This incredible mansion designed by Amal Qamber, founder of Atria Design studio, is located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is a city known for its huge skyscrapers, strong sandstorms and high temperatures, due to the fact that it is located very close to the desert. When Amal designed this house, she took all these aspects into consideration, so that comfort was a detail that never failed, for this reason this house is built in stone and decorated with beautiful marbles, materials that are more resistant to high temperatures.
In Saudi Arabia, the upper class community greatly values its culture and expresses it in luxury, eccentricity and gilding. As this house could be no exception, its grandeur is seen not only in its size, but also in its high ceilings, majestic entrance, the gold finishes, the patterns on the walls, and the luxury furniture that has been used. With this project, Amal intends to pass the message that “in design world we often get faced with seemingly impossible challenged but you always try and find a way to make it work and it is an endless learning process that never stops”.
Amal Qamber likes to design elegant and functional living spaces
Amal Qamber is an architectural designer with over 20 years of experience in the world of architectural design, working in architectural firms abroad in Bahrain doing designs for numerous residential and commercial projects. “My primary passion has always been interior design and so shortly after focusing on interior design in the USA, the Atria Design firm was born.” – Amal Qamber. This creative designer full of out of the box and modern ideas likes to design elegant and functional spaces, always trying in all her projects, to exceed the expectations of her clients. When conceptualizing a design, she imagines herself living inside the space, to help her create beautiful yet practical interiors. The basis of her designs is functionality, aesthetics and creativity, with influence from the European and Mediterranean color palette, she is not limited to her own style and taste and keeps her eye open for new and exciting ideas.
For this particular project, she started by devising unique concepts, drawing inspiration from her extensive travel experience and his admiration for cultural architecture and design. From there, she refined his ideas into a simpler visual format until he arrived at the final look, a Mediterranean house with a fusion of modern and Andalusian architecture. “I wanted to connect the past with the present by reviving an older aesthetic and infusing it with modern touches. I looked for a balance between cultural influence and customer needs. As with many of my spaces, I also designed the interior with enhanced lifestyle productivity and client well-being in mind. I hoped to both represent Atria Design’s creativity while providing the client a positive connection with the design. I was inspired by the world around me, by exploring a universe of authentic places, by listening, and by researching. All of this helped shape the unique style of my designs.” – Amal Qamber.
The interior design by Amal Qamber was inspired by the Queen of the Greek Gods, Hera
When you enter the house you find a majestic entrance, with a number of beautiful architectural features, a beautiful marble floor, and a breathtaking double staircase leading to the bedrooms. The entrance is surrounded by stained glass windows that flood that entire area with natural light, which makes the gilding of the banisters shine even brighter. As soon as you enter the heart of the foyer, natural lights come through the front door and the latticed wooden windows (Mashrabiya) creating an inviting and bright entrance during the day. The Hera Round Suspension is the crown jewel of this entrance that will catch the eye of any visitor at first sight. Inspired by the Queen of the Greek Gods, Mother of Nature and embodiment of Honor and Motherhood, Hera represents the blossoming of a new golden age full of life and inspiring beauty. Defined by strong, emotional paths full of intricate detail, this mythological entity is the magical inspiration behind this lighting piece. The fixture is shaped to resemble the features and appearance of a round golden branch, with two different levels with pendant lights hanging from a round frame. Handcrafted in cast brass, this chandelier has an organic shape and intricate contemporary details to create an adjustable arrangement in a harmonious whole.
The unique dining chair created in partnership with Masquespacio
The dining room is on the right side of the entrance, a room that despite its neutral colors on the walls and floor is contrasting with the bold dark red and gold of Essential Home’s Kerr and Patterson dining chairs. Kerr was inspired by six-time Oscar nominee Deborah Kerr, this unique dining chair in partnership with Masquespacio embraces the lead role in this fun and modern product selection due to its innovative shapes and multiple customization options. To complement it we have the Heritage dining table by Boca do Lobo with a beautiful hand-painted in the same tone as the chairs. Since glamour couldn’t be missing and the room is spacious, we added a simple polished brass sideboard by Brabbu with a mirror to open up the space and reflect the wall covering on the other side. When it comes to decorative items, a more minimalist style was chosen, for that reason there are only a few plants to match the chairs and the underside of the table, which give a natural feel.
The living room reflects a touch of modernity and glamour
The formal living room was made with the purpose of welcoming guests without having to go into the living room where one privates with the family. The seating arrangement encourages intimate conversation, two large Marco armchairs from Essential Home were chosen accompanied by the fantastic Sherman sofa from Mid Century Club, Sherman is an homage to mid-century sofas, a touch of modernity, style and the same high quality materials and craftsmanship. Comfort is behind all of Sherman’s design, but sophistication is the key word when looking at this mid-century piece. This sofa has a big presence in the space, accompanied by the Philip Center Table designed by Studiopepe for Essential Home, which makes for an inviting get-together. To add a more classic and glamorous touch to the room we have a service cabinet with a high-gloss green finish, the Divine Armoire by Koket.
The living room is a more private room, where we can private with those closest to us, it features a more Andalusian and modern style, such as inlays, double height textured walls and some rustic ceramic accessories. The room is heated through a statement fireplace surrounded by comfortable sofas from Covet House’s Sarsen collection, accompanied by a coffee table, Dovedale that has two different carved wooden legs adding touches of nature that complement the textured walls. There is a focal wall in this room, where wooden wall panels covered in a Mediterranean pattern were added that brought so much culture to the house. Since culture is made of history, the iconic Coltrane Suspension Lamp by DelightFULL was used in order to give the room a refined look and incorporate all the elements of this space together and create an accessible balance.
Furniture delivered by the best artisans in the industry
The Coltrane suspension lamp is one of DelightFULL’s best known. With a minimalist and industrial feel, it is, however, not hard to understand where the mid-century inspiration lies. Coltrane is a simple suspended ceiling light that is handmade from steel. It features a steel cable and canopy at the top, while at the bottom the tube is constructed of stainless steel, with a gold dust finish. The shade is also made of steel, but is lacquered with matte gold on the outside and a gold powder paint on the inside. An industrial pendant lighting design suitable for the most demanding environment, with a seal of quality craftsmanship only delivered by the best artisans in the industry.
The black marble in the kitchen gives it a luxurious look
The kitchen was designed based on functionality and the client’s tastes. The preferred colors were black and white, so we see the contrast of the white cabinets with the black quartz countertops. Additionally, the green accessories bring some life to the kitchen. We also have a breakfast area with a large glass door that allows natural lighting, however a ceiling lamp, the Cosmo suspension by DelightFULL, was applied above the Vinicius dining table by Essential Home with the glass top, easy to clean, and with a beautiful black marble base that gives it a luxurious look.
The softer and calmer feeling evoked throughout the master bedroom set it apart from the rest of the home. The green décor gives you the sense of connection and a closer proximity to nature, leaving you with a profound peaceful sentiment. Composed by Essential Home’s furniture pieces such as the Zelda Daybed and Armchair, from the partnership with Studiopepe, their green tone and rounded shapes play beautifully with the prestigious side of this earthy palette space. Enhancing the luxury strand of the bedroom, the Perry Dining Chair and Kahn Nightstand with their somber and cooler tones are a premier addition to an already extremely marvelous division.
The master bedroom is designed to elevate your sense of living
In contrast to the master bedroom, the master bathroom is a warmer space due to the immense presence of gold features throughout it. With an incomparable bathtub tight in the middle of the space, made by our incredible craftsmen, you can’t help but to get mesmerized by the stunning aura of this room. To help you feel comfortable and inspired to get ready for your day, Essential Home’s Zsa Zsa Dining Chair is right in front of your marvelous vanity. There’s no corner of this open space concept that was left to chance, everything was carefully thought and designed to elevate your sense of living.
About ESSENTIAL HOME
Essential Home is the epitome of bohemian retro design. Its mid-century modern lines merge from important historical references from the ‘30s and 60’s. The harmony of masculine and feminine, classic and contemporary, high and low, is integral to the brand’s sense of style. We deal with different, intimate and cosy ambiances that express elegance and luxury.
Conveyed by the use of high-quality materials, Essential Home pieces have a mid-century modern signature that makes it irresistible to us all. We intend to create time travels through a strong evocative connotation of the stunning era between the 30’s and 60’s so our products are a true combination of colours, matter and design. Essential Home creates a connection between the past and present, delivering the perfect combination of contemporary and modern pieces.
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©Essential Home / Amal Qamber / Atria Design
