Baldhead World of Vintage (BWV) sits at the intersection of nostalgia and artistry in Jeddah, a curated world where vibrant palettes, and stories of craftsmanship coexist. Founded by Saudi curator Laila Zahid, BWV emerged from a fascination with the 1960s and 70s, decades of daring experimentation that continue to shape modern aesthetics. “What drew me to that era,” Zahid tells SceneHome, “was how unconventional everything was. Out of repression came incredible creativity. They played with colours and curves in ways that shouldn’t work, but somehow always did.”

From this fascination, Zahid has built a practice that feels less like commerce and more like curation. Each object in BWV’s collection, whether an Italian fibreglass chair or a Japanese teapot, embodies a conversation between material, maker, and moment in history. The collection’s foundation rests in Zahid’s upbringing within a creative lineage. Her grandfather, renowned Saudi artist Dia Aziz Dia, shaped her sensibility towards structure and detail. His life’s work, marked by abstract faces and a constant search for clarity amid confusion, echoes in BWV’s own philosophy. “Seeing him paint, seeing how much of himself he gave to his art, it taught me perseverance,” Zahid says. “That energy pushed me to keep exploring until I found the world of vintage.”
Dia’s sculptures still punctuate Jeddah’s urban fabric, and Zahid’s approach to vintage objects feels like an extension of that legacy, a dialogue between artistry and form, between what endures and what fades. Restoration at BWV is treated as a process of interpretation. “Every piece is a problem-solving case,” she explains. “You have to approach each one differently, understand its structure, and bring it back without erasing its story.”
Among BWV’s standout pieces is a pair of Mario Sabot “Pod” Lounge Chairs from late 1960s Italy, their sculptural fibreglass shells and curved forms capturing the era’s fascination with space-age design. A Royal Worcester Millennium Plate from 2000 reflects a different kind of craftsmanship, its celestial motif and shifting optical details evoking time and movement. A mid-century Japanese teapot glazed in burnt orange and amber unites tradition and modernism through its refined silhouette and bamboo handle. “There’s a certain beauty in pieces that show their age,” Zahid says. “Their wear tells you where they’ve been. We like the pieces to show their history.”
What began as Zahid’s personal collection has evolved into a growing design community within Saudi Arabia. She travels to international vintage fairs, seeking pieces that resonate with both authenticity and spirit. “It started as a hobby,” she admits, “but once I saw people asking about sourcing, I realised how much appetite there was for these stories.”
Her process of selecting, authenticating, and restoring is meticulous, guided by respect for the object’s structure and the world it once belonged to. Each acquisition becomes a fragment of design history reintroduced into contemporary living spaces, where it acts as both object and narrative.
The name Baldhead itself carries personal resonance. “I was bald for over seven years, it became part of who I am,” Zahid shares. “It was bold, honest, and unapologetic, and I wanted that same spirit in my work.”
On offering advice to newcomers in vintage collecting, Zahid tells SceneHome, “Start with a piece and then the addiction will start. Once you realise how much depth the piece adds to a space, it’s a conversation starter. You’re going to be obsessed with it and you’ll only want more.”