Jafar Dajani is a Jordanian architect and interior designer who started his own design practice in Dubai in 2013. With a passion for art and furniture, Jafar’s designs are functional and timeless and will be exhibited for the first time at Design Days Dubai.
Q: The Jabal Amman Table you presented at Amman Design Week consists of cylinders representing the route through Jordan’s capital. How did you choose the materials for each section of the road?
Jafar Dajani: This table relates to my memories of growing up in the city. The spinal design is an homage to the eight circles of west Amman, the route that has become the backbone of the city, connecting it together. It is our first piece of furniture inspired by the urban landscape of a city.
The eight cylinders are stacked on top of each other, and each one is made from different materials that corresponds to the colours and textures one experiences on the eight roundabouts along the journey.
1. The metal represents lamp posts & vehicles
2. The limestone brick is used for building facades
3. Black and white in pedestrian zebra crossing
4. The red is seen in stop signs
5. Bazalt marble represents the texture of the asphalt
6. The wooden planks used for buildings under construction
7. The glass for windows in buildings
8. The distinct hexagon shapes are found in pavements
Q: Tell us more about your Burqa Cabinet - what inspired the design, which materials did you choose and how and where was it made?
Jafar: The Burqa cabinet is inspired by the traditional headpiece usually worn by the older generation of ladies in the UAE. A burqa is made from percal (cotton fabric) and stained with indigo, which gives it a golden metal-like sheen, protecting a woman's face from the scorching sun, and dust. The design echoes the features of the falcon, a symbol of pride, strength, and grace.
The cabinet was handcrafted in a joinery based in Dubai and is made out of black lacquered wood with gold leaf finish, portraying the upper part of the burqa, framing the eyes. The inside of the cabinet is indigo with a gold shelf representing the lower part, covering the lips.
Q: Why have you chosen the work of Piet Mondrian and Gerrit Rietveld as inspiration for the pieces you’re exhibiting at this year’s fair?
Jafar: I've always been inspired by the De Stijl movement, and wanted to represent it through a functional furniture collection. During Design Days Dubai, my studio will display different furniture pieces that focus on the abstraction of form and colour by using fundamental principles of geometry combined with a strong asymmetricality. Vertical and horizontal lines are positioned in layers or planes that do not intersect, thereby allowing each element to exist independently and unobstructed by other elements.
We will be using pure natural materials such as wood, metal and marble combined with black and white, reflecting the relationship between positive and negative elements in an arrangement of non objective forms and lines proposing ultimate simplicity.
Q: This is your debut at Design Days Dubai. What do you hope to achieve by participating at the fair?
Jafar: All my designs have been bespoke to the interior design projects that I've worked on, and most of my clients have been Middle Eastern, I do hope my participation at Design Days Dubai would appeal to a wider audience as it’s a great platform for regional and international designers to showcase their work.
Design Days Dubai runs from 13 to 17 March at Dubai Design District, for visitor information click here.
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