There’s a quote in Anne de Courcy’s compelling social history The Husband Hunters: American Heiresses Who Married Into the British Aristocracy that part of the reason American women were popular is that they were “full of dash, snap and go, sprightly, dazzling and audacious.” It’s a description that can be applied to this family home in Dubai’s Springs community, with its zesty interiors and Ibiza-esque back garden, created by Benn Robinson, founder and interior designer of the eponymous practice Benn Robinson Studios. The filmic quality is perhaps not surprising, given Robinson’s background in fashion styling and set creation. “It allows me to understand how a space needs to feel,” he reflects, “and how it photographs, and how all the final pieces come together.”
The owners, a young, design-conscious couple with a new baby and a dog, wanted a home that felt relaxed and personal rather than polished and formulaic, and Robinson worked hard within the familiar framework of a Dubai family villa to create the open-plan feel they were looking for. The renovation began by reworking part of the house’s footprint. “We extended the front of the property to create the snug,” says Robinson, referring to the striped sofa and scalloped window details that now give the new room its charm. With taller ceilings and custom joinery concealing the television, the space now opens out towards the garden and brings the kitchen into the heart of the home.
Astride the kitchen, an under-stairs storage area was opened up to improve circulation and pull light further into the villa. “One side became a wine fridge, another became a dog cupboard,” Robinson explains, “and the new corridor brings light through from the doors instead of leaving it as a dark space.” With light from both sides, the focus is on the kitchen’s marble island and its soft pink and white swirls. “The stone’s amazing,” says Robinson, who sourced it through a specialist supplier after reviewing several options with the client. Rather than confining it to the kitchen, leftover pieces were reused elsewhere in the house, including on a small stair-landing bench.
Heading upstairs, via the newly curved stairs and customised handrail, there’s a calmness to the bedrooms. Aside from some graphic floral upholstery, the primary bedroom is predominantly neutral, letting the views over a Springs lake take precedence. A cabinetry-matched swing door leads into the ensuite, creating the effect of a concealed entrance. “It was a really awkward space, but we fitted a lot in,” says Robinson, who used darker microcement, custom joinery and stone veined with pinks, reds and greens, offset by bobbin mirrors and Honore lighting. An existing diffused window – one of The Springs’ more prosaic architectural details – was retained for the soft quality of light it brings into the room.
Outside, the garden is a joy, and feels like the best of modern Mediterranean style. The pool, initially rendered in the same material as the surrounding concrete, felt too flat, so Robinson switched direction, to great effect. “We found these matte, non-slip tiles and decided to do a checkerboard pattern,” he says. “It’s simple, but it completely changes the space.” Around it, performance fabrics keep the scheme practical without losing its sense of fun: striped cushions, contrast piping and an awning with a scalloped edge bring a holidayish vibe to the garden. “I love piping – I’ll put it on almost anything,” Robinson says. “It upgrades a piece immediately.” The result is a pool area that nods to the Mediterranean without slipping into pastiche.
For Robinson the finishes are where the house comes into its own. “I don’t want a home to look like a show home, but the final layer of cushions, throws, rugs and details matter,” he notes. Here, they give the house its dash: the striped awning, the checkerboard pool, the pink-veined marble, the scalloped edges and flashes of colour all turn a familiar Dubai villa into something spirited. The client’s response was immediate. “She came downstairs with the baby and just said, ‘wow,’” Robinson recalls. For a house defined by colour and character, it feels like the right final word. @bennrobinteriors
