Promotion: design studio Areen has launched a brand called Sonet, which will provide interiors and product design among other design-led services.
Sonet said it would be a lifestyle brand with an emphasis on “emotive experiences, urbanity and wellbeing”.
It builds upon Areen’s 35 years of experience of delivering design projects for large organisations, spanning hospitals, airports, offices and hotels.
According to the company, the idea behind Sonet is to cater to an emerging appetite for meaningful environments and products.
Although Sonet will have a global audience, it is aiming to gain a strong foothold in Areen’s core market of Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region.
Sonet’s creative director Michaela Salt, who joined in October 2022, said: “There’s an evolving aesthetic and a new kind of luxury developing globally, especially in the Gulf region.
“We want to examine what luxury means. Surely emotive design should enhance our environment and play much more of a role in our everyday health and wellbeing,” Salt added.
Sonet will focus on craftsmanship, community and locality, according to Salt. The company will provide services around interior design, product design, decorative arts and communication.
She said the studio wants to make a name for itself by “escaping the mundane and simply making people feel better through design”.
“Wellbeing is a big driver for most of our clients across retail, hospitality and public spaces,” Salt added.
“People want to feel a level of engagement and fulfillment in their lives. Our angle is we want to go beyond spas and plants. Curated experiences incorporating the arts, human expression can illuminate the senses and make us feel alive”.
Taking its name from the Italian word “sonetto”, meaning “little song”, Salt said the idea behind Sonet is to “blend functional design expertise with culture and art and a little poetry”.
“Bringing an emotive approach and nimble energy to every project, the brand’s exclusive portfolio spans interior design, bespoke furniture, lighting, product collections and brand partnerships,” Sonet said.
The brand is launching with bespoke furniture, lighting and interior design projects based in Europe and the Middle East.
Among the launch products is a series of seating designs, including the wooden Humble Chair and a low-slung day bed.
Sonet’s sculptural Services Chair is made from black-stained wood and features arched shapes in the backrest and cutouts at the base.
The brand said it wants to foster a collaborative approach to luxury lifestyle design, encouraging open communication between clients, artists and craftspeople to celebrate the diversity of skills.
“At Sonet, we believe in the power of design to evoke emotions, inspire connections and enhance our everyday lives,” said Salt.
The studio is expected to serve a different segment of the market in contrast to Areen’s core business.
For more information about Sonet, visit its website here.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Areen as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
