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KAREN Chekerdjian After graduation from Milan’s prestigious Domus Academy in 1997 with a Masters in Product Design and Design Direction, Karen Chekerdjian worked in Italy for a number of years. In 2001, she returned to Beirut and opened Karen Chekerdjian Studio. Beginning as more of a conceptual think-tank, dedicated to exploring new ideas in design, the Studio has gradually become more focussed on production; furniture and everyday objects in small series, limited editions and made-to-order commissions. The Studio also takes on interior design projects. Karen Chekerdjian Store opened in 2010 in the up-and-coming Beirut Port neighbourhood. The Store showcases Karen’s work and also stocks a thoughtful selection of items produced by other people ranging from design objects to specialty food items.
KHALE EL
The contemporary industrial designer knew that Lebanon possessed a cadre of highly skilled if increasingly unused traditional craftspeople – amongst them carvers, brass makers, embroiderers and glass-blowers – and so began to explore the possibility of getting her work made by hand, on an individual basis, rather than mass-produced by machine. Karen’s work falls into a category of its own, one that could be called ‘Industrial Handicrafts’. Unmoored from time thanks to their blend of traditional manufacturing technique and industrial aesthetic, distinctively Lebanese and yet also International, these objects are comfortable in almost any kind of space, as much at home in a traditional Levantine house as they would be in a minimalist interior. As such, they are perfect reflections of the spirit of the city in which they are created.
Karen Chekerdjian Studio’s process of creation is collaborative. Rather than dwell on the downside, Karen researched new ways of creating.
Port District Derwiche Haddad St. Fayad Bldg. T +961 1 570 572 E info@karenchekerdjian.com W www.karenchekerdjian.com
KASHIDA Founded in 2011 by Elie Abou Jamra and Mirna Hamady, Kashida is a Lebanese product design & furniture line inspired entirely by 3D Arabic typography. Embracing the various styles of Arabic script, Kashida aims to bring out a distinct perspective of Middle Eastern culture through contemporary design pieces. WORKSHOP Kashida and A Fish In Sea workshop: Design it. Brand it. Donate it. For more information, refer to the workshops section.
Hamra Makdessi St. A.Younes Bldg. 3rd Fl. M +961 70 923122 E info@kashidadesign.com w www.kashidadesign.com
BEIRUT DESIGN WEEK 2013
LALA