Interior Design and Fit-Out in DIFC

Who reviews a DIFC fit-out

Approvals for a DIFC fit-out may involve the landlord or building management and the relevant authority, and which of them apply varies from one address to the next. We settle who reviews the works before the design goes too far, rather than assuming that a route used in another building will fit this one.

We confirm the route for each address, then prepare the drawings, compliance documents and submissions to suit it. Approval timing depends on the reviewers and the extent of the works, so we give no timescales, but we build the review stage into the schedule before any work on site is booked. Our authority approvals page lists the documents we usually produce.

Offices for advisory, legal and financial firms

Professional offices usually need privacy and openness in the right proportions. Confidential conversations call for enclosed rooms with proper acoustic separation, while teams that work together benefit from open areas with good daylight and sensible storage. Visiting clients form their first impression at reception, so that space tends to carry more of the brand than any other.

We test the plan against your headcount and how you expect it to change, then move on to finishes, lighting and joinery. Power and data routes are fixed early, so desks and meeting tables land where the services reach them and the layout can still flex if the team grows. Our office interior design page covers the approach in more depth.

• Enclosed meeting rooms and cabins with acoustic treatment
• Audiovisual provision for video calls and presentations
• Reception and client waiting areas
• Filing, storage and lockable cupboards
• Pantry and breakout space for staff

Shops, restaurants and client-facing units

A retail or hospitality unit works harder than an office. It has to draw people in from outside, move them comfortably through the space and give staff room to serve, restock and clean without getting in the way. Lighting, display and hard-wearing finishes carry much of that load.

Restaurants and cafés add kitchens, extraction and seating plans that have to work when the room is full and when it is quiet. We coordinate those services with the specialists involved and with the building, so late technical changes do not undo the front-of-house design.

We plan customer flow and back-of-house together, so storage, service routes and equipment are placed before the visible scheme is fixed. The commercial interior design page explains how we approach businesses that serve customers face to face.

Residences in DIFC

A home close to the office has a clear job: to feel calm and private once work is over. In a tower apartment that comes down to good planning, restful light and enough storage to keep surfaces clear.

We look at layout and storage first, then lighting that works after dark, joinery that makes use of every useful wall and furniture chosen for the proportions of each room. If the apartment is let, we pick finishes that will cope with changing tenants and are simple to maintain. If it is a second home, we make sure it can be closed up and reopened without fuss.

Projects that show how we work

For a sense of our office work, our MK Pay office at Baniyas Square is the best reference. Covering 3,100 sq ft and completed in 2023, it was delivered on a design and build basis, and the commission also took in authority approvals, project management, 3D visualisation, mood boards and space planning. Its palette of creams, beiges and taupes and its mix of open zones and private cabins would sit comfortably in a professional firm.

For a residence, the Imperial Avenue Apartment tells the story: we took this Downtown Dubai home through design and build, all 5,500 sq ft of it, and completed it in 2023. The brief was quiet luxury, answered with a mild palette, bouclé fabrics, polished marble and soft-lit arches instead of ornament.

Design only, design and build, and keeping the business open

Some tenants already have a contractor and need only the design. In that case we deliver the concept, the 3D renders, a full specification and a set of working drawings for them to price and build. Others prefer one team from first sketch to handover, with procurement, supervision and site coordination included.

If you need to keep working during the fit-out, we can phase it, seal off active areas and schedule the loudest tasks for hours agreed with building management. Once the works are complete we walk the space with you, list every snag and put each one right before handing over the keys, and from then on our work is subject to a 12-month defects liability period set out in your contract.

Budget and how to begin

The minimum project size we take on is AED 150,000. Beyond it, the size of the unit, the amount of custom joinery, the materials, any MEP or ceiling works and the furniture specification set the figure. If you give us a budget at the start, the design is drawn to fit it instead of being trimmed later.

Use our project estimate form to send the building, the floor area and the type of space. We will answer with an indicative estimate for the scope you describe, plus a proposed timeline to discuss.