Downtown Design 2025: Finasi presents a concept-driven installation in collaboration with Pallavi Dean of Roar

At Downtown Design 2025, Finasi presented “Dreamed in the UAE. Made in the UAE”, a concept-driven installation that redefined what it means to design, build, and collaborate locally in today’s globalised world. The 935-square-foot stand brought together architecture, fashion, materiality, and storytelling to explore the UAE’s evolving design identity.

Developed in collaboration with Pallavi Dean, founder of Roar, one of the UAE’s leading homegrown design studios, the space celebrated creative dialogue, cultural expression, and the power of production rooted in place.

“Made in UAE isn’t just a label”, explained Hisham A. Sultan, partner at Finasi. “It’s a green light to experiment, innovate, and be bolder than the rest. This year, we presented a sculptural kitchen, a bespoke wardrobe, and custom furniture, all designed, engineered, and built here in the UAE.”

The Carved Kitchen: a collaboration with Pallavi Dean

Anchoring the installation was The Carved Kitchen, designed by Pallavi Dean. Sculptural yet restrained, the kitchen posed a simple question: How can a rock become a kitchen?

Carved from a solid stone base and paired with metal elements and glass bricks made from recycled materials, the piece became both stage and sanctuary.

“We didn’t want to camouflage materials. We wanted to celebrate them,” Dean said. “Modern kitchens are streamlined and monolithic. I wanted a piece that mimics nature, with irregular forms and tactile surfaces that please the eye as much as the hand.”

Adding to the sensory experience, The Host Café, a homegrown Emirati concept founded by six women, offered house-made chocolates and a live kitchen performance on Thursday, 6 November, bringing hospitality to life in a new, interactive way.

The Dressed Wardrobe: designed by Norah Hayat, styled by KAGE

Complementing the kitchen, The Dressed Wardrobe was a custom walk-in piece designed by Norah Hayat, Finasi’s Technical Design Manager. Crafted from wood, glass, leather, and metal, and accented with vibrant orange highlights, the wardrobe explored the emotional side of interiors.

Inside, a curated fashion selection from KAGE, the UAE-born label founded by Basma Abu Ghazaleh, transformed the wardrobe into a lived-in space, bridging fashion and interiors while celebrating local talent and self-expression.

“Made in UAE”: a growing identity

The installation is part of Finasi’s wider mission to redefine what “Made in UAE” means—moving beyond manufacturing to design innovation, material storytelling, and collaborative processes.

On Friday, 7 November, Finasi hosted a live roundtable titled “Made in UAE: Local Craft, Global Standards”, which explored how the UAE’s design community is reshaping the value of local production on a global scale.

Dean reflected on the significance of local capability: “The conversations happening here are making waves globally. For someone who has grown up and built a business in the UAE, it’s incredible to see polished, world-class joinery produced right at our doorstep. We don’t need to import everything from abroad—and that makes me very proud.”