Custom Gold & Glass Mosaic for Penhaligon’s Luxury Fragrance Atelier | Dubai
“Luxury emanating from wall to ceiling.”
— Manager, Penhaligon’s, Dubai
Penhaligon’s has opened a flagship store in the Mall of the Emirates, Dubai. They required a luxury mosaic as part of the decor in this elite store. MEC Artworks was approached to commission a wall and dome mosaic for the space.
The mosaic design spelt ‘luxury and opulence’ with its medallion/abstract creation for the wall mosaic.
The dome mosaic was a similar pattern with a central medallion spreading its rays. Radiating gold like the sun. Care was taken by the MEC Artworks team of artisans to give each piece a more organic feel, as requested by our client.
A Little about Penhaligon’s
Penhaligon’s is a luxury perfume brand based in London. It was established in 1870 by William Penhaligon.
The use of natural ingredients is a trademark of this brand, with William Penhaligon taking inspiration for his first creation from the scent created by Muslims for Turkish Hammams.
His confection gained widespread popularity, as he created lasting fragrances with products suitable for everyone.
Soon afterwards, he found favour with the Queen, who was a great patron of natural products. From then onwards, there was no stopping.
Penhaligon’s grew to be one of the best and most established perfume brands in England.
Client Brief for the Medallion/Abstract Mosaic
Penhaligon’s still carries that aura of luxury and exclusivity like it did when it started flourishing.
It has stores located in atleast 28 countries across Europe, North America and the Middle East. The flagship store in the Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, was their most recently established space.
They approached MEC Artworks as they required the perfect decor and setup to reflect the name and standing of their store chain.
Mosaic artistry is decor which, in itself, signifies luxury and taste. The perfect addition for their newly established branch.
Our client wanted a mosaic that would reflect the uniqueness and organic nature of the products it creates.
That is why a half medallion mosaic was selected. A figure that could somewhat depict the sun.
Each fragrance of Penhaligon’s oozes good taste and affluence. The decor of the space was supposed to do likewise. Extra-comfortable seating, plush carpets, signature lighting and equally gorgeous decor.
The Champagne tesserae in the wall mosaic were to look like gold raining from a sun-like structure on top. The dome mosaic was also to sport a medallion but not a perfectly neat or geometrical one.
Both mosaics were to have a background of green shades ranging from Emerald Green to Sage. Another conscious choice to enhance the biophilic nature of the artwork.
Gold-foiled and Italian Murano glass were the materials chosen. The mosaics were installed in such a space that the lighting in the store complemented their glow giving an overall iridescent effect.
Inspiration Moodboard for This Wall & Dome Mosaic
Our client requested an organic-looking mosaic with a finish that matched their luxurious store’s personality.
So our main inspiration was something natural that could glow and give the feeling of power and beauty. In other words, the sun. The half-medallion mosaic was made along the lines of a rising sun.
Just like the sun, while rising not only spreads its rays outwards but also spreads its glow downwards. The wall mosaic had lines just like the sun’s rays spreading out of it in all directions.
The ‘sun’ was crafted by piecing together champagne coloured tesserae and gold-foiled glass.
Emerald Green and Sage were added to the mosaic in the background for a striking contrast and as a complement to the decor of the rest of the store.
Champagne and Emerald are both striking colours but in different ways. Champagne is in the neutral palette, while Emerald is a darker shade. The contrast produced by these hues truly made the wall mosaic a focal point of the store.
Shades in between Champagne and Emerald, like Camel Brown and Sage, were added to give the mosaic a more natural look. Deep Teal tesserae were included to give a break from the browns, golds and greens in the artwork and to further increase the colour range.
Design Development
Materials & Colour Palettes
As the mosaic was to reflect the high-end nature of the products developed by Penhaligon’s, the materials and colours were to be decided accordingly. Emerald and gold are a combination associated with royalty for a long time.
Emerald velvets with gold jewellery for queens, emerald robes for monarchs and so on. This combination is marketed in paint hues and outfits, also with names pertaining to nobility. These two shades formed the main part of the craft.
The Organic Nature of the Artwork
Our client greatly emphasised the need for a biophilic look in the artwork. Straight lines, perfect curves and linear geometry were a definite no.
The tiles needed to blend into one another to give the whole confection a natural look. This is where the role of hand-cut tiles becomes so prominent. Our Italian-trained team of craftsmen created a range of tiles in irregular shapes to fit together seamlessly and form this medallion/abstract mosaic.
Coordination During Development
Penhaligon’s is an old and prestigious brand. The store opening in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai needed the perfect atmosphere to display the brand’s identity and prestige to prospective customers in Dubai.
Each detail in the development of the design pattern and later on the crafting of the mosaic was conveyed by the mosaic consultant specified by MEC Artworks to the management of Penhaligon’s Dubai branch.
They required a perfectly proportioned mosaic to fit in the wall enclosure and ceiling space of their store. MEC Artworks Dubai office coordinated every single detail to their satisfaction.
The Crafting of the Artwork
Behind the scenes of artisan craftsmanship:
“We hand-cut every tessera to ensure the medallion/abstract design flowed seamlessly across the wall and dome mosaics without breaking continuity.”
— Design Team
This medallion/abstract mosaic was an interesting project. First, our design team created a design pattern that perfectly combined a medallion and abstract mosaic.
The wall mosaic consisted of half a medallion that dispersed and ‘rained’ down as gold pieces.
The medallion’s backdrop was emerald green, making Gold, Champagne, Camel Brown, and Sage hues even more striking.
The dome mosaic was a complete medallion but by no means in a regular circle. The circle was more like the shape of the sun, with Gold streaks pointing out towards each direction.
Our design team crafted circular gold tiles at the centre of the circle. An artful, scattered look was given to the gold tesserae that made the central part of the dome medallion to make it more like the sun.
The mesh sheet sections that are generally made for every bespoke custom mosaic were trapezium-shaped for the dome mosaic. The top parts were mostly in Gold and other shades of it, which gradually turned into Emerald Green an other related hues.
The sections were placed at equal distances from each other, leaving small empty lines in between each trapezium-shaped section.
These empty lines also gave the effect of ‘sun rays’, thus strengthening the illusion of the sun in this organic medallion mosaic.
Grout for this mosaic was carefully chosen, so it looked like there was no break between the tesserae. The tiles were crafted with Murano glass, which in itself has a beautiful glow, especially with tailored lighting effects.
The grout had to be of the tile quality for a seamless, luxury finish. Our distinguished client relied on the expertise of MEC Artworks for this matter, and we achieved the finish they were looking for.
More Design Details & the Installation
MEC Artworks ensured that the materials were in line with the brand’s identity and stature. Italian Murano glass was selected for most of the artwork. Gold tiles were included in the midst of the medallions in the wall and dome mosaic.
For gold tiles, a thin layer of gold foil is pressed between glass so that it is sandwiched on both sides. In this way, the foil’s beauty and glitter are never dimmed, as it doesn’t come in contact with the air.
Our crafting team created tile shapes according to the design perfected by the design team. Each tessera was like a piece from a jigsaw puzzle, fitting into its specific place only.
The installation team fitted the artwork, keeping in mind all the requirements of our client.
The artwork was to be fitted before the grand opening of their flagship store, as it would serve as the focal point of their decor. We gave our client a 3- to 4-week lead time. It was completed and installed in their space within the quoted time frame
Previous Luxury Brands Projects
MEC Artworks has worked with several noteworthy luxury brands, including
- GAIA, a Greek-Mediterranean restaurant in Abu Dhabi
- BAKED, a luxury commercial bakery
- Opera Grand in Dubai
- Lulu & Georgia Showroom, USA
We understand the need for exclusivity and glamour that high-end brands require in the mosaics they commission.
Elegance can be quiet or flashy, but material, colours, quality and craftsmanship speak for themselves. We understand luxury mosaics like no other mosaic supplier.
Some features that have made MEC Artworks our clients’ first choice:
- The bespoke custom nature of each project
- The best prices in the market
- Transparent procedures
- On-time project completion
We invite you to compare our services and products to companies that you feel may be comparable. We are quite confident that you will choose our services over any other.
The Blend of Abstract & Medallion Mosaic Art
“A mosaic that spelt ‘Royalty’ even with it’s colour palette”
— Our Client
The Penhaligon’s project is a wonderful example of combining more than one kind of mosaic art.
Our client required a majestic-looking mosaic with royal colours. They also wanted an organic-feeling artwork. A sample picture was shared, but they required something original.
Our creative design team came up with the amazing idea of a partial medallion mosaic that dispersed into ‘gold rain’ for the wall mosaic and a ‘medallion sun’ for the dome mosaic.
The mosaic also gave a very subtle message of luxury and opulence, which is the image this brand portrays. The combination of Emerald Green and Gold, The ‘rain of gold’ from the half medallion and the quality of the Murano glass used in crafting all helped strengthen the luxury imagery that is a hallmark of this brand.
Crafted as a feature wall in this fantabulous perfume atelier containing luxury upholstery and magnificent draperies, this mosaic was just the perfect seal to the space’s luxury air. Medallion mosaic art giving way to abstract art with an organic feel. The ideal combination for a showstopper work of art.
Our crafting team did a fantastic job of converting the design pattern into a mosaic.
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FAQs
Can bespoke mosaics be designed to reflect our international brand identity?
Yes. Custom mosaics can incorporate brand colours, signature motifs, geometric patterns or subtle visual references to a fragrance collection. Designs can be developed to complement your global brand guidelines while creating a distinctive flagship-store experience for the UAE market.
Can MEC Artworks create mosaics that meet the design standards of luxury retail interiors?
Yes, we can! MEC Artworks creates bespoke mosaic designs using materials such as glass, marble and other decorative tesserae. Each design can be tailored to the store’s architectural concept, from statement entrance walls and reception areas to fragrance display niches and feature flooring. We have created many commercial projects in our 40+ years in this industry.
How does MEC Artworks ensure the mosaic meets the practical demands of a high-end retail environment?
We follow proper protocol for ensuring this. Material selection and installation specifications should account for the nature of traffic, cleaning routines, lighting and the intended location of the mosaic. Durable, easy-to-maintain finishes are particularly important for floors and frequently touched surfaces, while wall mosaics can have intricate detailing and lightweight materials.
Can MEC Artworks coordinate with international design teams and UAE contractors?
Yes. MEC Artworks develops bespoke mosaic projects in coordination with brand management, architects, interior designers and local fit-out teams. Early collaboration helps align design approvals, dimensions, material specifications, production schedules and installation requirements with the flagship store’s opening deadline.
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