Samar Stradi and Angela Arnaout left advertising careers behind not for a quieter life, but to build something they believe serves a genuine public need: spaces where people of all ages can engage in creative play. Their Dubai-based venture, Artful, grew from a personal reckoning with corporate life into a community-driven initiative rooted in the conviction that creativity belongs to everyone, not just children.
The two first met roughly 15 years ago at an advertising agency. Arnaout eventually returned to Lebanon, while Stradi stayed in Dubai. When Stradi became pregnant with her first child, the pull of corporate life weakened fast. “I knew in my core that I didn’t want to go back to corporate,” she said. “I wanted to find a way to be more present with my daughter, and to create something that was our own and that had purpose.” When Arnaout came back to Dubai, the two found their values had converged. Both were now mothers. Both wanted work that meant something.
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The name took time. They worked through several options before landing on Artful, a word that captured what they were reaching for. A soft launch at the end of 2024 gave way to an official opening in January 2025. The road there was neither smooth nor short. “We started with really small spaces and such a small idea that had the potential to become something so much bigger,” Stradi said. “Through all of the people we interacted with, the moments that we had, the dreams we had, and the mistakes we made, we navigated through so much and just kept growing and learning.”
Community has been the backbone of that growth. Arnaout describes Dubai as a home away from home, a city where her children are growing up and where she feels safe. Stradi, who arrived in Dubai in 2009, sees her own development as inseparable from the city’s. “Having lived in Dubai since 2009, I’ve really seen it change and grow, and I’ve grown with it. To be part of that in a way, makes me feel like Dubai is part of my identity.”
Dubai’s multicultural character has shaped how Artful operates day to day. Arnaout notes that serving many different cultures and communities keeps the business constantly adapting. For Stradi, building a homegrown UAE brand carries its own weight. “Being a brand in the UAE, there’s a sense of pride that comes with it. It’s almost like we’re joining a collective. We really look up to a lot of homegrown businesses here, and they’re all just so supportive.”
Recognition has arrived in ways neither founder anticipated. An invitation to speak at Baby Expo and approaches from major brands interested in collaboration have signaled that Artful’s work reaches beyond its immediate circle. The founders have been deliberate about partnerships, choosing organizations that share their values. Strawberry Fields owner Lea Murtada was among the earliest to see the potential. “She was one of the first people who really saw us in our early days as a business, and gave us the platform and opportunity to grow,” Stradi said. Other collaborators include A Little Something, an events company run by Sarah Kammoun, and OliOli, a children’s museum.
Among their proudest achievements is Create for Change, a CSR initiative that brings people together to celebrate creation across art, music, food and fashion, with proceeds benefiting those in need. “What’s amazing is that we are able to actually make a difference through our platform of creation,” Stradi reflected. “It’s very humbling to do that, and it means a lot to us.”
For Arnaout, the most meaningful moments are quieter ones: watching her children participate in the business, attend craft clubs, and absorb, even at home, how a brand is built from nothing. “You can’t put a price on that,” she said.
What drives everything, the founders insist, is a belief that play carries no age limit. “It’s not just for children, it’s for adults alike. Our hope is to be able to share that and connect with as many people as we can in the community.” Artful is still early in its journey, and the question of how far that idea can travel, across cultures, age groups and communities in a city as layered as Dubai, remains very much open.