Dubai, UAE– Dubai Design Week opened its 12th edition today at Dubai Design District (d3), bringing together designers, architects and creative practitioners from more than 50 countries. Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the event features more than 40 installations, exhibitions, commissions and activations, alongside workshops, discussions and interactive experiences.
Organised in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), part of TECOM Group, and supported by Dubai Culture, this year’s programme explores the relationship between design, cultural heritage and contemporary practice. It also highlights how creative thinking can respond to changing social, cultural and environmental needs.
The 2026 edition features the return of Downtown Design, the Middle East’s leading fair for high-quality contemporary design, with more than 300 brands and designers from over 35 countries. It also introduces a new exhibition format for Abwab, showcases 30 UAE-based creatives and presents a diverse programme of international and regional design installations.
Khadija Al Bastaki, Senior Vice President of Dubai Design District (d3), part of TECOM Group, said the event continues to strengthen Dubai’s position as a global design hub by bringing together diverse creative perspectives and supporting the growth of the design community. She highlighted the importance of providing platforms that empower talent and advance the objectives of the Design Sector Strategy 2033.
Natasha Carella, Director of Dubai Design Week, said the programme reflects a design community increasingly willing to experiment with materials, question established approaches and explore the social and environmental conditions shaping everyday life.
Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, highlighted design’s contribution to Dubai’s creative economy. She noted that the UAE’s designation as a UNESCO City of Design reflects the country’s commitment to innovation and enriching everyday life, while platforms such as Dubai Design Week help local designers connect with industry partners and international audiences.
Downtown Design and UAE Talent Take Centre Stage
Downtown Design opens with an extensive international showcase featuring established names such as Gaggenau, Kohler, Venini, Ethimo, Lasvit, LAUFEN x Kartell, Preciosa Lighting, Jaipur Rugs, Porada and Flaer. Multi-brand presentations include HMA Living by Alshamsi, Caspaiou, the Italian Trade Agency, Iconic Home and IF HUB.
Special presentations include a Memphis Milano exhibition by HMA Living, featuring works by Ettore Sottsass; Aquae Mirabiles by Italian Maison Buccellati, conceived with British artist and designer Luke Edward Hall; and the Clicquot Café by Veuve Clicquot, designed by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori. Dubai-based studio Etereo has also created a new hospitality space exploring materiality and spatial experiences.
Regional participation includes Tashkeel’s Tanween Design Programme, MAKE’s Athath Fellowship in Abu Dhabi and 1971-Design Space in collaboration with SILA Collective. Iwan Maktabi presents new works by UAE-based designers Nadine Kanso and Omar Al Gurg, drawing on Arabic calligraphy and cultural symbolism.
The UAE Designer Exhibition, supported by Dubai Culture, brings together 30 UAE-based creatives under the theme Inherited Futures, conceived by architect and designer AlZaina Lootah. The exhibition explores how traditional knowledge, materials, rituals and local craftsmanship can influence contemporary design. Its works include furniture, lighting, textiles and objects using agricultural waste, locally sourced clay and reclaimed wood, alongside interpretations of Arabic calligraphy, traditional dressmaking and the majlis.
Abwab and Urban Commissions Explore New Ideas
Abwab, Dubai Design Week’s commissioning programme supporting practitioners from West, South, Southeast and East Asia and Africa, presents In Other Words. For the first time, it moves from individual pavilions to a shared indoor exhibition featuring five commissioned works by Dalia Rafeh, Grace Shieh, Kanaka Raghavan, UBIK and VARUSSI, founded by Owais Asif Khan and Samreen Junaid Wani.
The exhibition explores how language, memory and knowledge are communicated through materials and space. Highlights include Rafeh’s seven-metre red-light installation Shhhhhhhh, which transforms the Arabic letter ش into an expression of silence; Shieh’s A Library of Paper Memories; and VARUSSI’s Taleem, inspired by the coded language of Kashmiri carpet and Kani shawl making. Other works examine Devanagari letterforms and the complexities of translation.
Urban Commissions 2026, themed Atmospheres, explores how architecture influences the way people experience public spaces. The winning proposal, Three Gardens and a Room, by Dubai-based NAO Architects, founded by Reem Nassour, brings together three distinct gardens and a shared central space. Using planting, shade, filtered light, colour and materials, the installation explores four architectural elements: the roof, mound, hearth and enclosure.
International Installations and Exhibitions
More than 25 installations transform d3 into an open-air gallery, exploring architecture, public space, sustainability, cultural identity and material innovation.
International contributions include Nikken Sekkei’s CHATAI 2.0, developed with SOBOKUYA, and Arquitectonica’s Peek, Pivot, Play!. Regional and UAE-based projects include Nordic Office Architects’ The Pleated Garden, Kart Group’s Resonance, Collaborative Design Laboratory and Zayed University’s ShadeForm, and ae studio’s In Between What Was and What Will Be.
Other highlights include Bahrain-based Palm & Palazzo Design Studio’s BAYN, Rasha Saffarini’s Taqleem, which explores discarded palm fronds in contemporary construction, and ROOTED by Trend Group. Projects by Alter, Amity University, Future Bedouin and BASE39 further explore recycled materials, sustainable construction and adaptable architecture.
The programme also features A Seat at the Table, a multisensory experience by Dubai Holding Entertainment in collaboration with Canadian University Dubai, ImInclusive and Rumett, celebrating People of Determination. Other installations include ISEA International’s interactive light sculpture AT THE HAND and Everyday Artifacts by Noora Jabir and Moufida Mohideen, winners of The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2026, presented by NYU Abu Dhabi in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation.
Exhibitions further explore the future of design and its relationship with technology and heritage. Woods Bagot presents Worlds Ahead: 25 Years of Design, Place and Impact in the Middle East, examining its 25-year presence in the region and the future of architecture through artificial intelligence, robotics, sustainability and quality of life.
L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, opens Recreating Gesture: Crafting a Gold Necklace from the Iron Age on 5 November, exploring historical goldsmithing techniques. Other presentations include FLTRD’s ceramics exhibition Borrowed from Earth, Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children’s ceramics programme and artist Nujoom Alghanem’s installation Our Flag.
The Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation presents What remains human?, examining the role of designers in a technology-driven world, while the American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design presents Six Degrees Offsite, featuring graduate work across several creative disciplines.
Talks, Workshops and Interactive Experiences
The Forum at Downtown Design, designed by Dubai-based studio BONE and supported by Lutron, brings together more than 30 international and regional practitioners for discussions on craftsmanship, materiality and the future of design. Speakers include French interior architect Tristan Auer, British interior designer Katharine Pooley and Laura Kohler.
Dubai Design Week’s Maker Space, made by MillerKnoll, offers more than 50 workshops and creative sessions covering ceramics, photography, typography, textiles and product design. Highlights include sessions led by Dr Ulrike Oberlack of the University of the Arts London, Abwab participant Grace Shieh, Tashkeel, Analog The Room, HKS Architects, Nora Zeid and Tatreez Therapy.
The festival also features creative collaborations by BMW Middle East with fashion designer Rami Al Ali, Curious Studio by IQOS with OUCHHH Collective, and Jazeera Paints with Saudi architect Sumayya Dabbagh. Pinterest, M Moser Associates, Istituto Marangoni and See Play Dream are among the other participants presenting interactive experiences.
Additional attractions include The Desert Dweller by Ethr, celebrating Bedouin hospitality and Arabic coffee; MANDOOS ALWULFA by The Season of Wulfa, exploring the traditional Emirati chest; and an interactive talent discovery initiative by the Museum of the Future.
Spotify, the Official Audio Streaming Partner, will provide a specially curated festival playlist, while Wisewell will offer purified drinking water through dedicated hydration stations. Kiri® will also present its Sweet Bites experience.
The Dubai Design Week Marketplace returns on 7 and 8 November with more than 80 independent makers, artisans and creative businesses from the UAE and wider region. Visitors can explore ceramics, jewellery, fragrances, homeware, fashion and lifestyle products, including a dedicated ceramics market presented by Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children.
With its extensive international participation and strong representation of UAE-based talent, Dubai Design Week 2026 continues to provide a platform for creative exchange, cultural expression and innovation, reinforcing Dubai’s growing role in the global design community.
SOURCE: MEDIA RELEASE / SUPPLIED CONTENT WITH IMAGES
