Beirut continues to cultivate a rich cultural forum in keeping with its reputation as “The Paris of the Middle East”, and de Gournay is proud to unveil its latest showroom within the Achrafieh quarter: historic hub of Beirut’s artistic talents.
A longstanding centre of creative and commercial activity, de Gournay’s projects in the Middle East have expanded in steady progression alongside a wave of design talent emerging from the Arab world. Commencing the third decade of the 21st century, a new standalone premises within the region promises to engage this developing creative field as de Gournay’s repertoire of bespoke artistry reaches new heights. Claud Cecil Gurney comments: “I always knew I wanted to open a showroom in Beirut. It has so many different cultures in one place. It is a crossroads of Arabic, French and English – when you get a mix like that it’s magical.” Situated within an Italianate apartment built in 1920, de Gournay’s latest outpost is breathtaking. Its impressive proportions – a network of high ceilinged rooms around a soaring central salon – are installed throughout with a resplendent series of hand painted wallpapers that also play host to exciting new interpretations of de Gournay’s hand embroideries. In celebration of the unique location, de Gournay invited India Mahdavi and David/Nicholas, two firms spanning established platforms between the West and the Middle East and with strong links to the city, to work on custom designs for the property. Now open for appointments, de Gournay Beirut offers clients the opportunity to appreciate the exquisite methodology of the world’s leading purveyors of hand crafted decorations for the interior in unprecedented detail.