Buccellati and David/Nicolas Capture Desert Radiance in Dubai

When Buccellati unveiled “Convivium Montis” at NOMAD St. Moritz earlier this year, the Lebanese design duo David Raffoul and Nicolas Moussallem of David/Nicolas reinterpreted alpine chalets through the jewelry house’s lens of craftsmanship and heritage. Their installation combined expressive wallpapers, richly grained woods, and celadon and earth-toned fabrics to evoke the colors and textures of mountain life while showcasing Buccellati’s silverware within a lived-in environment. The collaboration revealed a shared appreciation for material craft and reverence for historical details—an exchange that now continues in Dubai, where the partners have reunited for the fast-rising fair, Downtown Design, with a thoughtful new presentation that translates the high-jewelry house’s signature elegance into interlocking curved rooms. 

The installation unfolds as two interlocking shell-shaped rooms that open toward a luminous central salon. Layered wood and mirrored panels curve outward in gentle arcs that catch and scatter light within. A soft palette of sandy tones nods to the Arabian Desert beyond while filtered light ripples softly across curved surfaces. David/Nicolas rooted their concept in the maison’s silversmithing tradition and its deep reverence for nature and harmony. “Our main inspiration for the stand was the shellfish,” Moussallem explains. “They take a real shellfish and cover it in layers of silver until it’s kind of fossilized.” That idea shaped the room’s architecture, in which two shell-shaped spaces converge. The carved wood ridges evoke sedimentary layers shaped by wind, inspired by Dubai’s desert landscape and the idea of time captured in material. 

At its core, the installation highlights Buccellati’s celebrated Tahiti, Marina, and Nature collections, displayed like treasures in a jewel box and as centerpieces of stylish dining tableaux. The Tahiti series, created in the 1960s by Gianmaria Buccellati, gracefully blends silver with dark bamboo—a combination that became a hallmark of the house’s postwar style. Each piece, from pitchers to candelabra, contrasts the warmth of natural wood with the cool brilliance of engraved silver, illustrating how Buccellati balanced Italian savoir-faire with bamboo to create a distinctive silver-and-wood icon of the period. The collection remains one of the house’s most distinctive expressions, its tactile surfaces and organic handles revealing how traditional silversmithing could evolve through fearless material exploration. 

Nearby, the Marina and Nature collections extend Buccellati’s fascination with the natural world. Marina draws on shell and coral motifs interpreted across silver centerpieces and tableware. The more recent Nature series continues this lineage, translating flora and fauna into delicate sculptural works such as a butterfly poised on a leaf and a pear rendered in gleaming silver. “It’s a way of satisfying the eyes of the visitors,” says Raffoul. Together, they demonstrate the maison’s mastery of hand engraving, a centuries-old technique that etches fine lines into silver to produce shimmers of light and shadow. New additions, such as jam jars in silver and Murano glass, seamlessly bridge that rich heritage to the Gulf’s maritime culture. 

This presentation marks Buccellati’s first outing at Downtown Design Dubai and highlights an expanding presence in the Middle East, an increasingly vital market for collectible design and contemporary craftsmanship. For global communication director Maria Cristina Buccellati, that made David/Nicolas an ideal collaborator. “I love David/Nicolas because they’re extremely versatile,” she muses. “And like us, they give life to materials.” 

Downtown Design Dubai will be on view until Sunday, November 9.