DHAHRAN: Downtown Design, a contemporary design fair that has run in the UAE for the last decade, will debut in Saudi Arabia from May 20 to 23 at JAX District, marking the Kingdom’s first official event dedicated to original, high-quality design.
“Downtown Design Riyadh, with its thoughtfully curated program and blend of local and global expertise, reflects our vision to build a dynamic design community that embodies the Kingdom’s rich and diverse cultural identity,” Sumayah Al-Solaiman, CEO of the Architecture and Design Commission, wrote in a statement.
The multi-day activation will be held in partnership with the Architecture and Design Commission under the Ministry of Culture.
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Mette Degn-Christensen, director of Downtown Design, expressed her enthusiasm for the inaugural edition in the capital.
“I think you’re going to experience something that’s been really thoughtfully selected for this fair, with the unique setting of the location,” she told Arab News. “I’m very excited about the venue. It’s very historic, and it’s just a great way to kind of juxtapose the more modern and the historic, at the same time. If you think about it, nowhere in the world has an event of our nature in that kind of venue.
“I’m really kind of overwhelmed with how amazing it is to get to do a design fair literally on the terraces of the UNESCO heritage site (in Diriyah),” she added. “I think that’s really special.”
Degn-Christensen, a Danish design leader with more than 15 years of international experience, has directed Downtown Design in Dubai since 2021. She has helped expand the fair’s global reach and champion regional talent. She now brings that expertise to Saudi Arabia.
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“What excites me personally the most — and I think the team also — is this really genuine, encouraging energy in Riyadh,” she said. “I didn’t expect this welcome — it’s not easy to start a fair in a new country or a new market.”
For Degn-Christensen, one of the fair’s main goals is to “encourage you to maybe consider design more in your life and your work. And those are the things that we have been doing over the years. So I think (this is) almost, maybe, a fast-track version of that.”
And she believes the timing of the fair aligns with a growing appreciation among general society for thoughtful design.
“I think it’s the right time. There’s a shift in perspective of quality and of investing value into purchasing quality, sustainable long-lasting design,” she said. “(That’s true), I think, globally, but certainly in this region. I’m very excited about that kind of moment.
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“I think that it’s a good time for our fair also in terms of that there are fashion and luxury and art initiatives in the Kingdom, but when it comes to design and high quality, premium quality design, there isn’t really such an outlet yet,” she continued.
Downtown Design Riyadh will bring together a global roster of established brands, emerging designers and regional studios. Exhibitors include lighting innovators Tom Dixon, Brokis and Articolo, presented by Huda Lighting; Scandinavian furniture houses Audo Copenhagen, GUBI, and &Tradition, brought by The Bowery Company; and the regional debut of Scarlet Splendour, featuring bold brass pieces by designer Richard Hutten.
Kuwait-based Babnimnim Studio will present an architectural installation for Cosentino, exploring heritage and innovation, while Jotun Paints will stage a color-focused experience in collaboration with Saudi creatives.
French heritage brand Maison Louis Drucker will debut a digital collaboration with TRAME and Aranda\Lasch, “merging algorithmic design with traditional handcraft.”
A dedicated section of the fair will spotlight limited-edition and collectible works. Gallery COLLECTIONAL will showcase handcrafted furniture by Christophe Delcourt, sculptural lighting by Apparatus Studio, and vintage-inspired designs by Draga & Aurel. Venini’s artisanal glass, produced with Michele De Lucchi and Peter Marino, will be shown alongside luxury highlights from Visionnaire and Serafini.
In addition to the exhibits, Downtown Design Riyadh will also populate JAX District with pop-ups, creative interventions and a dynamic talks program. “Strata,” a modular outdoor installation by multidisciplinary studio Karim+Elias, made from locally-sourced sand and constructed using rammed-earth techniques, will merge traditional materials with contemporary design.
The talks series will bring together architects, developers, collectors and creatives to discuss “themes shaping design in the region and beyond.”
Downtown Design Riyadh reflects the Kingdom’s growing investment in culture and creativity under Vision 2030. The fair is set to become an annual platform supporting the Kingdom’s active interior-design market and connecting Saudi talent with global networks.
“It’s been a few years that we’ve been looking to start an initiative in Saudi and then we wanted to make sure that we did it at the right time, but also that we did it in the right way,” Degn-Christensen said. “There’s some overlap in the Dubai (team) and then there are some just from Riyadh — and it’s the same for suppliers and contractors. It’s certainly not a copy of what we’re doing in Dubai.”
