By Marie Claire Maison | Photography by Natelee Cocks
In a city that thrives on spectacle, Dubai-based Verhaal studio transforms contrast into poetry with Other Social Club — a surrealist symphony of colour, art, and emotion.
In Dubai’s Al Safa district, Verhaal — the design studio co-founded by Neydine Bak and Dewald Struwig — unveils Other Social Club, a project that doesn’t simply exist, it performs. Conceived as a surrealist dialogue between colour, texture, and form, the space unfolds like a visual symphony: sometimes soft as a whisper, sometimes grand as an overture. It’s a poetic tension between the cerebral and the sensual — where art becomes protagonist, and design its stage.
At its heart lies a daring chromatic duet: a restrained, intellectual blue meets the fervent pulse of lipstick red. Rather than compete, the two converse — their interplay creating a rhythm that reverberates across the interiors. Within this charged field, Verhaal stages an international gallery of voices, each artwork chosen not for mere beauty but for conversation.
French ceramicist Inhee Ma anchors the space with refined restraint — her minimalist vessels recalling the poetry of touch and memory. In contrast, Jonathan Adler’s exuberant acrylic sculptures command attention with theatrical gleam, refracting colour and wit in equal measure. Norwegian artist Johanne Birkeland tempers the boldness with tender imperfection — her asymmetrical porcelain forms ripple softly against the deep blue walls, whispering strength through vulnerability.
From Italy, Romein’s sculptural steel vessels bring industrial gravitas — punctuation marks of gleaming solidity amid the fluid narrative. And in a crescendo of surrealist emotion, Mamali Shafahi’s bright yellow dimensional artwork, framed in velvet, invites wonder and unease in equal measure — a dream sequence rendered tangible.
Furniture, too, joins the performance. Dedar’s tactile textiles meet JP Demeyer’s playful cushions, while a Jeff Koons–like inflatable dachshund bench injects wit into refinement. Lighting oscillates between the warmth of Royère-inspired lamps and Japanese minimalism, amplifying the conversation of contrasts.
As Neydine says, the space is “an ode to curiosity: layered, bold, and unapologetically alive.” Other Social Club stands not merely as an interior but as an experience — a living artwork that provokes emotion, dialogue, and delight. Through Verhaal’s lens, design transcends decoration to become something visceral — a choreography of contrasts that lingers long after you leave.
