Canvas
of
Classics
Damasks and brocades, soft chenilles and linens
adorn the corners of many an Alidad creation.
Ayman Khwaja talks to the man committed to
opulence, whose interior design style denotes an
unchallenged richness.
“There is a magic in that little
word, home; it is a mystic circle
that surrounds comforts and
virtues never known beyond its
hallowed limits” – Robert Southey
It is this very desire to preserve
the essence of what ‘home’ is that
inspires Alidad to carefully fuse
together sentiment, grandeur,
beauty and design to create the
ultimate ‘personal’ environment
for his clients.
Like his interiors style, Alidad a fearless approach to design; merg-
exudes an aura of classic exuber- ing varying patterns and colours
ance and a certain je ne sais quoi with elegance and ease. His richly
that I imagine as the sole nucleus layered rooms denote a sense of
of his designs. His passion for his boldness; achieving an interior
art is apparent in the simple way design style with a statement,
in which he communicates the whilst still maintaining his funda-
importance of colour to me, “I have mental principle of function.
been known to use 17 shades of red “The core element of a room is
in one room alone! Everything I function. No matter how beauti-
do is instinctual. Like a writer or ful a room is, if you don’t consider
a painter, if my instinct is strong how the room is going to be used,
about it, it’ll be groundbreaking.” how the traffic will move, where
Persian by birth and based you envision sitting down with a
in London for over thirty years, cup of tea and a good book– it fails
Alidad came to appreciate the completely.”
art of interior design after work- His exposure to Islamic Art
ing as a departmental director whilst working at Sotheby’s has
for Sotheby’s Islamic depart- meant that Alidad has a personal
A library/study in
ment. “Most designers learn about appreciation for the influence of
London, hand- design first, then textiles. But it Islamic Art on European design.
painted with an
Islamic influenced
was the other way round for me,” “The components of Islamic art
design. The textures
he remarks. “My love and fasci- are so apparent in the work of the
and use of different
nation with material and pattern Europeans and in fact, many other
reds being a
signature of
came from my time at Sotheby’s.” artists around the world. Islamic
Alidad’s work. Having worked with antique tex- design is so incredibly strong and
tiles early on, Alidad has developed powerful, it has an unbelievable
www.emel.com | emel magazine 59
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