Tradition tamed: Beirut design duo re-imagine the Lebanese living room

The Loulou/ Hoda exhibition at the Art Factum Gallery presented a contemporary tribute to the Lebanese grandmother’s living room, a perfect concoction of French, Ottoman, Roman and Hellenistic culture with a dash of Phoenician magic thrown in for good measure.

Celebrating the skill of being able to merge several styles into a coherent, unmistakably Lebanese aesthetic, the duo started with their favourite pieces from each of their grandmother’s homes, before reinterpreting them for the modern home.

‘Modern Lebanese urban homes lack the sense of tradition and identity,’ says David Raffoul, one half of david/nicolas. ‘They are instead strewn with cold generic designs that go hand in hand with long lost culture.’

Polished brass stools with walnut legs, hand blown glass carafes with gold painted details and a black painted iron table comprise a collection that speak to a  

For more on creating a product history of whimsy read LS:N Global's Faction Marketing macrotrend.