Recently, Beit Kanz became a meeting point for design, craft and local production as eight Lebanese designers came together under the curatorial direction of Babylon The Agency. The initiative was built around a simple but urgent conviction: the future of Lebanese design depends on the artisans who continue to make it possible. At a time when traditional know-how has been slowly disappearing, talent has continued to leave the country and local production networks have remained under pressure, the project looked at design as more than an aesthetic gesture. It became a tool for economic support, cultural preservation and meaningful collaboration.
Ahmed Amer
Etienne Bastormagi
The participating designers, Georges Mohasseb, Etienne Bastormagi, Editions Levantine, Elie Riachi, Paola Sakr, Ahmed Amer, Emma Dya Jabr and Maria Yared, each developed new collections in collaboration with artisans and producers based in Lebanon. Through these pieces, the initiative aimed to generate sales, encourage local manufacturing and protect the skills that form an essential part of Lebanon’s cultural identity. For Beit Kanz, the collaboration sat naturally within its wider mission. Located in a 200-year-old heritage house on Sursock Street in Achrafieh, Beit Kanz is the social enterprise of Beit el Baraka charity. Combining a restaurant, an épicerie and a boutique, it dedicates 100 percent of its profits to Beit el Baraka while supporting local artisans, farmers and small producers across the country.
Editions Levantine
Elie Riachi
Today, Beit Kanz works with more than 1,200 women producers and dozens of agricultural cooperatives in Lebanon. This design-focused initiative extended that same model into the creative industries, creating value locally while supporting those who produce, manufacture and pass on their expertise.
Emma Jabr
Paola Sakr
Now in its third edition, the collaboration between Beit Kanz and Lebanese designers, curated by Babylon The Agency, continued to build a platform where designers, artisans and local producers could exchange ideas and create together. The strength of the project lay in this dialogue: contemporary design meeting inherited craft, and individual vision meeting collective skill.
Maria Yared
Georges Mohasseb
From Mohasseb’s material experimentation to Sakr’s sustainable approach, from Editions Levantine’s colourful regional language to Yared’s sensory objects, the initiative reflected the range of Lebanese design today. More importantly, it reminded us that behind every finished piece is a network of hands, knowledge and stories worth preserving.
