Local Industries

Local Industries is a furniture design company founded in 2011 in Bethlehem by architects Elias and Yousef Anastas, the brothers behind AAU Anastas, as a way of bringing local craft techniques into their architectural work. Conception and production happen through a constant back-and-forth with Palestinian artisans, so that the means of production shape the design and the design adapts to them.

The result is a collection of simple but bold objects, including the Mike Bench, the Jawad Stool and the Mike Rocks, made for contemporary workspaces while reasserting the value of local labour instead of freezing it in a traditional role. The company calls itself both a brand and a network of craftspeople, and after hours its Bethlehem space becomes a learning centre where makers teach welding, carpentry and stonework.