The Language of Power

Since 1991, the iconic Dubai Chambers has graced the Dubai Creek, the city’s key waterway that paved the way for trade. Owing to its location, Nakkash Design Studio worked on reimagining it as a workplace fostering collaboration, flexibility, and a global outlook that felt more in place with the current evolution of the city.

The design narrative of the space was crafted around the fluidity and connection that came with the nature of the establishment and its location. The intervention addressed spatial inefficiencies, dissolved rigid boundaries between workspaces through open, flowing layouts, and re-oriented the space to maximise views of the creek. Working closely with Dubai Chambers’ in-house Project Management team and Northcorp Fit Out Contractors, Nakkash Design Studio approached the transformation through a carefully phased delivery strategy, allowing the organisation to remain fully operational as its interiors evolved over a 13-month period. The scope was ambitious, encompassing the main lobby, 10 staff floors, conference hall, F&B facilities, and the Executive floors, together spanning an impressive 5,800 sqm. 

Situated on the 11th and 12th floors, the executive chambers comprise the majlis, meeting rooms, board room and the offices of the CEO and Chairman, settings that regularly host heads of state, international ministers, and the organisation’s quarterly and annual gatherings. Completed in late 2025, the
executive floors represent the final and defining chapter of the transformation.

As you step into the main lobby, you will see a feature wall commemorating the building’s achievement as the first LEED-certified building in the Arab world in 2009, rendered in bold bronze lettering and logo. The sense of formality is gently softened through bonsai landscaping, light oak veneer wall cladding, and a welcoming lounge area, evoking the ambience of a boutique hotel arrival rather than that of a conventional government office.

Nakkash Design Studio Dubai Chambers

Riding the lift to the classified 11th floor, distinguished guests arrive at a reception anchored by a custom desk clad in handcrafted DeMarea brass. Complementing the metal’s warm, burnished glow, a constellation of Bomma Flare suspension lights cast strands of illumination. Behind the desk, an elegant brass mashrabiya screen adds a layer of architectural grace. Visible through the mashrabiya, a flight of stairs rises to the 12th floor, enlivened by Ginger & Jagger’s iridescent Pearl wall lamps, their sculptural marble and brass forms adding texture to the ascent while subtly referencing Dubai’s pearling heritage. Anchoring this interplay of craft and luminosity, a faceted rock column sculpture by the Phillips Collection, fashioned from composite in a warm grey finish, enlivens the stairwell’s dead space, grounding it with an elemental, organic presence.

Nakkash Design Studio Dubai Chambers

In keeping with the minimalist design, the hallway is defined by a single piece of furniture: an Arthur console from CPRN in lacquered wood and leather, paired with Paolo Castelli’s Anodine wall lights, a sculptural composition of handcrafted metal leaves in a satin gold finish.

Drawing on Nakkash’s expertise in high end residential design, the majlis is crafted with the warmth and welcome of a home rather than the formality and opulence of traditional majlises. An ensemble of furniture from Borzalino including Ben sofas, Sidney armchairs, cream marble topped B180 coffee tables, and rounded Paul 2 side tables, fill the space with comfort and sculptural presence. Overhead, Rio suspension lights from Carlyle Collective carve arcs of soft illumination, while a plush beige carpet beneath evokes the gentle shimmer of water. Along the wall, a Tolio console in Delabre brass catches the light like molten gold, reflecting the room’s warm tones and lending a subtle ceremonial weight. Above it, portraits of the UAE’s leaders assert themselves with understated gravitas, a nod to tradition interpreted through the contemporary art of PicPerf, a digital perforation technique that transforms imagery into patterns punched into Delabre brass.

Poltrona Frau is the brand of choice for office furniture on the executive floors – top of the range Italian craftsmanship, architectural in its form and timeless in its materiality. 

Nakkash Design Studio Dubai Chambers

In the board room that leads from the majlis, an oval Mesa Due meeting table by Poltrona Frau in tan leather anchors the space, paired with Cercle office chairs in light beige for poised comfort. The room’s calm, uncluttered aesthetic is heightened by a minimal KDLN linear suspension lights.

A defining feature is the functional Oberflex acoustic wall panelling in light oak, a high performance surface that softens reverberant sound while introducing the natural warmth of wood. 

The smaller meeting room echoes the same refined language as the board room. Here, a CEO Cube meeting table by Poltrona Frau in beige leather takes centre stage while Downtown conference chairs in tan leather offer ergonomic comfort. KDLN linear suspension light provides even illumination, while the textured Oberflex acoustic panels continue here, animating the space with its rhythmic, tactile presence.

Nakkash Design Studio Dubai Chambers

The Chairman’s office strikes a balance between presence and comfort. Bathed in natural light with views to the creek, the workspace is anchored by three defining elements: a Poltrona Frau CEO Cube executive desk, Downtown chairs, and KDLN linear suspension lighting. 

The lounge area carries a sense of ease with the gentle curves of a Molteni Breeze sofa and Sutton armchair, both in navy blue. Tables from Borzalino, including a Paul 3 coffee table and a B161 side table, complete the composition. Against the wall, a Bonaldo geometric console punctuates the space with its crisp form. Above it, a custom wall light in gold leaf by Cattelan & Smith catches the eye, scattering its gentle warmth across surfaces.

Nakkash Design Studio Dubai Chambers

Nakkash Design Studio’s expertise in materiality and pairing comes through in the juxtaposition of leather, brass, and wood in a quiet dialogue, while the choice of furniture and minimalist design makes the space feel at once commanding and intimate.

Reflecting on the project, Founder and Design Director Omar Nakkash said, “We wanted the design to represent where Dubai is heading – modern and forward-looking, yet still rooted in heritage. Ultimately, Dubai Chambers is a government institution, so we kept to a clean and restrained aesthetic, avoiding layers of materials or patterns. But we challenged ourselves to reimagine what a new age government workspace might look and feel like, choosing elements that will age gracefully. What we have created will still feel fresh and modern even 15 years from now.” 

With the completion of the executive floors, the final touch in the interiors of the emblematic Dubai Chambers, Nakkash Design Studio delivers not just a workplace upgrade but a thoughtful reflection of Dubai itself: ambitious, connected, and unmistakably global.