Talib Choudhry

A landmark moment for contemporary craft in Britain. We are proud to announce the launch of the House & Garden Craft Prize – a new annual award championing UK-based artists creating contemporary work destined for galleries, significant private collections and museums. With Sotheby’s (@sothebys ) and Crafts Council (@craftscouncil ) as strategic partners, the prize recognises craft as a serious artistic discipline operating with the same critical and commercial weight as fine art. Open to both established and emerging creatives, the prize seeks work of technical mastery and original thought – pieces conceived with permanence and cultural consequence in mind. From clay and textile to wood, metal, jewellery and more, we are looking for those advancing their discipline with rigour and imagination. Chaired by Talib Choudhry (@interiorseditor ), editor of House & Garden, the 2026 judging panel includes TF Chan (@tf_chan ), fair director of Collect (@collectartfair ), Julia Fischel (@julia_fischel_art ), director at Sotheby’s London, and Keith Brymer Jones (@keithbrymerjones ), master potter and judge on The Great Pottery Throw Down (@potterythrow ). Ten shortlisted works will be presented at a public exhibition at Sotheby’s New Bond Street flagship during London Craft Week (@londoncraftweek , 11-17 May 2026). The winner, revealed on May 11, will receive a raft of benefits designed to accelerate long-term artistic development, plus editorial exposure and mentorship. Submissions are now open. Deadline: 10pm GMT, March 28, 2026. Visit the link in bio to find out more and submit entries. On the cover: a flower sculpture by the London-based Japanese ceramicist Kaori Tatebayashi (@kceramics ) who channels her passion for nature into clay. Photo by Andrew Montgomery (@montgomeryphoto ) for House & Garden.

Time for a new chapter. I am excited to share that I’m heading back to London to become editor of House & Garden UK @houseandgardenuk (official first day, 21st July). I step into this role with huge admiration for @hattabyng ‘s work over the past decade and House & Garden’s extraordinary legacy. It’s an honour to steward such an iconic and beloved title. Thank you to Anna Wintour for this opportunity and to @amyastley for your support and mentorship. I’ve been lucky to spend the past 8 years leading @admiddleeast in Dubai, and I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved. There are undoubtedly greater things to come from such talented, thoughtful people — truly the best of the best!

The @admiddleeast June issue has arrived and it features a host of brilliant creatives at home, including the ever-inspiring (and deeply sassy) @nadkanso I had the most fun on the shoot with @zigamihelcic and @artemlevashov.jpg Having lived in the UAE for 25 years, Kanso is finally home — and it feels as though she has stepped back into her childhood where summers were spent with her grandparents by Lebanon's sun-kissed coastline. No, the acclaimed artist and founder of jewellery house, Bil Arabi (@bilarabi ), hasn't moved back to Beirut. She's just carved herself a pocket of Levantine charm in Dubai's chic Port de La Mer district. "The big non-negotiable I had was that I wanted to be by the sea," says Kanso, “because it brings back happy memories of being surrounded by family.” She enlisted fellow Lebanese creative, the #AD100 designer Thomas Trad (@thomastrad ), to fashion a contemporary take on the traditional Beiruti homes she grew up in. Read the interview on the AD Middle East website now! Wearing: @newbottega ; photography by: @zigamihelcic ; interview @pratyushsarup ; jewellery by @bilarabi

The Collectors issue of @admiddleeast pays tribute to the art of collecting in all its forms, showcasing the passion and vision of those who curate collections that transcend the sum of their parts. Among them are Ahmad and Sirine Abu Ghazaleh (@lescreateursbysirine ), whose Amman home features on the cover, and hosts a truly global edit of contemporary art. “We were, and still are, awed by how art can play a role in documenting both the realities and hopes of the time, but also serve as a powerful tool for unity and sharing untold stories,” says the couple. Designed by the late Lebanese architect Pierre Bassil almost two decades ago, its double-height, glass-lined entrance courtyard – featuring a work by Black British artist Chris Ofili, in dialogue with a monumental piece by the Algeria-born photographer Mohamed Bourouissa (@mohamedbourouissa ) and a painting by the acclaimed Chinese abstract artist Zhang Wei (@zhangwei00128 ) – sets the stage for what is about to unfold inside. Photo: @seb.bottcher

The home of the comedic content creator Mohanad AlHattab (@mohanadalhattab ) combines colour with Zen-like calm, providing a soothing backdrop for him to work and relax in. Featured in the February 2025 issue of @admiddleeast , the interiors are by rising star Emirati designer Alamira Noor Bani Hashim (@anbh.interiors ), who was spurred to pep up her usual pared-back pale decor by AlHattab. One of his suggestions? Oxblood red tiles for the dining room walls, a brilliantly bold decision which leans into the moody, shitting light in the villa. Photo: @theinteriorseditor

The brief for this Paris apartment (which featured on the cover of AD Middle East’s December 2024 cover) was refreshingly simple: to bring the apartment back to its original glory, but with a modern touch. So imagine Paris-based #AD100 Lebanese designer Aline Asmar d'Amman’s (@alineasmardamman ) horror when she walked into her latest project location, a pied-à-terre on rue de l'Université in the 7th arrondissement, and was met with gloom. “I wanted to bring the light inside,” recalls d'Amman. Born from her love of craft and commitment to uplifting makers around the world, there is a sense of delicacy to the interior – a quality which has come to define the designer’s career. “A home is the sum of many things, but most importantly, it’s about tenderness,” she says. Photo: @giulioghirardistudio

“My house is my shell, and when I’m in my shell, I feel safe,” the Turkish actress Serenay Sarikaya (@serenayss ) told @middleeast in the October 2024 issue. Sarikaya’s desire for a private oasis is understandable, given the demands of her career, which has burgeoned since roles in two TV series, Fi and Sahmaran, propelled her to global prominence. So finding a haven in the heart of Istanbul was for her nothing short of a real-estate miracle. Located in a Modernist building on the European bank of the Bosphorus, this moody, industrial- luxe cocoon was an uninspiring cluster of rooms when the actress initially viewed the property. “When I saw the house for the first time, it was totally different.” she recalls. “It was very important for me that my home felt like my temple; I kind of love dark, cosy places.” Sarikaya enlisted Enis Karavil (@eniskaravil ), one half of the Istanbul-based design studio Sanayi313 (@sanayi313 ), to realise her vision. Photo: @zigamihelcic

The @admiddleeast August 2024 explored the elusive concept of style, understood instinctively yet differently by everyone. The cover features the Paris home of model and activist Nour Arida (@nouraridaoffical ), blending Lebanese elements with Haussmannian architecture.Collaborating with Lebanese architect Carl Gerges (@carlgerges ) (a former AD cover star himself), Arida and her husband George Badawi achieved a serene restoration. Photo: @ambroisetezenas

The June 2024 edition of @admiddleeast was all about discovery: expanding horizons by exploring unfamiliar places, embracing fresh ideas, and being enriched by diverse cultures. The Hotels by Design special offered over 30 pages of inspiration – a captivating survey of stylish properties where exquisite interiors and exceptional experiences merge to create unforgettable stays. We also celebrated the rising stars of Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Saudi, Emirati, and Lebanese design scene, and the vibrant world of Saudi artist Nasser Almulhim (@nasajm ) Photo: @stephanjulliard

With so much happening in the culture space across the region, we thought that it should be documented and surveyed in the April 2024 issue of @admiddleeast . The result is the Gulf Culture Compass (GCC for short), a portfolio celebrating exceptional projects, people and happenings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. From the new Dar Tantora (@dartantora ) hotel, which is a beacon for regenerative developments in the Middle East, and Desert X Alula (@_desertx ), which brought together regional and international names to create work that responds to the location, to exceptional homes that underscore our part of the world as a melting pot of artistic influences, the issue takes readers on a cultural odyssey. Cover Photography: German Saiz Calligraphy: @mina.mxrice

The February 2024 issue of AD Middle East was all about celebrating Works of Wonder and the creative impulse that can lead to the exceptional. Filmmaker Abdulla Al Kaabi's (@abdullaalkaabi ) Dubai home is truly an oasis of creativity thanks to the co-curation of art and design by architect Farshad Mahoutforoush (@farshadmf ). The soaring great room is filled with wow moments – including a glade of fig trees – and has a free-flowing connection to the lush garden and turquoise swimming pool.

For the launch issue of @admiddleeast ‘s watches and jewellery magazine, AD Carat, in December 2024, only the most captivating cover story would do. Who better than Egyptian actress Tara Emad (@taraemad ) to showcase the enduring, chameleonic beauty of exceptional pieces from the Cartier Collection (@cartier )? Photo: @charlottekrieger