With a strong belief system steeped in the world of design, Farah AlHumaidhi thrives on those little details that make all the difference. Whether it be her choice of color for a specific design, to set a positive example as a role model for others to follow on social media, it is her discerning eye for detail that sets her apart from other design thought leaders in the region. She is an educator, designer, and content creator on a mission to help us lead our lives with intent, function, and most importantly, design at the heart of it all.
Our last encounter with Farah was back in 2012, when she had just embarked on her design journey with her self-created brand, Pieces by Farah. Today, she is a design and content creation influencer in her own right, and we catch up with the talented designer to speak more about her journey, and her latest collaboration that is setting a new design standard for our living spaces with none other than H&M HOME. The new H&M HOME concept store is complete with a dedicated florist, a service area for customization and monogramming, small furniture, home accessories and so many elements that will simply inspire your inner designer to find their muse.
From a very early start in presentation art, Pieces by Farah, to paving the road to better develop an understanding of design in Arabic for your followers today, it’s been quite a journey for you! What is one key life lesson that you’ve learned along the way that you could share with our readers?
My journey began in 2004 with Presentation Art and through it all, I believe my greatest accomplishment is adapting the philosophy of diversification and adaptability. During my journey which took me from being a designer to an educator to a content creator, I have realized that in order to develop further, one needs to branch out and diversify. The realization came from my belief that, in order to sustain ourselves, we need more than a single source of income to be able to enjoy disruption-free growth.
This comprehension has enabled me to become more resilient, even when a certain industry goes for a toss. Moreover, being adaptable has furthered my belief to go with the flow. Doing what you believe is the right path or altering to the demands of the audience has backed me to always keep an eye open for opportunities that come along the way
We love that you offer your knowledge in online courses on platforms like Dawrat, what made you feel that you wanted to do that? Your course and most of your content is in Arabic, why did you decide to do that?
During my earlier days when I was exploring a career in design, I was shocked by the ambiguity in this career’s opportunities along with the lack of information on the various segments available in the Middle east. Moreover, during my tenure as an Interior Designer, I have encountered several issues albeit commonly faced by the designer, due to the client being uninformed and unfamiliar with design basics. And this prompted me to share my knowledge and train the uninitiated with the basics. With the 2008 global crisis, I realized that what we offer is basically a luxury service that the clients want to do on their own when it comes to decorating their homes. From there, I was able to differentiate clients into two categories, those who will continue to attempt to design their home without hiring a designer (would not be my client anyways) and those who will seek out a professional for the job.
The second target category appreciates and understands a designer better, and will also leave the client feeling more content upon the completion of their homes. This motivated me to expand on what I was offering; I was able to widen my target audience and gain new customers that were never in my circle.
With regards to my course content, I turned to the Arabic language because one can find tons of content in English, French, Spanish but Arabic was very inadequate and unprofessionally presented. And moreover, I felt there was this great thirst for design content in the region that remained untapped. So, to fill the language gap in the industry which has been instrumental in shaping me, I have focused on delivering the content in Arabic solely while delivering this content through various channels be it written, printed, digital, online, tv, etc.
In a world that is really digital, why did you decide to create Daleel Farah, a printed publication? Do you think people need something tangible to help them create their own spaces?
Daleel Farah is a hard-bound guide for all interior design lovers across the world that contains information and tips to arrange the thoughts for those who desire to oversee their home build. It not only facilitates the understanding of interior design basics but also has activities that help homeowners better understand the nuances of their home build. This is done by engaging the reader to actually perform the design steps with the help of tips, checklist, information, charts, tables, and a sample booklet space. Personally, although I live in a digitalized world I still prefer to scribble on my notes and that is one of the reasons that made me focus on a physical book. Clients can actually carry them everywhere, and write or draw on them. This book is designed to assist them in their journey of building a dream house with pockets for collecting samples along the journey and can ultimately be a reminder of their building a beautiful dream space.
You have also written Lulu Designs Her Own Room, what inspired you to write a children’s book about design? Should we expect more books from you?
When I began interacting with social media, I gained a big following of young girls aged between nine and 14-years-old, who not only looked upon me as a role model but also laid on me a great responsibility. Lulu’s Story is a book that passes on a very heavy concept, but in simple terminology. This story also tries to bring in the concept of teamwork, as shown with the friends; building a dream, appreciation, and value, as seen in the parents. This book tries to nurture the concepts of desires and values from a young age, going along the lines of the phrase ‘Catch them Young’. Ultimately, I hope to deliver the first design lesson of their young life, and yes, you can expect more books in the future.
You are super active on IG, YouTube, and your blog, which of these platforms is your favorite and why?
I love all mediums, so can’t pinpoint a specific platform, however, the one closest to my heart is Instagram because I feel that it brings me closest to my followers. I consider YouTube and my Blog to be more formal platforms.
We love the beautiful collections in Farah Home, do you design them all yourself or do you carefully curate them?
During the first phase of Farah Home, we focused on providing curated items that are sourced from across the globe, while in the second phase we will concentrate on designing our own lines. Farah Home is not just about offering a curation of beautiful products from around the world though, as, with the most recent merger of Pieces by Farah in 2021, it now houses beautiful handmade products designed and made In Kuwait. You can find these now under the “Signature Collection” brand.
When the opportunity to collaborate with H&M HOME to launch the H&M HOME Concept Store came about, what excited you the most about the process?
Given my passion for design, I was thrilled when the opportunity to collaborate came my way. I, personally am a huge fan of H&M Home and I love their taste, and yes…all of their products are my favorite. What excites me the most is being the first designer to collaborate from my country and secondly, the collaboration arrives as a true expression of my personality.
How did you go about selecting your chosen pieces to complete the Farah Al Humaidhi edit at H&M HOME?
For the selection of the chosen pieces, I was briefed on the complete concept and style offerings at H&M HOME. The concept offers classic, clean, feminine, and casual pieces and moreover, I also went through the different sections or zones that were on display at the store. Based on this, I have selected the styles that would go with each zone or area in the store. For the dining area, I have opted for the casual aesthetic and decided to make the display very raw using natural materials like stone and wood. While in the living area, which was more of a display style, I thought it would be an opportunity to display my favorite pieces as a shop and shop style, rather than a display, and therefore went with the clean style.
Because to me, and throughout H&M HOME, I felt that the clean style is my favorite, and all the products displayed in that category reflected my taste. I have used several different styles of vases, table mirrors, and frames to create more of an accessorizing display opportunity, rather than a full living area or a dining area.
The next area I considered was the bathroom area, and I had two spaces to design. For the first, I chose to create a space that was more casual with natural and earthy colors like pastels, while the second area was more classic with deep colors like the flooring which was in black and white, and so it was accessorized with shades like deep emerald green, some light green, and black.
The result was a very classic style, though I don’t often see myself in it I have absolutely fallen in love with the emerald green color. The bedding area offered a very feminine theme, and since I love linens I have incorporated a lot of mix and match style offerings be it in patterns, colors, or textures. The last zone, the kid’s zone, had no specific style but rather a beautifully curated selection of products.
What do you like most about the various offerings at the new H&M HOME concept store?
I love the new H&M HOME concept store. I fell in love with how the products were displayed, and especially the variety of displays available. I was also very happy to see small furniture being sold, like lighting, pendants, and table lamps. I especially liked the dedicated flower area with the Lily Fleur Boutique, which has a dried flowers section too that will visually assist the clients to set the vases all dressed up prior to taking them home. Plus, it’s a definite guarantee that it will go along with their home theme because they are dried flowers.
They also have a section of beautiful fresh flowers which is definitely an add-on. The fact that there is such a large variety on display benefits the clients to choose from its wide range and to purchase everything and anything to make their home pretty and appealing. Aside from the large furniture pieces, which I believe will be available for purchase very soon at H&M HOME.
Which pieces within the different sections at the store most resonate with your design aesthetic?
I am more in love with the clean collection. That zone of the H&M HOME concept store will have the majority of my favorite pieces. I love the head sculpture, the vases with a structural face, mirror with the wood piece, and the green glass vases that broke the neutrals of the collection which were in beige. I also love the wooden bowls, platters, and stamps displayed in the dining area of the store.
It is actually hard to pinpoint a single product that I love the most because I always find myself loving things that reflect nature and raw materials. In the context of the H&M HOME concept store, I also found great pieces in the classic collection, which I feel is more industrial with the usage of metal, gold, silver, and glass, which is basically man-made more than it is natural. Nonetheless, what is most endearing about H&M HOME is the availability of a variety of products that I would say I love the most because anytime I would walk into the shop, I am assured that I can find something that I would fall in love with.
For more on Farah AlHumaidhi, head to @fnhumaidhi on Instagram. Shop the Farah AlHumaidhi edit at H&M HOME at the 1st Avenue – The Avenues.
