Dubai’s lifestyle concept store, Kulture House, isn’t your ordinary shopping space. The renovated Jumeirah Beach Road villa’s decor has a diversity and fusion of design elements that make it hard to forget. It’s also replete with original, colourful and attention-grabbing things everywhere you turn, from a bamboo ceiling and a chandelier made from upcycled stools to a giant Babushka doll and a glass door adorned with gold giraffes. The owners’ love of travel, pattern and uniqueness has helped create a beautifully eclectic space, which has proved to be a delicious change.
The whole store respects the UAE heritage and has incorporated a modern majlis feel. However, since the owners are avid travellers, the retail space, which also has a café, restaurant, small garden and an art gallery for pop-up exhibitions, is alive with plenty of unique touches from around the world. The communion of cultures is at the core of the store’s philosophy and the aesthetic clearly reflects it.
Towards the entrance,there’s an archway decorated with a marvelous mix of tiles, sourced from countries like Portugal, Italy and Morocco. In addition, the mosaics on the floor and ceiling are from Lisbon and Capri, while there’s a vivid blue archway inspired by Jaipur architecture and yellow doors that are a nod to Moroccan design.
The calming water feature and cactus courtyard garden were created with Phoenix, Arizona in mind, and the African continent is represented by beading detail, lampshades, carpets and textures. Perhaps the most Instagrammed spot is the suspended swinging chair that greets guests as soon as they enter. It is set against the backdrop of a myriad of handpicked materials depicting oriental landscapes, African tribes and Tibetan monks.
In addition to the aesthetics of the space, guests are impressed by the collection in the concept store to the front of the property. There’s a wide range of fair trade items that have been handpicked by the owners from places like the UAE, Portugal, Kenya, Indonesia, Brazil and Zanzibar. Sheikha Jawahir bint Butti Al Maktoum, an interior designer who envisioned the scope and mix of design elements, and her business partner spotted the villa’s potential in 2017. After acquiring it, they turned it into Kulture House, a favourite hangout for many living in Dubai.
