Gulf Construction Online - Act Decor does three packages

The Fairmont Dubai

Act Decor does three packages

01 December 2001

Act Decor, one of the UAE's leading interior designers, has successfully completed a major furniture and accessories contract for The Fairmont Dubai.

Managing partner Mohamed Al Banna describes the project as "very special and also an unusual one in that we were working as a sub-contractor as we generally get involved in the design on most projects."

The contract, which was awarded in three packages, included the supply of loose furniture and accessories, decorative mirrors, light fittings and all outdoor furniture. The first two packages were awarded to the firm in March this year while the third package was awarded in August.

The first two packages, completed by Act Decor last September, covered the ninth floor. This level houses the health club which comprises a gymnasium, two swimming pools, treatment rooms, coffee bar, juice bar, rest areas, two salons for men and women and a nursery.

Under the third package which the firm has just completed, Act Decor was required to furnish all luxury suites on the 34th and 35th floors which house the Royal, Imperial, Presidential suites and penthouses. Under this package, it also supplied curtains, bedding and draperies which were especially imported from the US, Italy, England and France.

According to Mohamed, the materials conform to the interior design consultant's specifications. The fabrics supplied are very expensive, accounting for nearly 55 per cent of Act Decor's contract value, he says.

Mohamed, along with his wife Rita, who is an interior designer, established Act Decor in 1980.

He says that Act Decor specialises in all kinds of interior design work and supply of furniture. "We have the capability to design and execute decoration works for palaces, villas, offices, clubs, schools, commercial stores, showrooms, hotels and furnished apartment buildings," he adds.

Act Decor also supplies contract furniture to staff accommodation camps, hotels, hospitals, universities, schools, laboratories and others.

He says the company imports most of its materials, such as standard and custom- made furniture, curtain fabrics, wall and floor-coverings, light fittings and accessories, required for projects from the US and Europe.

"We have good contacts with suppliers in Italy, the US, the UK and Spain which helps us in securing good projects," says Mohamed.

Elaborating on the company's mode of operations, Rita says: "We try to create harmony in our work and colours play a major role. Before proceeding on the colour scheme and other details of a project, we check the architecture, safety of the place, characteristics of the end-users and then choose colours that will suit the environment. We have to treat each room separately, but it has to be in complete harmony with the atmosphere."

For special projects where other aspects may be involved, she says Act Decor establishes joint ventures with one or more companies specialised in the relevant field, such as for gypsum work and architectural woodwork.

Over the years, Act Decor has executed a wide range of turnkey projects and has been involved with a number of others.

Prestigious projects executed by the company include: the laboratories classrooms and luxury 'five-star' residential apartment buildings at the Avian Research Centre; palaces in Dubai and Sharjah - designed and interior work executed down to the last detail; travel agencies for Sharjah International Airport and other private clients, where high-class luxury finishes were used; and the Sharjah Club for the Disabled.

"The Sharjah Club for the Disabled is one of the largest of its kind in the Middle East and has been designed to offer the feeling of luxury with all the necessary facilities," says Rita. "The project, which involved a lot of decoration work, was done on a fast-track basis. Our scope of work also included all the furniture at the club."

Other projects executed by Act Decor include the Juvenile Home comprising several buildings in Al Mafraq, Abu Dhabi; many villas in Sharjah and Dubai, five large villas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a palace in Qatar (design work).

Prior to opening an office in the UAE, Act Decor executed a project in Saudi Arabia.