KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Meshary Al-Nassar, Jassim Al-Saddah, Khaled Al-Awadhi and AGI Architects were selected among the AD100 Middle East list for the top designers and architects in the Middle East. Launched in March 2015, Architectural Digest Middle East is a bi-monthly magazine and part of the Condé Nast portfolio, and is considered the most trusted voice on design, culture and luxury lifestyle in the region, spotlighting exceptional design by Middle Eastern and international talents.
Meshary Al-Nassar
Meshary Al-Nassar, a multi-talented Kuwaiti creative, designs buildings, interiors, landscapes and products. His timeless aesthetic, awash with understated neutral hues and refined materials, is inspired by his local environment and traditional design elements, as well as midcentury Scandinavian style and the serene sculptures of Brancusi. As well as renovating a Spanish colonial villa in Jumeirah, he’s also currently researching Middle Eastern construction techniques, with the aim of "redefining standards of social housing” in the region.
Jassim Al-Saddah
In 2010, Kuwaiti architect Jassim Al-Saddah founded his practice Babnimnim – a play on Arabic words that together mean a small, intricate door – and since then, he and partner Tareq Hashim have dedicated themselves to delivering refined spaces, no matter the scale. Having just finished work on the futuristic Mamluki Lancet Mosque in Kuwait, the duo is in the midst of finalizing the Arch Mosque in Bahrain, their most high-profile public project yet.
Khaled Al-Awadhi
One of Kuwait’s most exciting talents, Khaled Al-Awadhi creates refined yet simple interiors with his studio Fortytwelve. There’s a translucent beauty to his Ode Eatery in Althuraya Mall, Kuwait, with its fluted glass paneling, micro-cement finishes and wood veneers. Doha’s Earth coffee bar exudes calm with its palette of silver travertine, stainless steel and oak. "Design can easily be undermined as shallow, but we create spaces that help small businesses grow and put cities on the map,” he said.