Bridging intuition with craftsmanship, Mixalis Khoury creates spaces that are not only seen but deeply felt. His journey is one of movement, between countries, between disciplines, between the past and the present, all in pursuit of a design language that is as fluid as it is rooted in memory.
The Free Soul of Design
To step into a space by Mixalis Khoury is to enter a world where design is not just an aesthetic pursuit but an experience. Every texture, every detail, and every crafted piece carries a quiet dialogue between instinct, memory, and emotion. His work does not follow trends; it follows a rhythm, one that understands a space should not just be admired but lived in and felt.
The Making of a Designer
For Khoury, design was never a choice, it was an inevitability. Raised in a home where craftsmanship and creativity intertwined, he grew up surrounded by the scent of freshly cut wood and the sound of sewing machines. His father, a master carpenter, shaped his appreciation for materiality, while his mother, an art designer, taught him the subtleties of balance, space, and form.
"After school, I would spend hours in my parents' factory, absorbing everything. I learned what mattered, craftsmanship, high-end finishing, the soul behind every handmade piece," he recalls.
His earliest fascination, however, was textiles. "Fabrics were my first obsession. I loved how they transformed a space, how they carried weight, movement, and depth." From a young age, he experimented with a sewing machine, crafting cushions, table covers, and decorative pieces, and even designing dresses for his cousins’ dolls. His mother, recognising his talent, nurtured his creativity. “She knew I had it in me before I did. She gave me the space to explore without limitation.”
A Road Less Travelled
"I have always been a free soul. I dream, I learn, and I always find my way back to where I belong."
For Khoury, belonging was never about geography, it was about creative freedom. In the early 2000s, Lebanon was a place of uncertainty. Studying at university while working as a visual merchandiser, he found himself at the heart of the devastation that struck Beirut in 2006. “The shop I worked at was destroyed. Another explosion happened while I was in a taxi, the car shattered, and everything blurred. That was the moment I knew, I had to leave.”
Dubai became his second home. In 2007, he entered the world of luxury retail, styling VVIP clients at Gucci, travelling for fashion shows, and working closely with international design teams. “I was addicted to it, the colours, the fabrics, the window displays. I was creating things that sold. Even Frida Giannini and Patrizio Di Marco congratulated me on my work.”
Yet, beneath the allure of high fashion, something was missing. "I felt like a bird in a cage. It was beautiful, but I couldn't fly." One night in 2014, he woke up with a realisation. "I asked myself, what happened to me? I was supposed to be free, to dream, to create. But I had confined myself." That same night, he wrote his resignation letter. "I wasn’t leaving a career, I was reclaiming my creativity."
A New Canvas, A New Chapter
But the moment of arrival, the one where an artist looks at their work and knows this is it, never quite materialised. "To be honest, I haven’t arrived yet. I will never arrive until I do something back home. Lebanon is the place that changed my life, the place that makes me feel free, the place that inspires me to keep going."
Yet, if there were a project that came close, it would be the one that won him 2nd Place in the People’s Choice category at Dubai’s Top 50 Homes. “Because it wasn’t just a design—it was a home built piece by piece, with love, with struggle, with an unwavering pursuit of quality. The materiality, the finishing, the experience of it—it was a tribute to my beloved Lebanon and to all the years I have spent in Dubai.”
A Designer’s Return to His Origins
If every space tells a story, then his most personal chapter is just beginning.
After 18 years, he has finally found the house that called him back, a vintage 1970s home in Lebanon. “The moment I got the keys, I made coffee, sat on the terrace, and knew I had made the right choice.”
The house itself is his muse. “The patina of the stone facade, the shape of an old vase I found while shopping, these details sparked the entire concept. Despite its antique soul, I am weaving in modernity, but delicately, respectfully.”
This is not just another project. It is a home with memory, emotion, and nostalgia woven into its walls. “The Lebanon house will tell a story, a story of belonging, of heritage, of emotion. It will transport you to a space where peace, love, and safety exist in every detail.”
The Future of Design, Rooted in Heritage
As the design world leans into AI and futuristic aesthetics, Khoury remains rooted.
“Design is more than aesthetics. It is education, it is storytelling. Many people see my Mediterranean-inspired projects and say, ‘Oh, it looks like Greece.’ But this is more than that, it is a culture, a language that spans Italy, Turkey, and Lebanon. As designers, we have a duty to educate, to preserve narratives, not just create beautiful spaces.”
There are new collaborations on the horizon, including a wellness-focused partnership with a Finnish brand. For the first time, Khoury will become the face of a brand.
"It’s a new chapter. A new canvas. And I can’t wait."
Yet, through it all, one truth remains.
"My design is deeply linked to sustainability, using materials that last, that can be inherited from one generation to another. As designers, we have a duty to support the planet, to create spaces that endure, rather than contribute to waste. Every project is an opportunity to build something meaningful, something that will stand the test of time."
Perhaps that is the mark of a true designer, never fully arriving, always creating, always seeking, always dreaming.
