Antennae

Signs of better times ahead in Spain, Cyprus and Bahrain. Already expensive in London and Dubai, thankyou very much.

Cool Palette

International designers are flocking to the United Arab Emirates. The latest to arrive is Louis Henri. Despite his French-sounding name, the designer is South African-born and London-based. He has just completed his first commission in Dubai, to decorate and furnish the interiors of a Dubai Marina apartment with large entertaining spaces, pictured above, for a private client. “The overall colour scheme is fresh and light,” says Henri about the design of the four-bedroom apartment, which overlooks The Palm Jumeirah. “We used a lot of linens and grass cloth as it cools the palette.” As with most of his interior designs, he has used a colour scheme of cream and grey with gold and silver highlights. He also likes to use velvet and silk textures in his work, because they help make an environment sumptuous, but not intimidating, he feels. His other commissions have included a palace in Saudi Arabia, apartments in London and a villa on the French Riviera.

From Identity, September 2014: Pages 80-81