Five Of The Most Stylish Designer Properties And Retreats In The UAE
Breathing new life into luxury living, these five exemplars of exquisite design will take your next home from a sky-high penthouse to the high seas
Bvlgari Resort & Mansions, Abu Dhabi
This summer, Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts announced its most exciting Middle Eastern project since the opening of Bvlgari Resort Dubai in 2017. Hopping across the Emirates, the luxury brand’s newest launch is Bvlgari Resort & Mansions in Abu Dhabi, which will be nestled on a private horseshoe-shaped island just off the coast.
While Bvlgari habitués will have to wait until 2030 to bed down in luxury, there’s much to look forward to—namely its collection of 60 private Mansions, exceptional markers of the Italian brand’s commitment to crafting luxury through legacy. Varying in size from 1,650 to 2,500 square metres, the Mansions are uniquely designed, each with distinctive characteristics. The interiors fuse contemporary international architecture with local influences, while the landscaping blends Italian elegance with Arabian heritage. Some of the Mansions will even feature private docks in the marina, while all offer breathtaking views over the sea, city, sunset, or the island’s inner cove.
Accessed via a purpose-built bridge or by sea, the property will offer the heightened levels of privacy and exclusivity synonymous with Bvlgari properties, while simultaneously extending Abu Dhabi’s iconic Corniche to redefine the capital’s urban landscape. Designed as a beachfront sanctuary by Milanese architectural firm ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, the overall aesthetic taps into the city’s rich cultural tapestry—a symbolic metaphor of glass and gold emerging from the sand, with materials and forms that reflect Abu Dhabi’s unique identity and heritage of craftsmanship and luxury.
Beyond the private Mansions, guests can expect all the signature hallmarks of Bvlgari properties: a Yacht Club with its own private beach, Il Ristorante – Niko Romito, La Spiaggia, Hoseki, Il Caffè, a Bvlgari Spa, and a 25-metre-long lap pool. Destined to set a new milestone for haute hospitality in the Emirates, we say roll on 2030.
For more information visit bulgarihotels.com
Armani Beach Residences, Ras Al Khaimah
We know the Emirates rides high on superlatives, and Ras Al Khaimah is throwing its hat in the ring with the launch of Armani Beach Residences, featuring the first Armani-branded beach villas in the world. Set to be located on a tranquil and naturally pristine bay on Raha Island within the coastal community of Mina Al Arab, the property will feature a highly exclusive and limited collection of beach villas and luxury apartments, all with private beach access, uninterrupted views of the Arabian Gulf and, most importantly, the late designer’s signature stamp of style.
Drawing inspiration from Giorgio Armani’s personal residence and his own design philosophy, expect understated elegance, sophisticated simplicity and uncompromising attention to detail. A legacy project carrying Armani’s indelible mark, it promises to become one of the most exclusive destinations in the world.
For more information visit armanibeachresidencesrak.com
Cheval Blanc, Dubai
Since launching in 2006, the LVMH-owned Cheval Blanc has opened properties as far afield as Paris and the Maldives, and the next stop on its journey around the world is Dubai. Opening in 2029, the 30-suite and 40-private-pool-villa property will mark the hospitality Maison’s debut in the Middle East, ushering in its iconic art de recevoir ethos, which puts wellness, immersive experiences, curated lifestyle moments, and elevated luxury living front and centre.
Inside, the spaces will reflect the brand’s signature design philosophy of “contemporary yet timeless, immersive yet serene”: think quiet sophistication, natural light, flow, and unforced beauty all riffing off the island’s natural setting. Another feather in Cheval Blanc’s cap and a new marque of luxury in the Middle East.
For more information visit chevalblanc.com
Exuma by Elie Saab
Lebanese designer Elie Saab is taking his designs from couture runways to the high seas, with the launch of 42 Exuma, a 42-metre yacht in collaboration with Italian ship building company, Maiora. Due to set sail in 2027, the ultra-sleek exteriors by Cassetta Yacht Designers segue into interiors that are unmistakably Elie Saab, featuring a refined selection of pieces from the Elie Saab Maison collection and complemented by bespoke elements designed specifically for the ultra-exclusive yachting environment. Seeing the interiors through the designer’s unique lens of design, comfort and experiential luxury, Fumo di Londra and Mystic Ocean marble blend with light bronzed mirrors, and teak wood flooring and ceilings that combine timeless design with marine-specific functionality.
The four-deck yacht reimagines the typical onboard layout, moving the guest suites, usually below deck, to the main deck, and the upper deck conceived as a fully openable, panoramic living area, dissolving the boundaries between inside and out, and offering guests a new kind of spatial freedom at sea. A fresh definition of luxury for seafarers.
For more information visit eliesaabmaison.com
The Nobile Collection At Mr. C Residences Downtown, Dubai
This Autumn, the iconic Mr. C brand is coming to Dubai, with the opening of Mr. C Residences Downtown. Created in collaboration with Alta Real Estate and the Cipriani family – led by fourth-generation members Ignazio and Maggio Cipriani – it’s set to rise 71 stories above the city and add further dynamism to Dubai’s residential landscape. Designed by Arquitectonica, a Miami-based firm known for its sculptural, skylinedefining forms, the bold exterior paves the way for interiors by 1508 London that offer a contemporary take on classic European elegance.
Most anticipated of all, is the launch of the Nobile Collection – a limited series of just 22 residences that sit at the top of the Mr. C Residences Downtown tower, each designed to represent the pinnacle of the Mr. C lifestyle: understated, elegant and deeply personal.
Inside, the Nobile Collection residences are all about timeless elegance, modern sophistication and amplifying Cipriani’s heritage of quiet hospitality, with Calacatta marble finishes, Gaggenau kitchens, Loro Piana fabrics and handcrafted glass chandeliers by Barovier & Toso, a tribute to Venetian artistry and craftsmanship.
As you’d expect, the half-floor layouts are expansive, with open-plan ‘Great Rooms’ flowing into elegant dining rooms framed by floor-to-ceiling windows and huge terraces soaking up both sunrise and sunset and views spanning Burj Khalifa to the Arabian Gulf.
With so much room to play with, further amenities include Mr. C’s signature coffee bar, Bellini Bar, rooftop spa, private cinema, fitness centre and exclusive lounge floors curated just for Nobile Collection residences. Design excellence and Mr. C’s world-renowned service at every level.
For more information visit mrcresidencesdowntown.com
Images Supplied
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Interiors’ Autumn 2025 Issue