Making originality the talk of the town in Dubai

After its lauded debut last year, Downtown Design will return to Dubai from October 28 to 31. For 2014, the theme of the fair is “original” – a clear statement of intent from an event committed to championing high-quality, contemporary design in the region.

“We chose ‘original’ as this year’s theme because it reflects Downtown Design’s mission – to help create a culture that fosters original design and recognises its value both aesthetically but also as an investment,” explains Cristina Romelli Gervasoni, the fair director of Downtown Design.

“An original piece carries with it a brand’s heritage and ethos. It is the thought that goes into designing that perfect glass; it is the robust fortitude of a couch that envelops you in comfort; it is how a light suggests a mood; it is all that cannot be replicated and it is important because it is what defines our experience in the end.”

The event will once again take place in the custom-built exhibition space that first appeared at the foot of the Burj Khalifa when Downtown Design’s sister event, Design Days, was launched in 2012.

A total of 46 companies are due to present their wares this year. Among those are brands that are behind some of the world’s most iconic design products. Fritz Hansen, for example, was responsible for the Egg Chair, one of the most recognisable seats ever made; Vitra was behind the ever-popular Eames Lounge Chair and the sinuous Panton Chair; and Hansgrohe, the German sanitaryware company behind the Axor brand, has been responsible for revolutionising the bathroom, working with big-name designers such as Philippe Starck to transform the most utilitarian space in the home into a spa-like haven of relaxation and restoration.

Original article by Selina Denman

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Making originality the talk of the town in Dubai