Name, Job title, Company name
Maha Albwardy, Co-Founder and Executive Director at MOMA International and Monica Merhebi, Co-Founder and Creative Director at MOMA International
1. Mondrian has a very distinctive global identity rooted in art, culture and bold design language. How did MOMA International interpret that brand DNA for a beachfront residential setting in Ras Al Khaimah without losing the intimacy expected from a private home?
Interpreting Mondrian’s distinctive identity within a beachfront residential setting required a careful balance between expression and intimacy. The Mondrian brand’s bold, artistic language remains present, but we have distilled this into a more nuanced and livable form.
Sculptural elements and moments of contrast anchor the design, offering a quiet sense of drama that reflects Mondrian’s global character. However, these are softened through the introduction of warmer, more tactile materials such as wood and textured plaster, alongside a gentler, more ambient approach to lighting. This layering creates an atmosphere that feels both expressive, local, and deeply personal.
Art plays a central role in maintaining the brand’s identity, with statement pieces and refined metal accents punctuating the spaces. Yet, they exist in harmony with a very present palette and material softness that grounds the interiors. The result is a seamless dialogue between boldness and comfort, where the spirit of Mondrian is preserved, while the experience remains intimate, calm, and inherently residential.
2. Branded residences often walk a fine line between statement-making aesthetics and long-term liveability. How did your team approach designing interiors that feel visually expressive while remaining timeless and comfortable for residents?
Designing for branded residences is ultimately an exercise in balance perfecting, where expression must be intentional, but longevity and the human experience are always at the forefront. The approach begins with a calm and enduring foundation, using a neutral palette that allows the space to breathe and evolve with its residents over time, ensuring spaces can be flexible.
Within this quiet framework, moments of expression are introduced with precision. A sculptural piece, a defined architectural gesture, or a refined metal accent becomes a focal point, adding the depth and character of the brand without overwhelming the overall composition and risk becoming dated. These elements are not constant, but curated, allowing the design to feel dynamic yet composed.
Materiality plays a central role, particularly within the context of a coastal environment. Finishes are selected not only for their aesthetic quality but for their ability to endure. Matte stone, treated wood, advanced laminates, and coated metals are chosen for their resilience against humidity and sun exposure, ensuring they retain their integrity while aging gracefully.
This level of considered decision-making has been strengthened through close collaboration with the developer, ELEVATE, whose Founder & Chairman, Zeeshaan Shah, has been actively involved in material discussions and design reviews from the outset, helping ensure the interiors balance design intent with long-term performance and usability.
This balance between subtle expression and material longevity creates interiors that feel both distinctive and enduring, where comfort is never compromised, and design remains relevant over time.
3. With Mondrian Al Marjan Island positioned as a lifestyle-led destination, how did the design strategy shape the transition between public social spaces and the more private residential environment?
The transition between public and private spaces was conceived as a fluid progression rather than a defined boundary, allowing the experience to unfold with a natural sense of rhythm. Each space is carefully calibrated to reflect its purpose, while remaining part of a cohesive design narrative.
Public areas are imbued with a heightened sense of energy and more dynamic expression, where reflective surfaces, richer tones, and sculptural forms create a dynamic, distinctive and social atmosphere. As one moves deeper into the residential realm, this language begins to soften. Materials become more tactile, lighting shifts to a warmer, more ambient quality, and the overall mood becomes quieter, more private and more introspective.
This layering is essential within a project of this scale, where lifestyle destinations, dining experiences, and private residences coexist. The design ensures that each transition feels intentional and seamless, creating a sense of continuity while allowing residents to move effortlessly between vibrancy and retreat.
4. Luxury coastal developments are becoming increasingly design-driven in the UAE. In your view, what distinguishes this project from the growing number of branded beachfront residences entering the market?
What distinguishes this project is the clarity of its positioning and the scale at which design is being delivered, both of which move beyond what is typically seen in luxury beachfront developments here in the UAE. This is not a standalone residential offering, but a fully integrated lifestyle destination, where interiors are designed across public areas, F&B venues, and private residences under one cohesive vision.
Spanning over 68,000 square meters of built-up area and supported by more than 60,000 square feet of curated amenities, the project brings a level of depth and programming that is rare within the coastal residential market. Spaces such as the Residents’ Sky Club, wellness facilities, and the region’s first Fi’lia By The Beach restaurant are not treated as add ons, but as core components of the design narrative, shaping how residents live and interact with the environment.
Equally important is the way Mondrian’s identity is being translated at a regional level. As the brand’s very first beachfront residential project in the Middle East, it introduces an entirely new interpretation of its own accord, couple that with its specificity to Ras Al Khaimah and uniqueness becomes absolute.
This combination of scale, a fully integrated lifestyle offering, location, surrounding community and a carefully considered brand translation, is what ultimately sets the project apart. It is not only design driven, but experience driven, with every element contributing to a more complete and differentiated approach to coastal living.
5. MOMA International’s work often reflects a strong sense of atmosphere and emotional connection. What kind of emotional experience did you want residents and visitors to feel when entering these spaces?
The emotional experience is conceived as something that reveals itself over time and gradual experience of new elements of the property, rather than all at once. A journey if you will. There is an immediate sense of intrigue on arrival, where the interplay of form, material, and light captures attention and invites exploration. Yet this initial impression is intentionally softened outside of public spaces, allowing the spaces to settle into something more personal and enduring, for residents.
As guests moves through the interiors, the atmosphere becomes quieter and more grounding. Textures feel more tactile, light more ambient, and the overall environment more introspective. It is this shift that allows the design to move beyond a purely visual statement, creating spaces that residents can return to daily with a sense of ease and familiarity.
Ultimately, the intention is to create an emotional balance, where the design engages without overwhelming, and continues to offer new layers of appreciation over time.
6. As branded residences evolve from real estate products into lifestyle ecosystems, how do you see interior design contributing to the long-term value and desirability of developments like Mondrian Al Marjan Island?
Interior design plays a direct role in how value is created, perceived, and sustained within a development of this nature. In the case of Mondrian Al Marjan Island, the strength of the interior narrative is already reflected in market performance, where over AED 700 million in residences were sold within just two hours of launch, alongside the rapid absorption of more than 200 units. This level of demand is not driven by location alone, but by the clarity of the lifestyle proposition.
The project has been positioned as more than a residential offering, integrating hospitality, culture, and wellness into a cohesive environment. Interior design is central to delivering that promise, shaping everything from private living spaces to social and experiential amenities, and ensuring that each element contributes to a unified identity that resonates with both end users and investors.
The impact of this approach is also evident at the upper end of the market, where signature residences, such as the AED 38 million Sky Mansion, have achieved record breaking sales, setting new benchmarks for luxury real estate in Ras Al Khaimah. These transactions reflect a growing appetite for design led living, where buyers are investing not only in property, but in a fully realised lifestyle experience.
For developers, this reinforces the role of interior design as a strategic asset rather than a finishing layer. When design is embedded from the outset, as it is with MOMA International’s scope across public areas, F&B venues, and residential spaces, it strengthens brand differentiation, accelerates sales velocity, and supports long term value creation. It ensures the development remains relevant well beyond launch, evolving as a destination that continues to attract residents, visitors, and global investment.
