Dubai Design Week Names Bahrain’s Maraj Studio Winner of Abwab 2025 Commission

Dubai Design Week has announced that Bahrain-based architecture and design studio Maraj is the winner of the prestigious Abwab 2025 commission, with their project “Stories of the Isle and the Inlet.”

Responding to this year’s theme, “In the Details,” the project draws inspiration from ornamentalism and local craft traditions to highlight the fragile ecology and cultural history of Nabih Saleh, a small Bahraini island situated between Tubli’s wetlands and Sitra’s industrial area. The winning installation will debut at Dubai Design District (d3) during the 11th edition of Dubai Design Week, taking place from November 4 to 9, 2025, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.

Founded by architects Latifa Alkhayat and Maryam Aljomairi, Maraj focuses on research, education, and practice in design and architecture. Their installation combines oral histories with intricate embroidered textiles, using materials sourced from Bahrain and crafted by local artisans, embroiderers, and tailors. The work documents Nabih Saleh’s ecological and cultural narrative through layered mesh fabrics inspired by thob al nashil, a traditional garment, featuring embroidered depictions of the island’s flora, fauna, and surrounding waters.

“We thrive at the intersection of disciplines—sometimes curating, sometimes designing, and often engaging in material and scientific research,” said Alkhayat and Aljomairi. “Through interviews with islanders and studies of the natural habitat, we have created a visual narrative that we hope will inspire awe and reflection among visitors.”

Unlike previous editions that showcased multiple pavilions, Abwab 2025 introduces a single commissioned installation to allow for a deeper and more immersive visitor experience.

Launched in 2015, Abwab—which means “doors” in Arabic—has supported over 180 designers from across Asia and Africa, serving as one of Dubai Design Week’s cornerstone platforms. The 2025 edition reinterprets ornament not merely as decoration but as a language of knowledge, symbolism, and spatial storytelling.