A furniture design created by VCUarts Qatar interior design student Maryam Yacoub Al Kuwari has been chosen by world-renowned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and implemented in her apartment in Msheireb Downtown Doha.

 

Al Kuwari’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. 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,” says the Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university interior design Class of 2021 student.

 

“I am also appreciative of Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for giving us future designers the opportunity to participate and be a part of the Culture Pass Club complex.”

 

Liam Colquhoun, Interim Chair of Interior Design, VCUarts Qatar, noted how such projects add value to the overall experience of pursuing a hands-on program such as interior design commenting, “Experiences of practice such as these are a vital part of our program,” says 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 Maryam, but one that is richly deserved.”

 

Earlier, von Furstenberg herself thanked the students of VCUarts Qatar on her Instagram account, and posted a photo of the winning bed frame design.

 

The project began around the beginning of February 2020, with Al Kuwari and her classmates being provided a brief to custom design a piece of furniture – either a sofa or a bed frame – for von Furstenberg’s Doha apartment.  Al Kuwari says 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. 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 – and clever. I would have to design a multi-functional bed frame that would allow me to minimize the need for additional furniture within the room,” Al Kuwari remarked.

 

To make the design tasteful yet multi-functional, Al Kuwari chose a color scheme comprising of matte black and neutral tones, and further complemented the bed frame with three night-shelves on one side, for von Furstenberg’s personal use, as well as book shelves on the other.

 

As she savors the moment, Al Kuwari says she owes her success to numerous people who have supported her through her formative years – especially her father, Yacoub Al Kuwari. “My father has been there for me, every step of the way,” she says. “His belief and faith in me, and in what I could offer – even during those moments when I felt like giving up – are what pushed me beyond what I perceived were my limits, and helped shape who I am as a designer, today,” she said.

 

“At the moment, all this feels like a dream. But knowing that I got this recognition so early on in my design career, I feel it’s the beginning of what I hope are years of exploring and creating exciting projects,”Al Kuwari concluded.