Sobha FurnitureOne year after its debut at Downtown Design, Sobha Furniture is taking stock of its first major milestone. Born from the experience of Sobha Group, the Middle East's "Palace Maker," the company has translated its philosophy of quality and precision from the world of real estate to that of furniture. It has been a journey marked by significant investments, such as the new facilities in KEZAD and Dubai Industrial City, and the completion of over 21 major projects. To understand this evolution, the challenges of a complex market, and the vision for the future, IFDM met with Anuj Jain, CEO of Sobha Furniture.
One year after the official launch of Sobha Furniture, what is your assessment of this first, intense year of activity? What have been the most significant milestones, and what were the main challenges you faced in establishing the brand in the market? When we introduced Sobha Furniture at Downtown Design Dubai in November 2025, we were bringing an established manufacturing business to a wider audience. Having worked closely with Sobha Realty since 2015, delivering kitchens, wardrobes, doors and complete interior solutions for its premium developments; this first year has been about translating that experience into a distinct brand identity and establishing Sobha Furniture as a recognised name among architects, designers, developers and hospitality groups across the region. Our ambition has been to build a manufacturing ecosystem that can set new standards for the furniture industry in the region. This led us to establish state-of-the-art facilities in KEZAD, Abu Dhabi, and National Industries Park in Dubai. By integrating design, engineering and production within our own ecosystem and bringing advanced and sophisticated machinery from Europe, we have been able to maintain the precision, consistency and attention to detail that define Sobha Group's approach. We continue to invest in the UAE, our new Dubai Industrial City (DIC) facility designed to meet LEED Platinum standards is rapidly progressing towards launch. Equipped with advanced automation and Industry 4.0 technologies, it will allow us to achieve greater precision at scale, expand our capabilities into upholstery and loose furniture, and cater to increasingly diverse project requirements. With this expansion, our total manufacturing footprint will grow from 8,000 sqm to 73,000 sqm in just four years. Alongside this, we have completed more than 21 major projects, ranging from premium apartments to luxury villas, including a landmark delivery for The S. This year, we also launched Flaer, our premium, high-end lifestyle brand built to stand among furniture houses with generations of heritage behind them at Milan Design Week. Designed in Italy and manufactured here in the UAE, Flaer will make its regional debut at this year’s Downtown Design, following which we are set to launch further showrooms and establish retail presence.
Sobha Group has a strong legacy in the luxury real estate world as the "Palace Maker." How does this DNA, built on precision and construction quality, translate into the world of furniture? In what way does this experience differentiate you from other furniture brands? Quality is at the heart of everything we do. Our backward-integration model, pioneered by Sobha Group’s founder, Mr. P.N.C. Menon, and recognised by Harvard Business School, has long given Sobha Realty control over design, engineering, production and execution. At Sobha Furniture, we have carried this same philosophy into furniture manufacturing, building on more than a decade of experience delivering kitchens, wardrobes, doors and vanities for premium residential developments. What distinguishes us is that we understand furniture not simply as an individual product, but as an integral part of the spaces people inhabit and experience every day. Our background in luxury real estate has given us a deep understanding of the relationship between design, functionality, materiality and market expectations. Whether we are creating interiors for a private villa or a large-scale development, our approach is guided by the same attention to detail and consistency in quality. We also believe that the definition of premium furniture is evolving. While European design heritage and craftsmanship continue to set important benchmarks, quality today is no longer determined by geography alone. It is defined by the integrity of the design, the materials selected, the precision of execution and, ultimately, the confidence customers can place in the finished product. This is where our integrated approach makes a meaningful difference. By bringing together Italian design sensibility, European engineering expertise and UAE manufacturing capabilities, we can preserve the original creative intent throughout the process, from concept to delivery. For our clients, this translates into greater transparency, flexibility and reliability, as well as the confidence that what has been envisioned will be delivered to the highest standards. As our founder, Mr. P.N.C. Menon says, “The fanatical commitment to quality is based on a single principle: no compromise." This is the philosophy that continues to guide us as we build Sobha Furniture's identity and contribute to a new understanding of what premium furniture manufactured in the UAE can represent.
2026 has been marked by a new scenario of uncertainty in the Middle East. In such a complex context, how has Sobha Furniture responded? What strategies have you adopted to navigate this instability, and what reflections has it generated within the company? At Sobha Furniture, our approach has always been guided by a long-term vision. While external circumstances may evolve, our commitment to the UAE and the wider region remains unchanged. One of our greatest strengths is continued investment in our local manufacturing capability and vertically integrated operations, which give us greater control over our supply chains, production timelines and quality standards. This allows us to remain agile and responsive to changing conditions while continuing to deliver the level of excellence our clients and partners expect, within the timelines we commit to. Our investment in DIC, alongside our focus on strengthening our manufacturing capabilities, reflects our confidence in the UAE. To date, we have committed AED 1.1 billion to these facilities. This growth has created skilled manufacturing, engineering and quality control roles across three facilities, and has attracted design and technical talent from around the world, with people choosing to build their careers here. This April, we introduced Flaer at Milan Design Week. While the brand made its debut in Milan, its foundation lies firmly in the UAE, which made the decision both strategic and symbolic, a reflection of our resilience, confidence and belief in what is being built from the UAE for the world. If anything, this period has reinforced the importance of agility, collaboration and building strong relationships with our clients and partners. We are also grateful to the UAE’s visionary leadership for fostering a stable and supportive business environment that enables industries like ours to continue investing, innovating and growing. For us, the focus remains firmly on the future and on continued investment over the long term.
During the last Milan Design Week, the design community had the chance to see some pieces from your second brand, Flaer. Can you tell us more about this project? What is its identity, and how is it positioned in relation to Sobha Furniture within your group's strategy? Flaer is a premium furniture brand from Sobha Group, bringing together European design culture and Dubai’s bold, progressive spirit. Creative direction is led by our dedicated design studio in Milan, while production takes place within our UAE manufacturing ecosystem. Flaer draws inspiration from cultures and perspectives gathered across the world. Bringing these influences into dialogue, the brand creates furniture that reflects a life shaped by many places, yet entirely its own. Its design philosophy is rooted in balance, restraint and emotional resonance. The debut collection expresses this through “Soft Elegance”: gentle volumes, tactile materials, fluid forms and carefully calibrated colour palettes that bring warmth and quiet refinement to each piece. We introduced Flaer during Milan Design Week this year through “From Vision to Identity”, an installation staged inside a historic apartment in the Brera district. At Downtown Design, we will present our wider collection to the region for the first time, ahead of our Dubai showroom opening. Within the group’s strategy, Sobha Furniture and Flaer serve distinct but complementary audiences. Sobha Furniture serves B2B clients such as architects, developers and hospitality groups, while Flaer brings that expertise directly to homeowners and design enthusiasts through a brand with its own design identity. Both draw on the same integrated manufacturing capabilities, with control over every stage of production, from engineering and fabrication to finishing and quality control.
Looking to the future, what are the next steps for Sobha Furniture? What are the development plans on the horizon, both in terms of geographical expansion and new collections or distribution channels? Our next step is the launch of the DIC flagship facility, which will significantly expand our capacity for large-scale residential and hospitality projects. The facility will bring integrated production lines for cabinetry and upholstery under one roof. This expanded capacity will help us meet growing demand in the hospitality and premium residential segments across the GCC, alongside our continued work with Sobha Realty. Alongside this, we will establish Flaer’s presence through a phased opening of showrooms across the UAE and Italy, together with the development of its retail network, giving homeowners and design professionals the opportunity to experience the collection firsthand. Across both brands, we will continue to strengthen our relationships with specifiers and architects to support future projects, through platforms such as .W100 Arabia.
