Designing for the future

FDC Interiors' elegance and creativity make it an indispensable choice for modern and luxury hospitality needs

Elie Assamad, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FDC Interiors, is a visionary at heart. He knows the manifestations and the dynamics to make a difference, as he curates luxury retail interior-fit-out production in a way that is exceptional among his contemporaries.

This is why FDC Interiors is a name to reckon with in the Middle East and beyond. With more than four decades of experience and recognition, the company recently took a leap forward as it established a gigantic 22,000 sqm production facility in Dubai's National Industrial Park, which is state-of-the-art in its existence.

FDC Interiors caters to global brands, and its perfection in design and art is second to none. Luxury and hospitality industries awe FDC production because of its style, orientation and modernity. It is widely credited for introducing superior interior designs, and being a pioneer in the production of art and luxury boutiques on an industrial scale.

Assamad, who is a celebrated interior designer himself, is obsessed with digital and industrial technologies. This aspect helps him in reducing the cost of production and making it competent to the core. But unlike others, Assamad enjoys an edge as he brings with him versatile exposure in the field of designing and production.

A graduate in Interior Design from the University of Damascus, along with rich French exposure having studied at ENSAD design faculty majoring in Esthétique Industrielle, he knows the inside-out of art and elegance.

Assamad said it was his childhood interest in design and boutiques that led him to a career in it. He was also good at painting, sculpturing, and music. "My academic and work experience in Paris allowed me to establish my network with elite French designers and architects working with the most luxurious fashion and jewelry French brands,'' he elucidates. It is this background in excellence that makes a difference among the competitors at home and abroad.

This aspect was duly recognised by His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who conferred the Best Manufacturer of the Year award in 2009. FDC International is a recipient of 'Hospital Build Awards 2009' organised by IIR ME in Dubai for its fabulous design and interiors work at the Royale Hayat Hospital in Kuwait featuring the Orchid Suites. 

 

Taking a deep look at FDC Interiors, it is evident that the company leadership has invested immensely in its future. This also illustrates its mindset and passion for interior design. The company has its own production facilities and is quite conscious of quality control as well as innovation.

FDC Interiors designs and articulates interior set-ups for some of the most famous brands in the world. This is why it is known for originality in its work, as it eloquently creates the desired ambience and space for life with a difference.

While narrating the evolution of FDC Interiors, the confident CEO says that in the late 1970s, he thought of exploring the GCC region, and started his debut work in Kuwait. There was no looking back since, as Assamad says his hands were full of projects for many luxury retail brands. "The work back then required extra effort from my side to gain credibility and establish reputable quality standards in a region not traditionally known for such an industry," he remarked.

He went on to say that the success story continued and the demand for FDC Interiors' unique and high-quality products gained value and reputation. The company's collaboration with European engineers and European Atelier d'Art was an added feather in its cap.

"Such an increase in demand led to establishing our all-inclusive production facility in the free zone of Kuwait in the 90s followed in 2017 by our newest and largest state-of-the-art production facility in Dubai," Assamad dilated.

FDC Interiors today manufactures furniture and complete fit-out solutions for luxury retail brands and luxury hotels. "We proudly execute projects and export our products to many countries across the globe," he added.

Assamad takes pride in his illustrious journey of scaling heights and says: "The opening of our newest fully-automated production facility in Dubai is the highlight of our growth journey."

He, however, feels that the decision to establish a production facility in Dubai should have been taken "a bit earlier". "Had we taken this step earlier, we would have capitalised on regional demand that from our point of view was overcharged and poorly executed by local and foreign competitors." That speaks of his confidence in his creative works, as well as the prospects that the UAE offers as the hub of businesses in the region.

"We currently offer a wide range of luxury interior fit-out scopes, including design and build, general contracting, millwork and complete turn-key solutions," the FDC boss explained.

Assamad says apart from the company's "accumulative experience and know-how", there are two major factors that differentiate it. The first is being a designer. It is at a later stage that the company went into production. The second advantage is that the entire production was in-house. Thus, by eliminating reliance on third-party producers, FDC Interiors assured its valued clients of its quality control and timely completion of projects. "Today, FDC has its own unique methodology to execute the most complex and sophisticated designs," he added.

Talking about challenges, Assamad says the greatest challenge was brand positioning. It was not a piece of cake to compete with foreign established brands and triumph over them, too. But FDC Interiors did that with excellence. It outclassed its competitors in pricing, design attraction and deliverance format.

This edge was, especially, evident in the days of the pandemic when the whole world of businesses was struggling to survive. It was a test of resilience. The company was lucky enough to secure new contracts, and Assamad rightly says it reflected the trust of clients and partners in the company.

The company concentrated on in-house production to minimise the impact of the pandemic. "We relocated our workforce to assure a constant level of production output until restrictions were eased and our site teams were able to proceed with installation and other site works," he pointed out in his work thesaurus.

The CEO compliments his team for dedication and professionalism, which helped it navigate through the rough waters successfully. It was a tale of endurance as the company took a step forward and initiated research and development programmes for its engineering and management teams.

Today, as FDC Interiors stands tall among its contemporaries; it is all owed to the uniqueness in its approach, as well as the sequence of creativity in design and adaptability to technological advancement.

Assamad is never lost on words as he says that his company will continue to invest in growth and human development, in an earnest desire to foster a culture that is compatible and invincible. The target is to cater to the growing demand in the field of hospitality industry in the region and abroad.

• Supplements