From Private to Public

In a world of loud design statements and fast-moving trends, ELE Interior Design stands apart with quiet confidence. The Dubai-based studio has built its name not through spectacle, but through a design approach that is refined, responsive and resonant. And now, as it expands across continents, typologies and markets, its voice isn’t just clearer – it is becoming the first choice for clients who value depth, clarity and distinction.

What began as a boutique residential practice is now a globally operating studio, shaping everything from hospitality developments in Africa to bespoke family homes in the UK and US. But this isn’t simply about expansion. It’s about intention – about designing spaces that feel rooted, relevant and quietly remarkable, no matter the scale.

Leali Ezzat, Founder and Design Director, ELE Interior Design

Design that Resonates Across Borders

ELE’s growing international presence is the result of something deeper than ambition. It is driven by confidence in its creative direction, an ability to navigate complexity with ease, expertise honed through diverse project experience, and a nuanced understanding of cultural context and sourcing networks. These qualities are earning the studio trust across the world – and positioning it as a leader among design practices emerging from the Middle East.

In the UK, ELE is collaborating with high-end developers on residential projects that blend classical architectural cues with a restrained, contemporary sensibility. These homes, tailored for modern family life, reflect a balance between familiarity and finesse.

In the US, ELE’s visual storytelling – through imagery and social media – has drawn a new wave of clientele. From North Carolina to California, the studio is designing culturally attuned mansions for diaspora families and globally minded individuals who feel seen by its design language. The practice’s ability to source rare finishes from the Middle East and Asia has only deepened the appeal.

Africa: A Deepening Commitment

In East Africa, ELE’s presence is anchored by large-scale hospitality and township projects, including the revitalisation of a landmark hotel in Tanzania and a coastal community in Zanzibar. These bring together architecture, wellness and civic programming while remaining grounded in local tradition. In Kenya, the studio is developing high-end residences, with West Africa next on the horizon. These projects are not regional outliers – they are central to ELE’s global evolution. They demonstrate the studio’s ability to engage with cultural and environmental specificity, to lead with respect, and to deliver design that is both ambitious and appropriate. The scale may shift, but the sensibility holds.

A Studio of Increasing Relevance

As design clients become more globally mobile and culturally attuned, there is a growing appetite for studios that can operate with both vision and versatility. ELE Interior Design responds to that need with quiet authority. Its work carries the confidence of experience, the agility to move across typologies, the expertise to manage complexity, and the cultural knowledge that ensures every detail is meaningful.

What sets ELE apart is not a signature look, but a signature intelligence – one that reveals itself slowly, deliberately and without repetition. In a market driven by speed and sameness, it is this emotionally literate approach that is setting the studio apart.

Design as Distinction

Whether shaping a hotel complex in East Africa, a home in the English countryside or a mansion in America, ELE brings the same conviction to every brief. The studio’s work doesn’t rely on formula or flourish. It listens first. Then it builds – purposefully and with enduring clarity.

Africa remains a core chapter in this story. From Zanzibar to Kenya and beyond, ELE is designing for both present function and long-term resonance. These projects affirm a simple truth: the studio doesn’t follow patterns – it responds to place.

It is this consistency – rooted in confidence, ability, expertise, and knowledge – that is quietly redefining ELE’s position on the global stage. Clients don’t come to ELE for spectacle. They come for substance; for a studio that understands the nuance of global life and the intimacy of lived space.

This isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about being the natural choice, again and again, for those who want more than style. They want clarity. They want care. And they want a studio that knows how to make it last. Not louder; just unmistakable, and the one that people return to.

Photography by Dominic Reechelle