Museum of Islamic Arts, Qatar

After the successful job of upgrading the gift shop for the Museum of Islamic Art, in Qatar, Elemental were invited back to design and produce the new furniture concept, for a new gift shop in a recently built annex to the Museum. The Al Riwaq building has been built to host international art exhibitions. Having a glass facade, we wanted to make a strong statement as visitors approached the store.

The brief required the gift shop to be contemporary and minimal; furniture had to be free standing and display everything, from books to stationary. They required a prominent till point, low level display cabinets, tall bookcases and customer seating. Elemental’s design team presented 3 different concepts to the client, who chose a design that centered around square columns, staggered in height.  

It was really exciting to see the sketches come to life in our workshops and then, to travel over 4,000 miles to Doha and see the furniture in situ. A team of carpenters worked for a week installing the striking fixtures, creating a signature look to the exclusive gift store.