Interior design studio Roar, led by Pallavi Dean, has given Dubai restaurant Mezza House a contemporary overhaul. The design draws inspiration from the landscape of the Yarmouk River Valley, a small but diverse ecosystem on the border of Syria and Jordan. Roar has conceived a contemporary interior that reflects this wealth of subtle but important regional influences.
The restaurant is organized as a succession of naturally flowing areas rather than one open-planned space. A key part of the redesign is the labyrinthine network of golden pipes that runs across the restaurant, visually structuring the different zones and mapping out the guests’ journey.
As an early advocate of biophilic design, the studio has applied its principles throughout, from the rattan furniture and wallcoverings to the floral arrangements suspended from the walls and ceiling.A soft color palette of rose and green hues is seen throughout. The pink tones evoke the Anatolian Orchid that thrives near the Yarmouk River, while the green notes are inspired by the leaves of the emblematic Atlantic pistachio tree that is found in the valley.
“During concept development, we kept coming back to the Yarmouk River Valley. This is where Jordan meets Syria, where the lush riverbed rises up to meet the jagged mountains, and where summer meets winter,” says Dean, founder and creative director of Roar. “It is also a designer’s dream: the landscape offers an incredible array of textures and colors as inspiration. Our client wanted to redefine what a contemporary Levantine restaurant should look and feel like in Dubai today, so we thought the Yarmouk River Valley with its vast diversity has the perfect connotations.”
Photo: Courtesy of Roar
