“I like to do different things. I like the challenge,” exclaims Magdalena Diab, the owner of a trendy fashion store, an interior architect, a former model, a boat designer, and overall, a businesswoman. “I get more creative when I have something completely different.”
In this case, she is talking about a new project she has recently finished which involved designing the interior of a 36m Benetti Classic. Taking on this luxurious yacht was a challenge even though she jumped at the opportunity to work on something so out of the ordinary.
“I had seen another yacht that the client owned, and I felt that it really did not reflect who he was as a person. So I told him that hopefully, his next boat will fit his image better,” she explains, “I really feel that your boat should reflect your personality.”
When the client decided to buy the Benetti Classic, he contacted Diab, who quite literally dived in head first. From the onset of the project, she flew over to the shipyard in Italy and was fully involved in the creation of the entire project.
“When you design for a boat, there are many things to take into consideration, which would not be an issue if we were working on a home or a restaurant,” she explains. “The most important thing we need to keep in mind is how to be functional, yet retain the aspect of luxurious elegance.” Diab elucidated on how she overcame the many challenges including maximising the limited available space, designing around the extensive but necessary piping structure as well as incorporating as much storage space as possible to allow for longer cruising.
Given that Diab’s primary mission was to create a design that reflected the personality of the owner, the result was a combination of modernism and minimalism. The pallet of colours creates an elegant space and a pleasant atmosphere. “I played around with lights, including spots and indirect lighting to lend a certain feel to the place,” says Diab. Indeed the mood lighting can change from blue, to fuchsia or even violet to allow the owner to modify the ambience according to his disposition.
Each of the rooms was designed to be an escape with a sense of comfort and modernity. The guest bedrooms have such notable features as a walk-in closet, and a bathroom that complements the actual room. But naturally Diab indulged in offering the most space to the master cabin and here the owner can enjoy the vistas from his own private deck. The master bed has been placed centrally and distinctively surrounded by mirrors that are placed so as to reflect and enhance the views of the vast seas.
Even the exterior of the yacht was not left untouched by Diab’s creative hand. In this regard, the changes required many consultations with the Benetti engineers. “The original design was very round, and I wanted something more modern, so I changed the outside to be more angular and straight.”
The final product received widespread acclaim, with the yacht being put on display in the Genoa showroom, and Diab receiving more offers to design other boats. This yacht is a combination of contradictions: classic, yet modern; technologically superior, yet simple and comfortable; luxurious, yet minimalist.
In many ways these contradictions reflect Diab’s own personality. A mother of two, she has lived, worked, and studied between Italy, Beirut, and England while spending enough time with some of the world’s leading supermodels to actually call them friends. Her design portfolio is extensive and includes homes, bars, restaurants, lounges, and apartments. She even partnered up with the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism to organise fashion shows for local talent, which later were moved to Italy and grew to include international talent. She is the brains and the power behind Matt: I & II, a trendy lifestyle store in Downtown Beirut. She is immersed in the glitterati crowd, and designs for immensely rich clients from Arab countries.
All in all, there must be very few challenges that Magdalena Diab will shy away from. Her constant quest for something new makes her life experiences rich with variety, and her ability to juggle so many things at once while excelling in each is, to say the least, impressive. As varied as her work is, it all has one simple ethos behind it: “Our lives are so hectic. We need more simplicity. When we go home, simplicity is exactly what we need, and that’s what I aim to do in all of my work.”
