An office with a corporate view

Corporate Values: Al Habtoor 21 Real Estate office

Warm. Elegant. Semi-classic. Modern. The interiors of Al Habtoor 21 Real Estate office combine all these different elements to create a harmonious work setting.

But that's not all...this office has yet another important factor working for it: its perfect location near the Zabeel Road underpass. The splendid views of the green belt, a smooth stream of traffic and the not-so-distant Sheikh Zayed Road skyline further enhance its office appeal.

"This new three-storeyed building has easy access and is centrally located. The views are excellent, especially of Sheikh Zayed Road. There is so much greenery too. The other plus factor is that no building will come up opposite this one. We moved in a year ago, and run our family business from this head office," says Al Mur Al-Habtoor, chairman of the company.

"The interior turnkey project went to Salah Interiors last year and my brother, Mansoor, dealt largely with them with some inputs from my side. I like the classic look, while he likes modern. So each room has a different concept. Our offices are carpeted, while the meeting room has a parquet floor. The reception area and the corridors have marble flooring."

Adds Salah Interiors' designer Abbas Mutlaqh, "This was the first time I was working with office interiors, though I have worked on numerous home interiors. Our proposal was immediately accepted; however, Mansoor Al-Habtoor was very specific on certain details in his cabin and preferred modern touches."

The reception area mixes semi-classic with modern but in a manner to create what Mutlaqh calls a homely touch. "Normally offices are just straightforward offices. I have tried to incorporate some elements of a residential atmosphere here," he explains. "My first flooring preference is marble. Then parquet and, finally, very high-quality carpeting in the top-brass cabins."

The marble flooring with insets makes its own statement in the reception area. "We used a plain colour on the floor because of extensive details in the wooden beech and cherry walls. The touch of brown marble insets in the floor echoes the feel of the wood," he says. "The wood was not stained - it is steamed beech, which gives off a nice orange-ish colour." The result is a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Ceilings were equally important, he stresses. "Floor and ceilings are as important as the furniture and accessories - this is what unifies an entire interior," he says.

"The problem of the air-conditioning duct and the low-ceiling heights was solved by not adding cornices or different depths. However, we also created a small central dome with an interesting chandelier." Wood was used again as a ceiling highlight to blend with the entire look.

In keeping with the rest of the interior, the lighting too is a mix of modern and semi-classic looks. But, to break the formality of the wood and the semi-classic look, a different colour of upholstery was used.

"We have used blue-coloured leather in the sofas to sweeten the look. While I could have chosen brown or maroon, I feel that blue gives the surroundings a calm effect. It also echoes the effect of the blue aquarium background in the reception," says Mutlaqh.

The corridor features marble flooring mixed with modern chrome lighting which makes it an interesting area to walk through. The designer created a feature area just outside Al Mur's office which incorporates a chesterfield-styled seating area in brown suede upholstery. "Again it's a classic effect," adds Mutlaqh. The upholstery colour is echoed in the corridor flooring details - the latter has chrome borders.

Al Mur's office incorporates dark green leather chesterfield sofas (reflecting the greenery outside), wallpaper, classic carpeting and oakwood panelling to create a classic setting. Roman blinds are ideal for this interior and enhance the views.

"I have used brass details to continue the classic theme. The guest chairs (opposite the main table) are Louis IV style. All the furniture, wall units and doors have inlay details - but only when you look closely will you see them," says Mutlaqh.

Mansoor Al-Habtoor's office has an interesting basket-weave carpet.

"This office is semi-classic mixed with touches of modern. The latter is visible in the choice of sofas and chrome lighting. The chairs, curtains and the wooden cornices and details are classic. All knobs details are in chrome - the client specifically wanted this instead of brass," he explains.

The meeting room has its own elegance. "We used a royal blue colour because that is the room where you meet clients or hold presentations. Besides, blue looks attractive with chrome and the warm, steamed beech," explains Mutlaqh.

From the designer's point of view, this room posed two problems: it had a big column and the windows were uninteresting.

But, since the client was insistent that this should be the meeting room, Mutlaqh decided to go in for a mix of wooden panelling combined with leather (and wooden insets in the latter) to make the column attractive and, to soften the look of the windows, he used pure silk Roman blinds with sheers.

"The major highlight of this office is the beautiful view. Our priority was to place the seating in all the main cabins to breathe in the view," says Mutlaqh. All in all, it's an office to come home to.