstenberg to further understand her preferences.
“I studied images of her personal apartment in Manhattan, New York and I was inspired by the glass-based design there it has multiple triangles that add beautiful depth and meaning to the space, and I knew it was an element which, if I could incorporate stylishly into my own concept, would give her a feel of her New York home. And, of course, I wanted to include the beautiful Msheireb mashrabiya to compliment the design.”
To make the design tasteful yet multi-functional, AlKuwari chose a colour scheme comprising of matte black and neutral tones and further complemented the headboard with three night-shelves on one side, for von Furstenberg’s personal use, as well as book shelves on the other.
As she savours the moment, AlKuwari said she owes her success to numerous people who have supported her through her formative years, especially her father, Yacoub AlKuwari.