Thinking garden? Think Danube Home!

Dubai - Danube Home has also launched its ‘Pool & Landscaping Services’ with the aim of becoming the most preferred choice for customers in the UAE for decorating, designing, and refurbishing swimming pools and other outdoor spaces

Danube Home on Sunday announced the launch of its new Garden Collection in stores across the UAE, Oman, and Bahrain, as well as online on the Danube Home website.

Danube’s 2022 Garden e-Catalogue 2022 showcases over 2,500 outdoor furnishings, themed furniture pieces, and garden accessories for every resident’s front-yard, back-yard, terrace, and balcony needs. Launched under the theme ‘My Style, My Way’, the new garden collection artistically incorporates a vision for simplicity, sophistication, and functionality of design. Customers are offered an eclectic choice of popular colour pallets, hard & soft top gazebos, quirky & fun kids play items, outdoor furniture, BBQ sets, camping equipment, décor pieces & fountains, grass carpets, and everything that can elevate any outdoor space into a family retreat.

“If you want to design your outdoor space, think garden, think Danube Home,” Adel Sajan, managing director at Danube Group, told Khaleej Times at the launch event.

Since last summer, he said that there has been a steady increase in the number of residents that are interested in buying garden furniture. “What has happened right now is that people don’t consider a garden to be a luxury anymore – it has become a necessity. And, this is not just a trend that we are seeing in villas which come with a dedicated garden space; even people with balconies are looking at how they can transform and utilise that space into an area that brings them joy.”

“We know that, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, people are spending more of their time at home with their friends, family, and kids,” he explained. “They are all having more barbeques, tea parties, sitting down to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee, and even working from home in a relaxing outdoor setting. So, an outdoor space has become an essential part of their life, irrespective of the fact if they are living in a villa or an apartment. We saw this surge happening July last year and since December, we have been working hard to make sure that we are bringing something new to the market.”

Under the ‘Family’ category, the new garden collection includes larger lounge sets that fit the whole family as well as smaller lounge sets that elegantly fit into your space. Customers can also find themed gazebos, umbrellas, sofas, and a dining collection to ensure consistency of style, colour, and comfort. In addition, the themed garden collection for ‘Kids’ includes a selection of swings, slides, and trampolines to create a perfect setting for mischief and play.

“I am very proud to say that we have the largest collection of garden furniture in the Middle East, where we have more than 30 gazebos, more than 20 dining tables, swings and balcony sets, and more than 60 sofa sets to choose from,” Sajan said. “The e-catalogue features everything in detail, so we encourage everyone who is looking to transform their outdoor space to grab a copy immediately. We spent a lot of time over the past three years in adding to our accessories and building on our cash-and-carry; whether it is small planters, garden lights, having a fountain or water feature, and even carpets for outdoor seating, all these are things that add just a little bit more life, colour, and excitement to a space.”

“The theme of the new catalogue is ‘My Style, My Way’ and a lot of what we have added is an element of the human touch,” he explained. “We changed our entire approach and how we did this was that we visited a lot of different families in a lot of different homes in both the UAE and Oman to gain a deeper understanding of their requirements; and, we actually did our photoshoots in their outdoor spaces. We also made a lot of videos that our customers can see in the e-catalogue and get inspired about how they can create their very own outdoor spaces. These videos are both inspirational and informative, so this makes the whole experience very immersive.”

Sajan further noted that the increased focus on transforming outdoor spaces is not just a UAE or GCC trend, but in line with an ongoing global Do-It-Yourself trend. “DIY, as a segment, has been gaining a lot of steam in recent years, and during the lockdowns in particular there were a lot of videos on social media about how people could transform their living spaces and breathe new life into areas that might have been overlooked previously.”

Danube Home has also launched its ‘Pool & Landscaping Services’ with the aim of becoming the most preferred choice for customers in the UAE for decorating, designing, and refurbishing swimming pools and other outdoor spaces.

“We have also introduced a dedicated pool and landscaping solutions segment, so if anyone wants a customised package that is unique to their garden, they can reach out to us and we will work with their exact needs and requirements,” Sajan said. “Also, our focus has always been on affordable luxury; with our products, we provide very comprehensive solutions that don’t make you dig very deep into your wallets. We also have easy payment plans with installment options for those people that would like to pay in this manner, and this is a key consideration for many people that have been facing the economic challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Shubhojit Mahalanobis, director of Retail & Danube Hospitality Solutions, said that he is anticipating a hike in spending on outdoor furniture in preparation for the start of the winter season in the Gulf Region in the coming weeks. “As a customer-focused retailer we understand that, with the advent of cooler weather, people are gearing up to spend more time with friends and families in their back-yards, front-yards, patios, terraces, and balconies, therefore we want to have those things that make their stay meaningful, exciting, and pleasing. There is an increased interest right now in improving and enjoying the outdoors of homes. That is why we have strategically shifted our focus on ways to make outdoor spaces into staycation destinations.”

Syed Habib, director of Business Development Franchise & e-commerce, added that the search for safer outdoor hangouts became a hot trend among homebound people and that explains the increased focus on sprucing up the outdoor living spaces. “We believe that every single person is different; people have experiences, opinions, emotions, and sense of style that are unique to them. And, people like their clothing, homes, and immediate environments to be representative of what makes them unique. So, why our outdoors should be left behind?”

rohma@khaleejtimes.com