Exclusive: Creative directors set the template

Theodora Kioussis
Creative Director and Founder, Something Design House

I am a dream maker. I turn clients' projects into a thought-provoking reality and make the journey enjoyable. My passion as an architect has been to create experiences and spaces for people to enjoy and I have been fortunate enough to be able to live this passion for the last 12 years here in Dubai. At Something Design House, our speciality is hospitality, spa and wellness and community-conscious projects for both architecture and interior design. Being able to join my speciality and passion together to develop this company is something I have been planning for some time and am thrilled to bring it to life.

Design inspiration: Everything in life. I grab inspiration from art, music, nature, food, experiences and surroundings, and then turn that into a story and experience for each different project. As cliche as it sounds, literally observing life helps me create.

Ideal colour scheme: Monochrome palette. It can be fun to play with the different hues and form a hierarchy between them in order to set a harmonious tonality within a space, which can make the base palette timeless.

Favourite room: The kitchen, I love to cook, bake and entertain when I am not designing. Growing up in an Australian-Greek family the kitchen was always the heart of the home, where everyone hung out and caught up.

My home is complete with... Artwork and art pieces. I have this one piece that I can honestly sit and look at for ages. It's called "The Godfather" by Dubai-based artist Elham Moaidnia.

Go-to destination for interiors:  I love collecting pieces from my travels, however locally my favourite places are The Odd Piece in Al Serkal Avenue, and Home and Soul Furniture.

Words of wisdom
The importance of spatial planning it is the main key to any good design. The other thing is lighting; knowing how to light a space is so important, bad lighting can ruin a design and how the space is received and felt.


Juhi Malhotra
Founder and Creative Director of JR Design Deuce

I am an extremely driven person, passionate about offering a highly customised interior design service. I have been working in the industry for the last 12 years, and my international experience has given me the opportunity to achieve global exposure on projects across Melbourne, Mumbai and Dubai, which were instrumental in my creative and progressive growth as a designer. The ability to adapt to a new space, and design it in such a way that it feels like home, was the initiation of this passion. However, I can most affirmatively say now that it's my true calling.

Design inspiration: The sheer joy of transformations and the passion to create something authentic and user-centric is quiet gratifying. The client or the space is always my muse, and that is where I start from. I like to create areas that offer comfort with attention to details, expressing personalities and providing experiences that become memories.

Ideal colour scheme: My current favourite scheme is the tones of sandy dunes, hints of teracotta and whites that stand out with natural colours in furniture.

Favourite room: A majlis-like low-seating area in my house that is an extension of my formal living room. It's our most favourite space as a family, as we use it for games or movie nights.

My home is complete with... It is really difficult to pick a particular thing as I have multiple favourites that I have collected over years or purchased from on my travel trips. They truly offer a distinct character and identity to my home.

Go-to destination for interiors: Pottery Barn, Indigo Living and 2xl Furniture. West Elm for mirrors and side tables and Danube home for finishes like tiles, corian, etc. I also love picking accessories from United Furniture, Maison Du monde and Bloomr.

Words of wisdom
Interior designing is more about reflecting your personality, embodying your values and creating spaces that are truly an extension of you. It should be balanced between comfort and aesthetic so that you feel at home.