Ghyda Kanaan Studio has completed a creative workspace in Beirut for MENSA TABLES, a luxury tablescaping and event design studio in Beirut, founded by Yasmina Bayoud, that reimagines the office as something closer to a gathering place, a setting shaped as much by art and design as by function.
Rather than a conventional workplace, the project unfolds as an immersive, highly curated environment where architecture, craftsmanship and considered curation converge.
Mid-Century Modern sensibilities anchor the interiors, layered with vintage furnishings, bespoke detailing and artisanal touches. A sculptural red onyx portal announces the project’s defining gesture, marking the transition from reception into the living areas with a genuine sense of arrival.
Beyond it, a vintage Venini Murano chandelier hangs above a Dover green dining table, its warm glow honouring the elegance of Italian mid-century design. A 1970s dry bar sits nearby, reinforcing a narrative built from distinctive finds rather than off-the-shelf furnishings.
Materiality runs through every corner of the space. Three varieties of onyx, among them red and rainbow onyx, appear as architectural features that celebrate the stone’s natural artistry. A storage volume clad entirely in metallic melamine turns a purely functional element into a striking reflective presence, proof that utility and design impact need not compete.
Local artisans leave their mark throughout, from custom millwork to handcrafted details, including mirrors inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The result transcends the traditional workplace, offering instead a refined setting for gathering, exchange and inspiration.
The project reflects the wider ethos of Ghyda Kanaan Studio, founded on an international perspective that blends European refinement with Middle Eastern depth and warmth. What began through freelance collaborations in Boston, Miami and New York expanded into Beirut before the studio established its base in Madrid, carrying seven years of experience in luxury interiors and bespoke furniture design. Alongside interior projects, the studio produces sculptural furniture conceived as functional art, each piece built on striking silhouettes and bold material presence.
