True to the spirit of the brand, Nada Debs' new collection of ‘Cigar Plug-Ins’ reflects the unique brand heritage of incorporating craft with natural materials. Available in marble and wood, each piece in the collection is meticulously created using special machinery and techniques. The tasteful and elegant combination of wood and marble adds to the ‘mix and match’ element that rests at the heart of the Plug-In collection. Designed for a niche audience in pursuit of a lifestyle statement, the collection appeals to individuals who like to stand out in a crowd. “The idea is that you can choose a unique color cube and still stand out as an individual in the community,” says Lebanese designer Nada Debs.
The plug-ins reimagines the spirit of oneness and reintroduces a sense of community where social distancing and contactless sharing is still a necessity. “The intention was to bring back a sense of community in a socially distanced world and to create something meaningful and versatile, that is safe and stylish,” says Debs. Each piece in the collection is the result of close collaboration and constant interaction with craftsmen that have carefully sourced, selected and polished every piece. “We worked with a specialised marble factory in the heart of Lebanon to ensure that the marble was carved from a single slab, sourced and selected for its specific hue and vein pattern, and then shaped and polished by artisans skilled in marble crafting,” explains Debs.
The ashtrays come in three primary shapes - rectangle, square and circle. The premium quality of the marble stands out against the plug-ins made with American walnut wood and infused with tin in-lay, and pure mother-of-pearl polka dots ̶ a signature element by Nada Debs. Featuring a geometric play of design in the stripes and patterns, the aesthetic caters to the evolving palette of new generations who appreciate a contemporary twist on old-world crafts that are revived with Nada’s idea of function-based metamorphism.
The circular ashtray is molded from a single block of Marquina stone, while the wooden ashtray is hand-crafted by an artisan who chisels straight lines into the block of wood, and then fills it with tin inlay for the organic pattern. Grey, green and black are just a few of the classic colors in the collection.
Shape and form, material and pattern, symmetry and geometry come together for a collection that is a testament to the ‘handmade and heartmade’ soul of the brand. Each Cigar Ashtray comes with a set of Plug-Ins which can be mixed and matched, or purchased as a stand-alone, making it a perfect collectors’ item for those who appreciate the finer things in life.
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