Kuwait Interior Design

The business or interior design in Kuwait is one of the most growing industry sectors. Kuwait has a strong and free tax economy. There is a major trend to follow international designs and the market requires individuals and businesses to manage spaces in a professional way.

An interior designer in Kuwait is responsible to provide proposal designs, plans and materials, 2D and 3D renders and so on. Another job can interior designer do is to choose or design the furniture.

Interior designers are not required to have any kind of license to operate the business, any official plans can be signed by the architect or the civil engineer and any graduated person can do the job - in some cases ungraduated person with the talent to design can also do the job.

Interior Business in Kuwait is divided into 3 categories; small, medium and large scale businesses. Each category has a different way of working and dealing with clients and also varies in services they provide.

Small firms may contain 1 to 2 designers, and usually operate as a small independent contractor. Their main projects are low budgets, the interior designer is responsible of providing designs for the space where most of the times plans are not required to be done, or a very simple one just to clarify to clients and workers the division of the space and how it will look in approximation.

Medium firms include 5 to 10 designers with multiple option designs done and shown to clients, 2D detail designs and plans are done prior to construction, and in some cases 3D renders. All material and fabrics are provided to be chose from them and they are available in the local market. The furniture is ready made in market or can be customized in the local market. The time scale of the interior design process is longer and contracts are essential.

Large scale firms may contain more than 25 designers, most of these firms are architectural companies with an interior design department, some of these companies are international. Their projects include hotels, hospitals, shopping malls and big villas and mansions. They provide multiple option designs, 2D and 3D detail designs and plans are done prior to construction. Materials and furniture are custom designed and most of the time brought from international markets.

The main point to observe in the similarities or differences of the interior design industry, if you want to enter the Kuwaiti market or other gulf area markets is to understand the clients’ mentality and requirements. The lifestyle is different, the major difference between Kuwait and Canada in interior design is the floor plan of the space.

The typical house in Kuwait contains a basement, ground floor and first floor; the basement usually used as Diwaniya, which is big hall used by men to invite their men guests as friends and relatives every day, and also basement can contain another Diwaniya for women for their women guests, and also contains a small kitchen and bathroom. The first floor contains the main hall, living room and main kitchen. The first floor contains master bedroom and other bedrooms. There is no garage for the house, and the house contains a room for house maids, and sometimes the house may contain a small yard but it is not common.

The main building materials for a Kuwaiti house is concrete and bricks, ceramic tiles for flooring and a heavy dependence on air conditioning to cool the house in the summer.

The colors in a Kuwaiti house tend to be in warmer color and materials are always natural and organic in appearance - wood, stone, plaster, etc. and for lighting, they use hanging Moroccan lamps or elegant lighting chandeliers. Gold is a main staple to create many of the residential and commercial environments. Furniture and curtains are heavy on ornament designs with more complex patterns and lively colors. Wallpaper is also used widely on their walls. The Diwaniya furniture is usually custom made furniture where it is designed to be floor seating rather than regular sofa.

From my personal experience; I have worked with all the 3 categories; the small business firm were very difficult to work with; large load of work, low payments for designers and they were always late with the employee payments.

Medium firm are much better; as designer you got a better work experience, better professional work environment, higher pay structure but I still faced delay in payments.

Large scale firms are the most convenient work environment, however not easy to find a job there.

Interior Design in helps spaces users to have a better quality living and gives comfort and practicality for users. At the same time, I have learned that it takes the culture and environment identity of the country or area it is in as our homes and work spaces are an essential part of our overall well-being.