Designing luxury beyond conventional boundaries

Winning the Emerging Architect of the Year award in Dubai at just 25 is an extraordinary achievement. What does this recognition mean to you, and how has it strengthened your vision for The House of Revan Luay?

Receiving this award was incredibly meaningful because it represents far more than personal recognition. To me, it validates a way of thinking that I’ve believed in for a long time. Architecture has never been just about buildings. It’s about creating places that influence how people feel, remember and connect.

When I first moved to Dubai, I was fascinated by the city’s skyline. Watching it evolve over the years played a huge role in inspiring me to pursue architecture. It showed me what was possible when ambition, creativity and vision come together. For me, The House of Revan Luay has never been about opening one beautiful residence or launching one fragrance collection. It’s about creating something that can stand the test of time. I want to build a luxury house that people trust because every experience carrying the Revan Luay name reflects the same level of care, quality and intention.

This recognition has simply strengthened my belief that it’s worth taking the long road and building something meaningful.

You are building far more than a brand; you are creating a modern luxury house spanning hospitality, fragrance, wellness and design. What inspired this bold vision, and what gap did you see in the market?

The idea came from years of observing how people experience luxury. I’ve always loved staying in great hotels and beautifully designed homes, but I often felt there was a choice to make. You could have the warmth and privacy of a private residence or the service of a luxury hotel. It was surprisingly difficult to find both together. That observation became the starting point for The House of Revan Luay. But as I developed the concept, I realised hospitality was only one part of a much bigger picture. The places we remember are never defined by architecture alone. We remember the fragrance in the room, the furniture we interacted with, the atmosphere, the lighting, the breakfast, the conversations and the feeling we left with.

Those experiences naturally led me to think beyond hospitality.

Fragrance became an extension of memory. Furniture became an extension of how people live. Wellness became an extension of how people feel. Rather than creating separate businesses, I wanted to create one world where every element belongs together. That’s what luxury houses have traditionally done so well. They create a complete identity rather than individual products. That’s the vision I’m working towards with Revan Luay.

From Parsons School of Design to launching a luxury venture with global ambitions, your journey has been anything but conventional. What experiences have shaped your understanding of modern luxury and entrepreneurship?

I think every stage of my journey has taught me something different. Studying architecture at Parsons taught me discipline and how to think beyond aesthetics. Good design isn’t simply about making something beautiful. It has to solve problems and improve the way people live. My years at You & I Magazine gave me another perspective. Spending almost a decade researching many of the world’s finest hotels, restaurants, airlines, designers and fashion houses allowed me to study luxury from the inside. I wasn’t just admiring beautiful brands. I was trying to understand why some experiences stayed with people for years while others were quickly forgotten.

Travel has also been one of my greatest teachers. Growing up between New York, Hyderabad and Dubai, and later travelling extensively across Asia and the Maldives, exposed me to different cultures, different approaches to hospitality and different ideas of beauty. It taught me that luxury isn’t universal. It’s deeply emotional and often very personal. Entrepreneurship, however, has taught me the biggest lesson of all. Vision is important, but patience is equally important. Building a meaningful brand takes time. There are no shortcuts when you’re trying to create something that will hopefully outlive you.

The House of Revan Luay is expanding across multiple lifestyle categories while staying rooted in quiet luxury and craftsmanship. What is your long-term vision for the brand, and how do you plan to take it to the global stage?

As we grow internationally, I don’t want people to recognise us because we’ve become the biggest luxury brand. I’d much rather they recognise us because every experience carrying the Revan Luay name feels thoughtful, timeless and deeply personal. If, twenty years from now, someone walks into a Revan Luay space anywhere in the world and immediately recognises that feeling of calm, warmth and understated elegance, then I’ll know we’ve built something that has real longevity. For me, that’s the true definition of success.