About

Maria Makhlouf is an Architect and Interior Designer with 16 years of practice. She is the founder of M Square Studio S.A.L (Beirut, 2015) and the creative director of XPND Consultancy & Trading FZCO (Dubai) — the practice's current international operating entity for new mandates.

Her career combines rigorous academic training with high-level professional experience in architecture, development management, interior architecture and design education. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Lebanese American University (GPA 3.70, Distinguished Student) and a Masters in Urban Management and Architectural Design from Domus Academy in Milan (Distinguished Student).

From 2010 to 2013, Maria worked as Resident Architect and Project Manager at DW5 – Bernard Khoury Architects in Beirut. In 2014, she joined Eagle Hills in Abu Dhabi as a founding team member, reporting directly to the chairman on flagship development projects in UAE, Bahrain and Nigeria. Since founding her own practice in 2015, Maria has led over 50 projects across multiple typologies and geographies — from bespoke private residences in London's Mayfair to coastal properties in Lebanon, commercial hospitality venues, and corporate office fit-outs. She served as part-time faculty at LAU (Design Studio IV, IX, X) from 2011 to 2013.