Frequently Asked Questions
Questions we are asked most often. If yours is not here, the Contact page is the quickest way to reach us.
What does Arkenstone Design do?
We are an architecture and interior design studio based in Dubai, working across five disciplines: architecture, interior design, landscape design, turnkey design and build, and custom joinery and bespoke furniture. Most of our projects are private residences, with selected hospitality work.
Do you handle construction as well as design?
Yes. Our design and build service is a single contract from the first sketch to handover: design, construction, fit-out and finishing under one responsibility, so there is no gap between the drawing and what is built.
We also take design-only projects where a contractor is already appointed. See Services for how each is structured.
Do you actually make the joinery and furniture yourselves?
Yes, and this is unusual enough to be worth stating plainly: we own and run a 10,000 sq. ft. atelier in Dubai, and the millwork, panelling, walk-in closets, fire-rated door systems and upholstered furniture in our projects are made there. Nothing is outsourced.
It means the person who drew a detail and the person who cuts it work for the same studio. You can see the facility on The Factory.
Where do you take on projects?
Most of our work is in the UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. We have also delivered in Miami and carried out design work in Morocco and Algeria, with new work beginning in Oman.
If your project is elsewhere, ask. Whether we take it depends on the scope and how the build is to be supervised.
Can I engage you for one discipline only?
Yes. Plenty of our projects are single-discipline: an interior for a house someone else designed, a landscape for a completed villa, or joinery for a project already underway.
The Projects page shows both kinds: whole-villa projects alongside single-discipline work.
What does the design process look like?
Six stages. Discovery and briefing: understanding the site, the brief and how you actually live. Concept development: mood boards, sketches and early visuals. Design refinement: proportions, finishes and layout resolved. Technical documentation: drawings and specifications precise enough for everyone on site to build from. Execution and build supervision: site reviews and quality checks, whether we are building or overseeing. Handover and styling: walking you through the finished space.
How much does a project cost?
There is no standard fee, because no two projects share the same scope. The cost depends on what you ask us to do, design only or design and build, on which disciplines are involved, on the size of the property, and on the materials, joinery and furniture specified.
Once we understand your brief and the property, we prepare a proposal that sets out the scope, the fees and the stages, so the cost is clear before anything is agreed.
How long does a project take?
That also depends on the scope. A single room or a joinery package moves far faster than a villa taken from first concept to handover. The timeline is shaped by the size of the property, how quickly design decisions are made, any approvals the work needs, and whether we are also building it.
We agree the timeline for each stage with you as part of the proposal, before work begins.
Do you work on apartments as well as villas?
Yes. Alongside whole-villa projects we take apartment interiors and fit-outs. A full apartment at Jumeirah Beach Residence is among the published work, covering spatial planning through to turnkey delivery.
Will my project appear on your website?
Only with your agreement, and on your terms. Where we do publish a project we identify it by location and type — never by client name. Some clients prefer their home not to appear at all, and that is always respected.
Can you work alongside an architect or contractor we have already appointed?
Yes. We regularly work as one discipline within a wider team, and our technical documentation is prepared so that other contractors and vendors can build to it without interpretation.
How do we start?
Send us a note through the Contact page with the location, the type of property and roughly what you have in mind. We will come back to you to arrange a conversation.
An enquiry commits you to nothing. A project begins only when scope and terms are agreed in writing.