In stylish splendour

Stella Rosato

• Last Updated: March 28. 2009 8:30AM UAE / March 28. 2009 4:30AM GMT

The story of one of Emirates Hills’ grandest homes began when its owner visited a sumptuous villa in Marbella, Spain. He greatly admired its interiors, taking particular note of the craftsmanship and attention to detail that had been lavished on the property.

With his own Dubai home in the initial stages of architectural planning, the owner was inspired. Next came an introduction to the villa’s designer, the Frenchman Simon Gitel, and an immediate bond was formed. Gitel, who is also a trained architect and product designer, was swiftly commissioned to take on the interiors at Emirates Hills.

“My client was very happy to leave the design to me, which was a wonderful trust,” says Gitel. “He was just concerned that the house should be beautifully crafted; he wanted it to be like no other home in Dubai.”

Gitel’s previous work includes interiors for some of the world’s most discerning homeowners in Europe and the United States, as well as a yacht for a member of the Saudi Arabian Royal family, with no fewer than 40 bathrooms. Since Gitel specialises in the design of bathroom fittings (the taps in Burj al Arab, for instance, came from his drawing board) it was a commission he relished. “You get used to working at a certain quality level,” he explains. “These clients are able to have anything they want so, as a designer, it is a great responsibility.”

For Emirates Hills, Gitel made initial drawings that were presented, then modified in line with his client’s requirements. Reflecting its owner’s international background and peripatetic life, the theme chosen for the house was principally Moroccan, with influences from Spanish-Moorish architecture. Its reception rooms were inspired by the great Parisian salons and the Napoleonic châteaux of France, while incorporating the high craftsmanship of classic Italian furniture. These styles sit together in harmony in the five-bedroom residence, bound by the painstaking work that has gone into every detail of their design.

To orchestrate the project, Gitel spent months at a time in Dubai, overseeing the many craftsmen who had been drafted in to work on the house. One of his biggest challenges was ensuring the highest quality of work: the ceiling in the central atrium, hand-carved from fragrant cedar wood, took five Moroccan artisans several days to manoeuvre into place. “Every detail of the house was studied and judged. If it didn’t pass muster, it was sent back to be redone – it had to be perfect,” he says.

In the drawing room, French silk brocade lines the walls, creating a soft foil for the down-filled, Italian-made sofas from Provasi and ornate Italian cabinetry. The level of detailing is remarkable: hand-looped ribbon edging on the cusions; hand-sewn braiding on the upholstered chairs; even the tasselled passementerie tie -backs on the heavy silk curtains were handmade to order in France. “Although it is lavish, it is all very comfortable,” says Gitel. “The family can easily move from room to room as they flow into one another and are filled with furnishings that are not too formal.”

If there were a single pièce de résistance in this unique house, it is the dining room, where hand-applied gold leaf trims the honey-hued wood-panelled walls. “I think it is particularly important to use the most flattering colours for skintone in a dining room,” notes Gitel, “and everyone who sits down to dinner in this magnificent room looks extremely healthy.”

A detail such as that would be easy to overlook, though, in the presence of the show-stopping dining table. Large enough to seat 18 people, each of its pedestals weighs 350 kilos and its intaglio stone top an awesome 1.3 tonnes; not surprisingly, the floor had to be reinforced to support the colossal weight. Even more impressive than its size however, is the detail. Designed by Gitel in classical late Renaissance style, it is inlaid with semi-precious stones, such as agate and lapis lazuli, and was made by intaglio craftsmen in Poland. “It’s the sort of table they would have had in Versailles,” says the designer, “And it’s going nowhere. It would be impossible to move and will stay here as long as the house is standing.”

The care and attention that has been lavished on the inside of the house has been mirrored in its outdoor spaces. An airy terrace with another hand-carved ceiling from southern Morocco overlooks the infinity pool and landscaped garden – one of the largest plots in Emirates Hills, with a view that runs the whole length of one of The Montgomerie’s fairways. Moroccan lamps – the only off-the-shelf objects bought in Dubai for the house – light an informal entertaining space that has become a favourite area for the family. Floor-to-ceiling curtains in heavy cream canvas can be drawn to enclose the terrace in adverse weather.

The project took two years from design to completion and Gitel admits to being supremely happy his work – well almost. “I’d still like to see a rug for the outside area and a few more objets d’art but in a house like this there is always something to be doing,” he acknowledges. “Despite the high level of design it is not a museum; it is a house for living in.”

• For further details about this home please contact Engel & Völkers, Dubai, 050 2911 405