Nada Debs, the exquisite Lebanese interior designer is here to continue impressing us, while raising like a phoenix from its ashes. How so? The official unveiling of her former boutique, strongly affected by the Beirut explosion from August 2020, as The Vitrine, an awakening of emotions, showcasing the latest collections through storytelling installations each month.
The transformed space is to be found on the ground floor of her iconic 30s boutique in the heart of old Beirut, on the lively Gemmayzeh street. All these design changes also come with emotional transformation.
“The Vitrine captures a moment in time; it makes me look back at what happened to our boutique during the blast, and yet it inspires us all to think forward and connect with the world, as craft-custodians safeguarding the legacy of culture,” Nada declares.
The heartbreaking Beirut explosion happened on the 4th of August 2020 and changed the life of Lebanese people permanently. Having the space to display the latest collections and the stories behind them is a way of connecting people and having a place to mourn, but also honor the city’s history.
Rich velvet curtains are part of The Vitrine presentation, showing that life itself can have the contrasts of a show or theatrical play, with happiness and sorrow.
One of these special stories is Nada’s latest collection, called On Belonging, created in partnership with 81 Design, the UAE-based social enterprise. The lovely Palestinian ladies from Ein El Helweh Camp. The project represents weaving together homelands, history and heartache, showing that emotion is what brings people together, no matter the geographical border, the culture, religion or color of our skin.
On Belonging is inspired by Palestinian artist Nabil Anani’s picturesque portrayal titled ‘In Pursuit of Utopia’ of his imagined homeland. Envisioned as one immaculate landscape, without division or disruptions, each chair of the collection has its back weaven with traditional pictures of the land and representative memories.
We strongly recommend checking out this inspiring work. You can discover more about Nada’s latest collections on her website and social media.
Photo courtesy of Nada Debs. Click here for her website.