There is science behind why your favourite colourful sweater makes you smile every time you put it on or a certain shade of blue recalls summer vacations by the sea. That’s your brain’s reward system at work. Now imagine your home sparking that same feeling of delight - that’s dopamine décor.
This relatively young philosophy encourages designing spaces around joy rather than prescribed aesthetics. Globally, it’s already reshaping interiors with unapologetically modern, colourful pieces. But when Egyptian designer Heba El Habashy moved to Dubai many years ago, she was already noticing the gap: unapologetic modernity was only accessible through imported options, often burdened with delays, high costs, and soulless designs that failed to reflect the region’s rich capacity for craft. “There was always this gap between glossy, imported design and mass-produced pieces with no soul,” Heba recalls. “I wanted to create furniture that feels personal and accessible, but also rooted here.” This realisation became the seed for Klekktic.
Klekktic has quickly become a refreshing force in contemporary interiors. With fluid silhouettes and vibrant finishes that channel dopamine décor, the brand creates furniture that feels personal and joyful. In just a few years, it has already served over ten thousand customers across the GCC, growing from a seamless e-commerce platform into a flagship showroom in Al Quoz. With a small Dubai-based team, it now collaborates with interior designers, outfits boutique cafés and restaurants across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and carves a presence in both residential and commercial design.
Since the heart of Klekktic’s ethos is a grounding in local production, the brand works closely with UAE-based manufacturers and artisans, ensuring its pieces embody craftsmanship and regional identity. Customisation pushes this further, allowing clients to choose from textiles and premium leathers engineered for durability as much as beauty. “Homes should be storied, not just furnished,” Heba emphasises. Designed to be water-repellent, stain-resistant, and even pet-friendly, the pieces adapt seamlessly to different lifestyles.
For Heba, this pursuit is personal. As the daughter of a diplomat, she grew up between Russia, Kazakhstan, Peru, and Malta, surrounded by carpets and antiques her family collected from each post. “I grew up surrounded by pieces that had stories stitched into them,” she says. “It taught me early on that design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about memory and belonging.” That sensibility sharpened in Dubai, where she found the market saturated with sleek imports that were slow, costly, and impersonal.
Sustainability ties it all together. By shortening supply chains through local production and launching a pre-loved programme that extends the life of its pieces, Klekktic is quietly reshaping what it means to build a design business in the Middle East today. “Sustainability has to be more than a buzzword. It’s about designing systems where quality and longevity are the default.” Heba tells SceneHome.
Ultimately, Klekktic’s objective goes beyond aesthetics to influence how people live and feel in their homes. Every sofa, table, and textile is imagined as an invitation to joy, an anchor of locality, memory, and meaning. In Heba’s words: “Homes should be storied, not just furnished.”