The first Interiors showroom was inaugurated in 1968. How has the supply chain and the furniture market changed since then?
In 1968, the furniture supply to the market was very limited, it started with the importation of furniture from Germany and followed by Denmark. The supply chain at that time was very traditional, suppliers used to visit the UAE with their catalogues, and orders were placed accordingly. The manufacturing time was long as well as the shipping from Europe.
In addition to that, the communication used to take a very long time making the supply chain a very lengthy procedure. Whereas now the process is much simpler, quicker and much more efficient nowadays leading the whole process takes around 90 days from the time of placing the order until it reaches the UAE.
Interiors was among the first companies to start the furniture business in the UAE. So the competition was almost non-existing, and in time furniture showrooms started opening until it reached the curent state where the number is much more than what the demand requires. During those 49 years, many companies opened showrooms and have closed after several years.
How has interior design trends evolved in terms of style and furniture types?
Trends and tastes have changed a lot since we started; our focus when we first opened was only classical furniture and Scandinavian design. Gold colors and bold design were trendy back then. However, with time we started introducing more contemporary and modern design, which is more prominent these days. Nevertheless, we still have a wide variety of classical furniture design, to satisfy different tastes and clients’ type. We at Interiors make sure to always stay up to date with the latest trends. We attend worldwide exhibitions, explore new ideas and bring in new suppliers, with a focus on innovation and quality, our furniture collections showcase unique design to suit every style and taste.
What position has Made in Italy in your stores?
We import furniture from manufacturers located in Italy, Spain, USA, and Canada, we also have more than 100 brands. Made in Italy furniture has a very important position in our stores. We are the exclusive distributors of Cornelio Cappellini, Giorgio Collection, Nicoletti, Alf Italia, Scappini, Seven Sedie and many more including accessories / lighting suppliers like Chiantese, DEKOR TOSCANA… Certainly Made in Italy trademark gives a very positive impact as our customers trust the Italian quality we sell.
Your team is specialized also in interior projects: what are the most important requests received in this sector?
In addition to furniture and accessories, we have a design studio and a fabric department. Our creative team of professional interior designers crafts exclusive concepts tailored around each customer style, including consultation and design proposals, along with offering hand-made curtains, personalized upholstery pieces and an endless selection of fabrics.
Do you handle more contract and hospitality projects or private works? An example of a recent project?
Both private and hospitality projects form an essential part of our business, we have done several projects for palaces and villas for VIP customers. We have also completed 2 projects of furnished apartments, for 205 and 675 apartments respectively during 2017.
Interiors has 6 showrooms: do they aim to different kinds of clients and feature diverse collections?
Interiors showrooms are strategically located around the UAE, and we display a wide range of furniture and accessories to cater to our customers’ needs and tastes. For instance, we display a mix of classical, contemporary and modern design in our main showroom in Abu Dhabi, as for Jumeirah we focus more on the contemporary and modern furniture. Other showrooms, such as Al Ain, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah have more classical design because these areas have a majority of classical-oriented clients.
