Sean Connolly at Dubai Opera — Dubai, UAE
When tasked with creating chef Sean Connolly’s brasserie in the expansive top floor of architect Janus Rostock’s dhow-shaped Dubai Opera masterpiece, Jeremy Bull, founder of Alexander & Co, made a calculated decision: sink it.
Designed in partnership with fellow Australian multi-disciplinary practice, Tribe Studio, aquatic themes flow between the conjoined main restaurant, bar areas and outdoor rooftop terrace serving premium grills and global seafood delicacies. ‘The experience is like floating through an ocean sea bed; unusual and surreal, with shards of daylight falling upon the corals of the furniture and reflecting from the scales of the enormous vaulted ceiling tiles,’ explains Bull.
Referencing the soft pink banquette leathers and faint pearl grey matt and glazed finishes of the oyster shell-like sails above, textures, colours and patinas were considered with exacting precision.
Sea kelp-green velveteen lounges and an immersive dappled blue wool carpet float atop sandy-hued marble floors upon which curvilinear cult 20th-Century furniture originals are poised. Custom-designed masterpieces include a brass mobile light batten with disc nodules inspired by floating driftwood and a suspended Merino wool tentacle sculpture.
ADDRESS
Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Vipp Todos Santos wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025
A new guesthouse from the Danish design brand brings a Scandinavian aesthetic to a desert location in Mexico
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
A next-generation Milanese members’ club wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025
The Wilde wins our Best Social Hub award for its embodiment of the cosmopolitan Milanese spirit
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Dolce & Gabbana takes over Paris’ Grand Palais with an opulent celebration of craft and creativity
Wallpaper* takes a tour of Dolce & Gabbana’s ‘Du Coeur à La Main (From the Heart to the Hand)’ exhibition in Paris, a spellbinding journey through the house’s collections and their Italian inspirations
By Jean Grogan Published
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openings
Explore the best new hotels in the world, from luxe new suites at Badrutt’s Palace to the long-awaited Zaha Hadid-designed Romeo Roma
By Nicola Leigh Stewart Last updated
-
Unmistakably Delano: the group’s new Dubai hotel draws on its storied Miami original
Lauren Ho checks into the Delano Dubai, the second opening in the hotel group’s sparkling new chapter
By Lauren Ho Published
-
One&Only’s portfolio of ultra-luxury escapes reaches out to new horizons
From the Maldives to Mexico, One&Only’s resorts and private homes around the world offer exceptional stays in idyllic locations, soon to include a first USA property, designed by Olson Kundig
By Simon Mills Published
-
The Dorchester Collection boosts Dubai’s hospitality scene with The Lana hotel
The Lana is the latest opening from The Dorchester Collection with interior design by Gilles & Boissier
By Lauren Ho Published
-
The Serai Wing launches its minimalist architecture in Sharjah
The Serai Wing opens in Sharjah to a design by Dubai-based studio Anarchitect
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Abu Dhabi travel guide: 8 cultural must-sees in the UAE capital
As the Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrates its fifth anniversary, we spotlight the UAE capital city’s cultural highlights, from contemporary art in historical sites to an architectural Apple Store, and a waterside wellness ecosystem
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro Published
-
Sixties sci-fi meets Dali at ‘Secret Room’ speakeasy in Dubai
By Daven Wu Last updated