Contemporary Classic Mansion In Saudi Arabia - Atria Design
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 challenges but you always try and find a way to make it work and it is an endless learning process that never stops”.
Amal Qamber - Atria Design
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
Foyer
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.
Dining Room
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.
Formal Living Room
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.