His Excellency Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE; Her Excellency Valentina Setta, Consul General of Italy in Dubai; and Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE, Oman and Pakistan; toured the 330 square metre Italian pavilion at Downtown Design. They met with the 20 leading Italian design companies exhibiting at the pavilion, organized by the Italian Trade Agency in partnership with CNA and Confartigianato (Italian Associations of Artisans and Small-Medium Enterprises).

Among the 20 companies, a few are participating for the first time in the region’s leading trade fair to showcase their unique designs to decision makers from GCC’s sophisticated furniture market. In the GCC, more than 72% of furniture and design products are imported, and Italy is one of the leading suppliers of high-end designs.

According to His Excellency Nicola Lener: “What strikes visitors to the Italian pavilion is the perfect fusion of art and functionality in the products displayed. Some of the designs are the result of research and collaboration between architects and designers, ensuring they are unique and contemporary. These designs are meant to transform living spaces, giving each home or office a touch of individuality. This is what makes ‘Made in Italy’ design items so popular in the GCC market. The articles showcased by the 20 design companies, clearly reflect Italy’s strong manufacturing culture, matching modern industrial processes with a sophisticated and continuously regenerated tradition of artisanal craft, combining creativity, originality and innovation, with the ability to adapt to market trends.”