Downtown Design Returns to Dubai Design District (d3) with a Global Showcase of High-Quality Contemporary Design
Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
-
The headline event of Dubai Design Week, Downtown Design returns to the d3 Waterfront Terrace, 5-9 November 2025
-
Leading international design brands including Kartell, Poltrona Frau and Venini alongside first-time participants Roche Bobois, Stellar Works and more
-
The 2025 edition expands its regional presence with strong representation from Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as well as from across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai. Initiatives such as Tashkeel’s Tanween Design Programme, MAKE’s Athath Fellowship and 1971 Design Space underscore the depth and growth of the local design ecosystem
-
Supported by Dubai Culture, the UAE Designer Exhibition returns in an evolved format, offering extended mentorship opportunities for UAE-based talent and facilitating global exposure for emerging creatives.
-
Visitors can experience immersive pop-up concepts, from a striking Buccellati showcase designed by david/nicolas, to the Solaire Lounge by Veuve Clicquot, realised in collaboration with Studio Marcel Poulain
-
A fair highlight, Editions Art & Design returns with a new line-up of international and regional participants presenting limited-edition prints, photography, ceramics, works on paper, artist multiples and contemporary design
-
Speakers at The Forum will include Marcel Wanders and Tom Dixon, alongside other international highlights such as Lee Broom and David Hicks
Returning to the Waterfront Terrace at Dubai Design District (d3), Downtown Design, the anchor fair of Dubai Design Week, will run from 5–9 November 2025. The fair unites a selection of international design brands and regional design studios, from emerging talent to established names, reinforcing its position as the Middle East’s leading platform for high-quality contemporary design.
Held in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), a member of TECOM Group PJSC, and supported by Dubai Culture, Downtown Design continues to serve as the region’s most important meeting point for the design industry, fostering collaboration and commercial opportunity.
This year’s edition will span furniture, lighting, surfaces, textiles, home accessories, and limited-edition design from around the world. Alongside the fair’s extensive programme of talks, keynotes, and creative pop-ups, visitors can look forward to the return of Editions Art & Design.
“The world of design is evolving rapidly, and Dubai is playing an ever-greater role in shaping a more collaborative, innovative, and inclusive future for all,” said Khadija Al Bastaki, Senior Vice President of Dubai Design District (d3), part of TECOM Group. “Through dedicated platforms like Downtown Design and Dubai Design Week, we nurture a rich and distinctly native design narrative that reflects the city’s ambitions. Most importantly, these stages give creatives from our region and global brands a vital and dynamic platform to exchange ideas and set new benchmarks for the industry. At d3, we are committed to contributing to the goals of Dubai Design Sector Strategy, strengthening Dubai’s reputation as a global hub for design excellence.”
Mette Degn-Christensen, Director of Downtown Design, said: “Over the past decade, we have witnessed Dubai transform into a genuine design capital, carried by the confidence of its own creative ecosystem. Every year, the fair grows in layers, continuing to bridge the worlds of the design industry and contemporary culture, and this year we have put together the Downtown Design 2025 fair experience as a human-centric place to discover, to evolve, and to connect.
This year’s programme tells the story of an industry that is maturing with purpose and ambition. I am excited to see how that evolution feels tangible in this year’s fair, from the exceptional roster of iconic names of the international design scene to the local initiatives and regional studios and collectives, championing craftsmanship and converging collaboration – reflecting the strength and high-quality of the region’s design market and celebrating the diversity and spirit that has come to define Dubai’s design scene.”
FAIR HIGHLIGHTS INTERNATIONAL BRANDS
Returning international heavyweights include Kartell, presenting their signature industrial design furniture, and Poltrona Frau, unveiling a series of new collaborations. Obegi Home will stage an immersive, multi-brand showcase of contemporary luxury living, while Huda Lighting returns with a large-scale lighting exhibition and Venini brings a bespoke amber glass installation. The fair also welcomes first-time international participants, among them Roche Bobois, Draga & Aurel, Desalto, Ceramicah, Flou and Porada.
LOCAL AND REGIONAL TALENT
UAE-based talent takes centre stage, with MAKE making its Downtown Design debut, showcasing the latest cohort of its Athath Fellowship, the Abu Dhabi-based platform empowering emerging designers to explore furniture design and entrepreneurship. The annual Tanween Design Programme by Tashkeel, which champions sustainable design in the UAE, returns with a new group of nine designers for its 2025 edition, and Sharjah’s 1971 Design Space will spotlight material innovation through works by Egyptian designers Lina Ghalib and Nuhayr Zein.
The spotlight also extends to the wider region. Highlights include Strata, the debut collection by Pakistan’s mother-son duo Saira Ahsan and Yousaf Shahbaz; the collection launch of Egyptian sister-design duo Doodle & The Gang’s designs for Hands Carpets; and the Designed in Saudi showcase, a strategic initiative led by the Architecture and Design Commission of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, dedicated to advancing the Kingdom’s industrial design sector. BEIT Collective will present collaborations between Lebanese artisans and international designers, while independent studios such as Jagdish Sutar and Dubai-based Studio Obliq will present contemporary furniture creations among other regional highlights.
COLLABORATIONS AND CREATIVE CONCEPTS
Stellar Works makes its Dubai debut presenting alongside with Calico Wallpaper in a space designed by Emirati architect and designer Omar Al Gurg, Nordic Homeworx unveils an immersive pop-up conceived by Dubai-based design studio Styled Habitat, spearheaded by Rabah Saied, while Cosentino introduces a contemporary lounge experience titled 1930, inspired by the charm of Art Deco speakeasies, designed by Etereo. Dhow Architectural Solutions will showcase a multi-functional space headlined by Vitra and featuring Artemide, and Louis Poulsen.
Other highlights include a concept designed by Dubai-based Marco Maximus for Kohler, an immersive hospitality concept brought by Porcelanosa and conceptualised by VELA Design, Interiors from Spain’s collaboration with Swiss Bureau Interior Design to create a vibrant, multi-brand showcase, the Italian Trade Agency showcase of over 20 Made-in-Italy participants, and UAE-based female duo Fronteriors make their fair debut at Downtown Design, while Casa Milano returns to the fair with the third season of its design challenge, Talking Walls.
The fair’s immersive environments will also feature the Solaire Lounge by Veuve Clicquot, created in collaboration with Studio Marcel Poulain, offering visitors a vibrant retreat to relax and connect, and an exclusive Buccellati pop-up, designed by david/nicolas, exploring craftsmanship through a contemporary lens. Blending shade, light and greenery, Universal Design Studio has conceived a sculptural landscape intervention, supported by Green Trend Landscape and crafted from ARDH Collective’s desert-sand Dune Blocks, welcoming visitors to the fair, and Dubai-based creative studio creatorandcurator will transform the Downtown Design Café by One Life Kitchen and Café into an immersive experience that redefines how visitors encounter design.
KEY FEATURES & PROGRAMME
A highlight of the fair, Editions Art & Design will again showcase limited-edition art and design from regional and international creators, spanning photography, ceramics, prints and editions, works on paper, contemporary design, and artist multiples. A highlight this year, Bureau of Innovation makes its international debut with limited-edition pieces by names such as Sophie Dries, Tom Fereday and Kym Ellery, while AASSTTIINN joins the event with a showcase of sculptural objects by Iranian artists Emrooz Studio and Studio Honarvar.
Contemporary sculptural lightings will be highlighted through presentations by Superbia Domus, A.D.U. Studio and Tokio. In art, Galerie Geek Art will showcase works by Japanese artists including Takashi Murakami, and Wadi Finan Art Gallery presents works on paper and fabric. In digital creation, Ila Colombo explores AI through digital and print works. In craft and material innovation, Antilla Di Lauro presents a new collection of ceramics and tapestries made from recycled materials.
In its sixth edition, the UAE Designer Exhibition returns with an expanded curatorial scope to bolster mentorship opportunities and visibility for emerging UAE-based designers. Supported by Dubai Culture, this year’s edition will feature celebrated designer Nada Debs as the headline mentor, offering direct guidance and insights to early-career participants alongside other experts in the fields of product design, craft and manufacturing, as well as materiality.
The Forum at Downtown Design, the week’s flagship talks programme, will once again convene leading global and regional voices through a series of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and masterclasses. This year’s edition welcomes Marcel Wanders, the internationally acclaimed designer celebrated for his human-centred design philosophy, Tom Dixon, one of the most influential figures in contemporary design, making his Dubai debut with a keynote exploring material innovation and the evolution of global design narratives.
He will be joined by other globally-acclaimed voices Lee Broom, Stephanie Coutas, and David Hicks, alongside prominent regional designers including Rabah Saeid, Pallavi Dean, Abdalla Almulla and Mohammed Al Suwaidi among others, joining a line-up of design directors of studios such as Bone, SAY Studio and 1508 London.
The Forum space this year was conceived by Lebanese architect and designer Roula Salamoun and reflects her tactile, intuitive approach to combine material experimentation with the exploration of organic forms, often inspired by landscapes and natural morphologies.
