AD Middle East: Design Doha Biennale – FROMM.Lab Announces 12 Finalists for Emerging Talent Competition

The Design Doha Biennial had its international debut at Milan Design Week 2025, most recently, talent-scouting platform FROMM.Lab has announced the finalists of its inaugural design competition, which will be unveiled in an exhibition at the Design Doha Biennial this April.

FROMM.Lab is the educational, mentorship and creative development arm of FROMM., a contemporary luxury furniture and accessories brand based between Msheireb, Doha and Milan. Rooted in a dialogue between heritage and innovation, FROMM. collaborates with local and international designers to create collections that merge traditional crafts with contemporary style. It was founded by Alia Rachid, a Qatari engineer, entrepreneur and cultural advocate.

The FROMM.Lab Design Doha competition brings together 12 finalists from around the world, representing a dynamic mix of nations, design languages and cultural perspectives. Many of these emerging talents are already founders of their own studios, and winners of prestigious awards, including the AD Design Award. Each finalist has been asked to reinterpret Arab heritage through a contemporary lens, creating works that explore the relationship between materiality, identity and culture, merging personal stories with broader relevance.

Supplied by FROMM.Lab

Supplied by FROMM.Lab

Supplied by FROMM.Lab

The exhibition will shine a light on FROMM.Lab’s mission: to identify and nurture new voices, connecting them with influential figures in the design world and offering support in terms of mentoring, prototype development, and the opportunity to present work on global platforms. FROMM.Lab is imagined as a vital platform for cultural exchange between the Middle East and Europe, demonstrating how design can transcend borders and connect diverse creative practices.

Supplied by FROMM.Lab

The 12 finalists have been selected by a distinguished international jury, chaired by Alia Rachid, which will guide each designer in the creation of new pieces for the exhibition. Other jurists include Giulio Cappellini, designer and founder of the Cappellini brand; Joseph Grima, founder of Milan architecture studio Space Caviar and design platform Alcova; Aline Asmar d’Amman, founder of Culture in Architecture; and the FROMM.Lab team, led by Luca Fois, a professor at the Politecnico di Milano. Also on the judging panel are Fahad Al Obaidly, Acting Director of Design Doha, and Asma Al Darwish, Assistant Manager of Architecture at hotel group Katara Hospitality. Lebanese architect Etienne Bastormagi will curate the exhibition, working with the FROMM.Lab team.

Abeer Borhan is a Cairo-based interior designer who also designs furniture and accessories. For FROMM.Lab, she is developing a console table that merges dream and memory with reality.

Jeddah-based product designer Areej AlGhonaim creates elegant, romantic designs, such as a dressing table-mirror draped in pearls. With the mentorship of Giulio Cappellini, she is producing a seating design for FROMM.Lab, inspired by southern Saudi rituals.

Assaad Feghali, Lebanon/USA

Beirut designer Assaad Feghali trained in Milan and has worked with prominent brands like Bokja. His work is rooted in a deep appreciation of form and materials, and for FROMM.Lab, he is designing seating influenced by Arab nomadic traditions.

Based in Madrid, Catalina Martínez Rojo scored an internship with Patricia Urquiola’s Milan studio at the start of her career. Her sleek, contemporary style is evident in her design for FROMM.Lab, a lighting piece inspired by the symbolism of water in Arab culture.

Cecilia Rinaldi is the textile artist behind Bologna studio Atelier Nuanda, which creates unique, sustainable pieces driven by craftsmanship. Her FROMM.Lab design will be a stool inspired by traditional Bedouin camel saddles.

Based in Griesheim, Germany, Daniel Heilig creates modern furniture and lighting notable for intriguing forms and finishes. His contribution to FROMM.Lab is a table collection shaped by Arabic, German and Japanese influences.

Galyiah and Lolwa AlMohannadi, Qatar

Galyiah & Lolwa AlMohannadi are the founders of Doha-based G&L Studio, a multidisciplinary practice that fuses interior design and graphics. For FROMM.Lab, they are creating tables and seating inspired by traditional khoos palm weaving, under the mentorship of Aline Asmar d’Amman.

This international duo is made up of Ismail Hutet, who works across digital, print and spatial experiences, and artist Blanca Scully, founder of BITS Studio, which specialises in trompe l’oeil decoration. Their collaboration for FROMM.Lab is a lighting design inspired by the arches, columns and stonework of Arab architecture.

Tokyo design trio Kuranoie create furniture and lighting with a serene aesthetic; a recent lighting collection uses Omi 3D, a cutting-edge pleated linen fabric with shape-memory properties. For FROMM.Lab, look out for their coffee table exploring parallels between Japanese and Arab cultures.

Marwane Soumer is a French artist with north African-European roots, and the founder of Studio Soumer, which creates products that reimagine everyday objects. His seating design for FROMM.Lab is inspired by sand dunes and the geometry of sadu weaving.

Noor Alabdulmalik, Noof Alnaama and Amina Fakhroo, Qatar

Qatari design trio Noor Alabdulmalik, Noof Alnaama and Amina Fakhroo are inspired by regional heritage. They are working with Giulio Cappellini on their FROMM.Lab exhibits, an armchair and a pot that draw on the Gulf folk custom of Hiyya Biyya, representing a cycle of giving, returning and beginning anew.

Sydney-based architect and artist Xinyi Wang is the founder of Xytopia, a multidisciplinary studio that works across scales; notable works include a public installation for Amsterdam Light Festival 2025. For FROMM.Lab, he is developing a lamp inspired by the quiet transitions of dawn and dusk.