If you thought mastering calligraphy on paper was incredibly difficult, then imagine the difficulty in sculpting it out of dense metals.

Beirut-based artist Iyad Naja does exactly that. He integrates steel, nickel, copper and brass calligraphy flawlessly into naked concrete to produce furniture designs and projects that are both modern feats and an ode to Arab heritage.



His collections largely feature tableware and lighting whereas his design firm, IN Design, takes commissions for large-scale projects. Most notably, Iyad designed the facade of an elevator in a science-inspired, vibrant gold design influenced by the 11th century mechanical engineer Al Muradi.



One of his most popular collections "Kintsu-k" is titled after the Japanese concept of Kintsukuroi, where a piece is rendered more precious after being fixed with another element. The tableware collection was a huge hit at the 2015 edition of Dubai Design Week.




"The opulence of calligraphy speaks to the soul and not the mind. That is the obvious distinction between calligraphy and typography," wrote Iyad in a post on his social networks, where his designs are continuously received with oohs and ahhs by a loyal fan base.

The centuries-old art of Arabic calligraphy has been coming back into fashion, design and all the facets of visual art in a beautiful, energetic boom. It's been rendered fresh, minimal, off the paper - and finally ready for the 2000s.