Downtown Design 2024 Highlights Announced

The annual meeting point for the creative community and anchor event of Dubai Design Week, Downtown Design is at the centre of design in the region and brings together established and emerging names from the international design scene, featuring the latest collections and innovative solutions by brands and manufacturers from around the world, with a spotlight on rising talent of the region, complemented by a dynamic programme of creative pop-up concepts and networking events, alongside a line-up of talks, keynotes and masterclasses at The Forum.

Downtown Design 2024 will welcome prominent international brands, including Audo Copenhagen, showcased by The Bowery Company alongside ferm LIVING; Haberdashery will mark their regional debut with a bespoke ‘Sand & Sea’ composition; Kartell return to highlight their latest collections of industrial, contemporary designs; Poltrona Frau will exhibit their timeless designs in collaboration with renowned names including Faye Toogood, Draga & Aurel and Sebastian Herkner; and B&B Italia will spotlight iconic pieces indoor and outdoor living, presented by local partner Baituti Home.

A key highlight of the fair this year, The Conran Shop will be launching online in the UAE at the fair, and presented in the Middle East by Dhow Architectural Solutions Group. Italy’s Jacopo Foggini will present large-scale, handcrafted polycarbonate works and interior solutions; and Hands Carpets will launch its first-ever collection in collaboration with a European designer, industrial designer Nika Zupanc.

Preciosa are returning this year, showcasing their pixel concept in an immersive experience; Atelier Vierkant, a family business from Belgium, will make their debut at the fair; while Lasvit will present a showcase by Yabu Pushelberg; Cosentino will present a creative concept by Kuwaiti Babnimnim Design Studio,using tiles to create seamless, monolithic walls that offer an immersive, joint-free experience; and Isola Design are back with a curated selection of innovative designers and studios from around the world under the theme ‘This Future is Currently Unavailable’, inviting reflection on design’s role in shaping our collective future.

Casa Milano returns with an immersive space featuring ‘Talking Walls’, a competition challenging eight leading UAE-based design firms to create and build concepts responding to the theme of a random word. Other local highlights include Obegi Home, presenting a contemporary luxury living showcase, featuring brands including Flexform, Poliform and Antonio Lupi; and Caspaiou, exhibiting a multi-brand showcase of design pieces from Meridiani and Gallotti&Radice, to mention a few.

Country pavilion highlights includethe Italian Trade Agency (ITA) returning to Downtown Design with over 40 brands and markers, reinforcing Italy’s legacy of innovation and craftsmanship; Designed in Saudi, a strategic initiative by the Design and Architecture Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture, highlighting the Kingdom's creative talent and this year featuring nine studios; Interiors from Spain showcasing 10 brands in a dynamic exhibit curated and designed by Dubai-based studio B8 Architecture & Design; and the Dutch Collective, spearheaded by Margriet Vollenberg, which launched at Downtown Design in 2023, returning for a second consecutive year with seven Dutch designers.

A key highlight of this year’s fair will be the inaugural Editions Art & Design, opening up collecting opportunities to a wider audience. Sitting alongside the Downtown Design fair, Editions is the region’s first limited-edition art and design fair and will feature over 50 galleries, design studios and collectives, showcasing contemporary design, photography, prints, ceramics and works on paper.

Headlines of the 2024 fair programme include a large-scale floral installation handcrafted from recycled everyday materials such as truck tarpaulins, old wool blankets and construction sheeting by Dutch artist Linda Nieuwstad, and an outdoor pavilion by Dubai-based architectural and interior design studio Bone, made entirely from prefabricated earth blocks, in collaboration with Spanish Fetdeterra, technical specialists in rammed earth architecture.

In its fifth edition this year, the UAE Designer Exhibition 5.0 will spotlight 30 designers passionate about creating emotionally resonant objects that serve as retreats in today’s hectic world. Curator of this year’s UAE Designer Exhibition, Omar Al Gurg will guide participants to explore materiality and form, under the theme of inspiring people to slow down and savour moments of tranquillity.

Other highlights include Veuve Clicquot’s new Sun Club Lounge, designed by Marcel Poulain, themed around La Dolce Vita; and the de Gournay lounge, showcasing the brand’s iconic hand-painted and hand-embroidered wallpapers with curated furnishings in an intimate space that will host special activations and events.

The week’s main talks programme, The Forum, brings together a diverse lineup of designers, industry professionals and thought leaders to share industry insights, exchange ideas and engage in meaningful discussions. This year’s space has been conceived by Beirut-born interior designer Thomas Trad, who will be taking cues from minimalist, Japanese-inspired aesthetics. The programme will feature renowned figures from the design world, including Iranian-French architect and designer India Mahdavi, who will host the opening keynote offering her insights on multicultural design and the fusion of identities in contemporary space. Other keynotes by prominent figures on the global scene, include Eames Demetrios and Lina Ghotmeh.