Dubai Design Week is back today, and its 12th edition has a fairly relatable question on its mind: how do we make room for each other? Running from 3-8 November at Dubai Design District (d3), under the patronage of Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the festival puts connection at the centre of its programme. Think shared spaces, the rituals that bring people together and the everyday objects that shape how we live. With free entry to the festival, you can follow your curiosity without committing to a full day.
Festival director Natasha Carella puts the ambition plainly: “Design influences how we live, how our cities function and how we respond to change.” Across d3, that means a week where furniture, architecture, play and craftsmanship have plenty to say to one another.
Start with the outdoor installations. For Urban Commissions, this year’s theme is Atmospheres, and the winning proposal, Three Gardens and a Room, comes from Dubai-based NAO Architects, founded by Reem Nassour. Its plan arranges three gardens around a shared gathering space. It sounds like the sort of place you might stop for five minutes and end up staying longer, which seems entirely appropriate for this edition.
There is more to explore on foot. Japan’s Nikken Sekkei and Sobokuya bring CHATAI 2.0, a timber structure combining traditional craftsmanship with places to gather and make things together. Indian practice ALTER takes Ludo off the board with Playing Field, turning the game into a space for shared play. Palestinian-Turkish practice ae studio works with reclaimed concrete rubble to propose new architectural forms, while Bahrain’s Palm and Palazzo explores the push and pull between privacy and social connection in the traditional Bahraini home with BAYN. Architect Rasha Saffarini’s Taqleem draws on palm-tree trimming to create a contemporary communal space. Arquitectonica, Nordic Office Architects and Duette Studio also join the outdoor programme. There is plenty here for anyone who thinks design should be something people can actually use.
One of the bigger changes comes at Abwab. The commissioning programme for practitioners from Asia and Africa takes the form of a single group exhibition this year. Titled In Other Words, it looks at communication beyond speech and writing, from signage and symbols to gestures and oral histories. It is a promising premise in a city where communication takes so many forms, and a good reason to give the exhibition proper time.
Then there is Downtown Design, the contemporary design fair running 4-8 November, with a separate ticket starting at Dh80. Established names Gaggenau, Venini, Ethimo and Kohler are among the exhibitors, with Kohler presenting a collaboration with designer Agata Kurzela. Iwan Maktabi will present new works by UAE-based designers Nadine Kanso and Omar Al Gurg. Keep an eye on Contemporary Spaces, the furniture studio founded by siblings Alya, Maitha and Obaid Al Suwaidi, making its fair debut.
The fair also brings a Memphis Milano exhibit, a Buccellati pop-up created with Luke Edward Hall and a Veuve Clicquot lounge designed by Yinka Ilori. French interior architect Tristan Auer is the keynote speaker at The Forum, while Tashkeel’s Tanween Design Programme and Abu Dhabi’s Athath Fellowship bring regional designers into the conversation. If furniture and interiors are your thing, this is the part of the week to plan ahead for.
Elsewhere, the UAE Designer Exhibition, Inherited Futures, includes designer AlZaina Lootah as design collaborator. Woods Bagot marks 25 years in the region with an exhibition, while L’ECOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, turns attention to lost goldsmithing techniques. There is a ceramics presentation from the Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children, Pinterest makes its Dubai Design Week debut, and Omar Darwish presents The Desert Dweller for Ethr.
Leave room to participate. Maker Space workshops welcome all ages and experience levels, with partners including HKS Architects and Leica Camera. The outdoor Marketplace brings independent makers and homegrown brands together on 7 and 8 November. For the practicalities, take the Metro to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall and bus D03 to Dubai Design District 1. Shuttles connect d3 with Downtown Design, and parking is free for the first two hours, then Dh20 an hour. Six days, plenty of ways in, and a programme that treats getting together as a design problem worth solving.
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