Selma Roth Saudi Gazette Not many people consider combining a modern sofa with an antique table, or include some ethnic art pieces to a contemporary salon, yet the designers and architects at Signature Interiors do exactly this. And the result is often striking. Following a degree in Public Relations Marwan Abumohsin, Design Director and partner of Signature Interiors, decided to give room to his passion and hobby of art dealing and design. Together with a partner, he established Signature Interiors in 1995. Inspired by his travels and the major exhibitions he attended, Abumohsin focused the first two years on buying and reselling artwork. From there, Signature Interiors has grown into a full-fledged interior design company comprising also an interior and exterior architecture department, contracting department and showroom. “Sometimes we do design only; sometimes it includes execution, so it depends on the project,” says Layla S. Khashoggi, an interior designer who has been with the company for almost a decade. Khashoggi, who hails from Madinah, studied interior design at Boston's Suffolk University, after which she began her career at Signature Interiors. Here, she has developed her skills and knowledge, designing interiors for residential as well as commercial projects in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Guiding the client Combining different styles happens naturally, Khashoggi says, arguing that designers cannot “just like modern or just classic or just contemporary. We have to be able to do everything, because it's one school at the end. So it depends on the clients' needs, lifestyle and preferences. Our role is to guide them through,” she says, regardless of the designer's own preferences. While this is true, Signature Interiors nevertheless has its distinct and recognizable touch. Khashoggi: “Our clients usually like the modern style with the eclectic touch we do.” This “mix and match” between modern and old in addition to a tad of folklore characterizes each project Signature Interiors carries out, and is the reason clients choose them, she affirms. Looking at Signature Interiors' portfolio of over 100 projects, one could even argue that ‘making things different' is the company's core philosophy. Each and every project has this peculiar ethnic or oriental touch without disregarding the client's character and style. A four-step process From the moment a client approaches Signature Interiors until the point he moves into his new residence or work place, a long and intensive process takes place. “We have to meet clients, get all the requirements, know their preferences in matter of layout or style, and from then on we carry three or four meetings until we come with the perfect concept for them,” says Khashoggi, adding that the process usually includes four stages. “The first stage we call schematic design,” she explains. This is the phase where the interior designer and client get to know each other, as well as the client's style and requirements. This is followed by the second or conceptual stage. In this “concept design stage, we start to present ideas, concepts, and solutions to their problems, just to get feedback from the client” and find out whether both parties are on the same page. “After we decide on the concept we start to develop the whole design,” continues Khashoggi, “and the last thing is to present 3Ds and details drawing – everything that will help us to secure the work.” Ethnic art from all over the world When Abumohsin and his partner started their business, they wanted to have a different, more artistic flavor than other furnishing companies in the country. Abumohsin, a fervent art lover and collector, has from the beginning been interested in bringing art to people's homes. He still travels the world to find sculptures and design furniture from different countries. In 2002 Signature Interiors opened its offices and showroom, which have been home to several art galleries from Middle Eastern artists. According to Abumohsin, there is a big demand for art pieces among their clients – after all, when you have your house designed you would want some paintings or sculptures to go with the design, wouldn't you? “We sometimes arrange (art pieces) for our clients, and we guide clients if they want to collect art: how, where and what to buy” relates Abumohsin. As such, it could just happen that a client falls in love with a sculpture displayed at Signature Interior showroom, orders a customized piece for his house by the same Middle Eastern artist, and ends up with a magnificent sculpture of Arabic calligraphy and lighting that occupies an entire wall in his salon. Providing solutions from A to Z The transformation of a small business into a full-fledged interior design company that also houses a showroom, architecture department, contracting office, and occasional galleries means not only more employees were needed, but more space as well. Currently, the whole company is about to move from the narrow two-floor building on Sultan Street to spacious premises right behind the current location. A bigger showroom is needed not only to display the works from artists, but also the company's own designs. Indeed, Signature Interiors not only designs interiors, but furniture as well. The fast-paced growth of the company, which started in 2002, led to the need of having a contracting office as well as a place to manufacture the furniture. Currently, around 75 percent of the clients employ Signature Interiors for design as well as the contracting side, while the other 25 percent hire their own contractors. The latter does not always go without obstacles. Mohammed M. Aziz has been working for Signature Interiors for four years. Although his specialty is architecture and design, he is currently running the contracting side and encourages clients to use, wherever possible, a contactor that reports to the designing firm: “Usually, this will avoid misunderstandings and possible conflicts between the designer and the contractor.” “It makes it much easier for the client, for the designer, for quality control. It's a win-win solution,” agrees Khashoggi. The changing Saudi market At present, the Saudi interior design market is experiencing a boom. “People have started to care about design, about the importance of interior design, whether it is about a commercial or residential project, hiring a professional interior designer can save people a lot of time and money,” Khashoggi says. At the same time, people's taste is changing. Most clients now opt for modern furniture, although there are still some clients who prefer more classic and traditional styles. The new generation concentrates on its own spaces first, ensuring the house reflects the personality of the owners while simultaneously following the trends of the moment, which for this year are the traditional country look and natural colors. “In the end it's a house or an office, so you want practical solutions that fit the person who uses it,” Khashoggi says. According to the interior designer, the new generation is also more interested in mixing styles. “They appreciate the mix between modern and classic, as well as a mix of cultures.” The latter is likely to be a result of the travels most people nowadays make, during which they experience how people live in other parts of the world. These changes have led to the company's expansion into new domains, such as landscaping. “The new trend is to invest more in plants, water features, swimming pools — so we do that as well,” Khashoggi comments. It is clear that this company, which mainly relied on word-of-mouth marketing to become the versatile business. It currently is on a promising track. The current expansion to the new location appears to be simply the first step, followed by the ambition to open showrooms in the rest of the Kingdom and perhaps even beyond. However, for Abumohsin — whose mind is occupied 24/7 with his job, or rather his passion — it all comes down to client satisfaction: “We try not to make just a room. We make a room that has harmony and a cozy environment. You want the client to feel at home and have at the end a smile of satisfaction. That is the best recognition we can get at the end of each project.”
