Whats On Her Desk – Ayah Al Bitar Founder of Ayah Al Bitar Design House

Ayah Al Bitar is a Saudi Arabian Product and Furniture Designer who studied at Parsons the New School for Design in New York City. Through her work, she merges tradition and modernity creating products that are a combination of the East and the West.

Having been brought up in Saudi, Ayah was inspired by Saudi topics of women’s rights; she wanted to create a model for how design can trigger social change. Her designs focus on breaking cultural boundaries with their thought-provoking concepts.

Ayah Al Bitar founded Ayah Al Bitar Design House in September 2014; and launched her first collection of floor seating cushions early May 2015. The design house aims to create limited edition contemporary products and furniture pieces that emerge from the essence of creativity. It features designs fostering form and function as well as conceptual pieces relative to the Arab world. It emphasizes problem solving in an in-directional manner and provokes thought. 

What does your average day look like?

Every day is different than the day before. Since it’s a startup, every employee in the brand has to wear multiple hats every day, including myself. My average day consists of a visit to the factory, a visit to the design studio, and meeting a few people throughout the day.

Mostly at the factory it’s to check on quality control of the product and check up on production. Work at the studio can sometimes last till midnight, working on new designs, illustrations, and a lot of prototyping. My goal at the end of each day is to be productive and check things off of my list.

What top five items comprise your desktop arsenal? Why?

-My daily planner : It contains my entire life schedule!

-My russian-made coffee mug : Coffee is crucial for my day to be productive and for me to function properly

-My desktop : It’s where I can design and visualise projects, timelines, and answer e-mails.

-My daily quotes & inspiration : Those change from time to time, and I read them every morning before I start my day.

– Fernando ! He is an oryx that was made as part of a collectibles collection and I love him!

What is one desktop item you just cannot live without?

A computer mouse

What are some must have furniture design pieces for this year?

The Sanctuary ! People will not realise how much of a necessity it is until they have it in their homes

Who is your greatest inspiration?

The Campana brothers

What is your favorite spot in Dubai?

Stomping Grounds Cafe – Their coffee is beyond amazing and the environment is raw and real.