The National Museum of Qatar's (NMoQ) gift shops have won four international awards in various categories, including retail and interior design in 2019.

In the United States, the gift shops were recognised as the Interior Design 2019 Best of Year Award winner for Mixed Retail and the winners of the Architecture MasterPrizeTM (AMP) Award for the Retail category. In the United Kingdom, the gift shops won the 2019 World Interiors News (WIN) Awards in the Independent Shops or Small Chains category.

The gift shops also received the Gold Winner title by the Driven x Design 2019 Sydney Design Awards in Australia for Interior Design Retail, a category that celebrates innovative and creative building interiors.

In addition to winning awards, the gift shops were also nominated for the 2019 INSIDE Award for Annual Best Interiors, Dezeen Awards 2019 for Retail Interior, and the Frame Awards 2020 for the Multi-Brand Store of The Year category.

Commenting on the announcement, Phil Lawrie, General Manager, IN-Q Enterprises said: "The National Museum of Qatar opened just last year and continues to set new standards of architectural excellence. Additionally, our collaboration with local artists and designers has contributed to creating a gift shop collection that is unique and authentic. We are honoured that these shops have received recognition for multiple awards and look forward to additional milestones in the future".

The Dahl Al Misfir (Qatar's "Cave of Light"), located in the heart of Qatar, is a beautiful underground sanctuary formed largely from fibrous gypsum crystals that give off a faint, moon-like, phosphorescent glow. This natural formation inspired the design of the two gift shops at NMoQ. Their organic architecture, designed by Koichi Takada Architects, reflects his vision of bringing nature back into architecture, establishing relationships that connect people and nature through design.

"The design for the gift shops represents a visually unique example of architecture and retail design that is culturally rooted and sympathetic to the local environment, human experience and place." Said Koichi Takada, Principal of Koichi Takada Architects.

The main gift shop stocks a large collection of well-designed, exclusive gifts, many of which draw their inspiration from the history, heritage, and culture of Qatar. The children's gift shop offers a diverse range of locally designed souvenirs and gift items, including educational toys, books, puzzles, and games. Both gift shops are located on the first floor of NMoQ and are open to the public during museum operating hours.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Image: Cristian Zamfir / Shutterstock

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