David Raffoul and Nicolas Moussallem founded their studio, David/Nicolas, in 2011 after meeting at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. Their work balances imagination and logic, blending memories of the past with ideas for the future. Originally based in Beirut, the studio has grown internationally with offices in Milan and San Francisco, working across interiors, furniture, and product design.Their approach is rooted in craftsmanship and collaboration. Drawing inspiration from architecture, photography, music, and Italian design, they create pieces and spaces that feel familiar yet contemporary. Each project is guided by its context, materials, and the people involved, resulting in thoughtful, enduring designs.This focus on craft and curiosity has earned David/Nicolas international recognition, includingArchitectural Digest’sAD100 list,Monoclemagazine’s “Top 20 Makers in the Design World,” severalWallpaperawards, andAD Collector’s“Best Designers in the World.
David/Nicolas
Interior and Product Designer | Milan - Beirut - San Fransisco
David/Nicolas Photo: Katarina Premfors
The Interview
What inspired you to pursue a career in design?
For us, design started as a way to bring imagination and structure together. From the very beginning, we weren’t focused on decoration, but on how space, materials, and form can create meaning. Growing up surrounded by strong architectural settings and traditions shaped the way we think. It showed us that design can be both thoughtful and emotional, and that it’s a tool for exploring how people live, experience, and connect with the spaces around them.
How does your cultural or regional context influence your design work?
Our practice lives between Beirut and Milan. Beirut shaped our sense of history, memory, ornament, and storytelling. Milan taught us precision, discipline, and how to work within contemporary production. Moving between these two places defines how we design and we’re always balancing tradition with modernity and intuition with logic.
What is your design philosophy or approach to creative problem-solving?
Our work draws from the ancient techniques such as lost-wax casting, marquetry, hard-carved boiserie, but reframes them in a contemporary context. For us, craft is not about nostalgia but about evolution. Our pieces are made for modern homes and modern lives, but they carry something older and deeper.
Describe a project you're most proud of and why it's meaningful to you.
Our bespoke boiserie and Constellation travertine dining table really capture how we think about design. For us, furniture is a form of architecture. The boiserie takes the idea of classical wall systems and reworks it through contemporary geometry and a very precise way of using materials. The Constellation table does something similar, turning stone into a structural and spatial composition rather than just a decorative surface. Both pieces reflect our belief that craftsmanship can be conceptual, and that objects can carry the same intelligence as architecture.
Who are your design influences or mentors, and how have they shaped your work?
Our work doesn’t come from following one person or one reference. It’s shaped by architecture, art, and craftsmanship, and by the cultures we’ve grown up in. Modernist thinking plays a big role, as does the discipline of Italian design and the deep tradition of Middle Eastern craftsmanship. Just as important are the craftsmen we work with every day: their hands-on understanding of materials, details, and process keeps our work rooted in the real world.
What role do you think design plays in shaping communities and culture in the MENASA region?
In the MENASA region, design comes with a real sense of responsibility. It has the ability to hold onto shared memories while also helping shape what a contemporary identity can be. Design influences how spaces are used, how objects are cared for, and how craftsmanship is passed on. When it’s grounded in context and knowledge, design stops being about style and becomes part of the cultural framework we live within.
How do you stay inspired and continue to evolve your creative practice?
We are always in conversation with other fields, whether architecture, art, craftsmanship, engineering. Traveling, seeing exhibitions, researching, and working with the same collaborators over time keeps pushing our thinking. Above all, we try not to repeat ourselves. Each project is a chance to question how we work and to let the process shift and evolve instead of following a fixed style.
What are the biggest challenges facing designers in the MENASA region today?
One of the biggest challenges today is keeping cultural depth in a context where everything is developing so fast. Design can easily turn into an image of luxury that’s disconnected from meaning and craftsmanship. Another challenge is making sure local artisanal knowledge doesn’t disappear in a globalized production system. The real opportunity is to build a design language that speaks internationally, while staying rooted in regional history, material culture, and a strong intellectual foundation.
Works
David/Nicolas Photo: Ziga Mihelcic
David/Nicolas Photo: Sara Magni