Сиднейское дизайн-бюро Alexander & Co оформило интерьер ресторана в Дубае. Sean Connolly at Dubai Opera расположен в здании оперы, построенном по проекту голландского архитектора Януса Ростока неподалеку от небоскреба Бурдж-Халифа.
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Основатель бюро Джереми Булл (Jeremy Bull) рассказывает, что в профессию попал едва ли не случайно. Пошел учиться на архитектора из-за любви к рисованию. «В проектах Alexander & Co всегда есть некий ореол рукотворности. Мне нравятся вещи, сделанные вручную, за их выразительность, они всегда занимают особое место в нашей работе. Некоторые коммерческие проекты выглядят слишком пластиковыми и автоматизированными. Понимаешь, что они сделаны для людей, но совершенно не чувствуется, что человек принимал участие в их создании. Для нас же присутствие человека, ручного труда действительно важно.
What Dubai sees as value is very different from Europe, the United States or Australia. If everything around does not shine, nobody understands it there. In comparison, I see: we used to have this too close, but now everyone wants brutality, handicraft work, natural materials. The fact that such real, real things are good, Dubai customers only have to convince.
Синий шерстяной ковер ручной работы с «пенным» узором — намек на океанские воды. В бюро Alexander & Co его придумали специально для этого проекта. I like the idea that design is a challenge. The task may be completely unexpected, but if it meets our ambitions, we will take on this project. What matters is whether this work will move us forward or pull back. In fact, the only criterion is for it to be a new exciting experience and an opportunity to learn something, and not just a commercial project for the sake of money.
The starting point when working on the interior was ... the love of the chief for oysters, the crown dish of brasserie. And also the building of the opera, resembling the shape of a sailing ship. 
Sean Connolly at Dubai Opera is already the sixth restaurant of chef Shaun Connolly (Sean Connolly) and its first establishment in the Middle East. 
The vaulted curved ceiling simultaneously imitates both the sea wave and fish scales - due to the silvery tile that lined its surface. 
The complex shades of gray, green and black resemble an oyster shell. A soft pink, cream, silver and pearl white - its contents. 
In the eclectic menu there was a place for local seafood, Australian steaks and Italian pizza. 
An interdisciplinary approach to work is what I have always wanted. A brief is a brief, and it doesn't matter what you design: a chair, a lamp, a decoration or a building. The ambitions of the designer is to complete the task as accurately as possible, and not just to work in the specialty. For me, a huge motivation was to learn to take on any brief. This is generally one of the biggest difficulties in our practice. When you hire people, it may turn out that they think very differently: university education does not immediately make them designers or architects.
It seems to me that the influence of cultural factors will only grow. Resources are becoming more limited, people's needs are growing, the need for cultural dialogue is developing - including, within the framework of the idea of sustainable development. You can no longer pretend that resources are endless and abundant, demonstrative consumption has come and gone. ”
“People still want luxury, but now it should be expressed in a less obvious way. And handicraft is closest to the idea of imperceptible consumption. ”
Выбор мебели и аксессуаров в проекте Alexander & Co — в тренде Mid-century modern. Здесь диваны Serpentine Владимира Кагана, кресла Уоррена Плантера для Knoll, стулья Нормана Чернера, светильники Сержа Муя.
