A land of conquest for the major design studios, where architects are accustomed to competing in a race for supremacy that has no winners because the finishing line is always just out of reach, Dubai is destined to hover between dream and reality. A hyperbolic reality that, by emphasising the symbolic aspect and the essentially synthetic nature, seduces and also perpetuates the expectations of its visitors. Those who visit for business and leisure are cosmopolitan guests who look for hotels not only for a less frenetic and more sociable break but also seek exclusive micro-worlds that do not just provide an overnight service. And if luxury, in this race against time and intuition, has prevailed by pouring opulence into the design of interiors, now it seems to be exploring expressive paths that lead to concepts of sophistication and uniqueness.
The new Four Seasons Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) pursues these paths by offering innovative hospitality through the range of styles that characterise all its spaces, from the common areas to the private rooms, and make them pleasingly productive. Located in the DIFC pedestrian zone, one of the most important business districts in the world, the hotel bears the stamp of one of the most famous contemporary interior designers, Adam D. Tihany, who, in pursuing a design approach impervious to replicas and the ordinary, has chosen to enhance the quality of a sophisticated and creative image, focusing the gaze only on that “national scene” centred on the delusion of grandeur. There are two separate entrances, one at street level for those who arrive by car and the other in the DIFC. Of the eight levels, the first and last are reserved for public areas. An upper hall extends to the outside terrace, the Penrose Lounge, where guests and local businessmen are welcome in a space that attests to its value as a place for meeting and interaction; while the Monogram offers more flexibility in a space where business appointments can be organised and an office can even be set up until one in the morning. Even in the rooms and suites – ‘only’ 106 in all – guests’ business requirements are met with desks created by Cassina Contract, designed to be converted into conference tables within a more intimate ambience, inspired in part by the fifties. Tihany’s multidisciplinary spirit finds its natural completion in the food area: restaurants and bars where the chatter of commercial communication is exchanged amidst tailor-made luxury, 90% of which relies on Made in Italy design. Unique and exclusive creations made according to the principles of sartorial workmanship from the contract sections of Flos, which was commissioned to provide the lighting, Poltrona Frau, chosen for the furniture, and Rubelli, selected for its priceless fabrics.
On the sixth and seventh floors, guests can enjoy a secret oasis intended for relaxation, where there is a spa with a view of the city, a gym open 24 hours a day, a pair of bars and a scenic outside glass swimming pool that looks like an ice cube. The rooftop Luna Sky Bar is inspired by the falcon, the national emblem of luxury and courage, framed by floor to ceiling windows to extend beyond measure the view of the Burj Khalifa and the Arabian Gulf. Here, making use of the intensity of light and the yellow/black colour contrast, the fluid morphology of the walls and the eccentric note of the geometric patterns of the ceiling dominate. The Firebird Diner, managed by the chef, Michael Minà, is a more recognisable tribute to the iconic American restaurant of the fifties, both in terms of the menu and the metal and coloured leather furniture. And certainly also due to the characteristic references to Cadillac cars, reinterpreted in the bold, jutting dynamism of the walls created by Bram, artist and son of Adam D. Tihany.
Client: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Interior design: Tihany Design
Furnishings: B&B Italia, Cassina Contract, Colber,
Flexform, Kettal, Minotti, Misuraemme, Poltrona Frau, Roda
Parasols: Tuuci
Lightings: Delightfull, Donghia, Flos/Lighting Contract, Gulflight, Kevin Reilly, Marset, Porta Romana
Bathrooms: Dornbracht, Kohler sanitary ware, Hafele
Fabrics: Calvin, Donghia, Pierry Frey, Rubelli, Warwick
Rugs: Patodia; Loloey
Water Feature: David Harber
