When thinking of Hamid Nicola Katrib, we can easily see a young boy who decided to speak to the world through his unique imagination, telling stories made from shapes and colours. Born on October 8th, 1982, in Bacău, Romania, he moved to Beirut, Lebanon, together with his family, and he grew up there. Since his early childhood, he used to get lost into the whirls of his imagination, filling countless sheets of paper with drawings and sketches. Nothing could distract him from his art, and his parents wholeheartedly encouraged him to cultivate his talent.

Since childhood, Hamid found his inspiration in the dreamlike perfection of 17th-century Flemish still-life paintings. He appropriated these motives and continuously reinvented them accordingly to his own creative vision. As a teenager, Hamid would visit his grandparents’ hometown in Romania and spend his summer holidays at several local painters’ ateliers. It was there that he first discovered Flemish painting albums, which captivated him and influenced his style. That was also the time when, at an early age, he learned the basic of oil painting. Years after those summer holidays, fate was preparing a promising path for Hamid.

He graduated with excellent results as an interior designer from Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (Beirut), delivering an impressive final project. His efforts did not go unnoticed—just days after graduation, he was offered a job at one of Beirut’s most prestigious design studios, whose clientele included members of the Arab world’s royal families. His experience at this studio offered him the chance to dive deep into the universe of luxurious interiors and magnificent architecture. His taste for luxury and refinement was deeply nurtured from then on. 

At the age of 24, during a short visit to Romania, fate had yet prepared another twist for Hamid. He had the opportunity to open his own interior design office, and he seized this opportunity rather than returning his previous job in Lebanon. This is how his early career has begun. Right from his first design projects, Hamid’s style became remarkable by harmoniously combining various influences, from his Oriental background and love for colours and textures to the European functionality and modernism.

Over time, Hamid found better, innovative ways to blend interior design and painting. One reflected the other, becoming his trademark. His expressive style defined the houses of many people from around the world, including in Lebanon, Sicily, and Germany. In each of his home design projects, a custom-made painting in his unmistakable surrealist style found its perfect place. Working hard as an Interior Architect, while continuously expressing himself through painting, Hamid became a role model. In 2012, he was included in Forbes’ Top 30 Under 30 as one of the most successful young entrepreneurs in his field in Romania. His dedication and achievements in the early stages of his career led him to win the ELLE Decoration Design Awards two years in a row, in 2013 and 2014. Furthermore, his interior design projects have been featured in some of the world’s most renowned magazines, including ELLE Decoration, Forbes, BOB (Korea), and various interior design blogs all over the world.

 If you asked Hamid which is his favourite state of mind, he would undoubtedly say that he could wake up in his atelier every day and not leave it until dusk, bringing surrealist artworks to life. Willing to show his art – the expression of his exuberance and imagination – to the world, Hamid has held four art exhibitions in the last six years.