Lebanese Designer Nada Debs Takes Us On A Tour Of Her New Dubai Store

Designer Nada Debs On Her New Dubai Flagship Boutique And Redefining Cross-Cultural Luxury

Nada Debs’ new flagship boutique at the Yard in Alserkal Avenue introduces a warmth that feels rare within the industrial landscape of Al Quoz. It’s her first international address outside of Lebanon and, for devotees of Nada’s sensorial design, it’s a welcome sight.

The 230sqm space itself has been designed around what she calls a “box within a box”, a creative response to the “challenging shell” of the space. Thus, Nada injected a wood-clad structure into the larger raw metal enclosure to “reintroduce warmth and human scale, transforming an impersonal volume into an intimate, tactile environment” to showcase her crafted objects. This contrast is symbolic of Nada’s approach to design, one that is instinctive and emblematic of her hybrid identity as an Arab with Japanese influences, where two worlds harmoniously coexist.

Founded in 2003 in Lebanon, it was the 2020 Beirut port explosion – which caused significant damage to Nada’s atelier – that forced the designer to rethink her horizons, and boldly push beyond the familiar borders of her home city. Dubai became the natural next chapter, she says, a place the designer describes as “the epicentre where people from all over the world collaborate and work together… open to both East and West, much like my work.”

Having grown up in Japan and rooted in her Arab identity, Nada frames her practice as a fusion of the two, a sensibility that Dubai instinctively understands, too. “I was too comfortable sitting in Beirut,” she says, “and it forced me to think beyond what was in front of me.”

She continues to focus on preserving and reinterpreting traditional craftsmanship, weaving storytelling into each piece. “Whenever I do a collection there is always a story behind it,” she explains, referencing the MarquetryMania bowl, in which she challenged the seriousness often associated with craft through bold colours. Other stories are far more emotional. “The Keeping it Together bowl is created using broken glass from the Beirut blast,” she says, quietly. “We chose to recreate objects using our craft techniques as a way to transform pain into hope.”

Another topic of conversation is technology – or rather AI – and how it is dominating the creative landscape. For Nada, the nature of its disassociation simply provides a renewed hunger for tactility. “With AI taking up so much space, we’re back to looking at bringing the human touch and connection,” she vouches. With geometry, repetition and symmetry sitting at the core of her work, they allow craft to feel modern whilst deeply rooted – a balance evidenced in her creative portfolio. “People want to touch, feel, experience and understand that craft has depth, history and emotions.”

As the design house enters its next phase, ambition is clear. With her son Tamer Khatib stepping into the role of Managing Director, global expansion is on the horizon, from Dubai outwards. “The idea is to be one of the first home accessories or furniture brands from the region on par with the international brands; I want to be the Hermès of the Middle East!” she enthuses, citing the absence of a globally recognised Middle Eastern home brand.

Between past and future, Beirut and Dubai, craft and contemporary design, Nada’s new flagship feels less like a departure and more like a convergence. Worlds combining, colliding, evolving and expanding. Everything here, she says, has a story – and this one is only just beginning. nadadebs.com.

Lead Image Credit: Nada Debs in her Alserkal Avenue showroom.

All Images Supplied

From Harper’s Bazaar Interior Spring 2026 Issue