Riyadh Apartment

The brief

This is a residential apartment in Riyadh, and NoVi's commission was its interior design, room by room. The brief lists four groups of spaces: the reception and kitchen, the living room, the master bedroom, and the roof with the bathrooms. Together they cover how the family receives guests, spends time together, rests and uses its own outdoor space.

The challenge

An apartment has to deliver a whole household's life within a fixed envelope. Guests should be received with some formality while the family's private rooms stay out of sight; the kitchen must work hard without spoiling the look of the rooms around it; and, in Riyadh's climate, a roof only earns its place if it offers shade and comfort for evenings outdoors.

Storage is the other quiet test: wardrobes, dressing space and display have to be generous yet built in, so the rooms stay calm and uncluttered.

Our approach

The renders set one warm, contemporary language across the apartment: cream walls and pale floors, walnut-toned slatted cladding with integrated lighting, and a marble-look feature wall with a linear fireplace in the reception, where blue velvet armchairs and abstract art add character. The kitchen follows in handleless greige cabinetry beneath timber upper units.

In the master suite, a floral mural behind the bed softens the timber, a sitting corner gives the room a place to pause, and a dressing area with glass-fronted, lit wardrobes and a vanity keeps storage built in. The family living room makes space for a home-fitness and gaming corner; the roof becomes a shaded terrace lounge; and the bathrooms pair grey marble with bronze-framed showers and illuminated mirrors.