‘Dress My Room,’ the interior design studio by Emirati sisters Hend and Hamda Al Abbar, has marked a significant milestone in enhancing collaboration among Emirati women entrepreneurs, by delivering a captivating redesign for another homegrown business, Arcadia, a niche perfumery by Amna Al Habtoor.
Underlining the creative synergies between two Emirati brands that have carved a unique niche and voice in their respective segments, Dress My Room accomplished an elegant total makeover of Arcadia, reflecting its new brand identity and contributing to an enhanced customer experience.
Drawing inspiration from the elemental forces of water, air, earth and fire, the new design reflects the harmonious balance of nature, complementing the vision of Arcadia to serve as a perfumery that serves as a clean slate for the unreserved and an abode for the unconventional. The Emirati interior design specialists also integrated the rich heritage of the UAE in their design concept featuring intricate patterns, motifs and historic styles reflecting the nation’s architecture and art.
Hend and Hamda Al Abbar said the interior makeover for Arcadia is a strong statement on the spirit of collaboration that thrives among the young and emerging Emirati women entrepreneurs. “We share the spirit of creativity, innovation and excellence with Amna Al Habtoor, whose passion for perfumery reflects our own commitment and enthusiasm to redefine the interior design sector of the country. While Arcadia brings a ‘Made in UAE’ appeal and ethos to perfumeries, we draw on our nation’s architectural and artistic heritage to create interiors that stand out for their elegance.”
They added: “Reflecting Arcadia’s new brand identity, based on the elements of nature, our design concept focused on the flow of movement and personal interactions in the store, as well as in the display of products to enhance the visitor experience. With our shared commitment towards environmental sustainability, the design also focused on using raw materials from the existing space to recreate a new look. We look forward to further collaborations with entrepreneurs in the UAE and jointly build a culture of aesthetics that honours our nation’s heritage and culture.”
Amna Al Habtoor said: “As a niche perfumery, Arcadia has built a strong customer base with our commitment to curate scents into warm memories, and to relive those memories through fragrances. At the intersection of nostalgia and emotional resonance that fragrances leave behind in every individual, Arcadia aims to develop inimitable experiences, which reflects in our new brand identity. Dress My Room, with the hands-on engagement of Hend and Hamda Al Abbar, delivered just the right design ethos for our outlet, where our clients walk-in every week to create their own scents. We needed a design aesthetics and approach that made our clients feel welcome while also ensuring fluid movements and personal space. The new design has added exceptional value to Arcadia’s unique positioning and has been well-received by our clients.”
Among the design approaches of ‘Dress My Room’ included the creation of three islands in the middle of the space to display products, and also serve as an ideal hosting table for the events. This allows more flow space around the store and creates gathering points around the islands for interactions.
As ‘Dress My Room’ used raw elements from the existing space, the interior designers paid attention to meticulous details, while combining the materials and colours to achieve the desired natural look. For this, they worked hand in hand with the painters to create the final look and feel. Overall, the new design enables customers to experience the products seamlessly with the creative and intelligent use of lighting ensuring that all senses are touched during the customer journey.
The customers and their aspirations are at the heart of ‘Dress My Room’ – a market-pioneering and innovative initiative that is transforming the interior design sector. Dress My Room follows a quick step-by-stop process for aesthetic makeovers of homes and commercial offices. In addition to complete makeover, such as the work undertaken for Arcadia, the creative firm also offers three-day home makeovers through the ‘Quick Fix’ service.
