Mysterious Cities of gold at new Dubai homeware store

Walking into Cities in the Galleria Shopping Mall on Al Wasl Road in Dubai, there’s a feeling of controlled chaos. It’s an inviting atmosphere with a definite hint of sensory overload. Items are randomly placed around the room – on first glance, seemingly without rhyme or reason. Italian leather tissue boxes sitting adjacent to a giant sculpture of a glittering red Converse shoe is certainly a scene you don’t see every day. Yet stare at it long enough and, strangely, it works. Take a second spin round the room and the method behind this apparent madness begins to reveal itself.

“We wanted the store to be a place where, if you’re bored on the weekend, you can come, browse and see what’s on offer,” explains the founder and owner of Cities, Hazem Aljesr.

The main concept of the store, says Aljesr, is for it to be versatile and ever-changing. The pieces on display now might not necessarily be in the same place a month from now. “Everything is on wheels,” he says, pointing to the bottom of the stands. “So we try to change everything at least every month. You come in and think it’s a different store, but actually we’ve just moved the furniture.”

Aljesr explains that he is looking to create a different “subtext” each time he changes the store around. Customers are meant to see each piece differently every time it is mixed in with new pieces. “Today, for example, you see pieces in the store here,” says Aljesr. “But if you put it with something else, you get a completely different perspective on it. People really notice this.”

Original article by Ashley Lane

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Mysterious Cities of gold at new Dubai homeware store