- Expertise
- Typology
- Hospitality
- Components
- Food & Beverage, Resort / Hotel, Spa / Wellness
- Attributes
- Destination, Renovation
plaster, rope the sunset kept in mirrors dinner after dark
Place
Place: Deep in the Empty Quarter
Qasr Al Sarab sits deep in the Empty Quarter, where the dunes run to the horizon and the light changes hour by hour. Within the resort, OBMI reimagined the interiors of Amanie, its restaurant and adjoining spaces, drawing on the desert sunset, which reshapes the dunes by the minute and never holds still.
Approach
Approach: Twilight mirrors
The palette comes from the dunes at dusk: off-white plaster, dusty pastels, light wood, handwoven fibre, terracotta and rope, all chosen for warmth and touch. Antique mirror cladding lines the space, catching the desert twilight and throwing it back into the room, so the sky paints the interior each evening. The dining floor was raised to open the view, turning dinner into something timed to the light.
“The Qasr Al Sarab resort is like a palace of illusions, timeless, surreal and steeped in natural drama. We wanted to extend that illusion into the interiors of Amanie, allowing guests to feel as if they are part of the landscape. The design is calm, layered, and tactile, offering a moment of pause and presence in the vastness of the desert.”
Character
Character: Gathered around the table
Underneath the desert setting runs a Mediterranean idea: a table people gather around, food treated seriously, rooms that reward staying in them. Communal layouts and tactile surfaces encourage that. The ceramics were commissioned from COE Studio in Abu Dhabi, and a thread of blue in the upholstery picks up the resort's infinity pool beyond. The restaurant is led by Michelin-starred chef Giuseppe Pino Lavarra, and the interiors are built to hold that kind of attention.
Experience
Experience: Long lunches, slow evenings
The detail work stays quiet. Gradient mosaics catch the light without calling attention to themselves, and woven ceiling patterns draw the eye up. The room works differently through the day, from long lunches to sunset drinks to evenings with music. Reserved for adults, Amanie asks its guests to slow down, which the design supports at every scale, from the sequence of the rooms to the surfaces under a hand.
