LW Design Redefines Contemporary Luxury Dining in Dubai
Four distinctive F&B spaces reveal a more intimate, immersive and emotionally driven expression of contemporary hospitality
In a city long associated with grandeur and spectacle, LW Design Group is shaping a more nuanced vision for contemporary luxury dining. Through a series of recent F&B projects across Dubai, the award-winning interior architecture and design studio – LW Design, moves beyond conventional expressions of opulence to create spaces defined by atmosphere, narrative and human connection.
Under the creative direction of Pooja Shah-Mulani, Managing Partner, Creative at LW Design, the studio’s approach reflects a wider evolution in the region’s dining culture. Luxury is no longer measured by visual impact alone, but by the emotional memory a space leaves behind through materiality, movement, intimacy and the rituals of gathering.
Across Netsu Bar at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai; Chic Nonna at Dubai International Financial Centre; Cala Vista at Jumeirah Mina Al Salam; and The Beam at Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa, LW Design explores a new hospitality language for Dubai, one that balances refinement with warmth, cultural storytelling with contemporary ease, and design presence with emotional depth.
Netsu Bar: A Theatrical Threshold
At Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai, Netsu Bar transforms the former Lobby Lounge and Library into a dedicated arrival and bar experience for the acclaimed Netsu restaurant. Rather than treating the bar as a supporting space, LW Design conceived it as a narrative prologue, an atmospheric threshold that heightens anticipation before guests enter the restaurant’s “Theatre of Fire”. Inspired by Kabuki performance, the journey moves from the light-filled hotel lobby into a more intimate, dimly lit world, where energy, rhythm and theatricality gradually unfold.
At the heart of the space, the bar becomes a performative installation, climbing the wall and sweeping across the ceiling in a luminous gesture. Deep red velvet curtains, bespoke graffiti by Enforce One, golden sake niches, raw-edge timber, woven jute and smoky mirrored ceilings create a dialogue between polish and rawness, refinement and craft. Edgy yet intimate, Netsu Bar captures a new mood for Dubai dining — one where luxury is atmospheric, immersive and emotionally charged.
Chic Nonna: The Warmth of Home
At Gate Avenue in Dubai International Financial Centre, Chic Nonna brings the spirit of an Italian osteria into a sophisticated urban setting. Created in collaboration with Eric Kuster, who designed the original Chic Nonna in Lecce, Italy, LW Design shaped the Dubai outpost around the idea of “there is no place like home”. The result is a two-storey restaurant that pairs traditional Italian warmth with the metropolitan rhythm of the city.
The design unfolds through a dramatic double-height entrance framed by an elegant metal façade and mature olive trees. Inside, an open-show kitchen anchors the ground floor, while the staircase and wine cellar connect the dining room to the first-floor lounge, whiskey and cigar bar. Chalk, copper and pine green tones are layered with aged timber, black gunmetal, Italian Pietra Leccese sandstone, leather and velvet, creating a space where residential warmth softens and elevates the fine dining experience.
Cala Vista: Amalfi by the Sea
Set high on the beachfront of Jumeirah Mina Al Salam, Cala Vista brings the relaxed elegance of the Amalfi Coast to Dubai. Conceived as an ode to Italian coastal living, the restaurant creates a sense of escape through greenery, sea views and alfresco dining. Olive trees, lemon trees, bougainvillea and hand-glazed planters shape an atmosphere that feels generous, sunlit and deeply connected to its shoreline setting.
Spanning three levels and multiple terraces, Cala Vista uses teak wood, honed stone, tumbled travertine, Italian-inspired patterned tiles, Statuario marble and bespoke cast iron railings to create a sophisticated yet relaxed setting. Beige and navy tones are lifted with bold stripes and yellow accents, while the marble bar forms a refined focal point. Rather than relying on decorative excess, LW Design captures the spirit of “la dolce vita” — convivial, tactile and quietly transporting.
The Beam: Everyday Coastal Elegance
At Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa, LW Design reimagines The Beam as a breezy, all-day bistro that reflects a more understated approach to hospitality. Part of a broader culinary vision by chef Nick Alvis, the restaurant is designed to feel as natural at breakfast as it does at sunset cocktails. Light-filled interiors, soft banquettes, an expansive terrace and a palette inspired by sand, sea and sun-washed timber create a setting that is warm, flexible and quietly elevated.
The redesign demonstrates LW Design’s ability to work with continuity rather than replacement. Existing marble flooring and the hexagonal ceiling were preserved and softened with artificial rattan inlays, while whitewashed brick, ticking-striped textiles, muted blue accents, marble and timber finishes bring texture and ease. Calm, capable and considered, The Beam reflects a different kind of luxury — one rooted in comfort, rhythm and everyday beauty.
A New Language of Luxury Dining
Together, these projects reveal how LW Design is contributing to a broader evolution in Dubai’s hospitality landscape. In place of overt opulence, the studio is crafting spaces that prioritise emotion, movement and memory. Each restaurant is immersive in its own way: Netsu Bar through theatrical anticipation, Chic Nonna through residential intimacy, Cala Vista through coastal escapism, and The Beam through relaxed daily elegance.
For LW Design, contemporary luxury dining is not defined by spectacle alone, but by the quality of experience it creates. Through material honesty, cultural cues, spatial storytelling and a deep understanding of how people gather, the studio continues to shape dining environments that feel both distinctly Dubai and globally resonant — refined, social and deeply human.