As the start of Milan Design Week approaches this weekend, the design world is preparing to descend on Italy’s capital of style for its annual celebration of creativity and design innovation. But for those designers and makers based in the Middle East, the outbreak of war last month has thrown meticulously laid plans into doubt, and in some cases forced them to cancel exhibitions and installations entirely.
“We were planning to take part in Milan Design Week, but unfortunately, due to the situation, we had to cancel,” says Salar Ayazkhou of the design brand Pots and Pines, which is based in both Tehran and Dubai.
He and his co-founder (and sister) Tala were planning to show their modular StackSpire collection of sculptural planters: “The idea behind it is playfulness and interaction – each piece can be rearranged and combined, allowing people to act as both designer and artist, almost like building with Lego,” he explains. “We were very excited [to show the pieces], so we are quite saddened and disappointed.”
The Lebanese architect and designer Etienne Bastormagi, based between Beirut and Milan, will still take part in Milan Design Week but, he says, “the approach has certainly shifted.” He is working with Fromm, a luxury brand based between Doha and Milan, and has been involved in curating a competition project originally planned for the Doha Design Biennial. “While the Biennial has been postponed, we are currently adapting the project into a preview format to be presented at Alcova during Milan Design Week,” he explains. “The exhibition will still go ahead, though in a more focused and reduced format. My studio is designing the exhibition space, and in addition, we will be participating in Alcova’s talks program, where I will be moderating a panel discussing the role of cross-cultural thinking in design today, particularly in relation to Arab heritage, which was the core theme of the competition.” It was important, he says, to maintain a presence in Milan, while adapting the format and tone, “to continue fostering dialogue and exchange at a time when it feels especially necessary”.
For the Lebanese interior architect and product designer Richard Yasmine, “Living and working in Lebanon today means navigating things day by day. Nothing is guaranteed, and plans can change at any moment depending on how the situation evolves.”
He has been showcasing his work with the 5VIE district of Milan since 2020, and this year will be no exception. “For this edition, they introduced the theme Qualia of Things. It led me to develop a new body of work titled Vessels of the Intangible,” he says. “The collection explores the five senses, and the idea that our sensory organs are nothing without the sensations they perceive. I was interested in translating something inherently immaterial into physical form. Each piece reinterprets a sensory fragment of the body as a sculptural lighting object, where light becomes a metaphor for what cannot be held, only felt.”
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However, the current situation in the Middle East has brought significant challenges to the production process. “The work relies on close collaboration with multiple local artisans, many of whom were based in affected areas,” he explains. “Some have managed to relocate to smaller workshops in safer zones, but this has inevitably caused significant delays. Beyond logistics, there is also the constant stress, uncertainty, and emotional weight of the situation, which impacts every stage of the process. We are doing everything possible to complete the pieces in time. Flights and accommodation have been booked, and as long as the airport remains operational, our intention is to be present in Milan.”
Read More: Middle East Designers To See at Milan Design Week 2026
Meanwhile, for the female-led Lebanese design studio ÝAKIN, founded by Sabine Skayem and Bruna Teeny, the war has inspired a complete change of tack.
“We were meant to exhibit on Via Montenapoleone during Milan Design Week this year, which felt like a significant milestone. However, the current situation in the region has inevitably reshaped our plans,” says Skayem. The delays in production, increasing costs, difficult logistics and the weight of uncertainty led them to decide not to take part in design week. It is, she says, “a decision we made with mixed emotions – disappointment, of course, but also a sense of responsibility to remain grounded in our current reality while continuing to create with purpose.”
Instead, they are redirecting their energy closer to home and have turned their attention to an initiative for children who have been displaced from their homes, “offering art kits creating a space where they can express, process, and simply be”. The project is inspired by the brand’s Mini Chair, a children’s chair specifically designed to be drawn on and customised, to encourage creativity.
“We truly believe that art and design, in their own quiet yet powerful way, are among the most meaningful tools we have,” Skayem continues. “They create space for expression, for softness, and for imagining beyond the present moment. So while Milan will have to wait for us, our focus remains on creating with care and responding, however we can, to what surrounds us. Now more than ever, we remain deeply committed to our mission – designing for people, bringing thoughtful objects into everyday life, and making design feel more approachable, meaningful, and needed in times like these.”
