A furniture design created by Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) interior design student Maryam Yacoub AlKuwari has been chosen by world-renowned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and implemented in her apartment in Msheireb Downtown Doha. 
AlKuwari’s design was handpicked from among other proposals submitted by her classmates in response to an invitation to collaborate with Olivier Gelbsman, von Furstenberg’s interior designer, to decorate the New York-based fashion designer’s Doha apartment.
“I worked so hard on developing this project, and now, to see it come to life is certainly a dream come true,” says the Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university interior design Class of 2021 student. “Not everyone gets the chance to say they’ve custom made a furniture piece for Diane von Furstenberg. 
Liam Cloquhoun, interim chair of Interior Design, VCUarts Qatar, noted how such projects add value to the overall experience of pursuing a hands-on programme such as interior design.
 “Experiences of practice such as these are a vital part of our programme,” says Colquhoun. “And such initiatives would not be possible without the support of our industry partners such as Diane von Furstenberg and Msheireb Properties. 
“This project was a great opportunity for our students to experience developing shop drawings to fabricators,” says Dr Haithem A El-Hammali, assistant professor, Interior Design, VCUarts Qatar. “They provide a necessary detailed explanation about fabrication and installation to realise their design intent. This major achievement by Maryam and all of our students is a perfect chance to remind them how talented, hard-working, and deserving they are.”
Earlier this week, von Furstenburg herself thanked the students of VCUarts Qatar on her Instagram account, and posted a photo of the winning headboard design. 
“The opportunity to select a proposal from the next generation of designers is always an exciting and refreshing experience,” says Gelbsman. 
“The students from VCUarts Qatar really stepped up to the task that the brief presented, and it was a challenge to choose between so many elegant proposals. In the end, Diane and I chose Maryam AlKuwari’s design for its functionality and sophistication. Congratulations to Maryam on this win – truly deserved!”
The project began around the beginning of February 2020, with AlKuwari and her classmates being provided a brief to custom design a piece of furniture – either a sofa or a headboard – for von Furstenberg’s Doha apartment. 
“We had the opportunity to visit the apartment along with Gelbsman to envision the space,” says AlKuwari, who started with background research on von Furstenberg, to further understand her preferences. 
“I studied images of her personal apartment in Manhattan, New York, and was inspired by the glass-based design there; it has multiple triangles that add beautiful depth and meaning to the space, and I knew it was an element which, if I could incorporate stylishly into my own concept, would give her a feel of her New York home. And, of course, I wanted to include the beautiful Msheireb mashrabiya to compliment the design.” 
AlKuwari chose a colour scheme comprising of matte black and neutral tones, and further complemented the headboard with three night-shelves on one side, for von Furstenberg’s personal use, as well as book shelves on the other. 
AlKuwari says she owes her success to numerous people who have supported her through her formative years – especially her father, Yacoub AlKuwari. 
“My father has been there for me, every step of the way,” she says. “His belief and faith in me, and in what I could offer – even during those moments when I felt like giving up – are what pushed me beyond what I perceived were my limits, and helped shape who I am as a designer, today. 
“Likewise, this is not something I could have even dreamed of, without the guidance of my VCUarts Qatar professors, Liam Colquhoun and Haithem El-Hammali, who have been extremely patient, supportive and helpful. I’m very grateful for what they gave us, and will continue to give us.
“I am also appreciative of Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani for giving us future designers the opportunity to participate and be a part of the Culture Pass Club complex.”