Home Integrator
MODERN DESIGN WITHOUT THE LUXURY PRICE TAG
Exclusive interview Hussein Khalil El Batal the chairman and CEO of Batal Design Group
Your journey started with a single humble store that evolved into a multi-market design powerhouse. Looking back, which core values have driven BD Holding’s transformation over the past 30 years?
When I look back, what carried us from one humble store to a regional group is quite simple: family, integrity, and obsession with design. We never treated furniture as a product; we treated it as a way of living. Over seventy years, BD Holding built deep relationships with suppliers across the world, always insisting on quality, fair pricing, and long-term partnerships. This mindset created trust. Trust from our teams, our partners, and our customers, and it is that trust which allowed us to grow into a multi country design group rather than remain a single showroom.
The Group has expanded its portfolio with brands such as DAZE, B Design, Intercasa, B Interiors, B Closets, and B Office. How do these brands reflect the region’s evolving lifestyle and design expectations?
Each brand in BD Holding answers a different need in our customers’ lives. DAZE speaks to the new generation that wants modern design, comfort, and accessibility without compromising on quality. B Design and Intercasa focus on craftsmanship, customization, and full interior solutions for homes and projects. B Interiors, B Closets, and B Office answer the growing demand for tailored storage, workspaces, and smart living. Together they reflect a region where people are more design aware, more digitally connected, and more demanding. They expect international standards with a local heartbeat, and this is exactly what our portfolio delivers.
Your philanthropic work and community commitments are widely recognized. How does this personal mission shape the culture, values, and long-term vision of BD Holding?
I grew up in a country that has seen many challenges. For me, success without responsibility has no meaning. Our philanthropic initiatives, whether in education, craftsmanship training, or community support, are not separate from the business. They are part of our identity. Within BD Holding, this translates into a culture of respect, loyalty, and opportunity. A place where people grow, stay, and contribute to something larger than a business. Many of our employees have grown with us for decades. Externally, it means we design and build with the belief that better homes can contribute to stronger communities. When we talk about expansion, we are not only speaking about showrooms; we are speaking about impact and legacy.
DAZE is one of your latest brand concepts. What design gap or unmet customer behavior inspired its creation, and how does it differentiate itself from the Group’s other brands in terms of materials, colour palettes, and price positioning?
DAZE was born because we saw a clear gap. Customers wanted contemporary, trend conscious furniture with a refined look, but at a price that felt realistic for everyday life. With DAZE we combined the heritage and purchasing power of BD Holding with a fresh, youthful design language. The brand plays with bouclé, micro leather, warm woods, marble and metal details, soft neutrals, and rich accent tones that speak to today’s interiors. The collections are carefully engineered to be accessible in price, yet aspirational in mood. It sits alongside our other brands as the most approachable, fashion forward expression of our design philosophy.
DAZE has quickly emerged as a strong franchise model. In your view, what makes it a compelling investment opportunity compared to other concepts in the market?
What makes DAZE powerful as a franchise is that partners are not starting from zero. They step into a concept that is already tested in multiple countries, supported by more than seventy years of sourcing experience and thousands of supplier relationships worldwide. This gives DAZE a strong advantage in price, quality, and design. In addition, we offer a full support structure: operations, R and D, purchasing, and marketing specialists, all focused on the success of our partners. The model is designed to deliver attractive returns, with an accessible initial investment and a clear path to profitability, which is why investors see it as a serious, results driven opportunity.
Looking ahead, what is the expansion roadmap for DAZE? Where do you envision the brand in the next five years, and what strategies will drive that growth?
DAZE started in Lebanon and has grown into key cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Buraydah, Dubai, Erbil, Baghdad, and Africa with a new location underway in Baghdad and an upcoming international opening in Milano. Our current footprint spans more than twelve showrooms, and our ambition is to cross fifty by the end of 2030. The strategy is clear: work with committed partners, secure prime locations, and maintain a strong pipeline of collections that respond to local tastes while staying globally relevant. We will continue to build DAZE as a trend-setting yet accessible brand, ready for multi-continent expansion.
How do you balance trend driven collections with timeless pieces that retain value over the years?
For me, this balance is the art of what we do. Our R and D team spends the year studying exhibitions, global fairs, and digital inspiration to identify what is coming next. At the same time, we design with longevity in mind. The new direction in furniture is not fast fashion; it is collections that feel current today but still beautiful ten years from now. We achieve this by anchoring each season in solid proportions, comfortable silhouettes, and materials that age well, then layering in trend elements through fabrics, colours, and details that can be refreshed over time.
What operational systems make DAZE a scalable franchise model for multi market expansion?
Behind the aesthetics, DAZE is a very disciplined system. Our partners benefit from a complete toolkit: showroom design, visual merchandising, staff training, project support, and access to integrated software, systems, and e commerce. A dedicated franchise team follows up daily to ensure consistency and growth. Because sourcing, R and D, marketing, and logistics are centralized and managed by experienced teams, each new franchise can focus on execution and customer relationships rather than building an entire infrastructure from scratch. This is what allows DAZE to replicate success from one country to another while respecting the specifics of each market.
What differentiates DAZE from other contemporary furniture brands in the region?
DAZE stands at the intersection of Lebanese creativity and European refinement. It carries the heritage and credibility of BD Holding, yet speaks with a young, confident voice. The brand combines design research, material innovation, and careful pricing in a way that few regional brands can match. Most importantly, DAZE is not only a showroom concept; it is a partnership model with proven results, from Lebanon to UAE, KSA, Iraq, and soon in Milano and Africa. When you choose DAZE, whether as a customer or a franchisee, you are joining a story that is already successful and still full of possibilities.
Home Integrator
PLANRADAR LAUNCHES “CONSTRUCTION SITE TEMPLATES PLAYBOOK” TO HELP GCC PROJECT TEAMS IMPROVE DAILY SITE EXECUTION CONTROL
PlanRadar, a digital platform for construction and real estate project management, has launched the Construction Site Templates Playbook, a new practical guide designed to help project teams strengthen day-to-day execution control through disciplined, repeatable site documentation.
As construction and real estate developments across the GCC increase in scale and complexity, site teams operate under continuous pressure: multiple trades working in parallel, frequent inspections, tight programmes, and strict compliance requirements. In this environment, performance issues often begin with simple breakdowns—unclear scope clarifications, delayed approvals, missed inspections, fragmented safety reporting, and incomplete records—then surface later during audits, handover, or dispute resolution when time and cost impacts are already locked in.
The Construction Site Templates Playbook addresses this challenge by positioning templates not as administrative paperwork, but as operational control points that help teams capture, verify, and act on information consistently across the project lifecycle. The playbook consolidates the most essential site templates into five execution pillars:
- Construction & Commercial Control (scope clarifications, inspections, approvals, change control)
- Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) (hazard identification, permits to work, incident reporting, compliance records)
- Quality & Inspections (structured verification, defects and non-conformance control, commissioning readiness)
- Progress & Coordination (daily reporting, look-ahead planning, constraint tracking, coordination actions)
- Materials & Logistics (material approvals, delivery inspections, traceable acceptance before installation)
The guide also introduces a practical “Execution Loop”, outlining the sequential stages of planning, executing, inspecting, correcting, and ultimately approving and closing. This approach demonstrates how the templates work together as a unified, disciplined system that enhances accountability, ensures traceability, and accelerates on-site decision-making.
“Successful delivery depends on more than planning—it depends on execution discipline,” said Ibrahim Imam, CEO and Co-Founder of PlanRadar “When clarifications, inspections, approvals, and corrective actions are captured consistently and tied to the right locations and evidence, site teams reduce ambiguity, protect quality, strengthen compliance, and improve handover readiness. This playbook is designed to make those controls practical and repeatable on every project.”
While the playbook can be applied in manual environments, it also highlights how structured digital workflows strengthen template usage by improving ownership, visibility, and audit readiness. By digitising templates, site records become time-stamped, traceable, and location-linked—reducing common challenges such as missing paperwork, delayed approvals, duplicated records, and unclear responsibility.
The Construction Site Templates Playbook is available in English and Arabic and is intended for developers, consultants, main contractors, subcontractors, and site teams involved in construction and real estate delivery across the GCC.
Home Integrator
CALLIGARIS: A CENTURY OF ITALIAN DESIGN, CURATED FOR THE UAE BY WESTERN FURNITURE

For over three decades, Western Furniture has been synonymous with luxury interiors and European design excellence. As the exclusive partner of Calligaris in the UAE, it continues to bring Italian craftsmanship and innovation closer to homeowners and design enthusiasts.
A Century of Italian Excellence
Founded in 1923 by Antonio Calligaris in Manzano, Italy, the brand began as a family workshop crafting wooden chairs, including the now-iconic Marocca. Over the past century, Calligaris has grown into an international design house offering a complete range of furniture and accessories, combining tradition, technology, and artistry to define modern living.
Through its exclusive partnership with Western Furniture, the essence of Made in Italy continues to flourish in the UAE, uniting design heritage with contemporary sensibility.
Discover a curated selection of Calligaris’ most admired designs below.
The Ginza Sofa captures the essence of modern comfort with its soft, flowing lines and 1970s-inspired organic curves. Its modular design allows for multiple configurations, creating a sense of warmth and sophistication in any space.
Evoking the hues of dawn and dusk, the Sky Rug brings a poetic touch to interiors. Its delicate color gradients and textured weave create a calming, atmospheric foundation for the living space.
The Oleandro Lounge Chair offers a perfect balance of structure and softness. Its wooden base and plush upholstery combine craftsmanship and comfort in a design that’s both tactile and timeless.
Sculptural and refined, the Mushroom Coffee and Side Tables feature bush-hammered glass tops and subtly tilted wooden bases, striking a balance between elegance and lightness.
Minimal yet expressive, the Glen Dining Chair unites geometry and proportion in a sleek, enveloping form that delivers ergonomic comfort and enduring appeal.


The Onda Dining Chair, with its sinuous, wave-inspired lines and slender metal legs, conveys a sense of movement and contemporary grace.
The Alterego Sideboard introduces sculptural sophistication with its three-dimensional door fronts, creating depth, shadow, and a strong focal point for modern interiors.


Home Integrator
RENEW YOUR SPACE WITH NATUZZI ITALIA: A NEW YEAR, REFINED THROUGH DESIGN

Dubai, UAE – January 2026: This new year, reset your rhythm, refresh your surroundings, and renew your way of living — with Natuzzi Italia. where a new environment sets the tone for a fresh start. Natuzzi Italia offers inspiration for every room of the home, with refined designs that combine comfort, style, and timeless Italian craftsmanship. From the award-winning Amama collection to the serene elegance of Habita, each piece is designed to elevate daily living.
HABITA by Mauro Lipparini

Essential lines and timeless harmony define Habita — a serene living concept where design and well-being coexist in perfect balance.
At its heart is a sculptural, modular sofa with generous proportions, refined upholstery, and enveloping curves, designed for comfort, sharing, and flexibility. Premium padding and thoughtful detailing ensure a relaxed yet elegant experience, adapting effortlessly to different spaces.
Habita is not just a collection — it is a way of living.

The collection is completed by an elegant yet functional coffee table and a striking monolithic dining table, fully lacquered in high-gloss finish. With its organic lines and integrated rotating lazy susan, the dining table seamlessly merges practicality with sculptural appeal.
Amama collection

Amama is a compositional project that redefines conviviality and versatility. It is a modular island sofa designed to shape space, offering the possibility of double-sided configurations for a modern and unusual living experience. Reflecting on architecture and ways of living, the armrest or backrest can become functional elements such as a shelf, table, or even a container.

It is a dynamic project where multiple elements of different textures and materials coexist in a play of overlaps and geometries, opening up to multi-directionality and multifunctionality, combining comfort with freedom of composition and use. It represents a new approach to living that balances aesthetics, flexibility, and functionality, extended by living and dining elements of the same collection.

The soft textures and shapes of Amama harmonize with Verde Antigua marble displays, while furnishings and decorative objects engage in a palette inspired by earth and sea. The result is an immersive experience designed to engage all senses and convey the idea of a harmonious and welcoming home.
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