One of the features of the Riffa Views’ estates is that customers are given a choice of elegant and classy interior finishes that reflect their personal taste in the finishes of their villas, according to an official of horizoninteriors.

Bahrain-based horizoninteriors is responsible for designing the tasteful interiors of the villas, which fit well with the three themes of the development. Apart from the interior design, the firm’s job brief for the project included recommendation for the layout and space planning, selection of finishes and materials and the development of finishes for the community themes, says Ghada Al Sayed, design principal and partner at the firm.
“These distinct themes and finishes have allowed property owners to select an ambiance in keeping with their lifestyle and requirements,” she says.
“Our involvement with Riffa Views commenced right at the initial design stage when the layout and estates were in development,” comments Al Sayed. “Although we have completed our scope of works, we still provide assistance at times to the project’s developer whenever necessary to ensure the success of the project.”
horizoninteriors has recommended a matching set of colours and materials that will give a unique feel to the interiors of each community. For the villas within The Lagoons Estate, the firm has proposed the White theme, which has a minimalistic approach.
“For The Oasis Estate, we have proposed the Sand theme while for The Park Estate, it is the Taupe scheme. The interior finishes fit well with the exterior theme,” she adds.
 “The themes that we have recommended extend to the colour schemes of the interior walls, the tiles for the living areas, the bathrooms, the veneer colour of the doors and joinery works, among other aspects. For instance, if we consider the White theme, the colour selection is not limited to white alone, but includes those that will blend well with the white theme. While specifying what colours go with each theme, we have been careful in opting for those that do not clash with each other, but blend well with the exterior schemes as well. So you could, in fact, have warmer shaded doors within the theme. In the Sand theme, we have used a more natural-coloured door, which gives a cooling oasis feel to the villa,” she says.
The schemes have also been chosen to suit the tastes of residents of various demographies, be they the traditional taste of some Bahrainis to the modernistic taste of most Europeans.
“Even for the exteriors, the three communities will have colour schemes that are not very different from the other. So in effect, we will not see contrasting colours such as red, yellow or blue houses. The masterplanner EDAW has done an excellent job in realising the entire project design,” she says.
Commenting on the project, Al Sayed says: “One of the challenging aspects of the project was to design a theme that would be both timeless while combining the elements that are traditional as well as modern, minimalist design. It also had to be cosy and luxurious, within a limited budget. In addition, we suggested concepts that would blend well with the overall themes that the developer had in mind with regard to the three communities.
“One of the aspects that we were focusing on was to make the interiors of the themed villas as interesting as their surroundings so that the project would not only be saleable but highly habitable as well.”
Apart from the villas, horizoninteriors is currently involved with the Riffa Views International School (RVIS), for which has been approached to specify the hard finishes and the soft finishes, the finishes of the walls and floors, the acoustic finishes, the layouts of the classrooms in close co-ordination with the principal Bruce McWilliams.
Al Sayed established horizoninteriors in 1996, following her return from the US where she completed her interior design degree, with her partner Osama A Al Raee who is well qualified in the engineering field.
“I realised there was a unique opportunity for an interior design firm that offered urban modern design as well as oriental and traditional themes and motifs and with Al Raee’s expertise in construction, the firm has done really well,” she comments.
Currently, horizonsinteriors offers a comprehensive range of interior design and management services. Under the interior design wing, the company provides conceptual design study and visualisation, space planning, design development, soft furnishing and styling. In addition to the interior design services, a full range of management services that include project management, supervision and coordination and turnkey services are also available.
“We are a specialised interior design firm and offer expert advice and services for high-end residential, premium commercial and institutional projects,” says Al Sayed. “At present, we have contracts for a number of commercial and financial institutions within the Bahrain World Trade Centre (BWTC) such as UBS, Kuwait Finance House, Capital Management House and Firstpoint Business Centre. In addition, we have also been appointed interior designers for the National Assembly project.”
The firm has also been involved with a number of projects throughout the GCC such as commercial and private projects in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, where it has also provided its services on the Victory Heights in Dubai, which is another Arcapita project.