A stunning, hand-carved teak table is wowing the crowds at the Ideal Home Show, currently being held at the Airport Expo, Dubai.
The three-metre long, solid wood piece of furniture was single-handedly carved from a teak log by an 80 year-old Thai craftsman, before being brought to Dubai and displayed at the show by House of the World, a specialist art and craft commodities outlet. Immaculately sculpted, the work of art weighs in at almost one tonne and features elephant figurines and intricately detailed patterns. It took over two years to complete.
Customers to the show, organised by Messe Frankfurt, are clearly impressed with the table, as the huddles of people around the House of the World stand testify. “We’ve had an incredible response to this piece”, said Yvette Robeck, head of creative direction for the company. “No one seems able to walk past the stand without pausing to take a long, close look at it. The more they explore it, the more they are able to find. The level of commitment involved in producing the item shows through in the quality of workmanship - it really has been a painstaking labour of love”, she added.
The table is unique in many ways. Not only does it show an amazing level of detail, it is also unusual to find such a large item crafted from a single piece of teak. Logs of this size are extremely rare, as most of the wood is protected timber. “The reason why this particular item could be fashioned is that it was discovered part buried in a remote area of Thailand’, said Yvette. “All our work is strictly governed by Fairtrade policies on endangered woods like teak, so it is very rare to find something as magnificent as this table”, she added. It is thought that the log that produced this table was around fifty years old and it took over nine months just to dry out before work could start on it.
House of World has been established in Dubai for exactly one year, launching themselves at last year’s Ideal Home Show. They specialise in handcrafted designs and works of art and their concept this year is “spa” - a theme that Yvette says reflects calmness and tranquillity. Their work is hand crafted and considered collectible, so should appreciate in value. The table is for sale at a cool 180,000 Dirhams ($49,046) - a figure Yvette acknowledges as expensive. “The table is a collector’s piece”, she explains. “It will be handed down from generation to generation and when you consider the quality of work and amount of time it took to produce, you would have to agree that it still represents good value.”
The ideal Home Show started on Thursday and runs until Sunday 3rd December. Among the celebrities taking part are the famous chefs Sanjeev Kapoor and Ainsley Harriott along with renowned interior designers, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Linda Barker. Tickets are available through the Time Out ticketline on 800-4669 or www.timeouttickets.com. Adults pay 20 dirhams entry, with under 16s admitted for free.
Last year’s event attracted 200 exhibitors and over 7,500 visitors who utilised similar opportunities to take home gifts and discounted items. With attractive offers, additional segments and celebrities from all the fields, the attendance and participation this year are expected to be much higher.
Show Profile:
The Ideal Home Show launched in 2005 to a fantastic reception from visitors and exhibitors. Presenting great products and entertaining celebrity presentations, it caught the imagination of the Dubai public and its media. The 2006 show is building upon this successful launch to firmly establish the Ideal Home as an annual consumer event of choice for Dubai’s residents and visitors. Ideal Home provides a ‘one stop shop’ to see the very best that of local companies (retailers) have to offer.
Company profile:
The Messe Frankfurt Dubai team has over 20 year’s experience of organising international trade fairs throughout the world. The successful portfolio of events they organise in Dubai include Intersec,Materials Handling & Logistics, Hardware & Tools, Garden + Landscaping, ISH – Kitchen + Bath,, Light Middle East, Beautyworld Middle East, Wellness & Spas Middle East, Interior Lifestyle Middle East, Hometech Middle East, Automechanika, Dubai Ideal Home Show and the Middle East Toy Fair. Messe Frankfurt is a subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt, the world’s second largest trade fair organiser conducting over 100 events worldwide with 15 subsidiaries across Europe, Asia, America, Africa and the Middle East.
