Dubai has been my home for 20 years, a city that holds a special place in my heart. It is here that I have achieved a sense of freedom, treasured milestones, and personal successes. There couldn’t be a better reason for me to pay my love and respect to this ever-surprising city through my love for color.
Color is the most basic medium of visual appeal. It transcends into every part of life, in things we eat, play, work or do to just relax with.
Our association with color in more ways than one is innate and is a reflection of our personality, style and even moods. Unwittingly it gives us a certain character and a means to identify with. And just as it defines us, it defines cities as well.
Dubai has travelled a journey of color that befits the city’s growth over time. When it was established as a city in its own right and started shaping up, houses, buildings and mosques wore variations of neutrals or shades of grey, beige, cream and off-white.
It seemed as if the city was a unified stretch of desert expanse depicting the “Colors of our Land.” The city held its own in these humble yet proud beginnings, and to this day it has not forgotten its roots. And forty-five years later it has evolved to a modern city in the sand. For example, here is the recently opened Four Seasons.
The colors of the city have become just as vibrant as it is. Welcoming warmth and vigor are felt in Dubai’s version of the Box Park of London.
But one also sees creativity, innovation and an attitude of having arrived through the bright red, green, blue and yellow boxes cordoned by a row of colorful pillars and Palm trees. Somewhere a space is intentionally created to house a red croc and pink penguins which seem to break the monotony of sharp design.
At some distance from the Box Park, on a busy avenue, is another colorful feast. One of a kind, the City Walk incites a discovery into its journey of colors while luring you to spend long cool evenings in a variety of cafes and restaurants. And there’s more coming to this big time getaway!
Fireworks on New Year’s Eve showed a riot of colors, with shades of Marsala thrown in, as if it were honoring Pantone’s choice of color for 2015.
Yet again in the youthful and energetic colors of modern Dubai, flows stylish elegance. Neutrals are still seen in fine dining restaurants while vivid blues combined with beautiful design depict some of the finest mosques and malls in the city. In a way, an ever-evolving Dubai is continuously created through experimentation with color.
Cool blue and green glass buildings are a common feature in a mix of warm pink glass buildings.
Colors go well with the architectural theme of schools, shopping malls and parks. In this innovative style of a kids' nursery here, one can sense the enduring comfort and warmth of colors.
The Ibn Batuta mall, a signature mall, is regionally inspired with a combination of bright colors and modern design in many ways.
The Starbucks here takes on the regional modern concept of store design while creating a calm respite from the busyness.
Geared towards making an indelible mark on the globe, Dubai’s futuristic vision has anchored itself in myriad expressions of color. It is a city that is a visual delight in the day and at night.