It’s been a while since we’ve walked in a shop in Riyadh and had our jaws drop to the floor. That’s up until we came across the Designers Hub at Al Waha District. To say that it should be every creative Riyadhi’s destination is not overstretching it.

While we love this place and would like to keep it to ourselves, but hey, we love you guys more, so you’re welcome.

Designers Hub is a multipurpose creative space. On the first floor you’ll find a book section within a trailer (yep, an actual trailer) with design titles and coffee table books that are a rarity if not impossible to buy locally. They cover a range of topics in photography, art as well as film. Needless to say, enthusiasts will be happy. There’s a coffee trailer near the entrance, should you want a latte while you roam around.

There’s an exhibition gallery area of sorts at the center of the first floor, currently, they’re exhibiting the Art of Photography, which will be there until May 25 (definitely worth checking out).

Not to say that this is only an adult’s playground, children are more than welcome. There’s actually a Kid’s workshop area that is perfect if you want your kids to hone their artistic chops. There’s also shelves lined with craft boxes and toys (that we ended up buying for ourselves, ahem).

On the second floor, you’ll find multi-functional rooms where we are hoping to find more workshops being hosted at soon. On the veranda deck of sorts, you can find some fashion brands on display. Talking with the awesome genius who started this all, Sara Abdullah says,

“The designers hub is not just one thing. We welcome different artists, fashion designers, photographers and any creative spirit. We created this space because we want Riyadh to have a venue to showcase local talent.”

Be prepared to break open your wallet. We came in expecting to window shop and left with two bags of awesomeness. They have calligraphy pens, quirky notebooks, and all those things you see and can’t help but buy.

Anyway, we have high hopes for the Designers Hub, they have created a benchmark for creative concept stores in the city and we can’t wait for our next visit.