DUBAI: When Christiane Nasr strolled New York’s Bowery Avenue in 2014, she became fascinated with the neighborhood’s eclectic and industrial vibe. Nasr fell in love with furniture and lighting boutiques on Bowery Avenue and noticed a gap in the market in Dubai for this kind of design experience. After returning to the UAE, she took a leap of faith and decided to set up a company retailing curated interior design objects fusing New York’s industrial vibe with Scandinavian-style clean lines. What started as a B2C online concept store eventually became a 5,000-square-foot boutique in Dubai’s Al-Quoz district. With plans to open a store in Saudi Arabia in 2024, Arab News chats with the entrepreneur to know more.
“We are a pioneer of Scandinavian design here in the region, alongside being the biggest supplier of this design aesthetic,” said Nasr, whose store features brands such as 101 Copenhagen, Ferm Living, Fest Amsterdam, Norr11 and Audo Copenhagen.
Nasr is very passionate about curation and is fully involved when deciding what to buy for the collection. “I choose the fabrics as well as the color scheme. You can’t just have a disruptive brand – you need something that blends when you have multiple brands.”
Over the years, The Bowery Company also gained popularity with hotels and commercial spaces. More recently, they have been working on numerous projects in Saudi Arabia, including Red Sea and NEOM hotels. Nasr adds that future expansion plans in the Kingdom are up and running, and she already has a partner in Saudi Arabia on the B2B side.
“Additionally, I have also found a location for a new store in the Kingdom, which we are looking at for 2024. The trademark has been registered, and I am working on finalizing the license, which is an exciting milestone,” she said.
