I was lucky enough to have been invited to the opening of Villa Style, an interior design business and furniture store, a few months ago in Khobar. I was SO blown away with the type of furniture and accessories in the store – it was just incredibly stylish! I can safely say that they had some of the most beautiful pieces that I’ve ever seen in Dhahran!

Photo Courtesy of Villa Style

Almost all of the items in Villa Style are imported from France, Turkey, Italy, as well as other European countries, so you definitely will need a larger budget to shop, but I think it’s worth splurging on statement pieces that will pretty much look like art in your home.

I would love to get my hands on some of the pieces, including a vintage Turkish rug and an amazing marble log that I posted a picture of a while back…

“Logs” made of marble. I. can’t. even.

I just love everything about this. I want everything! Look at that ottoman!!!

I seriously have no words for how pretty these light fixtures look…

Are you looking at these rugs??!

I am obsessed with this chair. I NEED at least one or two in my home… Photo Courtesy of Villa Style

After the opening, I sat down to have a chat with the store’s owner, Dalal Alafalag, a young and new interior designer to the scene, who opened up the store with her sisters about 6 months ago.

Tell me a little bit about how you started this business…

This was an idea that started about a year and a half ago. My sister and I always loved doing interiors, and we did most of the decorating in our family homes… We’ve always done everything ourselves. I kept telling myself that I needed to do something about it… So one day, while my sister and I were sitting together, watching the kids play in a park, we made the decision to get started on an interiors business!
After coming back home, I took interior design classes in Dubai through a London art school. My sister and I also went to MAISON&OBJET, an interiors fair in Europe, and we started ordering furniture before we even had a store! It took about 8 months for us to get the location, but luckily, by the time the furniture was ready to be shipped from Europe, our store was ready!
It was definitely a “follow your dreams” story. If you had told me 2 years ago I would’ve had this business, I wouldn’t have believed you. I would’ve thought that it was impossible.

Where do you get most of your furniture from?

We mostly carry French furniture. We have a few pieces from Italy, Belgium and Turkey as well. Many of our vintage rugs are from Turkey and some of our larger furniture pieces. We deal with about 12 companies in total.
To be honest, Villa Style carries pieces that I love. They’re all pieces that I hand picked for my store.

Look at that rugggg!!

What are your favorite trends and products for the year?

The marble table and logs were very different and something I really liked. I also noticed that the partitions were quite popular as well.
It seems like turquoise and mustard are big color trends for the year also.

Look at the gorgeous branch-like partition

Your style?

Simplicity and modern with a mix of extreme classic. I do love more modern styles though.

I love this light fixture. It is a gorgeous piece!

What services do you provide for your clients?

We can do the designing or the decorating for you. If you’re building a home, we prefer you to come to us right at the beginning so that we can make sure to get all of the details for your electrical, plumbing, ducting, etc. But if you’re just interested in decorating or renewing a room, we can do that as well.
We also design custom furniture for your home… We just recently finished a 22 person dining table… Our engineers and carpenters are very good.

Lastly, any tips for clients?

Research and know your style. Is it modern, contemporary, classic, country? Often people don’t know what their style is, and it’s common for people to have a mix of a few different styles in their head.
Come with pictures or we can look at pictures together.