Asma's Crafts

Asma Daouk studied for a Master's in furniture and interior design in Florence. Upon graduation, she returned to her home of Beirut where she set up Asma’s Crafts, an artisanal home and lifestyle accessories brand. Asma’s Crafts is inspired by Lebanon’s age-old heritage and traditions in craftsmanship. To achieve her designs Asma has sought out the most highly skilled artisans to craft timeless pieces with a modern twist. Patterns, calligraphy and geometry are essential in Asma’s handcrafted designs as they represent complex philosophies with an intricate, yet simple beauty. Through Asma’s Crafts, Asma is reviving the old techniques to help preserve the traditional artisanal approach to creating art pieces in an age of high-precision mass production.

Asma Daouk’s main inspiration is her family’s house, which was constructed over 100 years ago in the heart of Beirut. The building is an embodiment of local heritage characterised by traditional designs in the interior and in the architecture itself. The designs range from geometric patterns to colourful old traditional tile patterns, calligraphy and much more. This inspiration is seen in the patterns used to adorn Asma’s designs. Meaning and symbolism are also embedded in her work. An example of this are the handle shapes on the lids of the tiled brass boxes that represent peace, victory, eternal life, beauty, fertility and endurance.

The Artisan: a crafted tea room Exhibition