The identity Insider’s Guide to Downtown Design 2025

Downtown Design, the anchor fair of Dubai Design Week, will return to the Waterfront Terrace at Dubai Design District (d3) from 5-9 November 2025. Bringing together a curated selection of international and regional brands and studios, featuring established and emerging names, the fair remains the most significant platform for high-quality contemporary design in the Middle East. 

This year, more of the Downtown Design exhibitors are experimenting with space, from immersive and experiential pop-ups to thematic, elevated environments that contextualise design in the region. Here are some of the exhibits that we are looking forward to visiting: 

Cosentino

Cosentino

Cosentino is partnering with award-winning Milan and Dubai-based studio Etereo to create ‘1930’, a contemporary lounge experience at Downtown Design 2025. Inspired by the design movement of the 1930s, a golden era that blended the glamour and sophistication of Art Deco with the functionality of Modernism, the installation captures the charm of private clubs and brings it to the heart of the fair. 

To develop the interior design concept, the firm took inspiration from the aesthetics of the decade, a style they believe to be a rare balance of opposites: industrial innovation and traditional craftsmanship. Turning to its own design heritage by drawing from the geometric harmony of Piero Portaluppi, the sculptural sensibility of Carlo Scarpa and the bold architectural gestures of Ettore Sottsass, Etereo sketched out a vision and titled it ‘1930’, a namesake that alludes to the spirit of the brand’s favourite design era. Crafted as a sophisticated balance of geometry, materiality and historical inspiration, the immersive installation will go beyond aesthetics to evoke sensory experiences. The space, a perfect place for soirées, will be composed of a sculptural bar serving signature mocktails, a piano lounge, a game table for playful moments, and a salon for animated conversations. A secret bathroom, inaccessible to enter but visible through a porthole, will add a sense of mystery to the narrative, referencing the covert and forbidden nature of speakeasies from the 1930s. Right from the refined vertical cladding to the ornamental flooring, countertops and bespoke furniture, the entire setting will be crafted in Cosentino materials.

Kohler

In collaboration with interior designer Marco Maximus, KOHLER will invite visitors to explore an enchanting booth inspired by the rich colours and adventurous spirit of a journey through the Arabian Desert. Visitors can experience KOHLER collections in rich, expressive neutral colours that complement any design expression alongside exclusive collaborations that bring global design perspectives to life. The brand will also host a series of talks during the fair.

Huda Lighting

At this year’s edition, Huda Lighting will present a curated selection of luxury decorative lighting from its internationally renowned brand partners, including Lee Broom, Tom Dixon, Articolo, Brokis, Rakumba, Penta, Luceplan, Italamp, Terzani, Bomma, Brand Van Egmond, Folio, Lodes and Panzeri. The collection reflects a balance of innovation, craftsmanship and timeless design, tailored to meet the needs of high-end residential, hospitality and commercial projects. Meet Huda Lighting at Stand D20.

Hands Carpet

At Downtown Design, Hands Carpets will launch the collection of Egyptian sister-design duo Doodle & The Gang. Making fine handcrafted carpets since 1881, Hands Carpets finds true expression in ‘art for the floor’. Each of the company’s carpets is woven by skilled artisans with techniques handed down by generations, crafted using some of the finest qualities of silk, wool and other man-made fibres.

Quooker

Quooker

Visitors to the fair can try the All-New Quooker Flex Square, the newest member of the Flex family – now with a straight spout and enhanced controls for boiling, chilled, and sparkling water and still, all from one tap.

Interiors from Spain

nanimarquina

Interiors from Spain will feature ten leading Spanish brands across furniture, lighting, rugs and tiles – including APE Grupo, nanimarquina and Ondarreta. Its booth, called ‘Espejos’ (Mirrors) and designed by Swiss Bureau Interior Design (SBID), will transform the space into a sensory journey, reflecting Spain’s bold, passionate and innovative spirit.

DEBUTS

ClayArk

The Dubai-based ceramics brand will be making its Downtown Design debut. Its 23+ years of experience offering premium porcelain tiles and slabs, and a blend of craftsmanship and modern design, enables it to provide innovative surface solutions.

Stellar Works

Calico x Stellarworks

Established in 2012, Stellar Works was founded to unite ideas from East and West, blending heritage with modernity, and craft with industry – bringing the best of the past into the light of the present. The brand set out to inspire a renaissance in Asian aesthetics, reinterpreting the forms, styles and motifs that have defined Japanese design through the lens of European tradition to create something both new and timeless. This path between the old and the new reflects a core belief: that good design is timeless – something that Stellar Works strives to embody.

At Downtown Design, Stellar Works makes its Dubai debut, presenting alongside Calico Wallpaper in a space designed by Emirati architect and designer Omar Al Gurg.

MisuraEmme

Now exclusively brought to the UAE by HMA Living by Al Shamsi, MisuraEmme is a symbol of Italian excellence with over a century of craftsmanship, design innovation and timeless elegance. At the fair, MisuraEmme will be presenting highlights from its latest collection, including designs developed in collaboration with Studio 63 Architecture + Design and other leading Italian creatives – offering a glimpse into timeless design tailored for modern living.

STRATA

STRATA

Strata is the studio of mother-son interior design team Saira Ahsan and Yousaf Shahbaz, who have been undertaking bespoke interior projects and producing handmade artisan furniture for over two decades.

All pieces are designed by the STRATA creative team and produced at their factory in Lahore, Pakistan, using a vast range of techniques which include hand carving, inlays and various types of metal casting.

At Downtown Design the brand will present three collections. The Contemporary Artisanal Collection features carved wood inlaid with mother of pearl and finished with handcrafted ornaments. The Sculptural Collection reimagines natural forms through diverse materials and casting techniques. The Period Study Collection pays tribute to centuries-old craft, revived with precision through more than 20 years of research and prototyping at STRATA.

The Forum, designed by Rola Salamoun

Lebanese architect and designer Roula Salamoun has conceived The Forum space this year. The space reflects her tactile, intuitive approach to combining material experimentation with the exploration of organic forms, often inspired by landscapes and natural morphologies. “The Forum is conceived as a living landscape for ideas, fostering exchange across disciplines, cultures and perspectives,” shares Salamoun. “It draws from the region’s longstanding traditions of gathering, where dialogue unfolds in an intimate and inclusive setting, and their strong connection to the region’s native environment, where people come together to sit, converse and connect. These references are reimagined for a global audience, merging the local spirit of hospitality and exchange with the dynamic energy of Downtown Design.” Designed as an internal courtyard, the space’s seating turns itself onto the stage to create a sense of a collective conversation.

Stéphanie Coutas to open new gallery during fair

Stéphanie Coutas, the acclaimed French interior designer known for her sophisticated blend of contemporary elegance and neo-classical romanticism, is announcing the opening of her new gallery in Dubai at Boxpark, Al Wasl Road. The launch coincides with her participation in Downtown Design 2025.

Coutas’s studio has collaborated with esteemed houses such as Baccarat, Promemoria, Tai Ping, THG Paris and Louis Vuitton. Stéphanie Coutas also creates collections of furniture, lighting and decorative objects. Following the success of her Paris gallery in the Golden Triangle, this new Dubai space introduces a refined evolution of her vision. Designed as a warm and curated environment, it invites visitors to discover the world of the designer through luxurious materials, French decorative arts and sensorial storytelling, brought to life in a vibrant new setting.

At Downtown Design, Coutas will unveil the third triptych created by the studio. Measuring 2.75 metres wide by 1.2 metres high, the wall composition offers a rich dialogue between texture, mineral intensity and artistic emotion. At its heart, a mesmerising micro-mosaic reveals a blooming core of emeralds and semi-precious stones, encircled by layers of turquoise and topaz.

Bureau of Innovation Marks a Debut at Downtown’s Editions

Bureau of Innovation (BOI) is a new hybrid curatorial platform founded by Holly Lucas and Sam Henley to orchestrate contexts for experiencing design. The duo will launch the new initiative at Dubai Design Week as part of Downtown’s Editions. Positioned between gallery, cultural salon and digital curator, BOI introduces a model where design is not distant or decorative, but lived with – bold, purposeful, enduring.

BOI presents an assembly of collectible works and thoughtful product design – objects to enjoy. Each designer has been selected for their distinctive material language and approach: from sculptural stone to expressive glass, from architectural furniture to hand-crafted forms. “I’ve come together with Sam Henley to shape the next chapter of BOI; his background in collectible furniture design and founding of the stone studio Agglomerati brings a grounding in materiality, while mine is rooted in curating experiences that turn hospitality into theatre,” shares Lucas. “We bounce off each other instinctively, building a curation that merges production with mood, and storytelling with substance. For our debut at Downtown Design, we’ve selected designers whose work is built to endure, but also to provoke. The pieces feel timeless yet daring, and the experience we’re creating is about intimacy, immersion and emotional pull.”

More interesting exhibits at Editions

Galerie GEEK/ART

Galerie GEEK/ART is an Indo-Japanese contemporary art gallery redefining visual arts by merging Asia’s evolving creative identity with global narratives. Grounded in the interplay between heritage and innovation, the gallery examines cultural shifts, offering a platform for exploration and dialogue.

Central to the gallery’s vision is fostering global interconnectedness. By collaborating with public and private institutions and providing bespoke advisory services, Galerie GEEK/ART bridges cultural and geographic divides, cementing its role within the global art ecosystem.

The gallery highlights visionary artists who challenge conventions and reimagine socio-cultural constructs through experimental practices. By curating spaces for meaningful exchange, Galerie GEEK/ART celebrates art’s ability to connect, inspire and provoke reflection, positioning itself as a dynamic nexus for cultural convergence. At Editions, the gallery will make its regional debut, showcasing a curated selection of Japanese artists.

Antilla Di Lauro

Antilla Di Lauro is an Italian designer and artist working across tapestries, rugs, carpets and ceramics. Her practice charts an intimate cartography of form and material, where her multi-layered works reflect the complexity of human experience. Trained in Sustainable Architecture at Politecnico di Milano, she began her career with Patricia Urquiola before moving into luxury hospitality with HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates, and later contributing to the design of royal palaces for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

For Editions 2025, Di Lauro presents ‘Unbound’, a body of collectible tapestries shown alongside her first ceramic works. Woven in wool, bamboo silk, linen and recycled plastic, the tapestries stretch into irregular, multidimensional forms that resist convention and read as autonomous sculptural pieces. Alongside them, three ceramic vases stand like totems, guiding the audience’s gaze to discover and interpret Di Lauro’s multi-layered practice. Di Lauro lives and works in Dubai, creating bespoke commissions for collectors and royalty in the GCC. Her work is represented by Galerie Philia (USA) and Freeman Gallery (Australia & New Zealand).