Dubai-based designer Aljoud Lootah paid homage to the tradition of palm-leaf architecture in the United Arab Emirates with her latest furniture collection.
The collection takes its design cues from traditional areesh structures, in which vertical and horizontal poles of dried palm fronds are stacked together.

These were commonly used in the UAE as summer houses and majlises ? the Arabic term for "places for sitting" ? as they provided shelter from extreme weather, while the gaps in the walls allowed for ventilation.
Lootah reimagined these in copper-covered stainless steel for the room divider, with vertical and horizontal striated planes that intersect to create a freestanding structure. In the reflective material, the design creates a different interplay of light and shadow to its historic counterpart.
"Traditionally Areesh structures created walls protecting their interiors from the surrounding area," Lootah told Dezeen. "To juxtapose this, the copper used for the collection brings a new dimension in which the pieces reflect their surroundings."
The table light Lootah designed for the collection is formed of a cluster of hollow, vertical glass forms that sit above LED lights, which are embedded in a rose-gold electroplated metal base.

"The light structure was designed to reflect how, in the past, families lived together as a community, with areesh structures placed side by side," said Lootah. "I wanted to depict that concep...