0000
QB/0305
Oasis of Warm Minimalism
Riyadh 2025
400
sq. m.
4
floors
3
project time
In this residential project, we challenged the traditional boundary between exterior and interior. By designing the villa around a central atrium, we created an architectural "introvert" — a home that looks inward to its own private oasis rather than the street to ensure absolute privacy.
The aesthetic is a masterclass in warm minimalism. By layering textures — travertine, microcement and rich wood — instead of colors, the space achieves a sense of quiet luxury. Every element was engineered to transform a large-scale volume into a series of human-centric experiences.
The Entertainment Lounge / Basement floor
The lobby serves as a seamless entry point where we utilized integrated storage to maintain a rhythmic visual flow, concealing functional elements within floor-to-ceiling cabinetry. This continuity maximizes spatial efficiency and draws the eye toward the living areas, setting a sophisticated tone for the rest of the home.
Multipurpose hall
In the main living hall, we redefined subterranean comfort by treating light as a primary building material. To eliminate the typical enclosed feeling of a basement, we utilized floor-to-ceiling glazing that opens onto the internal atrium, flooding the space with reflected light.
Circular Dining
In the dining area, we transitioned from the expansive living hall to a more curated, circular geometry. By integrating a minimalist pantry directly into the wood-paneled walls, we ensured that the space remains highly functional for service.This blend of utility and design allows the dining area to serve as both a formal setting and an extension of the home’s social core.
Grounded Guest Area
In the diwania, we pivoted to a deeper, more dramatic palette to establish a sense of grounded exclusivity. With dark wood paneling and perimeter seating, we created an intimate "cocoon" designed for extended evening conversations.
The adjoining kitchenette allows it to disappear into the cabinetry when not in use, maintaining a clean, uninterrupted profile. This architectural solution provides full hospitality functionality without interrupting the room's formal visual flow.
In the wash areas, we utilized monolith-style washbasins and integrated stone textures to evoke a sense of "tactile luxury" that guests can feel. By employing soft, indirect halo lighting behind mirrors and within wall niches, we eliminated harsh reflections and shadows, creating a comforting atmosphere.
Light, Water and Open Living / Ground floor
Our design approach prioritizes a reductive palette to allow the architectural volumes to speak for themselves. In the main living area, the use of monolithic forms and rhythmic verticality creates a sense of monumental calm, where every detail is secondary to the overall feeling of serenity.
To maintain a sense of openness, we curated low-profile, modular lounge furniture that anchors the space without obstructing the panoramic views of the courtyard. By continuing the microcement flooring and warm wood textures from the indoors out to the pool deck, we’ve created a visual expansion that makes the living area feel twice its actual size.
The water in the pool acts as a natural mirror, reflecting light into the living spaces to create an atmosphere of permanent vacation. Its placement in the atrium ensures that every room in the house benefits from the calming sound of water and the play of light dancing across the interior ceilings.
Social Gallery
In the kitchen, we treated the island as a piece of sculpture rather than a mere utility. The seamless integration of stone and wood paneling hides all technical appliances, allowing the culinary space to maintain the same refined, architectural DNA as the formal living areas.
The dining area is defined by a sense of rhythmic order, where the long-form table aligns with the building’s linear axis. Surrounded by soft, textured walls and framed by views of the courtyard, it serves as a gallery-like setting for hosting, where the interplay of shadow and light becomes the primary decor.
Textured Guest Bath Area
In the wash area, we paired textured wood panels with a rugged stone wall to create a natural, high-end look. By using a wall-mounted faucet, we kept the counter clean and simple, making the beautiful, raw stone the main focus of the room.
The bathroom is anchored by a bespoke vanity carved from a single block of stone, creating a heavy focal point that contrasts with the softness of the microcement walls. We replaced traditional overhead lighting with integrated halo LEDs to maintain the guest’s sensory experience.
Private Viewpoint
In the lounge, we opted for a more private, contemplative atmosphere while maintaining a direct visual link to the atrium. This area serves as a transition point where the family can enjoy the beauty of the outdoors from a position of absolute, climate-controlled comfort.
Master Bedroom Suite / First floor
The bedroom on the first floor embraces a darker palette to create a sense of absolute calm and privacy. We used deep-toned wood paneling and charcoal upholstery to ground the space, creating a sophisticated environment that feels protective and quiet. By layering these rich, tactile materials, we’ve established a sanctuary where the architecture itself encourages rest and mental clarity.
Opposite the sleeping area, the TV zone is seamlessly integrated into a custom-built cabinetry wall that mirrors the room’s architectural rhythm. By housing the screen within a recessed niche and pairing it with a minimalist floating console, we ensured that the technology remains a secondary element, preserving the room’s formal visual purity when not in use.
The walk-in closet is designed as a gallery-style space with tinted glass doors and integrated internal lighting that makes the collection easy to navigate. The use of dark, textured carcasses and bronze-toned accents continues the high-end, unified look, transforming a functional storage area into a sophisticated dressing experience that feels both organized and luxurious.
In the bathroom, the dark aesthetic continues with the use of charcoal stone and microcement to create a spa-like atmosphere. The space is anchored by a massive, sculptural double vanity carved from a single block of light-veined marble, providing a striking visual contrast that serves as the room’s primary focal point.
Upper Retreat / Second floor
For the bedroom on the second floor, we maintained the same dark palette to create a cohesive architectural identity throughout the residence. By using charcoal wall treatments and dark oak accents, the room offer a grounded, serene atmosphere perfect for rest. Large windows provide a sharp contrast to the moody interiors, framing the outdoor views like lit canvases against the dark walls.
The walk-in closet is conceived as a seamless extension of the bedroom’s dark timber envelope. Integrated behind tinted glass and floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, the storage remains entirely out of sight to preserve the room’s minimalist discipline. Inside, specialized lighting illuminates the internal shelving, ensuring that the functional requirements of the space are met with the same level of sophistication as the main living zones.
The ensuite bathroom transitions into a more tactile, stone-heavy environment, anchored by a monolithic vanity carved from deep-toned quartz. By continuing the microcement floor into the shower area, we created a wet-room layout that maximizes the sense of space. Matte-black fixtures and a concealed drainage system reinforce the "raw and refined" aesthetic, stripping away unnecessary ornamentation in favor of pure form.
QB/0257
Duo-Level Modern Apartment
Riyadh, KSA 2023
All RIGHTS RESERVED 2023. LEQB ARCHITECTS PRIVACY POLICY
All RIGHTS RESERVED 2023. LEQB ARCHITECTS
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