House of Artisans Design Competition: Emirati craft reimagined

Four designers have won the second edition of the House of Artisans design competition, each submitting a piece that draws from a specific Emirati heritage craft and transforms it for contemporary living. The winners worked directly with practising artisans and academic advisers to develop their concepts, moving beyond replication towards genuine creative engagement with traditions such as Al Sadu weaving, Khoos basketry, Al Talli threadwork and majbah-making.

Joud Malhas won the top prize for Mayla, a contemporary majlis seating piece with a movable misdan that reflects on women’s roles in traditional weaving gatherings. Wafa AlShamsi’s Nawartuna, a ceramic wall light informed by the majbah (a traditional palm-frond food cover), took the second award. Runners-up Rasha Saffarini and Amsha Alhajeri presented Bouffe, which transforms the Khoos basket into an inflated leather pouf, and Strata of Sadu, a three-dimensional carved wood form layered with handwoven Al Sadu textile.

The competition, open to professional creatives and students across the UAE, operated across three categories: Furniture Design, Product Design and Deco Art. Shortlisted designers undertook a structured development programme sponsored by Mubadala Foundation, working within defined parameters to produce realised works rather than proposals. The jury assessed entries against creativity, craftsmanship, innovation, thematic relevance and artistic merit, drawing on representatives from the House of Artisans, the Mubadala Art Collection, and specialists in traditional handicrafts and education.

What distinguishes this programme is its insistence on contemporary thinking rather than historical preservation. Each source tradition, whether the dhow-building technique Al Jallaf, the gargoor fishing trap, or the weaving practices central to Emirati domestic and commercial life, remains active knowledge in the hands of working practitioners. By pairing emerging designers with these artisans over the course of the competition cycle, the initiative creates a direct knowledge transfer that strengthens both the professional prospects of participating creatives and the relevance of craft traditions to Abu Dhabi’s living cultural practice.

The competition, sponsored by Mubadala Foundation, opened to both professional creatives and students enrolled at higher education institutions across the UAE. Participating designers worked across three categories: Furniture Design, Product Design and Deco Art. Those shortlisted undertook a structured design development programme, collaborating directly with practising artisans, academic advisers and institute faculty to develop their concepts into realised works.

The scope of source material demonstrates the richness of Emirati craft traditions at stake. Designers drew upon Al Sadu and Khoos weaving, Al Talli threadwork, the dhow-building technique known as Al Jallaf and the traditional gargoor fishing trap, each representing a distinct body of knowledge and skill. The competition explicitly invited engagement with tradition rather than mere replication, asking designers to ask what these crafts might become when considered through contemporary thinking.

A jury drawn from art, design, traditional handicrafts and education assessed submissions according to five criteria: creativity, craftsmanship, innovation, thematic relevance and overall artistic and design merit. The panel included representatives from the House of Artisans itself and from the Mubadala Art Collection, bringing together institutional oversight and collecting expertise.

As we have reported previously, the Department of Culture and Tourism has been recognised for its commitment to community impact and sustainability across its institutional practice, positioning initiatives such as House of Artisans within a broader framework of cultural stewardship and social responsibility.

Source: WAM

What it means for Abu Dhabi

The House of Artisans competition represents a significant platform for the creative economy in Abu Dhabi, creating structured pathways for designers and students to develop commercially viable work grounded in Emirati heritage. By pairing emerging talent with experienced artisans and academic resources, the programme strengthens both the knowledge systems embedded in traditional crafts and the professional opportunities available to creative practitioners in the emirate.

The emphasis on contemporary reinterpretation, rather than reproduction, signals an approach to cultural preservation that does not treat heritage craftsmanship as historical artifact but as a living, evolving practice. This model recognises that traditional skills remain relevant precisely when they are engaged by new generations of makers and thinkers, ensuring that techniques such as Al Sadu weaving and majbah-making remain integral to Abu Dhabi’s creative identity.

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