^{Words By Allegra Salvadori | Photography By Natelee Cocks}

On Saadiyat Island, where the horizon blurs between sea and sand, a new residence named Nasayem rises as both sanctuary and story. Its name—Arabic for gentle breezes—captures the home’s essence: a space where the wind is not resisted, but embraced as a design partner, shaping atmosphere as much as form.

Conceived by A Work of Substance, the 1,800-square-metre residence for a family of six is imagined as a dialogue between seclusion and openness, between the intimacy of desert life and the rhythm of nature’s forces. The design seeks to reinterpret the flow of wind and the play of light as defining elements in the daily experience of home.

At the centre lies a double-height courtyard, a modern interpretation of the Islamic archetype found in Emirati homes and Maghrebi riads. An expansive skylight allows sunlight to spill into the core of the house, while an open mezzanine creates both vertical and horizontal connections across levels. This inner court is more than circulation—it is the spiritual anchor, a place of reflection, gathering, and contemplation where natural elements meet architecture.

Throughout the home, a balance is struck between privacy and openness. Handmade latticework screens and carved partitions define boundaries while allowing light and air to filter through. Inspired by traditional mashrabiya, these elements diffuse the sun’s intensity, animate the interiors with shifting shadows, and mark the thresholds between social and private life. Archways, motifs, and carved details continue this dialogue, embedding cues of Arabic heritage into a restrained, contemporary design language.

The material palette is drawn directly from the desert. Palm leaf, coral blocks, mud brick, wood, and thatch form the fabric of the building, reflecting the intrinsic beauty of the land and the traditions that have long sustained it. Surfaces recall sun-bleached stone and weathered sand, while a palette of clay, bone, and golden tones is accented by greens reminiscent of desert oases. Every finish was chosen for its ability to age gracefully, adding to the sense of permanence and continuity.

Nasayem is designed for modern family life while honouring timeless rituals. The ground floor is devoted to social interaction, with living and dining areas opening to the courtyard, alongside a playroom and family kitchen. More private spaces, including bedrooms, a library, and rooms for wellness and meditation, are located above. Spaces for contemplation are woven into the layout, from quiet corners to a semi-outdoor massage area and sauna, reflecting the family’s focus on wellbeing and connection to nature.

Behind the project is Maxime Dautresme and his multidisciplinary studio A Work of Substance. With offices in Hong Kong, Paris, Dubai, and Bali, the collective approaches each commission as a narrative rooted in culture, memory, and place. Dautresme’s own background—an itinerant childhood across Brazil, Korea, Japan, France, and the United States, and a family lineage steeped in art and design—shapes the studio’s global yet deeply contextual vision.

In Nasayem, that vision becomes tangible. Every carved screen, every sunlit wall, and every chosen material is part of a larger story: one of desert landscapes, Bedouin heritage, and the quiet power of wind. The result is not just a home but a living narrative that listens to its environment, honours tradition, and embraces the rituals of daily life.

Nasayem stands as a contemporary reimagining of the courtyard home—timeless yet forward-looking, rooted in materials as much as in memory. On Saadiyat Island, where breezes drift through latticework and shadows dance across sand-hued walls, the house becomes what its name promises: a gentle exhale, a sanctuary where architecture and desert breathe together.

• DESIGNER: A Work of Substance
• LOCATION: Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi SIZE: 1,800 m2
• COMPLETION DATE: 2024
• SCOPE OF WORK: Identity, Interior, Product, Landscape
• PHOTOGRAPHER: Natelee Cocks