Experiencing beauty
GG designs experiential environments that provide the backbone for Dubai hotspots such asthe city’s newly-completed Nikki Beach complex.
GG designs experiential environments that are the basis of Dubai hotspots such as the Nikki Beach complex
Gregory Gatserelia, the designer of uber-happening night spot and fine dining emporium Play, atop the H Hotel, has added to his portfolio of sophisticated settings for the enjoyment of Dubai’s residents and visitors.
He is the creative force behind the just-launched Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai, the brand’s fourth such development, which has opened just weeks before the Nikki Beach Dubai Restaurant & Beach Club will celebrate its first anniversary in March.
Three simple elements – white boards, rough wood and concrete – comprise the building blocks for each of the world-famous Nikki Beach Clubs. Yet the newest addition to the international family, which includes the hotel and the beach club and which was launched at the Pearl on the Dubai waterfront, presents its own stylish ambiance and its own exhilarating vibe – different from all the others as a result of Gatserelia’s creative genius.
“It is about the philosophy rather than the design,” the Lebanese interior architect of the firm Gatserelia + Partners explains. “It’s about the feelings, the experience.”
Though he follows the same palette of materials and the same basic philosophy as the Nikki Beach Club he created in Greece, this newest one presents a cohesive though unique aesthetic for the brand; one that expresses Dubai and nowhere else.
“It’s about the idea, the concepts. I always require [that I am] really well-briefed [about] what the design is to do, who is targeted. I’m not going to give a suit to a man who wants to wear jeans. We need to understand what it is they [the client] want,” he says, adding that it is up to him to then articulate these desires, which can only be achieved by a thorough understanding of the core DNA of the project.
When Gatserelia made his first presentation regarding Play on the thirty-sixth floor of the H Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, the pleased client responded by saying, “That is exactly what I want!” – because his vision had been so fluently realised. Innovative details such as integrated rectangular brass ice buckets in the centres of the restaurant’s tables, which can be transformed into a decorative element of the horizontal surface when not required for beverages, are refined touches that elevate his concepts above the ordinary. Even the moulding that surrounds the bar initially appears traditional, until one realises the ends project a lovely, feminine profile – a clever and humorous touch.
“Whenever you have a project, you have to do research to see what has been done – and then try to do something new. Not necessarily something you’ve invented, but something that does not look like it has been seen before. So, when we have an
idea, we check to see if it has been done. It can’t look like something that has been done before,” he explains, with a soft voice and a thoughtful, cerebral demeanour.
This is especially true when working with the same owner on a new project – as Gatserelia is doing with the Nikki group. However, he does admit that with a clear understanding of the client’s vision, the basic DNA of a project, the details always follow: “It’s about the idea, the concept.”
“I don’t believe in design,” he continues, as he discusses his philosophy of creativity. “I believe in concepts. Design is very subjective. It is the experience of being in a place. If people like the elements, even better. But if they have a good time, [and] this is what I like to provide – a good experience – that for me is success.”
The result for the restaurant and beach club is an environment with a serene daytime beach setting that transforms into a supremely happening place as the day pulses into the night. But the concept’s development didn’t end when the music stopped. The next phase was the opening of the Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai, which also reflects Gatserelia’s deft imagination.
Launched by Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts Ltd in partnership with Meraas, the new property is situated on Pearl Jumeirah and offers stunning sea and skyline views, plus a 450-metre-long sandy beach.
Covering 52,000 square metres, the luxury lifestyle resort encompasses 117 rooms and suites, 15 villas and 63 private residences, as well as four pools and private cabanas with plunge pools, and leisure and relaxation facilities that include the tranquil Nikki Spa and Tone Gym, which features Technogym fitness equipment, and a tennis court.
Gatserelia’s goal is not to change the world, though he is disturbed by unsettling news reports from around the globe, just like the rest of us. Instead, he says, “I want to create pockets of beauty, a refuge.” It is during the
“Nikki Beach is all about keeping the look natural and inviting. The essence of our design is an all natural ambiance combined with soft sophistication in all white fabrics and free-flowing white curtains. There’s nothing synthetic or over the top. Modern, simple and with a touch of heaven,” -Jack Penrod, Nikki Beach Founder
night-time hours, when all is calm and quiet, that his creative magic envelops him. Those private moments when he creates, as well as the time he spends enjoying the beauty of nature on his motorcycle, bring joy into his life. “Joy is in the moment – what you do in private,” he explains.
The pockets of beauty he creates not only include massive entertainment spaces, but also private villas for discerning individuals, many of which are in Dubai. Working as a team – which includes architects, landscape architects, interior designers and more –G + Partners realises its clients’ dreams.
Of course, Gatserelia does not work in a vacuum; he has gathered together a full team of architects, landscape architects, interior architects and other professional creatives, and gives credit to their cooperative efforts.
“It is like the human body, with the bones, the nerves, the brain and then the skin,” he says to describe the creative process.” The structure has to be really strong. In today’s world, to be a good architect or anything in the art world, you have to be informed about everything.” He has surrounded himself with the expertise and knowledge necessary for creative endeavours, and shares the credit with all who work with him.
Like the human body, basic needs are universal, but the articulation of their solutions differs widely. Having created wonderful environments for upscale clients, Gatserelia has a vision of one day creating basic, sustainable housing for those without; spaces with good design that provide beauty as well as shelter. He finds joy in what he does and this would be a way to expand his joy to others.
Among his guidelines for every project he undertakes is his respect for the client’s investment, and a reciprocation of the trust that both sides must have in each other – the client’s trust that he will articulate their needs and desires, and his trust that they will communicate fully with him.