This 850 m² private villa in Saudi Arabia was designed for a married couple who gave Studia 54 complete creative freedom, with one central request: the interior had to be bold, expressive and memorable, particularly during formal gatherings.
The clients had followed the studio’s work for some time before commissioning the project. The husband is a businessman, while the wife is an artist, and both manage several projects simultaneously. Over several months, the design team developed a concept that combines spaces for family life with interiors intended for entertaining and receiving guests.
Natural motifs became the main source of inspiration. Rather than reproducing them literally, the project translates references to petals, stone, fire and organic forms into lighting installations, sculptural objects, wall treatments and material combinations.
The palette is based on earthy tones, including deep browns, muted ochre, soft beige and graphite. Chrome surfaces introduce a cooler note, while warm golden details add contrast and rhythm. More than 15 installations and sculptures were created specifically for the residence, alongside a selection of furniture and objects by international designers and manufacturers.
Living Room
The living room brings together several of the project’s recurring themes: natural forms, monumental stone surfaces, reflective materials and sculptural light.
Its principal feature is a suspended installation inspired by a petal frozen at the moment of falling. Small reflective details on its surface recall droplets of dew. The composition descends from a mirrored portal that serves both as a zoning device and as a visual extension of the room.
With ceilings reaching five metres, the mirrored structure enhances the vertical proportions of the space and draws attention upward.
The installation is paired with a floor lamp by Spanish artist Nacho Carbonell. Its organic silhouette resembles a fantastical mushroom-like tree and introduces another interpretation of nature into the room. Within the concept of the project, the piece becomes a symbol of resilience and the ability of life to emerge even in a harsh, sun-scorched landscape.
Fire forms another important element of the composition. A bio fireplace introduces a living flame into the interior and is framed by a monumental marble wall with a fluid, hand-polished texture. Individual pieces of stone were selected to evoke the irregular appearance of a natural geological formation.
The dark polished marble flooring strengthens the contrast between the warm flame, reflective surfaces and sculptural stone. Its depth gives the room a more monumental character while providing a restrained background for the furniture and art.
The furniture selection continues the dialogue between expressive form and natural materiality. The living room includes a fringed armchair by Paul Ferrante, a solid-wood pouf by Haus of Hommeboys and an elliptical cabinet by Longhi, together with pieces by Minotti and FiftyFourms.
Rather than organising the space around a single decorative object, the living room is built as a composition of several visual centres. Art, lighting, furniture and natural materials work together to create an interior intended to reveal different details gradually.
Dining Area
The dining room was designed for formal receptions and accommodates 15 to 17 guests.
At the centre of the space is a bespoke lighting installation developed from Studia 54’s original sketches. Its form is inspired by a magnolia in bloom.
A textile dome creates the impression of large overlapping petals, while numerous crystal threads descend beneath it like falling pollen. When illuminated, the crystals scatter the light and create a rain-like effect above the dining table.
Metallic thread embroidery adds another level of detail to the textile surface. The floral imagery continues the natural narrative introduced in the living room, while the magnolia motif is connected with ideas of abundance, harmony and prosperity.
The round dining composition is completed by chairs from Italian manufacturer Pedrali.
The walls were treated with the same attention as the ceiling installation. The principal wall is clad in veneer inlaid with natural leather, creating a large organic pattern across its surface. The material combination adds tactile depth while continuing the earthy palette of the residence.
Leather wall panels positioned on either side contain niches with onyx sconces. Their warm illumination emphasizes the translucent character of the stone and creates a softer layer of ambient light around the dining area.
A decorative screen completes the composition. Its intricate pattern is based on natural motifs, reinforcing the visual language established throughout the residence. Integrated floor lighting projects shadows from the screen onto the surrounding surfaces, giving the pattern additional depth and allowing its appearance to change depending on the lighting scenario.
Nature as a Recurring Motif
Natural imagery appears throughout the project in different forms.
In the living room, it is expressed through the suspended petal installation, the organic silhouette of Nacho Carbonell’s floor lamp, the living flame of the bio fireplace and the hand-finished marble surface.
In the dining room, the theme develops through the magnolia-inspired chandelier, leather and veneer wall composition, natural onyx and the patterned screen.
These references are supported by the overall material palette. Browns, ochre, beige and graphite establish an earthy foundation, while polished marble, chrome surfaces and golden accents introduce reflection and contrast.
The design therefore moves between two visual conditions. Natural stone, wood and leather create warmth and tactile depth, while mirrored, chrome and polished surfaces introduce a sharper contemporary layer.
Bespoke Art and Lighting
Custom-designed objects play a central role throughout the villa. More than 15 installations and sculptures were developed specifically for the project, allowing the decorative language to respond directly to the proportions and character of each room.
Lighting is frequently treated as an art object rather than as a separate technical layer.
The falling petal in the living room uses the five-metre ceiling height to establish a vertical composition, while the magnolia installation in the dining room defines the entire formal dining zone below it.
Other sources of illumination are integrated into materials and architectural details. Onyx sconces introduce a warm glow within wall niches, floor lighting emphasizes the decorative screen, and reflective surfaces multiply light throughout the interiors.
This layered approach gives each space its own atmosphere while maintaining continuity across the residence.
An Interior for Family Life and Formal Gatherings
The project was developed around two parallel scenarios. The villa had to remain comfortable as a family residence while also providing an expressive setting for formal gatherings.
The main reception spaces therefore combine generous proportions with strong visual focal points. The five-metre-high living room uses art and sculptural lighting to work with the scale of the architecture, while the dining room creates a more ceremonial composition around the 15–17-seat table.
At the same time, the natural palette and repeated use of tactile materials establish continuity between these more expressive elements.
The resulting 850 m² residence reflects the creative freedom given by the clients to Studia 54. Natural forms, custom lighting, art, collectible furniture and contrasting materials form a single interior language in which each major space has its own character while remaining part of the wider concept.
