What prompted you to move to Dubai after the US and, subsequent to careers in Publishing and Corporate Communications, what made you settle down with interior design? The choice was between Tokyo and Dubai after deciding that New York was 'done' and increasingly dull. Ultimately, Tokyo did not cut it and Dubai won the toss. Interior design was my initial response to the ever changing Dubai skyline and its liquid urban infrastructure which carried with it a magnetic charm that caught my spirit.
How does the work and lifestyle in Dubai compare to the other countries in which you have lived? The places in which I have lived - Karachi, London, New York and Santa Fe - cannot be compared to Dubai. Though the city is young, it is also highly complex.
How exciting is the interior design industry in Dubai? The interior design industry here needs desperate help. It lacks fresh ideas and a new spirit and this can be seen through the uniformity in design throughout. A revolution from within is what's needed to reduce reliance on imported ideas or cookie-cut solutions. The city's design scene requires nurturing, thought, sensuality and movement - a heart beat. Most importantly, the city needs to create its own signature direction.
Do you and your company have a preference for the interiors you design? Why? Yes, my team and I have a specific genre we enjoy designing. Essential to this is the necessity for the client to have a relationship with the space.
What is your favourite project to date and why? Undeniably my own home, it underwent a total transformation in almost no time, morphing from a generic mass produced space into my personal sanctuary. It has become a space I have an emotional relationship with - my haven, my nest and my reprieve. Supremely calming, it looks and feels great as it fuses the contemporary and the industrial with warmth and sensuality.
What does the future hold for Zain Mustafa Interiors? It's an open horizon with large scale projects scattered across it. Despite its imbalances, Dubai's global profile is strong and therefore is becoming a focal point on the international interiors style map - finally.