The We Design Beirut festival showcased the Lebanese capital's often-overlooked design scene. Here, Dezeen rounds up eight highlights from its inaugural edition.
We Design Beirut is the city's first design week in five years and the first design event since the explosion that destroyed a large part of Beirut in August 2020. In its aftermath, many creatives left the city and moved to other parts of the region.
Held from 23 to 26 May, We Design Beirut presented products, furniture, concepts, and thematic exhibits by designers that either stayed after the explosion or returned over time.
"We Design Beirut is a platform dedicated to the rebirth of Lebanon's design identity in the world," said founder Mariana Wehbe. "The 'We' signifies the synergistic effort and dedication of the many parts of the design landscape, a diverse ecosystem of artisans, creators, collectors, and creatives in Lebanon and the diaspora."

Read: "The country needs this" says We Design Beirut organiser Mariana Wehbe

For the first edition of the festival, Webhe and co-organizer Sameer Alameen selected three distinct locations to host multiple exhibitions.
They included the ruins of lighting manufacturer PSLab's former headquarters, Ottoman mansion turned archeological museum Villa Audi, and Usines Abroyan, a converted industrial site.
Other presentations and open studios were also part of the four-day programme. Read on for eight...