desert INK's design for this residential landscape property in Dubai marks a radical departure from regional trends. Composed to reflect this Emirati family of five's lifestyle, the landscape incorporates dining, play, entertaining, and cozy family spaces, while subtly addressing the need to screen the formal sections of the house and garden to ensure privacy from visiting guests. desert INK worked hand in hand with Dutch architects UXUS to compose this dwelling in which landscape and architecture conceal and reveal each other in turn, vistas, and glimpses are carefully orchestrated and both are held together with a consistent rhythm of common materiality.

From a small, but dense verdant core of layered planting protecting the inner sanctum of family life in the elbow of the 'L'-shaped villa, planting transitions towards a flowing, naturalistic xeriscape at the boundaries. This subtle graduation from tropical paradise to rolling dunes of indigenous species successfully balances the client's requirements with desert INK's sustainable goals. In limiting the extent of the thirsty tropical garden towards the villa, interior views, adjacent exterior terraces, and general daily life is framed by a wonderful array of leafy, flowering plants and a stunning swimming pool. The use of local materials, notably plants, stones, and paving for the remaining majority of the garden, was a critical sustainability goal for desert INK which serves to reinforce the thematic transition from tropical core to a wider regionally inspired landscape. Fusing a small portion of a verdant tropical style typically only found on distant shores, with a contemporary xeriscape vernacular, the design delivers upon the client's wishes to reflect their fondness for travel while simultaneously reflecting their deep affinity with the deserts and mountains of the UAE.

Measuring 10,630sqm this private garden is composed of several distinct zones, each with a defined purpose and aesthetic. A truly unique composition, this property perfectly reflects the lives, passions, duties, and daily requirements of the family within. Showcasing a new xeriscape vernacular for the region, it marks the first of a new breed of designed landscapes that embraces the modern tastes of a younger, well-travelled generation of Emiratis, while simultaneously reflecting a culture deeply rooted in the stunning natural desert and mountain environment.