On the panel, we had with us:

Sejal Patel, Design Director at Kristina Zanic Consultants

Kerem Cengiz, Managing Director – MENA at LWK + PARTNERS

Reem Al Qamzi, Founder of Rqitects

Peter Caruso, Architect at Augusta

Watch the video here:

The post Winner’s Panel with IF Hub appeared first on identity.

In this issue, we also take a retrospective look at our presence during Downtown Design and Dubai Design Week. With the wonderful weather upon us here in Dubai, our design focus turns to outdoor living, offering fresh inspiration for reimagining the terraces, balconies and other open-air spaces we’re all eager to enjoy. And ahead of us gathering with loved ones during the festive season, we’ve curated touches of interior inspiration to look forward to as well.

Our cover story shines a spotlight on IF Hub, the visionary concept created by entrepreneur Fady Friberg. Bringing together more than 70 international brands under one roof, the space on Umm Suqeim Street is fast becoming a must-visit destination for the industry – fostering community, championing design and delivering an experience unlike any other. 

On a personal note, this season holds even more meaning for me, as my husband and I prepare to welcome a new member of our family. Looking ahead with excitement and gratitude, I’m reminded of the beauty of new beginnings – both in life and in design.

As we close out the year, we wish you a wonderful festive season and a bright, inspiring start to the new year ahead.

Read the e-issue here.

The post Read ‘The Winner’s Issue’ – Note from the editor appeared first on identity.

You can view the full list of winners here.

A special thank you to our incredible sponsors and partners for their valuable support.

Platinum sponsor: CASAMIA

Gold sponsors: Studio971, Gaggenau ,ClayArk

Silver sponsors: HMA Living , IF Hub,  Valcucine Merise

Bronze sponsor: Glaze

Gift partner: The White Company, Sans Souci, African + Eastern

Vote processing partner: Jacobsons

And the winners are…

Interior Design

Architecture

Innovations in Design

People’s Choice Award Residential Winner : Maasomeh Hilal Design

View more photos from the night here.

The post In photos: Winners at the identity Design Awards 2025 appeared first on identity.

Themed ‘The Flourish”, the night celebrated the innovation and creativity of the industry through the act of creation itself and how ideas take root, evolve, and come alive through collaboration and imagination. Different parts of the showroom came alive as we celebrated the shortlist through interactive experiences ranging from a cocoa forest to beautiful performances.

Guests were treated to a multi-sensory journey from a mythical forest of chocolates, where truffles emerged from cacao pods, to a gourmet gelato accompanied by live violin music. The evening intertwined art, design, and performance, culminating in a DJ-led wellness lounge, where rhythm and design merged, closing the night in a celebration of creativity, connection, and flow.

The evening also unveiled the shortlisted designers and studios for this year’s awards, gathering the region’s leading architects, designers, and industry visionaries for a night of celebration, conversation, and connection.

Here are some photos that capture the energy and excitement from the memorable night:

Seat and table sales for the 2025 identity Design Awards are now live on Platinum List.

The post In photos: 2025 identity Design Awards shortlist reveal at Casamia appeared first on identity.

View the shortlist.

You can reserve your seats and tables at the event on Platinum List.

Voting will close on 31st October. Get your votes in here.

The post Vote for your favourite projects at the identity Design Awards 2025 appeared first on identity.

To me, luxury in design lies not in scarcity but in discernment – the ability to choose what truly matters and a reflection of freedom of thought. And perhaps more importantly, to say “No” without worrying about it. It is the freedom to think independently, underpinned by consistency and rigorous discipline.

This issue reflects that perspective. Our cover features Gaggenau, a brand that embodies design for the truly discerning. With gravitas born of relentless innovation, Gaggenau continues to define form-meets-function at its very best.

In this issue, we also journey through homes in Dubai and beyond, where we examine the many interpretations of luxury in residential design. Our Design Focus highlights the small yet impactful details that infuse personality into your living spaces. As Downtown Design approaches, we bring you an exclusive preview of what promises to be its most exciting edition yet.

We are also counting down to the identity Design Awards, and we’re thrilled to announce that this year’s shortlist will be revealed in mid-October at our exclusive shortlist party, in collaboration with Casamia. Each year, the creativity, dedication and passion reflected in the submissions leave us truly inspired. You’ve asked, and we’ve listened: in the spirit of transparency, we’re also introducing something new this year. Feedback on submissions will be shared, to help elevate future submissions and foster an even stronger sense of community within the industry.

Table and seat reservations for the gala night on 20 November are now open via Platinum List. Make sure that you secure your spots for what promises to be an unforgettable evening.

Until then, my best wishes to all. See you soon!

Read the October 2025 issue

The post Read ‘The Luxury Issue’ – Note from the editor appeared first on identity.

The diverse panel of members will be selecting the winning projects across 21 categories spanning Interior Design, Architecture and Innovations in Design Categories.

Meet the jury:

Bill Bensley

Founder, BENSLEY

Bill Bensley is world renowned for his outstanding, unique and inspiring award-winning hotel, landscape and interior design, and eye-catching architecture. He is also a concerned conservationist and passionate philanthropist. Bensley’s philosophy is “besides having as much fun as possible, to help the needy, to educate, help animals and help the planet via conservation”. Bensley has seamlessly and brilliantly combined his passions to benefit the environments and communities in which he has created his incredible projects. He is a highly qualified jack of all trades – gardener, fisherman, architect, interior designer, painter, and most of all, a wide-ranging explorer of as many corners of the earth as he can.

Li Xiaodong

Chair – School of Architecture, Tsinghua University

Li’s design expertise spans interiors, architecture, and urban spaces. He has received numerous national and international accolades, including the 2009 Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Award and the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his Bridge School in Fujian. He also teaches architecture and has won prestigious international awards including the RIBA tutor’s prize (2000) and SARA tutor’s prize (2001) for his inspirational teaching at the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore. Currently, he is now the chair professor of the architecture program at the school of Architecture, Tsinghua University, in Beijing; He is also a researcher -his publication in articles, books in both English and Chinese covers wide range of interests, from cultural studies, history and theory of architecture to urban studies. http://www.lixiaodong.net/

Yasmine Ghoniem

Director, YSG

Based in Sydney, Ghoniem is the Director of YSG, a multidisciplinary practice trailblazing interior design across the residential, commercial and hospitality sectors globally. More recently, it introduced architectural services for new builds. Charging spaces with atmospheric potency, staging and storytelling narrate strong visual outcomes within all. Given the abundance of custom elements in every project, Ghoniem has built indelible ties with artists and skilled artisans to celebrate the maker’s touch. This has also led to collaborations with esteemed brands to create unique product ranges. In addition, she co-hosts the ABC’s Grand Designs Transformations series that launched in 2024.

The provocative chords of Ghoniem’s imagination have garnered countless global design accolades. Since 2022 she has regularly featured definitive lists that recognise the most influential interior designers, architects, and designers globally amongst its European and Middle Eastern mastheads. https://ysg.studio/

Nina Takesh

Founder, Nina Takesh

Nina Takesh is the founder, CEO, and creative force behind three successful businesses: Petit Tresor, a luxury baby brand store where Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, and Madonna regularly shopped; a home flipping business through which she has remodelled and designed countless houses; and a residential and commercial interior design firm, Nina Takesh, where she creates unique interiors for clients across the world.
Nina, who has an MBA from Pepperdine University, worked for the French fashion house Guy Laroche. She continues to push the boundaries of design and architecture by incorporating the newest materials and custom bespoke furnishings in her work. She has clients all over the world and has amassed a social media following between Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube of nearly 1,000,000 followers.

Submit your projects here.

The post Meet the judges for the identity Design Awards 2025 appeared first on identity.

Submission checklist and criteria can be accessed here.

There are 3 main categories:

Interior Design

Office

Awarded to a space primarily dedicated to work including offices, studios and coworking spaces.

Restaurant

Architecture

Outdoor space

Awarded to any project located outdoors from outdoor dining, installations and public space projects to gardens and beaches

The post identity Design Awards 2025 – The Categories appeared first on identity.

Launched in 2015, the identity Design Awards celebrates the beautiful and exciting projects taking place all over the MENA region.

Head to our submissions page to nominate your projects and view our categories here. All submissions to the identity Design Awards are free to enter.

Criteria for submissions

1. The project needs to be based in the MENA region
2. The project needs to be at the 100% completion stage, unless you are applying for the ‘Project of the Future’ award, which needs to be at the under construction stage.
3. We are accepting projects that have been completed at any point in time between 1 August 2024 and 1 August 2025.
4. We will only accept projects that have real images. Renders / AI-generated images will not be considered, unless you are applying for the ‘Project of the Future’ award.
5. There are no limits to the number of submissions a firm can submit across categories.
6. Please avoid duplication of submissions in the same category.

Submissions checklist

Here is what you need to know before you submit. Please ensure you read the below thoroughly and have the below collateral handy to ensure a smooth submission process:

1. Review the list of categories that your firm wants to apply for here. We have a total of 21 categories this year across architecture and interior design. We also have product design and emerging interior designer of the year categories.
2. Prepare the key information ready, such as name of the project, date of completion, size of the project, and project type.
3. Prepare the project photos in a Dropbox or Google drive shareable link (real, high-resolution images only that are preferably minimum 3000 px in width) If you are nominating a person for the emerging interior designer of the year, you will need to have their photo ready as well. All of the images should be downloadable and have public view permissions.
4. A presentation in the form of a .pdf document that explains the concept of the project and why you think this project should win. The overall presentation should not exceed 10 slides. The maximum size of file allowed is 10 MB.

Now you have all you need to get your submissions ready. The nominations are open and free for all to enter, and each submission in a different category requires a fresh entry.

Key dates that you need to know

• Deadline for submissions – 15th September 2025
• Shortlist announcement – 9th October 2025
• The gala event – 20th November 2025

Contact us

Over the coming months, we’ll be announcing our jury and revealing which nominations made the shortlist. Please sign up for our daily newsletter and follow us on social media for more updates.

To enter your projects, please visit this link.

For table/seat reservations for the gala event, please email sharmine.khan@motivate.ae.

We look forward to receiving your entries and best of luck to all participating.

Submit your nominations here.

For more information about the awards, click here.

The post identity Design Awards 2025 is now open for submissions appeared first on identity.

Timeline

Key dates

August – Submissions open; table sales open

September – Submissions closed

1st week of October – Shortlist & judges announced

Mid to end of October – Voting opens and closes

20th November – Awards gala night

Categories

Please find the categories here and get your projects ready to submit. We have 21 categories this year; ranging from commercial to residential, and even product design. This year, the residential category is split into two – apartments and villas to encourage a wider number of submissions for each dwelling type.

Criteria for submissions

• Projects need to be based in the MENA region
• The project should be 100% completed by the closing deadline for nominations (ie. between 1 August 2024 to 1 August 2025).
• Submissions need to include actual photos and not renders, unless you are applying for the project of the future category.
• The project needs to be based in the MENA region
• The project needs to be at the 100% completion stage, unless you are applying for the ‘Project of the Future award’, which needs to be at the under construction stage.
• We are accepting projects that have been completed at any point in time between 1 August 2024 and 1 August 2025.
• We will only accept projects that have real images. Renders / AI-generated images will not be considered, unless you are applying for the project of the future award.
• There are no limits to the number of submissions a firm can submit across categories.
• Please avoid duplication of submissions in the same category.

Submissions checklist

Here is what you need to know before you submit. Please ensure you read the below thoroughly and have the below collateral handy to ensure a smooth submission process:

1. Review the list of categories that your firm wants to apply for here. We have a total of 21 categories this year across architecture and interior design. We also have nominations open for product design and emerging interior designer of the year.
2. Prepare the key information ready, such as name of the project, date of completion, size of the project, and project type.
3. Prepare the project photos in a Dropbox or Google drive shareable link (real, high-resolution images only that are preferably minimum 3000 px in width) If you are nominating a person for the emerging interior designer of the year, you will need to have their photo ready as well. All of the images should be downloadable and have public view permissions.
4. A presentation in the form of a .pdf document that explains the concept of the project and why you think this project should win. The overall presentation should not exceed 10 slides. The maximum size of file allowed is 10 MB.

Now you have all you need to get your submissions ready. The nominations are open and free for all to enter, and each submission in a different category requires a fresh entry.

What you need to know

• To enter your projects, please visit the identity Design Awards website. Submissions open during the first week of August 2025.
• The submissions are open and free for all to enter.
• The gala event is set to take place on 20th November 2025, so watch this space!

Contact us

You can contact Sharmine Khan (sharmine.khan@motivate.ae) for any awards-related queries or table bookings. For queries regarding the submissions process, you may contact Aneesha Rai (aneesha.rai@motivate.ae).

Over the coming months, we’ll be announcing our jury and revealing which nominations made the shortlist. Please subscribe for our daily newsletter and follow us on social media, (if you haven’t already) to keep up with the updates.

The post identity Design Awards 2025 launches appeared first on identity.