MENA region design innovators and standout projects honoured as winners revealed in 17 hotly contested categories, with a phenomenal number of entries for 2021
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The winners of the 2021 INDEX Design Awards, representing 17 hotly contested categories, were fêted at a who’s who industry ceremony, held last night (31st August 2021) at the Ritz-Carlton, DIFC in Dubai.
Hundreds of talented design professionals and teams from around the region entered this year’s awards, making it an almost impossible task for the judges to decide who would be the winning entries.
“Despite a turbulent last 12 months, the interior design and fit-out industry has demonstrated remarkable resilience, in the face of unprecedented adversity. This year’s awards entries have been some of the best we’ve seen, and it’s great to see the industry thriving. Having this opportunity to once again reunite and reconnect over 400 people from the design community in the spirit of celebration is a landmark moment for the dmg events team and the regional interiors industry,” said Katie McBride, Event Director for the INDEX Exhibition and INDEX Design Awards.
Open to interior design, architecture and fit-out companies as well as thought-shaping industry leaders, the annual INDEX Design Awards honours both successes in project innovation and the exceptional people behind some of the region’s most creative designs and projects.
This year’s judging panel some of the leading industry experts with Esra Lemmens, Design Strategist & Founder, The Esra Lemmens Agency, and Nadine Kahil, Cultural Commentator & Interior Journalist making the initial shortlist selection, with all 11 judges then scoring each entry individually before collectively choosing the category winners.
INDEX DESIGN AWARDS 2021 WINNERS:
F&B Design: XO Atelier, Toplum
Hotel Design: Zaha Hadid Architects, The Opus
Residential Design: YDesign Interior, City Walk Residence #404
Retail Design: Brand Creative, Ixora
Office Design: Bluehaus, The Founders Office
Fit-out Project: ALEC FITOUT, Waldorf Astoria DIFC
Healthcare & Wellness Design: Roar, SENSASIA Stories Spa
Lighting Design: L.S. Design, La Mer Beach Club
Refurbishment Project: DNAworkshop, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates LLB office
Rising Star: Drew Gilbert, OBM International
Sustainable Design: Bluehaus, Sanofi JLT Office
International F&B Design: Bishop Design by Paul Bishop, Buddha Bar Beach, Mauritius
International Hotel Design: LW Design Group, Raffles Hotel Shenzhen, China
Fit-out Contractor: ALEC FITOUT
Interior Design Company: Kristina Zanic Design Consultants
Boutique Interior Design: Binchy & Binchy Architecture
Interior Design Leader: Kristina Zanic
Recipient of the Interior Design Company of the Year award and Interior Design Leader of the Year, a visibly delighted Kristina Zanic, Owner of Kristina Zanic Design Consultants said: “We are absolutely honored to have won design firm of the year. It has been a challenging period of time for the design industry as a whole, and I can only hope we continue to keep putting our best foot forward.”
The complete line-up of 2021 judges included Andrea Sensoli, Chairman, SUPERFUTUREDESIGN*; Bruno Guelaff, Owner/Design Director, studio bruno guelaff; Cornelia Kieferle Nicklas, Managing Partner – Dubai, Kieferle & Partner; Emma Stinson, Co-Founder & Creative Director, Studio EM; Firas Alsahin, Co-Founder & Design Director, 4SPACE Design; Hani Fallaha, Architect/Partner, Loci architecture + design; Kate Instone, Founder & Creative Director, Blush International; Meshary AlNassar, Founder & Design Director, Studio Meshary AlNassar; and Rachel Kidd, Design Director, LW Design.
The event was supported by platinum sponsors, VitrA Bathrooms; gold sponsors, Scientechnic Lighting Solutions, PRECIOSA LIGHTING and Jaquar Group; silver sponsor, PRESTO; and bronze sponsors, Cosentino, Colab and Shure; with Emkay Interiors partnering to provide fit-out services.
