Travel Palette | Arabian Desert Meets Contemporary Luxury in Dubai

From the expansive Arabian Desert to shiny skyscrapers and luxury shopping malls, Dubai seems to have it all. Today on the blog, we draw inspiration from color and design trends in this ultramodern city.

Dubai In Color

Photo by Darcey Beau

Last week, I found myself in the heart of downtown Dubai, steps away from major landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Fountain, and The Dubai Mall. If you’ve ever been, you’ll know that Dubai has the uncanny ability to shock and awe. It is lustrous, larger-than-life, and so picture-perfect you’d swear it’s been retouched. In terms of color, there’s a continuity to the city that I’m not accustomed to seeing. Think: pristine shades of white, sandy beige tones, rich browns, and gold and silver to elevate the neutrals.

Desert-Inspired Tones

Photo by Juliana Malta

While Dubai is anything but minimalistic, there’s a sense of minimalism to the white- and beige-centric colors found in the decor and architecture. Generally speaking, the colors used for the urban areas tend to be on the side of bright and light, reminiscent of the sand and sun that the city’s known for. Impactful lighting fixtures and reflective metallic accents serve to brighten and elevate the muted tones.

Nods to Nature

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The color green has been a significant trend in the United Arab Emirates for the past two years, particularly in the urban center. Similarly to the rest of the world, city dwellers are drawn to the color green because of its associations to nature. Today, it’s common to see the color green being used in interior and exterior design, as well as other nods to nature, such as indoor micro-gardens and conceptual ‘green walls.’