“I absolutely love working in the Middle East. Coming from a Muslim background, it is a place I hold so dear; the people, the culture, the art and architecture,” begins Miminat Shodeinde, founder of her London-based design and interior architecture studio, Miminat Designs. The revamp of a home in Kuwait is her first design venture in the Middle East – the beginning of a larger body of work that is currently underway. “I’m very excited to learn and explore more, and to see what the Middle East has in store for us as a studio,” she continues. “There has been an incredible word-of-mouth effect, so I’m looking to be working on more projects in the region in the near future.”
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For this home in Kuwait, Shodeinde was tasked with revamping some of the rooms of a six-floor villa, focusing on the basement and the main entertainment room, resulting in a mixture of neutral and deep tones, with an abundance of natural wood and hints of colour.
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Character and texture were the overriding themes for the project, she explains, where the client’s lifestyle and use of space dictated many of the design decisions. The result is a mixture of masculine forms and feminine touches, with textures including a layering of stone, timber and metals.
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In fact, Shodeinde – who also designs furniture and creates her own artworks – has worked on six mostly bespoke, large-scale pieces for the home, which were all handmade in London. These include the Oscar chairs and floor lamp (inspired by legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer); the three-metre Rina cabinet, which features oxblood aniline leather fronts; and the Jude pendent, named after her client. She has also created a bespoke mirror in deep bronze, with nods to the art deco era.
“I like to play with strong forms, and lots of what I design is large in terms of scale,” the designer shares. “Wood has been and is still my favourite material to manipulate. My defining inspirations are movement; the poetry of movement and capturing that through my furniture. I think my pieces not only show beauty in the design but [also] beauty and the art of craftsmanship, which is important to me.”
In addition to the bespoke furniture, Shodeinde has also worked on a four-metre painting for the space, which incorporates hues of pink, red and purple to soften the room and add a feminine touch, contrasting with the bold, deep rich forms of the furniture, as per the client’s request.
She concludes: “The real inspiration [for me] does usually come from my clients, who have such interesting and rich stories to tell through their homes.”