{"id":70239,"date":"2026-04-27T10:48:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&p=70239"},"modified":"2026-04-27T10:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:48:25","slug":"arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"These Arab Designers Made A Statement At Milan Design Week 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another Milan Design Week has come and gone for the year \u2013 and it’s safe to say Arab designers definitely made their mark in 2026.<\/p>\n

Each year, designers from across the globe showcase storytelling through different forms of design \u2013 expression that can be found in art, architecture and design. This, of course, extends to designers and creative from the region who were present at Milan Design Week, taking it by storm.<\/p>\n

Below, GRAZIA brings you a closer look at Arab designers who exhibited their work at Milan Design Week 2026 (Salone del Mobile).<\/p>\n

Maurizio: Elias & Yousef Anastas<\/h3>\n
<\/blockquote>\n

This was perhaps one of the most important pieces at Milan Design Week despite its quiet nature. Palestinian designers Elias and Yousef Anastans’ use material to convey the discourse of displacement. The structure is a stone table, that relies entirely on balance for its integrity. No adhesive, no fastening, no glue holding it together. There is merely a trusted belief, and a quiet understanding that the figure will not be moved. Fixed in its precise, interlocked form, the Anastas’ show that the survival of this structure relies on the collaboration between blocks. The individual pieces are interlocked in support, a shared performance defying gravity. Furthermore, proving that unity is the driving force behind resilience.<\/p>\n

Iwan Maktabi: jusoor and nilufar<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A continuation of legacy and the importance of preserving culture is found within Iwan Maktabi. The design firm nurtures the collaboration of artists and designers to create antique rugs, modern carpets and custom pieces. With a rich history, Iwan Maktabi was founded in 1995 by H. Abbas Maktabi but its legacy goes back a century. In 1926, Isfahan connoisseur Hajj Hussein Maktabi began his journey of creating oriental carpets based on Islamic art. Now, under the guidance of the third generation Iwan Maktabi blends modernity with tradition and transforms it into innovative, contemporary design.<\/p>\n

At Nilfuar, an event during Milan Design Week, they collaborated with designers David\/Nicolas and de Gournay, to create an immersive landscape in the form of a bedroom. The intention of this collaboration was to transform a conventional room into a continuous landscape with embroidered walls. The design integrates parallel lines that never intersect and instead move in a choreographed sequence across the space. This rhythm continues into the custom rug designed by Iwan Maktabi. The result is a blurred the boundary between the walls and the floor making the room feel alive.<\/p>\n

Vessles of the intangible: Richard Yasmine<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo: @designbloom, instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lebanese designer Richard Yasmine reimagines bodily autonomy and the five senses as sculptural lighting in this scenography and object design installation. The exhibit translates basic human senses into optical expression, using intricate materials such as leather, wood, glass and embroidery.<\/p>\n

An example of this is shown in Yasmine’s sculpture of the lips, designed with blooming and fragile glass made florals. From the lips, a bubble emerges, illuminated by light. The light acts as a symbol for words that are not allowed to escape, a metaphor for the overgrown beauty of a confession withheld. We proceed to a reimagined form of skin, made from tightened leather to show the human need to control natural instincts.<\/p>\n

The ears gather what the eyes cannot see but is held down from the weight of an earring, tied together by a light covered in spikes. We observe the sculpture of a finger, made of wicker with a dark red nail. The finger is encircled by a ring, depicting how the need for touch ends in possession. Memories fall in the form of tears in the last piece of this exhibition, where the designer depicts a light bulb falling from the eye. This portrays the emotions felt when recalling sadness, that is lit up by from realization. The exhibit transforms light from a functional to an internal element, accentuating the object rather than simply illuminating the space.<\/p>\n

Default is not universal: By Multiple MENA Region Artists<\/h3>\n
<\/blockquote>\n

This beautiful exhibit was brought to life by several brilliant, creative and talented Middle Eastern artists under Isola Design. The concept is simple: “Same designs, different perspectives.”, the observer is invited to interact with the works of the designers. The purpose being to reject singular interpretation. This exhibit is fueled by design research, indicating that individuals of different cultures perceive the same object, image or form in differing ways. Once the observer interacts with the design, AI is then used to translate the responses into visual outputs. Therefore, allowing us to further understand the diversity that can be found in perspective. The result is a genius display on the importance of sharing and embracing individual perspectives through communal interaction. The artists for this exhibition include Abdulla Buhijji, Fajr Basri, Stephen Amoyo, Davina Atallah and Nermin Habib.<\/p>\n

aman: Helix Bespoke Studio<\/h3>\n
<\/blockquote>\n

The exhibit was a collaboration under Algerian firm Helix Bespoke Studio, between the design house, Cape Town based designer Laurie Heerden and Katia Lunar Benai. The ‘Aman’ sculpture created as a result of this collab, is based on Amazigh culture and craftmanship. Aman’s intention is to keep the memory of what moves unseen, and how in reality, mere objects are persevering cultural artefacts. This display of craftmanship is credited to The Amazigh’s, also known as “the free people”, and the indigenous people of Morocco. Their intricate craftmanship is no secret, using traditional techniques that have been passed down for generations. The sculpture translates cultural heritage into contemporary form, built from the material matter of cork. Its intricate form resembles a piece of wall found in a temple, eroded by the patience and duration of water.<\/p>\n

li beruit: between shadow & light by Mark Farhat Giusti, Rami Lazkani & Yeh Studio<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo: @worldofmarkgiusti instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As one of the week’s most soulful designs, Li Beruti: Between Shadow & Light is an emotional, and heart touching exhibit. It is brought to life by Lebanese designers, Rami Lazkani, Mark Farhat Giusti and Yeh Studio’s founder Youssef El Hadi. The exhibit visualizes resonating elements of a Lebanese home, portraying personal history through scent, sound and sight. It shows how Lebanese history is preserved but simultaneously evolving.\u00a0 Shaped by cultural experience, the exhibit powered by these three designers tells a shared story. A story of home, heritage and progression. We observe arches and windows that represent Lebanon’s architectural legacy by Rami Lazanki and sculptural furniture by Youssef El Hadi alongside paintings by his grandmother on display. Meanwhile, Mark Farhat Giusti reimagines the Lebanese living room as an immersive space and shapeshifts traditional design into contemporary form.<\/p>\n

The loop bench: Roseline Jabbour<\/h3>\n
<\/blockquote>\n

Simple, creative and impactful. Roseline Jabbour is a graphic and industrial designer from Lebanon who took part of Isola Design Gallery: a primary hub of MENA region designers as a part of Milan Design Week. The maroon sculpture shows delicate bends, an expression of the fluidity of daily life and routine. As a contemporary design with a twist, Jabbour’s creativity was given a platform by Isola, as the gallery values the recognition of emerging, Middle Eastern voices in the creative space.<\/p>\n

Zaza Maizon<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From culture to contemporary, this Saudi Arabian interior design studio projected designs that felt awfully familiar to those in the MENA region. The firm replicated fragments of the desert, such as camels and falcons and reimagines them into futuristic contemporary design pieces. The exhibit is an indirect replica of Saudi Arabian history, where houses originated on sand dunes, and are now replaced by skyscrapers. However, regardless of this progression history is never forgotten and is deeply appreciated within Saudi Arabian and Middle Eastern culture. Heritage can never be erased, it merely transforms alongside us, shapeshifting into pieces of Saudi’s advanced present. The pieces of the exhibit are almost responsive, transforming with light depending on our standpoint, showing that Saudi Arabia is never stagnant and forever progressing.<\/p>\n

The cactus collection: Georges Mohasseb<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo: @studio_manda and @gmohasseb instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A structural metaphor for the Middle East’s diligence, Georges Mohasseb composes marble depictions of the desert form.\u00a0 As a Lebanese artist, his work is a nostalgic representation of the Middle East’s past. His display reimagines the past by integrating it into its present, where sand has turned to concrete. Concrete that holds the weight of resilience, technology, and sustainable growth. The structures are composed of marble and limestone, tied together by resin and 3D printed molding. Mohasseb’s designs depict a line between erosion and creation, where origin is not erased but rather reimagined.<\/p>\n

Metamorphasis in motion: Lina Ghotmeh<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo: @linaghotmeh_architecture, @linaghotmeh and @moscapartners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh’s creation is rooted in her philosophy “archeology of the future”. The centerpiece of MoscaPartners variation 2026 at Palazzo Litta, Ghotmeh’s design is absolutely a-maze! The architectural formation invites visitors to actively participate rather than simply observe. The labyrinth calls for individual choreography, as the movement of the audience is unique to their perspective. The design acts as a living stage, where the performance is the visitor’s memory and exploration. The contemporary display is of pink hues and offers a quiet pause amongst Milan Design Week.<\/p>\n

ETEREO design studio<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We begin from here at home, Etereo Design is an architectural studio native to Dubai. The studio is known for cultivating a blend of Italian heritage with Middle Eastern influence to create designs that transcend cultural boundaries. They specialize in interior design, architecture and collectible design to portray creativity and the human experience. The design house did not partake in a single exhibition and opted for a more unique path. Etereo presented a city-wide program unfolding across four locations. We start with The Pool, NYC, with their design Mo.du.lo, a re-interpretation of the 1970s glass block. The following is Imago at Nilfur Depot, a blend of ceramics, bronze and wood creating a sculptural seating. We then see Ophelia at Casa Conte, a creation of architectural dining from quartz and steel. Lastly, we observe Medusa at Alimonti Milano, where onyx is treated as draped matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42779,"featured_media":70253,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[10504,10509,10505,260,8979,10484,35,5023],"yoast_head":"\nMilan Design Week 2026: These Arab Designers Made A Statement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At GRAZIA we've created a list of Arabic designers you can't miss at Milan Design Week and are taking the event by storm.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"These Arab Designers Made A Statement At Milan Design Week 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At GRAZIA we've created a list of Arabic designers you can't miss at Milan Design Week and are taking the event by storm.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grazia Middle East\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/04\/Jusoor.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/\",\"name\":\"Milan Design Week 2026: These Arab Designers Made A Statement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-27T06:48:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-27T06:48:25+00:00\",\"description\":\"At GRAZIA we've created a list of Arabic designers you can't miss at Milan Design Week and are taking the event by storm.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"These Arab Designers Made A Statement At Milan Design Week 2026\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/\",\"name\":\"Grazia Middle East\",\"description\":\"Grazia's Middle East Site\",\"alternateName\":\"Grazia ME\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Milan Design Week 2026: These Arab Designers Made A Statement","description":"At GRAZIA we've created a list of Arabic designers you can't miss at Milan Design Week and are taking the event by storm.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"These Arab Designers Made A Statement At Milan Design Week 2026","og_description":"At GRAZIA we've created a list of Arabic designers you can't miss at Milan Design Week and are taking the event by storm.","og_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/","og_site_name":"Grazia Middle East","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/04\/Jusoor.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/","name":"Milan Design Week 2026: These Arab Designers Made A Statement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-27T06:48:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-27T06:48:25+00:00","description":"At GRAZIA we've created a list of Arabic designers you can't miss at Milan Design Week and are taking the event by storm.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-designers-milan-design-week-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"These Arab Designers Made A Statement At Milan Design Week 2026"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/#website","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/","name":"Grazia Middle East","description":"Grazia's Middle East Site","alternateName":"Grazia ME","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Grazia Middle East","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/70239"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}