Commercial Interiors UK (CIUK), in partnership with the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT), proudly led the UK Creative Industries Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia, held in September 2025 at the INDEX Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. Commercial Interiors UK's media partner, Design Insider, joined the mission and subsequently published an Event Report. In this series of nine articles, we explore the opportunities, challenges, and leaders in this ambitions growth market for the benefit of commercial suppliers and designers.
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We spoke with two passionate designers bringing together global design expertise and regional insight. Gabriela Skrobacka, furniture designer and art director at .mdd, and Aseel Al Tuwaijri, junior interior designer at Roar, walked us through their creative collaboration, and the immersive stand they brought to life on the show floor.
A Meeting of Minds
Based in Poland, .mdd is a European furniture brand known for producing contemporary workplace solutions and collaborating with leading designers from across Scandinavia, Spain, and beyond. “Our in-house design team is small,” explained Gabriela, “but we regularly work with well-known international designers. Collaboration is a huge part of our approach, and we’d love to work with Saudi designers in the future.”
For this year’s stand at Index Saudi Arabia, .mdd teamed up with Dubai-based interior design studio Roar to create a spatial experience that explored how furniture shapes the modern working day. While Gabriela joined the project later in the process to refine final touches, she credits the creative direction to the Roar team, particularly Associate Interior Designer Nikita Cheani, who led the stand design concept.
“We wanted to work with a local studio that understands the market,” Gabriela added. “Roar was the right fit, passionate, creative, and grounded in the region’s design culture.”
A Day in the Life - Designed!
The stand was built around four emotional and cognitive stages of a typical workday, Alpha, Beta, Theta, and Gamma. “It started with a brainstorming session,” explained Aseel. “We asked: how does a person move through their day? How can furniture support different mindsets and needs?”
Each area was designed to reflect a specific state:
- Lavender lounge (Alpha): Soft hues and residential comfort help ease the user into the day, calming stress and easing the transition into focus.
- Red zone (Beta): A dynamic, high-focus space featuring acoustic pods and partitions to support concentration and individual productivity.
- Blue zone (Gamma): A social hub that reflects the collaborative culture of contemporary offices, where teams can meet, share ideas, or grab a coffee.
- Green zone (Theta): Inspired by nature and wellness, this relaxed area, cleverly branded “Clouds Without Shame” encourages casual conversation, solitude, or simply taking a break.
“I really love how the zones flow together visually,” said Aseel. “When you stand in the right spot, you can see how the colours blend across the space, it’s subtle but impactful.”
Gabriela agreed: “What I really appreciated was the use of lavender. It’s a colour you rarely see in commercial interiors, and it brought a surprising calm to the stand. It’s a bold choice, but it works beautifully.”
Designing for the Region
Roar’s involvement brought essential insight into the Saudi market. “There’s a strong push toward collaboration, openness, and wellness in workplace design here,” Aseel explained. “Our furniture arrangement reflects that, spaces are open, inviting, and designed to support conversation.”
The stand was also a practical showcase for international suppliers. “We specify from a wide network of suppliers,” Aseel added. “Italian, Spanish, Polish, we use a lot of global products in our projects. And partnering with MDD is a great example of how that can work successfully in the region.”
This article is included in Design Insider’s INDEX Saudi Arabria Event Report. Find the full comprehensive report here.