When the founders of Obegi Home decided they wanted a new showroom that would expand their offering and fully represent their brand, they decided to go all out.
They came across two commercial villas on Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Road that were in the process of being built. They negotiated with the owner to transform the two cement structures into a single 1,500-square-metre space that was designed to their precise specifications. The showroom is in a prime location, a few hundred metres from the Burj Al Arab, and stands out on account of its modern-looking architecture, which blends natural stone with black steel and large glass windows.
“We’ve been in this business for 40 years, out of Lebanon,” says Karine Obegi, owner and managing partner of Obegi Home. “The first big decision we took was to move to Dubai and establish our headquarters here, nine years ago. I have to say, we’ve been successful, and our clients and suppliers wanted more. So we had pressure from the market to do and show more; to enlarge the selection and deepen the service.
“We wanted to have our own building and our own identity. We wanted to be in a high-end and great location, and were very lucky to find this spot, which is very visible.”
Obegi Home prides itself on its holistic offering – in terms of both product category and style. The brand’s extensive range includes what Obegi refers to as the more architectural elements of the home – kitchens, wardrobes and doors; and then the more decorative elements – furniture, lighting and smaller accessories.
The space is split down the middle; on the one side are the more classic pieces and on the other, the more contemporary ones. This ensures that there is something to suit all tastes. In terms of furniture, brands such as the United States-headquartered Baker (which has been a core part of the Obegi portfolio since the beginning), Christopher Guy, Flexform and JNL sit on the more classic side of the spectrum, while Italian stalwarts Giorgetti, Ceccotti and Moroso represent a more contemporary aesthetic. Similarly, there are modern-looking rugs produced in Belgium, versus hand-tufted, customisable carpets crafted in Nepal and India.
There is similar variety when it comes to kitchens and wardrobes. “We’ve really developed our kitchen offering, with what we think are the best German and Italian kitchen brands – we carry Bulthaup and Varenna by Poliform, which we believe has improved tremendously in the last five years and is becoming a very sexy and quality-driven kitchen brand.
“When it comes to walk-in closets and wardrobes, we are very lucky to also have the best Italians, Rimadesio and Poliform. Rimadesio is perhaps a little less known, but it’s all about glass and aluminium, and is very advanced in its technological processes. It basically has no competition in the way it treats aluminium and glass. It is more on the minimal and contemporary side. When a client wants something a little warmer, or something made from wood, it’s usually Poliform,” explains Obegi.
Having spent the best part of the last decade serving clients in the UAE, Obegi is well placed to comment on how trends and tastes have evolved in this market. “It’s been almost 10 years that we’ve been here. People in Dubai have become more and more exposed, and more and more influenced, by what is happening in the rest of the world.
“I would say that people are becoming more contemporary in their tastes – and there is more value being placed on kitchens and wardrobes compared to before,” says Obegi.
“There is also more value being placed on original pieces, as opposed to getting your sofa made by the carpenter next door. There are fewer requests for very Arabic touches in houses, and less gold, even when you go classical. And there is a bigger need to have a holistic approach, rather than just adding pieces here and there,” she concludes.
sdenman@thenational.ae
