Design Doha presents Arab Design Now at Salone del Mobile 2026 during Milan Design Week, extending its international presence ahead of the second edition of the Biennial in Doha. Taking place on Thursday 23 April 2026 at Fiera Milano, the programme offers global audiences an introduction to the evolving landscape of contemporary design across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA).
Centred around Arab Design Now, Design Doha’s flagship exhibition and publication platform, the event explores how design in the region is shaped by context, process, material knowledge, and cultural narratives. Bringing together practitioners and cultural leaders, it reflects on the expanding role of design in contemporary life, and on the networks of making and exchange that continue to shape creative practice across the Arab world and beyond.
Titled Arab Design Now: Networks of Making, Networks of Meaning, the programme features Fahad Al Obaidly, Director of Design Doha; Noura Al Sayeh, Curator of Arab Design Now 2026; and Said Berkane, Senior Cultural Project Specialist. Together, they discuss how Design Doha is being shaped not simply as an event, but as a long-term platform for knowledge transmission, collaboration, and regional visibility on a global stage.
The event is accompanied by a presentation of Arab Design Now 2024, Design Doha’s landmark publication surveying more than 70 designers working across architecture, product design, interiors, and craft. A first preview of the upcoming Arab Design Now 2026 publication will also be shared, continuing an ongoing editorial project dedicated to documenting the richness and diversity of design across the region.
Design Doha’s participation at Milan Design Week forms part of a broader international strategy to connect designers, artisans, and makers from across the MENASA region with new audiences and opportunities worldwide. It also offers an early introduction to the direction of Design Doha Biennial 2026, opening in Doha from 5–7 November, with exhibitions continuing across the city until 31 December.
Through exhibitions, publications, and public programming, Design Doha continues to build a living platform for design—one that connects local knowledge with global discourse, and explores how design can shape new ways of thinking, making, and living.
