A trio of designers propose a new design identity for Kuwait with this series of 46 chairs, made using a hybrid of traditional foam cutting and sand casting processes.
Presented at Dubai Design Week, Desert Cast is the project of three Kuwait-based designers: architect Jassim Al Nashmi, product designer Kawther Al Saffar and architect Ricardas Blazukas.

The design of the chairs is reminiscent of the kitschy Greco-Roman-inspired architecture that is popular in the country. They have a variety of distinctive zig-zag, jagged and wavy seats based on architectural mouldings, and stand on three or four thin metal legs.
But they also explore a possible future design identity for Kuwait, by creating a new combination of two longstanding local techniques – foam cutting and sand casting, using gypsum profiles.
According to the designers, Kuwait has struggled to develop its own context-based design identity, due to the copying of Greco-Roman decor. "They want something chic that makes them look like they have a lavish life," Al Nashmi explained.
Locals easily reproduced the elaborate style – in grand mansions and modest homes alike – using gypsum-moulding, an affordable technique. It was so popular that the Italian names of the styles were translated into Arabic, and became well-known phrases with Arab architects.

The designers grouped the chairs according to these nine different styles: Rodhún (Rotunda), Coloseum (Colise...