Exploding furniture from Dubai. Sick robots from Doha. Stuffed crochet weasels from London. Dubai Design Days has corralled an eclectic bunch of designers for its biggest and most charming line-up to date. Inside the now familiar tent-dome at the foot of Burj Khalifa, objects of artistry and wit await at every turn. This time around, I am especially taken by whimsical projects that inject a sense of fun and wonder into the often über-sleek world of collectable design.

Below is a small selection of them. With

Shauna Richardson's crochetdermy lioness, now on show (and for sale, as Design Days director Cyril Zammit likes to remind people) at the Crafts Council booth.

Zuccheriera, a hand-crafted silver sugar box by Wiener Silber Manufactur in collaboration with Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, based on his well-known Fat Convertible sculptures.

Anna Szonyi's Boomerang Bench, winner of the Urban Commissions design contest.

Brick Plan, by Rock Wang, at the World Design Capital Taipei 2016 stand. Made of real bricks and mortar.

Discovered this mood-lifting assemblage at Fadi Sarieddine Design Studio's booth.

And this sneaky fellow at House of Today Beirut: Look Back, by Karim Chaya. — And this sneaky fellow at House of Today Beirut: Look Back, by Karim Chaya.

Another quirky favourite: The Oru Collection, by local talent Aljoud Lootah.

And finally, the falcon perch gets an Italian design makeover: Posa Project, by Massimo Faion, presented by Carwan Gallery.