At this year’s Downtown Design, leading brands and studios came together through a series of immersive pop-up experiences celebrating design as a form of dialogue between eras, materials, and cultures. Each collaboration transformed space into storytelling, merging craftsmanship with contemporary sensibility to create moments of discovery across the fair.

Cosentino presented 1930, a contemporary lounge experience inspired by the charm of Art Deco speakeasies, designed by Etereo. 1930 by Etereo reinterpreted Cosentino’s signature materials through geometry, texture, and nostalgia. The result was an atmosphere of timeless sophistication and a tactile journey into the golden age of design.

Returning for its third edition, Casa Milano’s Talking Walls once again transformed their showroom into a creative canvas. Leading design studios including MMAC, Mimar, KCA International, Interspace, Ema Studios, and Cherwell explored expression through surface and form, turning everyday materials into statements of art and identity.

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Marking its Dubai debut, Italian Maison Buccellati presented an immersive pop-up designed by david/nicolas, where high jewelry and silverware met sculptural form. Inspired by seashells and desert tones, the installation fused heritage with modern refinement, creating a poetic celebration of craftsmanship and enduring beauty.

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In a collaboration bridging Scandinavian and Middle Eastern sensibilities, Nordic Homeworx and Styled Habitat unveiled Nordic Cabin, a multi-sensory retreat inspired by Swedish forests and the architectural language of the UAE. Through storytelling and sensory design, the pop-up highlighted the natural warmth and sustainability of Kährs wood flooring.

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Making its Dubai debut in a space conceived by designer Omar Al Gurg, Stellar Works collaborated with Calico Wallpaper in an installation that embodied a dialogue between craft and culture, where material and narrative merged into a refined design statement.

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Other highlights included 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’s showcase of over 20 Made-in-Italy participants, and UAE-based female duo Fronteriors, who made their fair debut at Downtown Design.

Together, these collaborations reaffirmed Downtown Design’s role as a platform where ideas, materials, and traditions met, shaping an evolving language of design rooted in dialogue, discovery, and creative exchange.

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