OBEGI Home CEO Karine Obegi on 20 Years of Contemporary Luxury in the UAE

OBEGI Home is marking 20 years in the UAE. Karine Obegi and her husband Yordan founded the company in 2006, and she has led it as CEO since. Mordor Intelligence projects the country's interior design sector will be worth US$3.11 billion by 2031.

Obegi says the original goal was a design destination where homeowners and professionals could find inspiration, with top international furniture brands and global trends brought to the UAE through curation expertise and high-touch service. That vision remains. The work has shifted. Twenty years ago, branded systems and furniture were a rare request. Today almost all ultra-luxury developers treat them as core to their product strategy.

The portfolio tracks the shift toward contemporary style. OBEGI Home runs a Poliform monobrand showroom and a multi-brand space with Antoniolupi, Bulthaup, Flexform, Lualdi, Porada and Tribù. Two more monobrand showrooms for Flexform and Lualdi are in progress in the same area, taking the brand to four Dubai retail spaces. OBEGI Home opened the first furniture showroom on Jumeirah Beach Road ten years ago; the road is now the city's high-end furniture district. Showrooms in Riyadh's King Abdallah Financial District begin opening this summer. The next 18 months will be dominated by that Saudi push and by deeper digitization across departments and customer experience.

UAE buyers differ from a typical luxury market. They come from around the world and are unusually well traveled. Their references come from hotels, resorts, restaurants and private clubs, and they want those experiences recreated at home. Premium residential, commercial and hospitality projects are multiplying, and an influx of ultra-high-net-worth individuals is pushing demand up. Branded residences are quickening the pace. Clients expect excellent quality on ambitious timelines, which Obegi calls one of the industry's hardest tests.

Speed, reliability and consistent communication are the first ask for clients. The company listens and advocates, passing regional needs back to manufacturers. Strong supplier relationships make that possible, and the Gulf market's potential keeps manufacturers open to changes.

Logistics was the hardest part of the recent regional crisis. Ships were redirected; orders sat in Italy. The logistics team tracked vessels, found alternative routes, and planned around future deliveries. Suppliers stored goods free of charge. Shipping prices rose sharply. Transparent communication and discipline learned during the pandemic kept things moving, and showrooms reopened within days.

Design studios in the UAE now take broader roles. They supervise execution after the design stage and build procurement services. OBEGI Home works with them on selection and procurement, turns designs into concrete selections, and moves fast because it knows its brands.

New brands must meet four criteria. Quality is tested through factory visits. Design must complement the portfolio without duplicating it. Vision means a partner that keeps innovating. People matter most: a family company needs trust and mutual respect.

Obegi expects meaningful luxury ahead. Prestigious labels still carry weight, but clients increasingly care about the story behind a piece and the conversation it sparks. That turn toward authenticity and storytelling will shape interiors for the next five to ten years.