Soho House Design Week Dubai
Design Week Dubai celebrates innovation and creativity across the city, bringing together designers, artists, cultural leaders, and global visitors. The week sets the stage for bold ideas, dynamic collaborations, and immersive experiences. It also strengthens Dubai’s role as a leading destination for contemporary design.
Because of this, each associated event gains added relevance and visibility. Within this context, the closing dinner took shape as a carefully curated moment that reflected the creative spirit of the week.
The experience focused on atmosphere, spatial balance, and guest interaction, aligning with the expectations of an international design audience.
About the Brand and Design Week Dubai
Soho House is recognised worldwide for its commitment to culture, community, and design. The brand creates intimate environments that inspire connection and celebrate artistic expression. Each experience is carefully curated, with a strong focus on materiality, mood, and human interaction. During Design Week Dubai, this approach aligned naturally with the city’s creative energy and global outlook.
The closing dinner reflected Soho House’s philosophy. The intention was to create an environment that felt considered and immersive, rather than overt or theatrical. Attention was placed on atmosphere and coherence, ensuring the experience remained authentic to the brand while responding sensitively to the cultural context of the city.
The Challenge During Design Week Dubai
The challenge was to enhance the dinner environment while respecting the existing structure of the space. The room featured long textile drapes, permanent artworks, and functional elements integrated within the dining area.
The dinner space required visual depth, movement, and a clear identity, while remaining calm, elegant, and operationally efficient. Any intervention needed to work with the space rather than against it. The solution had to enrich the environment without adding physical structures, ensuring a clean and well managed setup aligned with the tone of the event.
The Design Solution
The design approach was developed to support the atmosphere envisioned for the closing dinner. Working within an existing creative space, the project responded to both the cultural context and the practical conditions of the venue. The solution took shape in dialogue with the setting, which included long textile drapes, existing artworks, and a layout that required clarity and flexibility.
The dinner took place within Sima Collective, a space that includes nine artist studios and supports emerging and mid-career talent across the UAE and the wider region. Its programme of exhibitions, workshops, and open-studio events contributed to the creative environment and informed the overall sensitivity of the intervention.
Building on this context, the team developed a projection-based solution specifically for the event. High-quality projectors were carefully selected and installed to illuminate the textile drapes from precise angles.
Dedicated visual content was designed for the evening, featuring soft motion, layered shadows, and delicate patterns that responded to the folds of the fabric. Through this intervention, the drapes became active surfaces shaped by light and movement.
The existing artworks integrated naturally into the visual composition, adding further depth, while the minimal physical footprint preserved the character and integrity of the space.
The Benefits for the Event
The projection design created a distinctive atmosphere that enriched the entire dinner experience. Guests enjoyed a fluid journey supported by clear zoning and practical facilities. The light animations on the drapes added emotion, warmth, and rhythm.
Moreover, the exclusive content aligned with the creative purpose of the evening and highlighted the cultural identity of Sima Collective.
The result offered visual sophistication without overwhelming the intimacy of the dinner. Most importantly, the event concluded Design Week Dubai with an elegant moment that reflected the spirit of the city and the values of Soho House.
