Founders of Lulu & The Beanstalk, Wafa and Amirah Tajdin, talk to Emirates Woman about their hangout spot imbued with cosy familiarity and cool energy in ICD Brookfield Place and how it reflects their heritage and personalities.
How long have you been in this space?
We’ve been open since September 2022, so just over a year.
Have you custom-built any bespoke pieces?
Most of the space was a labour of love from our designer whose signature style is upcycling and re-inventing classic and iconic design pieces. She upcycled six of the Artek dining chairs, complemented by a beautiful Kooij table, and above that sits a one-off lamp designed for use by New York-based Japanese artist Yuko Nishikawa. Our most iconic custom décor is our centerpiece chandelier which was crafted by the whimsical team of Willow Lamp in South Africa. The bar front was a terrazzo design commissioned locally.
How do you think the interior reflects you?
Mama Lulu was a woman who loved colours, and her world was filled with them. That was important for us to recreate through the lens of our designer and a big reason why we went with a female designer as well as she has an authentic understanding of curves, colours and texture. It was also important to evoke our island heritage (we have roots in Lamu and Mombasa in Kenya) and to capture the feeling of warmth and community that our grandmother’s home symbolised not just for us growing up, but our family and community as a whole in Nairobi and now through her spirit, Dubai.
Describe your taste in three words.
Warm, welcoming and delicately tasteful.
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Photography by Mark Mathew
