Fit-out and decoration on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Our work in Abu Dhabi

Saadiyat Island sits ten minutes from the centre of Abu Dhabi and holds the Cultural District around the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the beachfront communities along the shore and, further inland, the villa districts. Projects here are run by the same engineers, site managers and site teams as in Dubai, with the same itemised estimate and the same reporting. The completed work shown on this page is in apartments; we take on villas on the island on the same terms.

Beachfront apartments arrive from the developer in decent condition, so the work is rarely structural. It is about turning a well-built shell into a home that belongs to its view, and that is mostly decoration, joinery and finishing trades rather than demolition.

Two apartments in Azure

Two apartments in the same building, with two different tempers. The first looks outwards and takes its colours from the beach in front of it: walnut, travertine, pebble-shaped mirrors and a deep sea-blue velvet lifted straight out of the water. The second looks inwards, like a library: walnut slats, marble with gold veining, brass, tobacco and off-white, with a few drops of ink blue. We designed, fitted out and furnished both, down to the tableware.

Agreeing the finishes in Mamsha Al Saadiyat

For an apartment in Mamsha Al Saadiyat, the beachfront community beside the Cultural District, we visualised the finishes in 3D. The images on that page are views, not photographs of a finished flat: they show the master suite, the guest bedroom and the lounge with every material, light fitting and piece of furniture already chosen. That is how the look of our own finishing works is agreed — the owner approves all of it before anything is touched on site, and the views are part of the works rather than a line in the estimate. See the visualisations.

What beachfront homes need

• An interior that starts from the view: the palette, the furniture plan and the lighting are built around the window rather than the wall
• Materials that cope with sun, salt air and humidity: stable veneers, stone, and outdoor-grade fabrics on balconies and terraces
• Curtains and blinds that control glare through the day without hiding the Arabian Gulf
• Quiet, discreet air conditioning: linear diffusers, hidden access panels, and grilles kept off sight lines
• Custom joinery, from walnut wall panelling to concealed hallway storage with brass inlays

Approvals and the first visit

Works are agreed with the building or community management and, where the scope requires it, with the relevant Abu Dhabi authority. Expect the familiar pattern: an NOC issued against drawings and the contractor's documents, service-lift bookings for deliveries and waste, working hours set by the building, protection of lift cars, corridors and lobbies, and a deposit against damage to common areas. We prepare the documents and coordinate access, deliveries and hours with the building.

The site visit itself is free and ends with measurements and an itemised estimate. Have the floor plan or handover drawings to hand, the management company's contact, and a sense of whether you have drawings from a designer or want us to agree the look on 3D views first.