Japandi minimalism meets Arabian Desert vibes in this luxury villa by C’est ici Design
“We want a comfortable forever home that is functional, elegant and clean” was the open brief given to inter-disciplinary studio C’est ici Design. The client, a dynamic lawyer couple with a passion for interior design, investments and real estate development, were familiar with C’est ici’s signature house style and sought them out in early 2022 to redesigned the interiors of their newly acquired villa in Jumeirah Golf Estates. The brief constituted of design and build for the 1,500 sq mtr. villa, including hard and soft finishes, joinery and fit out.
An Oasis of calm
Tasked with the charge to create a practical yet chic home, C’est Ici applied Japandi principles, a fusion of Japanese aesthetics and Scandinavian design, to transform the interiors into a calm and uncluttered space where natural materials like wood and marble combine with rustic stone cladding and textured plaster to create an elegant visual symphony.
In this oasis of calm, a collection of high-end furniture, curated for both beauty and utility, sits in conversation with over 40 bespoke pieces of C’est ici designed furniture and crafted elements. Against the sober base palette of sun-bleached sand and warm terracotta, bright colours, introduced subtly through home accessories, add a touch of cheer.
The expansiveness of the desert is evoked through the open planning and double height spaces, while its spirit is invoked through the hues and integration of desert flora in the interiors. Washed in plenty of natural light, the home is a picture of simplicity and minimalism with its clean lines and understated luxury. It is also a perfect meeting ground of the client’s aspirations and the studio’s inspiration.
A Grand Entrance
The main door opens into a grand double height atrium with a minimal touch of furniture - two statement pieces: a soft brown lounge and a bespoke console crafted from raw wood and Emperador marble.
The most striking element of the space is the tall room divider, a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Japanese shoji screen. The swivel panels dressed in linen, delineate the entrance lobby from the show kitchen and informal dining space behind, without disrupting the open, fluid layout of the home. The look is completed by a series of organic shaped Bocci pendent lamps floating above like passing clouds.
The Heart of the Home
A sleek Poliform kitchen is the centre of action in this multi-use space housing the informal living and dining. The simplicity of its design gets an elegant upgrade with a marble backsplash and countertops.
The informal dining is defined by an oblong table with a Dekton Danae countertop from Cosentino. This statement piece is paired with an eclectic combination of armchairs, a black Joni bench from Custom No.9 and ceramic accessories that complete the picture.
The informal living, an extension of the dining and kitchen space, gets its Zen look from the low height furniture pieces, clean lines softened with a sprinkling of curved edges, the ‘shoji’ partition and the wooden lattice shutters of the TV wall unit.
Formal Spaces
Wooden sliding doors from the informal living leads into a large T-shaped space accommodating the formal dining, bar, living and a sunken seating area.
Anchoring the formal dining space is a bespoke dining table for ten with a Dekton Khalo countertop from Cosentino. The ultra-polished surface and Patagonia stone inspired hue of the countertop compliment the metal mesh feature wall and offers a counterpoint to the organic textures of wood and ceramic accessories. The rounded edges of the countertop visually match the curved backrest of the dining chairs while the colours sync in perfect harmony.
The twin camel brown Gubi Pacha armchairs and a custom designed coffee table with an amorphous top and uneven wooden legs are stand out elements in the formal living.
Bespoke is taken to a whole new level with the bar, a culmination of the collaborative efforts of several skilled teams including wine cooler specialists who lent their expertise to customize the technical aspects of the design. Minimal yet rich with a range of complimenting materials and textures, the bar is a case study in itself.
Highly functional Dekton Kira engineered stone from Cosentino clads the worktops of the bar, yet it is the floating raw monkey wood countertop from Slab House that truly captivates the eye. CNC-carved Japanese style shutters, sleek backlit glass displays and textured paint finish from Colortek add a touch of enchantment.
Adjacent to the formal living and bar is a sunken seating area, a hallmark of traditional Japanese interiors, with a wall-to-wall sliding door and a step out into the patio and landscaped garden beyond.
Homely Office
Japandi aesthetics extend into the light and airy home office upstairs with white curtains, linen elements and the use of walnut and terracotta wood, making work-from-home a pleasure. A custom-made Marquina marble office desk with its striking white veins makes a power statement in the otherwise neutral workspace.
A play of Light, Materials and Textures
The interiors are defined by the copious use of wood and stone with an unexpected touch of metals and pops of brown textile. Wood veneers, imparting a sense of warmth and homeliness, are used in architectural elements like the staircase, fit-out joinery, ceiling cladding, and furniture while white painted raw woods feature in shelving and customised round tables. Ingeniously repurposed and locally sourced raw wood, previously used in boats, have also gone into the making of bespoke pieces for this project.
A timeless, opulent aesthetic is achieved through a combination of travertine, marbles as diverse as Emperador, Arabescato and Marquina and natural stone-inspired ultracompact carbon neutral surface Dekton by Cosentino.
Every room features a selection of ceramic, linen, stone, and wooden elements to visually tie the spaces together. A micro-cement flooring seamlessly covers the villa, right from the basement to the ground and first floor, providing a neutral, resilient base to offset the textile and furniture in the spaces.
Artificial lighting for the villa is executed through the use of Vibia and Louis Paulsen LED sources, controlled by an intelligent DALI lighting system to effectively reduce energy consumption.
Completed in July 2023, Desert Palm is a modern sanctuary defined by a clean aesthetic, authentic materiality and an ethos that combines desert inspiration with the simplicity of Japandi living.
