10 Highlights From The Upcoming Downtown Design Hybrid Fair

In light of the ongoing pandemic, the event will embrace a hybrid format this year, featuring showcases and the latest collections by regional and international brands across digital and physical platforms

Taking place from November 9-14 during Dubai Design Week, this year Downtown Design is set to feature a conceptual exhibition, a virtual talks programme and its first digital fair.

The exhibition at Dubai Design District entitled The shape of things to come will explore how we will interact with our environment and each other in the future and how we will live, work and play in a post-pandemic world, including an innovative pedestrian network, a new approach to design for places of worship and the evolution of air travel. 

Below, some highlights from the upcoming digital fair.

Note: Void Matters by Note Design Studio is Sancal’s first purely conceptual collection which reflects upon the concept of a void. 

The Swedish designers use these questions: “What do the positive and negative part of an object represent? What defines an object itself, the matter or the void that surrounds it?” to create four sculptural products.

Dedon: This colourful hanging lounge chair is as delightful to look at as it is to use. With Kida, Stephen Burks has created a collection to be wrapped rather than woven in 834 metres of Dedon special Fibre Touch, featuring a cradle-like organic form that is open, airy and inviting.

Naoto Fukasawa Ketta: Japanese product designer, Naoto Fukasawa for Kettalthe has created a unique half dome lamp, inspired by the shape and diametre of the moon and designed to simulate the brightness, feel and atmosphere of natural moonlight.

Meridiani: These modular sofas offer a versatile seating system that, thanks to linear, asymmetrical and curved elements, give a very unique perspective to diverse configurations.

Rigorous lines are slightly smoothened by soft curves and made precious by a basting stitching, visible on both frame and cushions.

Arijian: Japanese designer Jian Yoo mixes modernity with traditional Korean crafts, inspired by architecture and nature such as flowers, trees, birds, animals and the sea.

Ethimo: A renewed collaboration between Ethimo and Luca Nichetto has led to Venezia, a versatile armchair and coffee table, inspired by the 19th century urban design, where the aim is to improve the quality of outdoor spaces, guaranteeing a new al fresco feel-good experience.

Brokis: The Planets collection by artist Vrtiska Zak showcases the daily needs not only of customers but of architects and designers too.

Thanks to a simple physical principle, the lights can be variably positioned in diverse arrangements. The counterweight is calibrated to the specific weight of the light, so adjusting it is safe and easy.

Pedrali: Inspired by elegance and sophistication, the Blume collection stems from the collaboration between German designer Sebastian Herkner and Pedrali.

Both chair and lounge chair owe their distinctive appearance to their sophisticated flower-shaped profile in extruded aluminium. Blume, which means ‘flower’ in German, highlights the designer’s iconic decorative detail, while paying tribute to his origins.

Normann Copenhagen: It’s a pink world in this fashionable and elegant office which features a dynamic working space in pink tones.

Keeping it pink and playing with texture and tone creates a harmonious feeling in the room and a soothing feeling.

Preciosa: Inspired by nature, designer Thomas Feichtner brings Fractal to light, featuring metal branches and hand-cut crystal plates that mirror these natural motifs through a modular structure and reflecting patterns of crystal light.

The chandelier comes in different sizes, each one with a different number of fractals.

The Downtown Design 2020 Digital Fair and Virtual Talks will launch November 9, 2020. Visit downtowndesign.com to find out more and add the event to your calendar here. 

More in the upcoming issue of Harper’s BAZAAR Interiors

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Lead image: Sancal and @downtowndesignd