Interior Design Services in Dubai

We design interiors for homes and offices across the UAE. Apartments in Marina and Downtown, villas in Emirates Hills and Palm Jumeirah, townhouses in JVC and Arabian Ranches, and commercial spaces in DIFC and Business Bay. The work covers concept, space planning, furniture sourcing, lighting design, and project management through to final styling.

What We Actually Do

Interior design as a service can mean different things to different studios. For us, it covers the full process from first conversation to handing over a finished space. The work splits into a few stages and most clients use all of them, though some come to us for specific parts only.

Concept and direction. The first phase is understanding how you live or work in a space, what's not working in the current setup, what you want it to feel like, and what the practical constraints are (budget, timeline, family or staff needs, lifestyle). We translate this into a design direction with mood boards, material palettes, and initial layout concepts.

Space planning. Most interior projects fail at this stage rather than the styling stage. A beautifully styled room that doesn't actually work for how people live in it is a failure. We plan layouts that account for circulation, seating arrangements, sight lines, lighting zones, and the small practical things (where the TV cables go, where the kids' homework happens, where guests put their shoes).

Furniture sourcing and curation. As both an interior design studio and a furniture retailer, we have direct access to brands like Caracole, plus relationships with suppliers across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The sourcing is matched to budget rather than to a fixed brand list. Most projects mix our own stocked pieces with sourced or commissioned items.

Lighting design. Layered lighting (ambient, task, accent) transforms how rooms feel more than almost any other design element. Most homes in the UAE are over-lit with ambient and under-lit with task and accent. Our lighting plans address this room by room.

Project management. For larger projects (full villa designs, office fit-outs), we coordinate the contractors, suppliers, deliveries, and installations. This is a separate skill from design itself and is where most DIY interior projects come unstuck.

Residential Interior Design

Most of our residential work is in Dubai, with regular projects in Abu Dhabi and across the wider Emirates. Apartments, villas, townhouses, holiday homes, and the occasional historic conversion all sit within the residential remit.

Apartment design. Dubai apartments come with constraints that high-end villa work doesn't, tighter floor plans, lift access for furniture, building management approvals for any structural changes, and budgets that need to be deployed efficiently. We design around these constraints rather than fighting them.

Villa design. Villas in Emirates Hills, Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Golf Estates, and Al Barari give us room to do more, full home design, garden-facing layouts, multiple living zones, formal dining and majlis spaces, and home offices. These projects typically run 4-9 months from initial brief to handover.

Holiday and second homes. Properties used seasonally need slightly different design thinking, lower-maintenance materials, robustness for periods of disuse and AC cycling, and aesthetics that don't date when you only see the place for a few weeks a year.

Commercial Interior Design

Beyond residential, we design and fit out commercial spaces across the UAE. Offices, hospitality venues, retail showrooms, and private clinics.

Office design. Modern office work has changed. The grid of desks and isolated meeting rooms doesn't reflect how teams actually work in 2026. We design office interiors around how the specific business operates, where people focus, where they collaborate, where they have client conversations, and where they decompress.

Hospitality and retail. Restaurants, cafes, boutique retail, and showroom spaces all need design that supports the customer experience as much as the brand identity. We've completed projects across hospitality and retail in Dubai and can coordinate the brand, design, fit-out, and furnishing as a single package.

How a Project Typically Runs

Initial consultation. Free, no obligation. Usually 60-90 minutes at your space (or at our showroom if you prefer). We discuss what you want, look at the space (or floor plans), and outline what a project might involve.

Proposal and quote. Based on the consultation, we send a written proposal covering scope, timeline, and fees. Interior design fees can be structured a few ways, fixed project fee, percentage of project value, or hourly. We discuss which makes sense for your project.

Design phase. Once signed off, we move into the design phase, mood boards, space plans, furniture selections, finish samples, lighting plans. You see and approve everything before anything is ordered or installed.

Sourcing and procurement. We source everything, furniture, lighting, decor, materials, finishes. Items come from our own stocked collections, brand partnerships, custom commissions, and trade-only suppliers. The sourcing approach matches the project budget.

Installation and styling. The final phase. Furniture delivered and installed, lighting fitted, decor placed, and final styling completed. For larger projects this can span several days. The space is handed over ready to live in or work in.

How much does interior design cost in Dubai?

Interior design in Dubai typically ranges from AED 300 to AED 800 per square metre for design fees, depending on scope and complexity. For a full apartment project, design fees usually fall between AED 25,000 and AED 80,000. Villa projects can range AED 80,000 to AED 300,000+ depending on size. These are design fees only, separate from furniture, materials, and construction costs. Fixed-project, percentage, and hourly fee structures are all available.

Do you only do high-end interior design projects?

No. We work across budget ranges, from focused single-room projects in apartments to full villa designs. The approach scales to match the budget. The smallest projects we work on are usually around AED 15,000 in fees. We're transparent about what's possible at each budget tier during the initial consultation.

How long does an interior design project take?

Small projects (single room, focused refresh) typically run 2-4 months from brief to completion. Full apartments run 4-6 months. Villas run 6-9 months. Custom commissions and made-to-order furniture often determine the overall timeline. We provide realistic timelines at the proposal stage.

Are you registered as interior designers in the UAE?

Yes. Hive Living operates under appropriate UAE business licensing and follows local regulations for design and fit-out services. Project approvals through building management, DDA (Dubai Development Authority), or relevant regulators are handled as part of project management.

Do you only use furniture from your own store?

No. The sourcing matches the project. Some projects use mostly Hive Living-stocked pieces, others use external brands, custom commissions, or trade-only suppliers. We have no fixed obligation to use our own inventory, the goal is to source what's right for the project.

Can you work with my existing furniture?

Yes. Many projects involve integrating existing pieces with new sourcing rather than starting from scratch. We can advise on which existing pieces to keep, which to replace, and how to combine with new additions.

Do you do interior design for hotels and restaurants?

Yes. We undertake hospitality and commercial interior design across Dubai and the UAE, including restaurants, hotels, boutique retail, and clinics. Hospitality projects typically have different procurement and timeline considerations, which we discuss during the initial consultation.

Can you handle the construction and contractor side too?

Yes. For projects involving fit-out work, we coordinate the contractors, MEP work, finishing trades, and installation. This is delivered as part of our turnkey fit-out service, separate from but often combined with interior design.

How do I start an interior design project with Hive Living?

Book a consultation by emailing info@hiveliving.ae or calling our showroom. The initial consultation is free and usually 60-90 minutes. We discuss your project, see the space (or floor plans), and outline what's possible. After that we send a written proposal.