Owner: Omniyat
Developer: Dorchester Collection
Architectural design: Foster + Partners
Interior design: Gilles & Boissier
Furnishings: custom made on design by Gilles & Boissier
Artists: Nancy Tschetner, Flavie Audi, Sergio Ruffato, Matthew Simmonds, Krystel Cardenas, Sophie Coryndon, Latifa Saeed, Daniela Busarello, Rebecca Gouldson, Margaux Pecorari, Mathilde Labrouche, Claudia Moseley and Edward Shuster, Katrin Paul
Photo Credits: CAI YUNPU Shooting, Dorchester Collection
The Dorchester Collection’s first property in the Middle East represents a new chapter for the brand in terms of design and timeless elegance. Overlooking Dubai’s vibrant Business Bay district, The Lana is housed in an impressive 30-story building designed by Foster + Partners that responds to its surroundings with interconnected gardens, a central podium – The Lana Promenade – filled with shops and restaurants, and a panoramic rooftop pool. Space and light distinguish the interiors designed by Gilles & Boissier, influenced by Dubai’s modern minimalism and climate. The French designers took inspiration from the vibrant cultural tapestry of the United Arab Emirates by focusing on details and using intricate textures.
In the lobby, two characteristic pink alabaster wings are the focal points while the soothing color palette complements the grandeur of the space. Cornices, arches, and curves lend depth and character. Gilles & Boissier’s subtle layering of materials is especially evident in the kaleidoscope-like floor made of different perfectly integrated stone materials.
Inspired by the phenomenon of an eclipse, the artificial light flooding the foyer visually interacts with the dark, intimate atmosphere of the lobby bar. While the modern aesthetic of the common areas reflects the city’s spirit, the 225 rooms, including 69 suites, are more traditional. Their exceptional nature is conveyed more by the feelings the design evokes than by complexity. In these spaces, Gilles & Boissier expertly fuse traditional and contemporary decor to create a playful, unique atmosphere that is deliberately simple. Volakas marble, Calacatta Gold, walnut wood, and smoked-oak wood create a palette that induces an immediate sense of calm and comfort, with lights and darks mixing under ambient lighting.
The savvy combination of stunning views and natural light produces a sensory experience in the bathrooms, and English moldings extend from the surrounding space to ensure continuity and cohesion. Each room has an outdoor terrace and floor-to-ceiling windows that provide natural light and spectacular views.
Two of The Lana’s five luxury suites, the Marina Duplex and the Marina Terrace Suite, have unique duplex layouts with bilevel corner living rooms and outdoor terraces. The magnificent Marina Royal presidential suite features a balcony that wraps around the entire building with wide views of Burj Khalifa, while the two-bedroom Lana Royal Suite wraps around the building’s north corner.
Gilles & Boissier designed all the furniture for The Lana using local materials and producers. These are accompanied by a lavish art collection that includes many pieces metaphorically and symbolically alluding to Dubai’s futuristic imprint or calling to mind classical European art.
For example, the vase commissioned by Atelier Prométhéeto emulates an 18th-century model engraved by Giovanni Battista Piranesi known as the “Medicean vase” and now in Rome’s Capitoline Museum, or the solid-stone sculptures by Matt Simmondsportraying miniature ancient chairs, arches, and stairs inside glass cases like in a museum.
