There is a moment, just past the front door of this apartment in The Greens, when the light hasn’t arrived yet. The entrance sits deliberately dim, a held breath before the reveal. Then the hallway gives way, and the golf course fills the far wall like something staged for exactly this.
“When you first enter the apartment, you’re met with a relatively darker entrance, almost as a moment of pause. I always wanted that sequence to feel intentional, a transition that gradually draws you away from the fast paced urban character of Dubai and into a calmer environment framed by the golf course and surrounded by greenery” says designer Ghayth Maatouk, “The contrast makes the living space feel even brighter when it finally opens up, creating a subtle emotional build up rather than revealing everything at once.” A small piece of theatre, and it works because nothing about it feels theatrical.
The client wanted to feel the full depth of the home from almost anywhere inside it. So Maatouk built a choreography of glances: internal openings, framed vistas, concealed panels that open the apartment when the family wants and close it just as easily. The boldest move lives in the master bedroom, once starved of view and light. “There’s always a small gap between what we imagine on paper and what natural light eventually does to a space, and I actually enjoy that. Moreover, natural day light is never static. Throughout the day it moves, changes direction and intensity, constantly revealing different textures, materials and details that weren’t obvious an hour before. In many ways, the architecture provides the framework, but natural light is what ultimately brings the space to life.”
“The challenge wasn’t deciding to introduce the opening,” he says. “It was making it feel as though it had always belonged there.”
“The material palette was very much inspired by the surroundings. We wanted the apartment to feel as though it belonged to its landscape, so we drew from the greens of the golf course, the natural light and a palette of warm, earthy materials that create a sense of calm and comfort.“
Down the hall, a concealed sliding partition won over the clients who doubted it. “Once they had lived with it for a while, they told me it had become one of their favourite features,” he adds. Nothing here was bought to fill a room. Ceramics and photographs made by the clients themselves became the starting point, not the decoration. “In this project, we carefully selected the ceramic pieces and travel photographs that held the most meaning for the client and naturally complemented our design vision. Rather than treating them as decoration added at the end, we integrated them as focal points within the architecture. They give the apartment a sense of personality and tell the client’s story, making it feel like a lived-in home rather than a perfectly styled interior. Those personal elements are what make a home feel authentic,” Maatouk says. Even the Murphy bed in the home office refuses compromise, folding a study into a full guest room in seconds. “I really enjoy designing multifunctional spaces, but only when they feel complete. I’m not interested in solutions that feel like compromises or spaces that are only half successful in serving their purpose. In this apartment, when the Murphy bed is concealed, the room functions entirely as a home office. The moment it’s opened, it transforms into a fully functional guest bedroom, complete with integrated bedside surfaces, charging points and storage. Nothing feels temporary or improvised.“
“A sanctuary is a place where you can completely exhale,” he says. What lingers longest is what you barely notice: a plan so considered that privacy and openness stop feeling like opposites at all. “When I design, I’m not just thinking about aesthetics. I’m thinking about how a space makes someone feel the moment they walk through the door. It should help them disconnect, slow down and recharge. That’s why I often work with natural materials, soft transitions, filtered light and views that connect you to nature. Those elements create an atmosphere that feels timeless, personal and deeply comforting, and that to me is what defines a true sanctuary.”
Music and scent became part of the project’s identity, shaping Maatouk’s memories of the space as much as its visual character. “Without a doubt, it would be the music of Bon Entendeur. I listened to their playlists constantly while working on this project, so they’ve become associated in my mind. Whenever I hear those tracks now, they immediately take me back to long days spent refining the design.”
The apartment’s connection to its surroundings is equally present in its scents. “The first scent that comes to mind is actually the smell of freshly cut grass coming in from the golf course. It’s one of those subtle details that you don’t necessarily expect in the middle of Dubai, and it instantly reinforces the connection between the apartment and its surroundings.”
Inside, another fragrance defines the atmosphere. “The client absolutely loves fig scented candles, so that fragrance naturally became part of the atmosphere. It’s fresh, earthy and warm at the same time, and it complements the material palette and the calm character of the apartment beautifully. For me, scent is just like light or texture, it’s another layer that quietly shapes how a space is experienced.”
