Rubaiyat Department Store, Saudi Arabia

Images Courtesy and Copyright Propstudios

We have never been to or received images from stores in Saudi Arabia previously so it really is a pleasure to receive some of the latest scheme at the Rubaiyat Department store.  We aren't familiar with this store however their latest installation looks quite spectacular and rather a pleasant surprise.  UK based Propstudios was commissioned by Al Rabaiyat to design and manufacture a series of large props for what look like enormous window spaces.  The theme of the installation is Luxury and includeds opulent chandeliers with smoked glass perfume bottles and crystal droplets, a giant gramophone with silk flowers cascading from the horn and a giant perfume bottle, to name but a few.  How good is to see such quality Visual Merchandising happening around the world beyond the usual London and New York.

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Central St. Martins, Styling for Interiors Course: Fahad Allwihan

Fahad Allwihan: Architecture Student, Nottingham / Saudi Arabia

This was a really good opportunity to learn something new in my life. Before I joined this course I was so enthusiastic to learn the techniques of Interior Design, especially as an Architecture student because Interior Designers have such good drawing skills which are illustrated through drawing plans, sections and perspective views. Moreover, the course was so interesting especially when we visited St. George's development in Vauxhall, South London on the first day. I love the style of these apartments, and when I saw it for the first time, I felt that I was in Dubai rather than London. I really like modern & colourful design styles, as it gives such a fresh feeling for residents. Below, I have attached an image which is of the building that I live in at Nottingham and is a typical design from the DE STIJL style of Architecture.

Central St. Martins Interior styling course: Yassir Nasief

Yassir Nasief : Phd Student, Saudi Arabia / London

These pictures were taken at The Ethelburga Tower Exhibition (by Mark Cowper) at the Geffrye Museum, East London. The concept behind the exhibition is to present real-life examples of apartment interiors in the Ethelburga Tower (Battersea, London) which are presented with brief captions about the occupants of each one. The apartments vary in their styling, themes, lighting etc. This Exhibition takes the viewer in a journey away from the simple appearance of the space to peoples' personalities and psychology. For example, there is a lawyer living alone in one of the apartments with some reference books by the dining area and a reasonably tidy floor and environment. There is also a vending machine technician occupying an identically sized space trying to enjoy his apartment in his own unique way - both are polar opposites. Interestingly, while all of the apartments are completely different - one thing links all of them, large flat screened televisions. Perhaps indicative of the lifestyles of the occupants in this type of environment?

Central St. Martins Interior styling course: Student Lifestyle Boards

Suverce Cilek: Architecture Student, Turkey

Over the week of the course students began collecting information for a lifestyle board from a variety of sources which included photographs, magazines, site visits etc. Students initially identified a target market for their concept, specifying where the location for their apartment would be and began to build their narratives around this. Naturally the pieces here would only form one part of a much bigger project, and of course they are work in progress. With more time, students may have considered electronic means of presenting their ideas however low tech means are quickly produced and do have an immediate effect of communicating their thoughts.

Hung Shuna: Interior Design student, Taiwan



Fahad Allwihan: Architecture Student, Saudi Arabia