The answer, I am happy to say, is a resounding no. To echo the sentiments of my colleague Chris Lord in today's Arts & Life section: "It could have gone either way". Design Days Dubai was always an incredibly ambitious undertaking. Bringing so much high-end, collectible, "European" design to a market that has so far had relatively limited exposure to (and appetite for) this type of design was always a gamble. But, having walked the show, chatted to exhibitors and marvelled at the incredible products on offer, I can safely say that it is a gamble that has paid off. There were so many great products on show that it was almost impossible to list my favourites, but here are some of the things that definitely caught my eye. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; ">I loved Khalid Shafar's Arabi chandelier, which is made out of Egaals - the black headband worn by Arab men to hold their headdresses in place. The piece was designed specifically for Carwan Gallery's amazing 'Contemporary Perspectives in Middle Eastern Crafts' exhibition, which presented some incredibly intelligent and original takes on traditional Arabic design elements. </span> One product that I was really looking forward to seeing and that totally lived up to my expectations was the 0121 Chair by acclaimed Korean designer Lee Jae-Hyo. The chair proves that wood can still be worked in new and wonderful ways. I was blown away (if you'll excuse the pun) by the Fragile Future Chandelier at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery stand. Designed by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta and made from dandelion seed heads, it is one of the most delicate and beautiful objects I have ever seen. The Kinetism I wall cabinet by Charles Kalpakian at the Galerie BSL stand also caught my eye. It has a great three-dimensionality to it and reminds me of a futuristic honeycomb. Charles Kalpakian is a name that I am coming across more and more often these days, so I think we'll be seeing plenty more exciting products from the French Lebanese designer in the near future. Galerie BSL was also showcasing these beautiful stools - made, believe it or not, from porcelain. They have a fantastic coral-like quality to them, but are still incredibly smooth to the touch. If you haven't been down to Design Days Dubai yet, I urge you to do so. It'll be a while before you get another chance to see so much great design in one place at one time.
