design et al are delighted to announce that Etcetera Living have been shortlisted for Luxury Residence – Global Award within The International Design and Architecture Awards 2018.
The brief for this project was given by Al Barari who are a leading luxury home developer. Al Barari has developed a new concept called The Nest – a new way of living, which encompasses 216 villas in midst of a state of the art health club, spa, wellness centre, and 18 million sq. ft. of landscaped lakes and streams. The Nest is a modern development, using contemporary style architecture, where quality finishes underscores timeless design, as the spacious rooms flow from one to another. The high ceilings, the sophisticated contemporary aesthetic and floor to ceiling windows makes these a special feature. The Nest offers a perfect balance of community and privacy.
The brief was to provide the same attention of detail that is executed in the structure, to be applied to the interiors. Etcetera Living were told to enhance the homes airy sense of space, making the home beautiful yet functional. The purpose of designing this villa was to show the clients, how they could create a cosy, inviting and stylish home from a shell to a liveable space, where every detail celebrates serenity and simplicity. Etcetera Living had to keep in mind the target client, who ranges from busy professionals to individuals with large families to artists seeking inspiration. A large target audience would also be overseas clients, who use these homes as vacation homes. The designers had the task to prove that luxury and nature and coexist.
The key aspect of the project was the dining area. Etcetera Living commissioned a bespoke dining table using granite and chrome. The designers also customized the partition in the centre of the room to divide the areas into dining and living. The look and feel of the room is quite modern however the function of the living space is casual with a low, comfortable seating. The team’s vision helped integrate an eclectic mix of contemporary and fresh elements into the design making the spaces comfortable, functional, modern, and aesthetically aligned with the client’s brief.
The house is situated in Al Barari, which is a green belt within a desert. The structures in Al Barari are white, straight lines with a clean look with large windows to show off the forest like views from inside the villas. Dubai is a city that is unbearably hot 6 months in the year. Keeping this in mind Etcetera Living wanted to keep the style of the villa white, clean with no fitted carpets to keep it as cool as possible. The clean lines that are integrated in our design aligned well with the environment.