Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh

Fostering Local Talents: From Craft to Market through Design Mentorship and Collaborations

November 28 ^th 2025 19:45 - 20:45

ritratto di Samer Yamani, Massimo Adario, Hana Al Maktoum

This discussion will examine the critical intersection of craft practice and commercial viability in contemporary design ecosystems. Italian architect Massimo Adario will present his methodology for integrating master craftsmen into interior design projects, demonstrating how bespoke fabrication creates site-specific solutions that transcend industrial production. Samer Yamani, Design Curator, representing Saudi Arabia's Jusoor Design Collection programme, articulates their framework for transitioning emerging designers from conceptual development to market implementation through structured mentorship and strategic partnerships with crafts-based design brands. The discussion will address sustainable models for cultivating design communities, maintaining craft traditions within modern practice, and establishing professional pathways that enable local talent to achieve international competitiveness while preserving cultural authenticity and regional design identity.

Event in English

Speakers:

Samer Yamani, Design Curator and Creative Director, Founder Creative Dialogue
Massimo Adario, Architect
Hana Al Maktoum, Head of Programs and Curricula Development at the Architecture and Design Commission
Moderator Zen Bahar, Editor, Commercial Interior Design

Samer Yamani

Design Curator

Speaker

Massimo Adario

Architect

Massimo Adario was born in Rome, Italy, in 1970, into an entrepreneurial family running a printing press business. He studied architecture in Italy and Spain, graduating in 1998 from the “Università di Roma – La Sapienza”. In 1999, he worked in the studio of Aldo Aymonino in Rome and then moved to the Netherlands, first in Amsterdam, then Maastricht, where he stayed for two years, working for Wiel Arets & Associates. From 2007 onwards, he has continued his work and research in the world of interiors, housing, industrial architecture with his own private studio.

Speaker

Zen Bahar

Zen Bahar is the Editor of Commercial Interior Design Magazine for the Middle East & North Africa. From London and based in Dubai, Zen has a background in interior design, art and journalism.

Moderator

Hana Al Maktoum

A designer, writer, and researcher with experience in architecture, design, and education. Her work focuses on studying social and cultural adaptations within the Saudi context, exploring the intersections of the built environment with culture and society, and examining how architectural narratives and the poetics of design strengthen the relationship between people and their surroundings.

Speaker