"The Edge of Calm villa in Dubai Hills Estate offered interior designer D'Ora Tokai the chance to dismantle a structure entirely and rebuild it with more deliberate architectural intention. Working with a family she had already designed for twice before, Tokai received a rare gift in residential practice - complete creative freedom. The transformation involved three structural extensions that fundamentally altered the villa's relationship to light and flow. A former courtyard became an enclosed kitchen, collapsing the boundary between service and living spaces."
"Tokai's material palette became a deliberate counterpoint to Dubai's prevailing taste for high-gloss opulence. Oak herringbone floors established a grounded rhythm throughout the 2,700 square foot interior, while Calacatta Vagli marble appeared not as expansive statement surfaces but as architectural framing in joinery details, surface accents, and bespoke furniture elements. The marble's gray veining introduced just enough movement to prevent the space from feeling static, while brushed stainless steel and silver oak joinery provide moments of quiet contrast."
"The most revealing material choice is the warm-tinted glass deployed for table surfaces, pocket doors, and joinery elements. This detail created subtle shifts in tone and translucency in order to allow for spatial rhythm without relying on color or pattern. Color is used sparingly but purposefully, using eggplant and blush tones in the main bedroom along with soft pinks in the daughter's room."
The villa was fully dismantled and rebuilt to prioritize deliberate architectural intention and expanded spatial relationships. Three structural extensions reconfigured light and flow: a former courtyard became an enclosed kitchen, part of the backyard was absorbed into an expanded living-dining area, and the main suite expanded upstairs to include dual walk-in wardrobes finished in custom microcement. A restrained material palette grounds the interior with oak herringbone floors, Calacatta Vagli marble used as architectural framing rather than large statement slabs, and brushed stainless steel and silver oak joinery. Warm-tinted glass creates tonal translucency, while selective color accents and a bespoke handwoven eight-meter rug anchor the living spaces.
Read at Design Milk
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