If you’re seeking inspiration and find yourself still lost for that one brilliant [enter notion of choice here], a change of scenery is in order. I find myself sometimes thinking of a specific setting, a sentence, or even a piece of furniture because my imagination is visually triggered. That’s why I constantly revisit dar.nur.

Come by during the mornings, and you’ll find the beautiful Noor Alzabin preening the eclectic lifestyle store to perfection. She will regale you with tales about the charmingly curated store, taking the time and care to explain how each item was either found, or in certain cases, created. As the entire bazaar office rushed to finalize the monthly content before our print deadline I needed a mental break, so I simply dropped by the boutique for some serenity and some serious window-shopping. Okay, that’s a lie. I shopped my heart out, and then went back to the office!

Hi Noor, we’ve missed you! How is life at dar.nur?

It’s as colorful as always!

What are some of the store’s latest developments?

Since our last chat we have expanded our stationary and paper goods collection to include over six different designer/suppliers from all over the world! We have also dabbled in working on exclusive designs for dar.nur as we continue our love affair with paper! Our paper goods in stock include cards, gift-wrap paper and bags, banners, notebooks, photo props, note pads etc.

We also continue to represent Kuwaiti artist Ghadah Alkandari exclusively in Kuwait. Her work is now available for purchase all year long as opposed to availability being limited to short-lived art exhibitions.  All her available art for sale is physically in dar.nur!

In addition, we found some fantastic fabric this summer from Egypt that we used to create a dar.nur collection of wonderful cushions, benches and some chairs and a sofa. The fabrics are bright, positive, and truly original. We pride ourselves in offering items such as these that are unique to our space.

What makes dar.nur different from other boutique lifestyle concepts in Kuwait?

We repeatedly mention that we don’t follow exclusivities or trends and that gives us the creative freedom to shape this business as we see fit! We are not obligated by any “business” commitments, which can dampen the creative spirit in many cases.

In addition, we believe that our attention to absolutely every aspect of the business from the buying of products to the personal relationship we have with our clients makes it a little more personal and distinctive.

And, as mentioned earlier, we do try to offer truly unique products from time to time by exclusively designing and commissioning products for dar.nur.

What are some select items for the fall season?

One of the most essential touches to transitioning through any seasons is home scent! A delicate suggestion in the background of your environment, whether it is for home or work place, can lift your spirits and provoke nostalgic reflection. For this season we will be highlighting deeper scents with wooden and musky notes. Drift wood, Teak and Moroccan fig are our top picks!

We also absolutely love the Mubkhars (scent burners) designed by zeri crafts and available at dar.nur! Naturally we will be leaning towards that delicious purple shade for this season.

We personally get very inspired by a drizzle and a few clouds, we therefore, like to stock-up on notebooks to keep in the car, handbag, home and work just to make sure we jot down any random bursts of inspiration and memory. We have a lovely selection in store!

What’s your favorite item that is currently in store?

We love the quirky cool collection of animal trays by creative French team I-Bride! We have been stocking their work for a few years now and the humor and creativity never fails! They are both practical as they can be used as trays or easily hung on the wall and they are achingly pretty!

What’s next for dar.nur in 2016?

We hope our clients appreciate what they find here and we hope to continue providing items that are fresh and unique to the market in Kuwait. We will continue to do what we do best and hope something falls our way and we will definitely go with it! Anything is possible!

dar.nur is located at the Lilly Center in Shuwaikh. Reach them by phone at 2491 5758. Find them online at www.dar-nur.com and follow them on Instagram @dar_nur.