Design by
Design 2000 (Roberto Nicolai)
Activity
Interior Design
Type
Residential

Vip Palace at the Pearl 

Doha, 2015

The sweeping and entirely transparent spiral staircase provides a real sense of movement – which is echoed in the helical form of the hanging chandeliers. Two tiers of balconies overlook the central space, and the eye tends to be drawn upwards, to scan  vertically the decorated walls and alight at last on the roof lantern that floods the entire lobby with light, all the way down to the floor. The strong geometric lines of the marble floors create quadrilaterals that emphasise the proportions of the space. 

The Majlis, or conference room, cannot help but astound guests with its monumental size. A decision was taken to use a consistent colour for the furniture, the walls, the floor and the ceiling, and the absence of a contrasting palette somehow emphasises the size of the room. The darker wooden trim in the lower part of the walls increases the sense of verticality while the large pointed windows draw the attention outwards, enhancing the sense of space.

The main feature of the Majlis is the imposing C-shaped table, made from fine materials and decorated with a modern interpretation of traditional designs. The large windows make this a very bright room, but it is nevertheless adorned further with crystal chandeliers. The ceiling itself is supported by corbels that echo the space around the curvilinear table. 

The dining room is an interior space that seems to hang in the air. It is suspended above the sea, which can be seen through the glass floor. The room is like an enclosed bridge that juts out into the water, framed on two sides by blind pointed arches. The materials used in the room are very precious, and the decorative scheme is designed to shimmer, as if all the surfaces were beneath a veil of water. The light that comes from the ceiling is multifaceted; it creates countless pinpricks of luminescence that make this room at one with the open sea.