DATA SHEET
Interior design: Sneha Divias Atelier
Graphic design: Yellow
Furnishings: Haworth Harbor, custom-made furnishings
Lighting: Brokis
Bathrooms: Cielo, Bagno Design
Sufaces: Corian
Photo credits: Natelee Cocks
A bright world that fascinates everyone. Children can inhabit a planet on their scale, while adults can indulge and regress a bit. One of its kind, White & the Bear in Dubai is a place for families to eat, play, shop or just observe. A concept store on two levels, intentionally not limited in terms of functions: the restaurant and store blend together on the ground floor, while the upper level also features a reading corner and a space for special events.
Designed by Sneha Divias Atelier, at their second experience on this theme, White & the Bear is a case in which design is closely connected to the success of an idea, also thanks to close cooperation with the client, Hana Al Mula in partnership with Annabel Karmel, the contractor Neotech and the graphic design team Yellow. The Atelier has created child-centric design that shifts the vantage point and disrupts adult references, not excluding grown-ups but encouraging them to share in rituals of reading, learning and eating.
The holistic approach provides parents with what they consider important for their kids: healthy food, a reassuring setting, and playful education. It all begins with a different perspective, addressing the needs and preferences of children in a warm, clean atmosphere with pale colors and delicate textures, ideal to stimulate imagination and creativity. The restaurant has a clear personality, also with an allergen-free and vegetarian menu, developed by nutrition expert Annabel Karmel MBE.
The counters in slate-color wood are all custom creations, like the display cases, cabinets and metal coat racks. The exception to the custom rule is the seagull lamp by Brokis at the entrance. In the minimal, fresh graphic design black and white convey a sense of serenity, alongside simple material touches enhanced by the use of enamels, grain, vinyl surfaces and Corian. The game of alternate scales of the furnishings is amusing: the ‘miniature’ seats are placed next to those of Haworth Harbor in normal size; the ergonomic kid-height washstands by Cielo are joined by fixtures from Bagno Design.
