Warm stone, fluted panelling, brass detailing and smart lighting — the looks our designers are delivering now.
1. Warm stone instead of cold marble
Travertine, beige limestone and honed quartzite are replacing the bright white marble that dominated Dubai interiors for a decade. The look is softer under UAE light and far more forgiving of everyday life.
We often pair a warm stone floor with matching stone in the majlis and a contrasting darker island counter in the kitchen to keep the scheme from going flat.
2. Fluted and slatted panelling
Vertical fluting adds height to rooms with standard ceilings and gives large feature walls a rhythm that plain paint cannot. CNC-produced panels let us vary the spacing exactly where a doorway or column interrupts the layout.
In joinery terms, fluting costs little more than flat panelling because the profile is cut in the workshop rather than on site.
3. Brass, bronze and blackened steel
Hardware, lighting and framing in brass and bronze are the fastest finishing touches in the specification. Paired with a blackened metal, they read as expensive without being shiny.
In coastal Dubai one caveat applies: coastal-grade or lacquered finishes are essential or brass will tarnish within a season.
4. Layered lighting, not a grid of downlights
The downlight grid is dying. Ceiling cove lighting, wall washers, profile LED lines and floor lamps now carry the scheme, with downlights reserved for tasks such as the kitchen counter.
This layering is best planned at MEP stage — adding lighting circuits later means chasing walls.
5. Interiors designed for entertaining
Majlis and dining areas are being designed as connected but acoustically separate spaces, with serving counters, concealed storage and outdoor connections.
Practical touches — a pantry behind the show kitchen, a drinks counter, retractable glass walls — now appear in almost every villa we fit out.
Haddad writes for Alruqi Almotamiza on construction, approvals and delivery practice in the UAE.
