3 commercialinteriordesign.comContentsMarch 2026 66 SPECIAL REPORT: F&B BATHROOMS The suppliers and trends to look our for in 2026 IN THIS ISSUE 10 FIT-OUT SUPERWOMEN A growing movement supporting others in the industry 16 INSIDE A/P ROOM A new spot in Alserkal Avenue showcasing design-led pieces 22 MADE IN THE UAE Finasi welcomes designers to focus on the importance of locality 26 LEADING THE WAY Female leaders in design discuss their careers, challenges and future 48 DIGGING INTO THE PAST Dabbah Architects reimagines the UAE’s rst museum March 20264 commercialinteriordesign.comContentsMarch 2026 40 56 AGENCY POWER LIST The design-focused full-stack agencies that stand out AWARDS FOCUS Who won at the CID Awards 2026: Saudi and why REGULARS 06 BIG IDEA Marco Maximus branches out 14 NEW RECRUIT The latest hire at Social F&B 74 SEVEN LESSONS Career advice from a specialist5 commercialinteriordesign.com Paul Clifford Group Editor VALUES fi rst Published by and © 2026 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Geneva, London, Mumbai & Riyadh ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi MANAGING DIRECTOR Martin Chambers DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR Holly Sands HEAD OF BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY Thomas Shambler EDITORIAL GROUP EDITOR Paul Clifford EDITOR, HOSPITALITY & DESIGN SAUDI Safa Hassan CONTRIBUTOR Holly Byrne ADVERTISING CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER Sally Whittam Tel: +971 4 444 3348 Email: sally.whittam@itp.com COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Richard Mobbs Tel: +971 52 393 2862 Email: richard.mobbs@itp.com COMMERCIAL MANAGER Sharmin Rizvi Tel: +971 58 112 5097 Email: sharmin.rizvi@itp.com COMMERCIAL MANAGER Tamara Moufarrej Tel: +971 55 249 1820 Email: tamara.moufarrej@itp.com COMMERCIAL MANAGER, SAUDI Abdulelah Aldawish Tel: +966 11 512 2581 Email: abdulelah.aldawish@itp.com COMMERCIAL ADMIN EXECUTIVE Janet Comia Email: janet.comia@itp.com ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Siti Sumarsono Email: siti.sumarsono@itp.com ART COVER IMAGE Gerry O’Leary SENIOR DESIGNER Gillian Fletcher JUNIOR DESIGNER Celine Iskandar-Elhachem GROUP VIDEO EDITOR Bharat Tahiliani VIDEOGRAPHER Karan Sumadari VIDEOGRAPHER & EDITOR Sumeet Katira MARKETING HEAD OF EVENTS Eleanor Ashton SENIOR EVENTS MANAGER Kate Galaktionova EVENTS MANAGER Gavin Moeketsi ASSOCIATE EVENTS MANAGER Vrinali Nazareth ASSOCIATE EVENTS MANAGER Maria Trishina CONTENT & EVENTS ASSISTANT Jenna Jordan EVENTS COORDINATOR Bobbie Rosario EVENTS SALES EXECUTIVE Jan Mokoala EVENTS SALES ASSISTANT Joyce Salonga EVENTS SALES ASSISTANT Celine Magpoc events@itp.com PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION SENIOR PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Balasubramanian P PRODUCTION MANAGER Anand Sundaram DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Avinash Pereira CIRCULATION EXECUTIVE Rajesh Pillai ITP GROUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe at www.commercialinteriordesign.com The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader's particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. ONE WORD KEPT surfacing in our interviews, roundtables and quiet side conversations this month: intentionality. In an era where speed is often mistaken for progress, intentionality feels almost radical. Across this issue, we spoke to women from every corner of the industry, leaders, founders, designers, strategists and more. Different disciplines, different journeys, yet a strikingly consistent philosophy. Success, for them, is not a solitary climb. It is collective. It is about creating space, sharing knowledge, amplifying others. It is about choosing projects that align with values rather than vanity. Building teams rather than personal brands. Designing careers with the same care we design spaces. There was little appetite for noise. Plenty for purpose. That spirit is embodied powerfully on our cover. At Dabbagh Architects, founder Sumaya Dabbagh and associate design director Hala Nahas were tasked with redeveloping Al Ain Museum. But at the start of the project, the ground quite literally shifted. Archaeological discoveries halted construction and forced a reconsideration of everything. What could have been an obstacle became the project’s anchor. The museum reorganised itself around history, allowing the past to lead the future. It could be a metaphor for where our industry stands. We are in a period of excavation. Of reassessment. Of asking what truly deserves permanence. If design shapes how people move through the world, then the values behind that design matter just as much as the finished form. 6 commercialinteriordesign.comMarch 2026Big Idea7 commercialinteriordesign.comMarch 2026Big Idea MOTTE, A NEW HIGH-END residential carpet brand launched by the team behind PROQ Hospitality Sourcing, has unveiled its rst collection, The Posted Edition, marking the company’s move from hospitality speci cation into curated, design-led residential products. The debut series brings together a group of artists and designers including Ammar Kalo, Amr Abdelaziz, Marco Maximus, Melodi Bozkurt, Maureen Gamal, Mustard & Linen and Wissam Shawkat, setting out a gallery-driven approach to contemporary rug design. Among the contributors is Dubai-based designer Marco Maximus, whose three-piece series for the collection uses the city of Dubai as both subject and structure. Framed around the idea of postage stamps as markers of place, memory and identity, each rug is conceived as a visual “postcard” translating speci c parts of Dubai into layered, material compositions. For Maximus, the project re ects a personal relationship with the city. “Dubai is very dear to me. It’s where I found my position, ambition, and recognition,” he says. “Each area of the city has in uenced how I understand balance here, between speed and stillness, ambition and grounding. That contrast and boldness are things I carry into my work.” His three designs each focus on a different location. Ras Al Khor (The Creek) draws on the amingos of the wildlife sanctuary, translating the coexistence of nature and urban growth into a calm, tactile composition. Al Shindagha looks to heritage and community, using motifs inspired by henna, hands and domestic gathering to reference cultural memory through a contemporary lens. Jumeirah shifts to a more graphic language, using bolder compositions with a graf ti- in ected edge to re ect the area’s global, high-energy identity. Production and materiality are central to the collection. The rugs combine multiple techniques and materials, including wool and silk, alongside more unconventional elements such as shoelaces, pushing beyond traditional rug-making. Each piece is nished with a gold leather label signed by Maximus, Marco Maximus joins MOTTE’s inaugural rug series DESIGNING PLACE or golden leather labels. I wanted each piece to tell a story and be treated as a collectible, almost like stamps. You’re taking a piece of a place into your home, tied to a feeling or a moment.” The Posted Edition was unveiled through a temporary exhibition in Dubai Design District (d3), where the rugs were presented as design objects rather than retail products. The series is produced in limited numbers, with further editions and collaborators already in development as part of MOTTE’s wider creative programme. highlighting the idea of the works as limited- edition, collectible objects rather than purely functional surfaces. The collection format has also allowed Maximus to extend his practice beyond commercial briefs. “Product design gave me more freedom of expression [of my own style],” he says. “I’ve designed many carpets for hotels and restaurants before, but creating a collection allowed me to go deeper, experimenting with techniques and details I wouldn’t normally push, like using shoelaces within the rugs 8 commercialinteriordesign.comPartner ContentMarch 2026 IN A MARKET de ned by acceleration, expansion and heightened scrutiny, the launch of Studio Eileen signals a measured and con dent recalibration. Based in Dubai and operating across hospitality, residential, commercial and mixed-use sectors, the contemporary interior design consultancy enters the regional arena with a clear proposition: thoughtful environments shaped by strategic precision and grounded in delivery. Studio Eileen has been established in response to a growing demand from developers, hospitality rms and global brands for interiors that balance ambition with buildability, creativity with accountability, and vision with long-term value. As projects increase in scale and complexity, and timelines become ever more compressed, the need for disciplined design thinking has become paramount. Studio Eileen positions itself as a strategic partner capable of navigating that complexity without compromising quality or intent. The consultancy is guided by clarity, precision and a structured methodology that supports creative freedom rather than constrains it. At a time when interior design is often mistaken for surface embellishment, Studio Eileen reinforces its role as a critical driver of performance, identity and commercial success. Its approach is concept-led and contextually grounded, responding not to eeting trends but to the realities of market positioning, user experience and operational longevity. Rather than seeking novelty for its own sake, Studio Eileen represents experience distilled into a next-generation practice. The studio’s portfolio is informed by senior leadership involvement across more than one hundred regional projects, bringing together creative direction, technical rigour and operational awareness under a uni ed studio model. This breadth of exposure enables the team to anticipate challenges before they arise and to integrate solutions seamlessly across disciplines. Studio Eileen: Designing with intent A new Dubai-based consultancy brings clarity, discipline and strategic intelligence to the regional design landscape At the core of the consultancy is Founder and Design Principal Eileen Jaffary, whose award-winning career spans more than two decades and includes landmark projects across the Middle East. Her vision for Studio Eileen is rooted in intention and structure. “Studio Eileen was founded on the belief that great design is not about excess, but about intention,” she explains. “We wanted to create a studio where creativity is supported by structure, where ideas are robust enough to withstand real-world constraints, and where clients feel con dent that what is envisioned can be delivered without compromise.” Supporting Jaffary is Project Director Farzaneh Eslami, whose expertise in large- scale hospitality and residential developments ensures alignment between creative ambition 9 commercialinteriordesign.comPartner ContentMarch 2026 and operational realities. Studio Director and FF&E Director Cherry Rose Tañedo brings depth in FF&E strategy and hands- on coordination, reinforcing the studio’s commitment to intricate detail and procurement intelligence. Associate and Technical Director Rowel Pechera further strengthens the leadership team, translating design intent into construction-ready documentation with precision and consistency. A de ning characteristic of Studio Eileen’s model is sustained senior involvement at every stage of a project, from early concept development through to nal delivery. This continuity fosters accountability and clarity, ensuring that strategic objectives remain intact throughout the design and build process. The studio’s full-service offering encompasses concept and schematic design, interior architecture, space planning, FF&E design and speci cation, value engineering review, technical documentation and site supervision, all delivered through coordinated and transparent processes. As the regional market matures, the studio’s launch reflects a broader industry evolution towards longevity and responsibility. Studio Eileen’s growing body of work includes luxury hotels and resorts, branded residences, residential communities, corporate headquarters and public amenities. Across typologies, a consistent emphasis on materiality, spatial sequencing and user experience de nes its output. Each project is shaped by a clear narrative framework, ensuring that design decisions are purposeful and cohesive rather than reactive. Technical excellence remains central to the practice. Robust documentation standards, BIM coordination and close collaboration with multidisciplinary consultant teams support smooth execution and programme certainty. This dual commitment to creativity and construction has earned the studio and its leadership a number of industry accolades, including Top Fifty Most In uential Design Professional, Best FF&E Designer of the Year and Highly Commended Technical Designer. Such recognition re ects the consultancy’s ability to operate fluently across both conceptual and technical domains. Yet Studio Eileen’s ambitions extend beyond awards or visibility. With a forward- looking perspective, the consultancy seeks to contribute meaningfully to the built environment by shaping interiors that respond intelligently to evolving lifestyles, commercial pressures and cultural contexts. Each commission is approached as a long- term partnership built on trust, transparency and shared objectives, rather than as a transactional brief. In positioning itself as both creative studio and strategic advisor, Studio Eileen enters the regional design landscape with composure and conviction. Its launch is not simply the introduction of another name to the market, but a statement of intent: that disciplined thinking, contextual awareness and accountable delivery are essential to the next chapter of interior design in the Middle East. For Studio Eileen, the future is not de ned by speed alone, but by precision, relevance and endurance.Next >