Houzz Tour: This Bahrain Villa Stays Cool Despite the Hot Climate
The interplay between the architecture and the landscape creates a private haven that's not affected by the weather
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with their child
Location: Amwaj, Bahrain
Year built: 2014
Size: 721 square metres (7760 square feet); 4 bedrooms; 5 bathrooms.
Architectural designers: Riyaz Quraishi and Simeen Quraishi from Moriq
Awards: Archilovers Best Project 2015
A home with contemporary architecture, where the exteriors don’t give anything away of what is within – this was the design brief for Riyaz Quraishi and Simeen Quraishi from Moriq for a villa in Amwaj, Bahrain. “The lifestyle there is such that a home has to be very private from the street. The client’s requirement for a protected haven was the factor that influenced the architecture of the building,” Riyaz says. The other points in the client’s brief included well-defined interiors high on design but minimal on decoration.
Who lives here: A couple with their child
Location: Amwaj, Bahrain
Year built: 2014
Size: 721 square metres (7760 square feet); 4 bedrooms; 5 bathrooms.
Architectural designers: Riyaz Quraishi and Simeen Quraishi from Moriq
Awards: Archilovers Best Project 2015
A home with contemporary architecture, where the exteriors don’t give anything away of what is within – this was the design brief for Riyaz Quraishi and Simeen Quraishi from Moriq for a villa in Amwaj, Bahrain. “The lifestyle there is such that a home has to be very private from the street. The client’s requirement for a protected haven was the factor that influenced the architecture of the building,” Riyaz says. The other points in the client’s brief included well-defined interiors high on design but minimal on decoration.
Inside the compound, the architecture has a symbiotic relationship with the landscape. “While working on the layout, we made sure that the plan naturally generated quality depths and voids. Interior spaces are open to pockets of landscaping,” Simeen says.
The ground floor includes two living rooms, a gym, a dining area, wet and dry kitchens and a laundry room. The first floor comprises two bedrooms with walk-in closets, a family den and an open balcony. And the top floor has the master bedroom, bathroom and a home theatre.
Talking about the decor theme of the house, Simeen says, “We wanted a connection between the distressed furniture, the accessories and the wallpaper, and brought it all together in an industrial-inspired theme. The wallpapers are devoid of colour. The rest of the walls are, by and large, white with hints of grey thrown in.”
The ground floor includes two living rooms, a gym, a dining area, wet and dry kitchens and a laundry room. The first floor comprises two bedrooms with walk-in closets, a family den and an open balcony. And the top floor has the master bedroom, bathroom and a home theatre.
Talking about the decor theme of the house, Simeen says, “We wanted a connection between the distressed furniture, the accessories and the wallpaper, and brought it all together in an industrial-inspired theme. The wallpapers are devoid of colour. The rest of the walls are, by and large, white with hints of grey thrown in.”
On the left of the entrance lies the formal lounge – it’s a step below the level of the entrance floor. This lounge is for entertaining guests and it opens out into a deck. “Most of the furniture pieces in the lounge bear a salvaged look,” Simeen says. The wooden trunks converted into coffee tables and the side table that looks like piled up wooden crates complement other furniture pieces. The metal accent wall joined together by nuts and bolts reinforces the industrial look.
Furniture: Roche Bobois & Ralph Lauren
Furniture: Roche Bobois & Ralph Lauren
On the other side of the entrance is the spacious dining room. It is a formal setting where the custom-designed dining table extends to become the cooktop/worktop as well. “We have realised that the best situation is when the breakfast counter is closest to the worktop and also we knew that there was no space for another dining area – it would eat away one of the landscape pockets – so we fused the formal and informal dining into the worktop, which works as the dry kitchen,” Riyaz says. Traditional-style low chairs complete the dining set up. The floor-to-ceiling walnut veneer sliding doors connect the dining area to the wet kitchen.
Wallpaper: Roche Bobois
Take a look at these glorious dining tables that serve up oodles of style
Wallpaper: Roche Bobois
Take a look at these glorious dining tables that serve up oodles of style
The architects consider the dining area the most interesting space. Riyaz says, “What really sets this area apart is this V-shaped wooden beam, filled with recessed light fixtures, which has a one-of-its-kind bespoke chimney hanging out over the hob. We didn’t want a commercial ‘off-the-rack’ chimney. We created a wooden beam to house this bespoke chimney to give it a very warm feel and a look which is so unique to this house.”
Cooktop and chimney: Corian; wallpaper: Roche Bobois
Cooktop and chimney: Corian; wallpaper: Roche Bobois
The dining area flows into a second living room. Meant for informal family gatherings, this space opens out to a courtyard with a water feature.
“In the hot arid months of the Bahraini summer, the sight of blue water helps one relax . It’s as much a climatic requirement as an aesthetic choice,” Riyaz says.
“In the hot arid months of the Bahraini summer, the sight of blue water helps one relax . It’s as much a climatic requirement as an aesthetic choice,” Riyaz says.
Straight-lined furniture is anchored by a colourful rug in the second living room. The large glass windows keep the room flooded with light.
Fixtures: Villeroy & Boch
Seen here is the family den. Comfortable lounge sofas share the floor space with a metal floor lamp and distressed wood and metal busts. “All decor pieces are handpicked from shops across Bahrain and Dubai. We wanted the items in the rooms to reflect the owners’ personalities and complement the space in which they sit,” Simeen says.
The first-floor bedroom is a crisp space with minimal embellishments. The brown of the accent pieces balances out the coolness of the grey walls. The flooring is of Greek travertine marble, which is consistent throughout the whole house.
The master suite is one of the biggest areas of the house and includes a semi-open bathroom. The bathtub and basin areas are open and connected to the bedroom space. “We thought that if a person is spending some time in the tub, why should he be confined to a tight space,” Riyaz explains.
Simeen adds, “For added interest, we covered the long wall behind the bed in a classic panelled black-and-white wallpaper. It creates an impact and ties in neatly with the travertine wall of the semi-open toilet.” From the print on the wallpaper to the antique-look chairs and TV stand, this room has more traditional elements as opposed to the industrial touches seen in the rest of the home.
Simeen adds, “For added interest, we covered the long wall behind the bed in a classic panelled black-and-white wallpaper. It creates an impact and ties in neatly with the travertine wall of the semi-open toilet.” From the print on the wallpaper to the antique-look chairs and TV stand, this room has more traditional elements as opposed to the industrial touches seen in the rest of the home.
Wood and grey stone have also been used in the architecture of the house. “Salvaged wood is used on the double-height main door and the sliding car-park shutters. Leatherite grey granite on gravel makes the exterior walls and the parking space is done in grey limestone,” Simeen says.
Read more:
Houzz Tour: A Mahabaleshwar Holiday Home Brims With Luxury
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this villa? Tell us in Comments below.
Read more:
Houzz Tour: A Mahabaleshwar Holiday Home Brims With Luxury
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this villa? Tell us in Comments below.
The house’s plan includes multiple levels. The scaling of the exterior architecture is mindful of the fact that it is a residence. “We made sure the building looks like a single family home and not like an apartment building or any commercial residential block,” Simeen explains.
The facade is mostly in shades of white and grey with one tall vertical column of wood.