Castle in the Sand
The interior designer Timothy Corrigan creates a luxurious residence by the sea for a Qatari royal family
ight at the heart of Doha, Qatar is the Royal Palms, an elegant and serene residence for three generations of an eminent Qatari royal family. For the house, renowned interior designer Timothy Corrigan successfully balanced elegance and homeliness by merging luxury, comfort—and a touch of the tropics.
“Palm Beach casual—luxury and glamour tempered by a sunny palette, crisp, clean lines and a certain relaxed sophistication— became the touchstone for this project. The image we wanted to elicit was not so much a pool house and swimsuits at noon, but a terrace at twilight, the kind of place that evokes images of caftans, palazzo pants and silver cocktail shakers,” Corrigan says.
Before bringing his vision to life, Corrigan first asked his client his prerequisite question: “What’s going to get you to actually use your home?” The answer to this will stop him from decorating a space that will only be left unattended. Corrigan then mentions his design philosophy. “I don’t necessarily believe in rules when it comes to interior decoration, but this one is ironclad. Don’t let conventional notions of what a room should be dictate how you use it; instead, decide on how you want to use a room, and let your desires shape what it becomes.”
Considering the house’s ample space, Corrigan added details complementing its grand scale. Using crushed pearls mixed with white pigment, he created a ceiling mural of soft clouds as an ode to Qatar’s history of becoming a major source of these lustrous gems. Lots of arched windows brightened up the space.
Both the dark plaster ceiling and the ribs of the shallow groin-vaulted ceiling play off the bold marble floor. The design is inspired by the dining room at the Chateau de Groussay.
The living room also had ample space to catch the light of day but for Corrigan, this may not be enough. In fact he finds this area quite tricky to style. “The living room can be the most difficult [space] to design not because it is difficult to make it beautiful, but because you have to figure out how to make it become a room that people will use on an everyday basis and not just for formal occasions or when they have guests. That means you must make sure that there are reasons to go there. If that means putting a television in the room, so be it,” he explains.
So, the designer had the walls in the living room painted in the shade of the pale shadows of palm trees during the day. The colour appeared soft yet haunting, the
“Don’t let conventional notions of what a room should be dictate how you use it; instead, decide on how you want to use a room, and let your desires shape what it becomes”
shadows lingering softly, unobtrusively, allowing the surrounding landscape to visually infuse the house. “The wood-panelled ceilings add warmth and intimacy.”
Corrigan gorgeously decorated the kitchen with a palette of golden beiges, a range of rich blues and other bright hues—colours reminiscent of the sea nearby. He accented the kitchen’s traditional white cabinetry with silver-leaf rope detail then topped the oversized island with an engineered-stone countertop in a vibrant blue. The design complements the family room, evoking the feeling of comfort and warmth—precisely the quality that Corrigan wants to achieve considering that both the kitchen and family room are “the most frequent gathering spots”.
The opposite end of the ground floor leads to the his-and-her master bedrooms separated by a majestic barrel-vaulted sitting area. The panels of the sitting area display a subtle yet alluring Ombré effect in shades of blue and white.
“His bedroom and bath are restrained and spare, in shades of turquoise and white; hers is more fanciful, with walls covered in a pink silk, a gilt four-poster bed and a crystal chandelier. This level also
includes four guest suites, each with its own sitting room and terrace. I intentionally designed them to be uniquely varied, to appeal to different guests,” he says.
On another floor is a second living room decorated with white furnishings and blue upholstery and accents. Its walls appear like driftwood as Corrigan had them covered in faux-bois wallpaper squares. A metal wall sculpture of a school of fish by Yorgos Kypris also hangs over the sofa which is fitted out with custom light fixtures to create an illusion of movement of the fish.
Both the beach and pool cabanas are included in the complex. Corrigan thought that this would be a great opportunity to design something more contemporary and playful. He had the pool pavilion draped in navy fabric with white trim for a nautical effect.
“This particular castle in the sand was designed to encompass the family’s full range of activities, everything from formal receptions to intimate dinners to, yes, children playing on the beach. It functions on several levels without ever losing sight of its location or its most important function—helping a family to gather together for relaxation and enjoyment,” says Corrigan.