Transcending design and lifestyle horizons through an innovative reading of Qatari traditions. Symbol of the hybridisation of old and new worlds. Milan Design Week 2022 – Fromm. – Showroom – Via Savona, 35 – Milan

Fromm., Platform born in Qatar, dedicated to furniture design, chooses Milan Design Week to launch the Shurouq Collection, the first collection of furniture. An innovative concept inspired by Qatari culture, interpreted by Qatari interior design talents and translated into furnishings for contemporary spaces and lifestyles. Fromm. is a design company / platform created to connect culture and design, craftsmanship and production, which identifies, accompanies and guides young new talents, and local interior designers, on a path that leads from the sketch to the creation and sale of a product. At the helm the founder Alia Rachid, whose ambitious and stimulating mission was to spread a new and true culture of design on a global scale to intercept and determine new lifestyles.

An exciting journey

“Fromm. started from an idea born among colleagues and turned into an exciting journey, which began a little over a year ago. Today we have consolidated our presence, expanded our team, enriched our experience and gained expertise, with the sole objective of developing collections of unique design and impeccable production, building on the rich heritage of local design communities, leaving room for innovation and making available the experience and know-how of the best partners,” explains Rachid.

Young designers

Fromm. promotes the meeting of young designers with interesting potential with top professionals and companies from all over the world, with the aim of developing and creating a global design system by sharing a network that considers end users as people, not just customers, designers as creative thinkers, suppliers and retailers as irreplaceable partners. An opportunity aimed at young designers, inviting them to explore new design solutions that renew cultural heritage and different genius loci. A strategic vision to speak to new generations of increasingly cosmopolitan, demanding and cultured people, who work and live in every part of the world, in fluid, contemporary spaces that escape any ordinary classification of taste and style.

Shurouq Collection

Fromm.’s Shurouq Collection was conceived and designed in Doha, developed in Milan, prototyped in Brianza and will be produced where in the world the best know-how resides. The process underlines the global reach of Fromm. and the originality of the design process, capable of responding innovatively to the demands of an increasingly demanding clientele. “Shurouq is an Arabic word meaning Sunrise: it embodies not only part of the inspiration behind the collection, but also the point of view of Fromm. as a company. Our company is only in its infancy and has a long journey ahead of it,’ Rachid continues. Designed by Qatari designers Shua’a Ali and Maryam Al Suwaidi, the collection is the result of a co-design process and has several products.

An opportunity for growth

The design of the Shurouq Collection, Fromm’s first, is inspired by Qatar’s cultural and natural heritage. The products exert an extraordinary aesthetic and emotional appeal, capable of enhancing even very different contexts, from residential to contract and hospitality spaces, projecting traditional Qatari hospitality into an international dimension. “My creativity is nurtured by my passion for art and design culture. Fromm. has provided me with an unmissable opportunity for personal and professional growth, supporting and guiding me in translating my creative spirit into a practical dimension through tools and processes, some of which are completely new to me,’ says designer Shua’a Ali. The coffee tables Maiz and Tawla, the console table Derj, and the wall cabinet Maktaba are the four pieces designed by Shua’a Ali, while the floor lamp Laite was designed in collaboration with Ellaquadro. Each product is characterised by the dominant presence of an arched profile, inspired by the design of ancient Qatari architecture.

Cultural identities

The characteristic perforated appearance of the collection is inspired by pigeon houses, buildings that are widespread in Qatar and the Gulf region. Tradition and innovation are the idioms of a language that speaks the language of cultural heritage, safeguarding elements of cultural identity while projecting them within the challenges presented by globalisation. “The journey with Fromm. was a completely new experience in my career. As a visual artist, I know how to translate my thoughts into artistic concepts. However, thanks to the collaboration with Fromm. I learnt how to translate these concepts into concrete objects for everyday use; not only furniture elements, but also artefacts that reflect the artistic beauty intrinsic to our identity and culture,’ says designer Al Suwaidi. In conceiving and designing the Baida sofa, the Haima armchair and pouf, and the Majra tables, Al Suwaidi was inspired by the nature of her homeland, in particular the sand dunes and their dynamic shape, comparable to the complexity of personal identity, composed of infinite and changing individual imprints, daughters of life episodes and social contexts.