Based between Milan, Beirut, and San Francisco, David/Nicolas have built a practice rooted in research, technical refinement, and long-term relevance. Founded by David Raffoul and Nicolas Moussallem in 2011, the studio’s work resists attachment to any single style, instead drawing on a wide spectrum of influences ranging from historical craft traditions to contemporary culture and industrial processes. By rethinking traditional materials through modern applications, the duo consistently produce spaces that feel both grounded and forward-looking, a duality that finds a particularly fitting expression within ADREA’s academic and artisanal framework.

Housing over 14,000 volumes about horses, riding, and equestrian heritage, the library is organised around a central cubic volume crafted from French oak and mahogany, around which a sinuous ring of curved steel bookshelves encourages fluid circulation. This contrast between a heavy, inward-looking core and a lighter, outward-facing perimeter establishes two distinct spatial moods: the centre, carpeted and softly lit, supports focused study, while the outer zone unfolds as a quiet promenade for browsing. Laboriously hand-carved in Lebanon, the wooden surfaces of the central core are articulated with rhythmic incisions of oblique and straight lines, alongside small spherical details referencing handmade leatherwork. These gestures are not decorative flourishes but introduce a tactile density that offsets the openness of the surrounding perimeter.