Dubai Direction

Leaving Dubai’s haze-enveloped skyline behind – monolithic skyscrapers dominated by the world’s highest building, the Burj Khalifa – the lower rise villas of Jumeirah district come as a surprise. Even more so, the interior of Omar Al Gurg’s home studio on Al Wasl Road. As if stepping into a time capsule, the layers of the Emirati designer’s 70s inspired lounge design seduce with soothing tones: green fabric wall coverings, wooden panels and deep scarlet carpets, textures that invite touch. A welcome antidote to the steel and glass facades of Downtown, and a deliberate attempt to create a grounding home setting, Al Gurg explains, taking you back to a time when digital distractions didn’t exist. The subtle smell of Palo Alto hangs in the air, curated artworks from his personal collection adorn the walls, a vinyl record is playing, De Angelo’s Voodoo album cover on show, and mixed in: the stylish pieces of Al Gurg’s Modu collections: rocking lounge chairs (Coco), playful walnut coat hangers (Spike), modular concrete slabs (Nu) and his latest design, a series of round marble incense burners.

Modu is the fastest growing furniture company in the region, and a perfect example of Dubai’s burgeoning design scene. The brand also manufactures within the UAE, forging a new wave of local craftsmanship: “While we have always been big in production here in Dubai, we were more focused on mass production, building this city in just 30 years. However, I found that if you take those same people and challenge them, there is a capability, a level of craftsmanship here that I want to amplify as part of my practice.”

Remarkably, Al Gurg’s own trajectory only started four years ago at Dubai Design Week. “I was just starting out and didn’t have the money for a booth, but the organisers encouraged me to present at the UAE Designer exhibition.” This annual show is part of Downtown Design, the trade fair that runs during the Design Week in d3, Dubai’s small (11 buildings) yet dedicated design district. “The exhibition is a great platform for young designers as it’s free and certainly spearheaded what Modu is today.”

Last year, Omar Al Gurg was invited back to curate the show himself, selecting the next generation of regional talent. “Of course, I said yes! It was a full circle moment for me.” This exemplifies the impressive pace in which the city elevates aspiring creatives. In an ongoing quest to diversify the economy, Dubai has established itself as a magnet for talent, welcoming people from all over the region and further afield. Dubai Culture – the government culture and arts authority, which operates under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – has been funding museums, programmes and initiatives that over time have formed a vibrant scene. As a result, Dubai’s reputation for superlative bling is shifting to a more nuanced design language, set to become a serious contender on the global stage.

The budding talent that Al Gurg selected, nurtured and mentored only last year, featured confidently at DDW 2025 – with some designers already connecting with high-end global brands, such as newcomers Karim + Elias, whose Strata collection presented at the BMW Middle East pavilion and are now rumoured to be in talks with luxury French fashion maison, Hermès. The duo are pioneering rammed earth as a material, exploring sand through art and design. Overall, local resource materials such as dates and palm leaves are being used in ever more innovative, refined and creative ways. The entrance installation at Downtown Design 2025, for instance, featured ARDH collectives’ desert-sand Dune Blocks for the main feature wall within a sculptured landscape, designed by Universal Design Studio.

The calibre of the entrance design as well as the polished stand concepts inside elevated this year’s fair to international standards. Cosentino built a 1930s speakeasy designed by Etereo, while Venini’s booth “Amber Mirage” shone in gold Murano glass, inspired by the hues of desert landscapes. Global brands like Poltrona Frau and Kartell returned, while Roche Bobois and Draga & Aurel attended for the first time. The talks programme featured renowned heavyweights Tom Dixon, Marcel Wanders and Lee Broom. And Omar Al Gurg? The local star returned yet again, this time commissioned by Stellar Works x Calico to design their “Kabana” stand, representing Emirati hospitality with a circular welcome bar anchored in the middle by a real palm tree.

While the design scene in Dubai might still be in its infancy, it is set to add a bow to the region’s economic arrow. With incubators like Tashkeel – whose newly refurbished campus is due to open in 2026, offering five times more studio space via an affordable membership including educational workshops and makers facilities (for ceramics, 3D printers etc.) – on a mission to create a collaborative eco-system for UAE residing artists, and other support structures available, it is no surprise the city’s creative output is thriving. And what was most palpable this year, is the growing sense community among the scene, a surge in creative energy worth taking note of.

Maraj is a Bahrain-based architecture, design and education practice co-founded by Latifa Alkhayat and Maryam Aljomairi, creators of “Stories of the Isle and the Inlet”, the award-winning textile installation on show in d3 2025.

Winners of Urban Commissions 2025 for their When Does a Threshold Become a Courtyard? project, Omar Darwish and Abdulla Abbas explore design through field research in the Gulf region.

Two Egyptian sisters, furniture and products designers, Doodle and the Gang exhibited their rug collection “Postcards” for Hands at Downtown Design, based on their childhood memories of the region’s hospitality.