House of Today brings a collective of Lebanon’s Creative Scene to Downtown Design during Dubai Design Week.

House of Today, a non-profit organisation committed to fostering Lebanon’s sustainable design culture on a global scale, is showcasing the works of established and up and coming Lebanese designers, at Downtown Design during Dubai Design Week, from November 9 to 12, 2022.

The awe-inspiring range of commissioned pieces by Lebanese designers makes their debut in an indoor collective exhibition, under the title of ‘Moments of Strength’. This serves as one part of the dual showcase at Downtown Design, complemented by the ‘IOTA’ outdoor installation by multidisciplinary Lebanese designers Karim Tamerji and Elias El Hage. The duo’s creation welcomes guests to this year’s fair and stages a functional representation of the process of transforming sand into sculptural objects. Drawing inspiration from their grand scale celestial creation at the Pavillion, they will showcase the intricate old-age methods, fused with innovative crafts, as part of their signature showcase in the booth.

‘Moments of Strength’, curated and organised by House of Today, represents the growing need to narrate the creative and diversity that exist within Lebanon’s contemporary design scene. Accordingly, as part of House of Today’s role to nurture and showcase the works of Lebanese talent on a global scale, Downtown Design serves as an integral platform to interact with diverse audiences. House of Today’s return to Dubai, an emerging regional design capital, reaffirms the organisation’s commitment to expand the reach of Lebanese creative forces, to new territories.

‘Cacti’ collection by Atelier L’inconnu, by architect Fadi Yachoui. Garnering great success during Milan Design Week 2022 at Salone Satellite, ‘Cacti’ introduces a collection of soft furnishings which embody an inviting, smooth and organic aesthetic, drawing inspiration from cacti. At Downtown Design, Fadi will showcase the ‘Nopal Therapist Sofa’ in a new shade, along with the ‘Cacti Stool’.

Stephanie Moussallem reveals new timeless furniture pieces, as well as her acclaimed ‘Primavera’ counter. The newly commissioned ‘Rastapopoulos’, an armchair made of American walnut wood coated with bouclé fabric, with sinuous features and full of character, will also be on display. These creations follow Stephanie’s solo show entitled ‘Shades of Napoli’ (October, 2021), held in collaboration with House of Today and EDIT NAPOLI. Stephanie’s residency in Napoli, enabled her to explore the city and collaborate with various artisanal masters to produce the collection.

Sayar & Garibeh have been collaborating with House of Today for almost seven years, producing naïve and experimental designs, with a dash of humor using novel materials and forms. The duo produces a new series of mirrors, part of their acclaimed ‘Foam Collection’. Their recent collaboration with D&G Casa and the showcase at the Grand Hornu Museum (Belgium), solidified their role in the field of collectible design and contributed to important synergies, to come to fruition in 2023.

Fresh from an elaborate residency programme at Schloss Hollenegg for Design (Austria), Tamara Barrage mastered the intricacies of glass for the first time at Studio Comploj’s furnace under the artistic direction of Alice Stori Liechtenstein. Her acclaimed collection entitled ‘Seconds Skins’, entails ornaments that fuse resin, threads, leather, feathers and metal flakes, as well wood and brass, that will be on display.

Roula Salamoun’s participation in Paris Design Week this year, showcases stylistic maturity in design with a unique series of works rooted in dreamlike landscapes and textural exploration fuelled by previous collaborations in the architectural field and the continuous synergy with House of Today. Her collection ‘Anatomy’, depicting an anthropomorphic landscape derived from different body types, will be showcased at Downtown Design. Introduced with a new look, the collection entails nude color variations that bond with precious elements. In addition, Roula’s ‘Strata’ carpet, will be on display, stemming from the collaboration with Iwan Maktabi.

Nadine Hajjar’s famed coffee table ‘Lou’, offers a contemporary reinterpretation of smooth lines and bold colors, serving as a centerpiece for every modern space. The newly released solid American Walnut wood shade is hand- carved into two elongated sculptures making up the base of the table. Designed as two independent elements that interlace but never touch, the glass top rests on them, transforming into an oval, circle, square or rectangular coffee table, depending on the alignment of the cross.

Reinterpreting and exploring ancient materials is the forte of ceramists Mary-Lynn Massoud & Rasha Nawam. Together, the duo fuse their skills to explore the boundless world of ceramics, creating unique ornaments that inspire conversations amongst the most diverse of audiences. At Downtown Design, they will showcase the ‘Dancing Vases’ series, in addition to ceramic Totems, shown during Milan Design Week 2021.

Youssef Bassil, founder of Exil Collective, a platform dedicated to produce accessible design objects and highlight Lebanese crafts, presents ‘UFO’, a side table in hand- brushed stainless steel that visually explores the relationship between lightness and metals. He was recently awarded the House of Today scholarship to pursue his studies in ECAL in Lausanne.

‘Alfred’ by david/nicolas is a refined dustbin for the desk, in silver plated brass with enamel details. Their design was unveiled at the House of Today Biennale ‘Jungle Protocol’ in 2016. Their works, which includes furniture and objects, as well as interiors, presents a retro-futuristic look, with natural textures and modern versions of traditional inlays and boiserie.

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