JAIME HAYÓN TAKES HIS IMAGINATION TO KUWAIT

A project fusing fantasy, tradition and modernity

Kuwait (Kuwait)
29 April 2010

Company: Hayón Studio

Product/Designer: Hayón Studio

To create his new project – deluxe jewellery shop Octium in Kuwait’s exclusive 360º shopping mall – Spanish designer Jaime Hayón has exercised all his imagination. It would be hard to come up with a more thrilling environment than this almost fantastical establishment which marries tradition with modernity and noble materials with cutting-edge technology. Hayón has, in a truly innovative fashion, devised new ways of exhibiting the jewellery and presenting it to customers. Ultimately, the space offers visitors a spectacular, not in the least bit dull shopping experience.

Practically all the fittings have been custom-designed – take the display cabinet illuminated by gold ceramic lights plunging into it or the surreal, 7m long counter made of walnut wood with brass legs in the shape of a giant centipede. Every table, chair and door handle here has been made especially for Octium. The materials used throughout create striking contrasts, juxtaposing the traditional look of walnut with more modern-looking effects, such as high-gloss ceramics, lacquered woods and opulent fabrics.

Mixed with these bespoke elements are pieces Hayón has created in the past, for example, his Tudor chair for London-based design company Established & Sons, and his ultra-glamorous Joesphine chandelier for Spanish lighting firm Metalarte.