Suzi has designs on furtherexpansion in the emirate

Aug 19 2008 by jez Davison, Evening Gazette

A HARTLEPOOL glass artist is set to win £300,000 worth of work in Dubai - but has never even set foot in the emirate.

Suzi Dear, creative director of Big Studio Glass Design, will provide bespoke glass structures for the luxury Park Inn and Radisson SAS hotels in Dubai city after winning contracts with major UK interior designers. The structures will be showcased in front-of-house areas of the hotels, including the reception, cocktail bar and lounge.

But Suzi does not have to travel to Dubai as the designers manage the project directly with the end customer.

The Teesside University graduate believes the work will put her company in the shop window for further business in Dubai, which she describes as “a whole new world.”

Her stunning range of glass artwork has already turned the head of an unnamed wealthy British businessman, whose Dubai home is now decorated with back-lit screens in the kitchen, ground-level glass inserts and a glass water feature.

She says: “Dubai investors have a lot of respect for British designers because of their heritage. US designers don’t have as much history to draw upon.”

With plans to double her company’s turnover to £1.5m within three years, Suzi aspires to establishing a base in Dubai.

“We might think about it in a couple of years but we don’t want to run before we can walk,” she says.

Suzi set up the business with partner Andy Burt seven years ago and the pair have been so successful that they now plan to expand into new premises and add to their staff of 10.

The company has won a series of high-profile contracts, including work for Terminal 5 and a giant glass wall for the refurbished champagne bar and restaurant at Wimbledon’s All England Lawn Tennis Club.