DESIGN IN DUBAI

by identity

10 YEARS WITH LWD

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My path first crossed with LW Design Group’s in 2005 when I interviewed the partners for a magazine article I was writing about their cutting-edge transformation of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Dubai. Over the years I have featured both LWD’s projects and the larger-than-life personalities behind their stylish contemporary designs many times. Along with countless other journalists, I have charted LWD’s gradual dominance of the Middle Eastern hospitality design market and been witness to the unfolding of more chapters in its inspirational story. What began as the ambitious pipe-dreams of three Scandinavian interior designers who could see the potential in Dubai, has evolved into a multi-million dollar design firm boasting a bulging portfolio that includes some of the Gulf’s most prestigious and high profile projects.

LWD has made it its mission to bring the timeless elegance of modern European design to the Middle East. All too often this region gets wrongly dismissed by its international counterparts for its overabundance of glitzy golden interiors. To these critics I simply extend an invitation to take a tour of any LWD-designed space, where creating clean smooth lines, producing functional and efficient spaces and the ever-present aim to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s top hotels has driven each and every project.

LW Design Group celebrates its ten year anniversary this year, and in a highly competitive market few design companies can make the same claim. To celebrate this milestone and honour its achievements it’s collated some of its most memorable projects, teamed them with some musings from the men behind the vision - and thrown in a few quirky additions for good measure, because, quite frankly, it wouldn’t do LWD any justice if there wasn’t a little something extra to tempt you with beneath this smart and sleek façade.

As an interested observer, and long-time admirer, I look forward to the next ten years being filled with just as much passion, inspiration and vision as the last decade...

Charlotte Butterfield

FOREWORD

008 BUDDHA BAR

058 MONTGOMERIE

116 CENTRO

074 GROSVENOR HOUSE

090 HYATT

128 INDIGO

154 KIKU

188 MEDIA ONE

232 IBIS244 NOODLE HOUSE

176 YALUMBA

166 HATTA

202 RAFFLES

248 OKKU

220 FLAVOURS ON TWO

020 DXB AIRPORT

102 WAREHOUSE

142 AQUITANIA

That fateful meeting between Lars Waldenstrom and a prominent Dubai Sheikh led to Lars becoming the designer of choice for many of the Emirate’s most opulent palaces, which in turn convinced Lars to branch out into commercial interiors. He worked on the Emirates Towers and Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, which despite Dubai’s astonishing growth, remain two of the city’s most popular social destinations. In 1999 Lars joined forces with Morten Hansen and Jesper Godsk to found LW Design Group as an interior design consultancy.

The newly-formed design firm’s first major hospitality project was Abu Dhabi’s Rotana Beach Hotel in 2000, closely followed by the Emirates Golf Club, both of which opened the doors to many other projects and cemented its reputation for creating contemporary, elegant commercial interiors.

The principal ambition for LWD was to establish itself as a multi-disciplinary design studio whereby clients could benefit from a uniquely holistic approach, having all their architectural, engineering and interior design needs met by one firm. In line with this vision, Colin Doyle joined LWD from RMJM in 2003 to head up a new architectural division and Finn Theilgaard established the engineering arm of LWD in 2006. What began as the vision of three men now has a staff of over 80 people based in the Design House in Dubai Media City and an architectural office that has been operating in Auckland since 2007. The company is made up of individual specialists in the fields of interior design, architecture, structural and mechanical engineering, FF&E and commercial kitchen design.

Renowned for its singular unified design, functional space planning and contemporary style, LWD is today one of the region’s premier commercial design firms. Its portfolio encompasses 35 hotels and 160 restaurants and bars to date, counting some of the world’s top brands among its client list, including Le Méridien, Rotana Group, Raffles, Hyatt, Emirates Airlines and Jumeirah International.

The ten year anniversary of LWD coincides with Lars’s departure from active designing within the company. The remaining four partners prepare to step forward to propel LWD into the next decade while the charismatic founder is planning to spend his retirement going fishing...

HISTORY “I worked for an office furniture design company in my native Sweden before first coming to Dubai in 1976. Soon after arriving in what was then a small city on the Gulf, I met a local man, who, I later discovered, was a man of great importance. We chatted, and he asked me what I did for a living and in my broken English I replied ‘interior design’. He said, ‘that’s great, can you design a palace for me?’ and I simply answered, ‘piece of cake.’ “

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BUDDHA

BAR

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The intrepid journey from the serene foothills of the Himalayas to the decadent abandonment of modern living is etched into the design of Buddha Bar Dubai.

Opened in 2005, this notorious Pan Asian restaurant club is a veritable oxymoron; inspired by peace, tranquility, prayer and reflection, the end result is a fusion of hedonistic, sultry opulence.

THE Creation OF BUDDHA BAR