Bishop Design by Paul Bishop have been shortlisted for Bar/Club/Lounge – Global Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards.

Emerging from the ME by Melia Hotel, as part of the Opus Building created by the late and honorable Zaha Hadid, resides a garden paradise that goes by the name of Deseo. It’s easy to get the impression that the venue, with its chilled-out vibes and mystical feel, was an effortless addition to the property. However, the reality was all too different. Bishop Design were urgently brought in by the hotel team and General Manager Sebastien M. Noat to reinvent their pool deck just days before the rapidly upcoming opening date.

Upon the initial encounter with the site, Bishop Design were faced with a concrete slab of a space which was void of any identity – a pool accompanied by a finite number of undressed seating arrangements, a couple of cabanas, and a few stranded planters. Put simply, this was not something that was worthy of being associated with an establishment as monumental as the Opus Tower. Whilst surrounded by an incredibly memorizing landscape of Dubai’s Business Bay, the lack of soul and utter anti-climax meant that the pool deck sadly had no relationship with its habitat.

It was Bishop Design’s job to create a versatile spatial dynamic which could operate as both a day and night setting. Predominately taking inspirations from Tulum in Mexico; fabrics, texture and colour became paramount in the conceptualization, much like the way that the space would morph throughout the day. This was not just a matter of creating a pool deck, moreover a sense of place that would be a desirable destination and something that would complement the legacy left behind by the great Hadid. This project therefore represents two great design minds and is a rare treat for the region.

An ordered architectural environment is broken with powerful punches of colour, where a beautiful juxtaposition of a man-made city with a more natural sporadic interior unveils itself at Deseo. Bishop Design have successful instituted a jaw-dropping destination that allures guests into an immersive viridescent retreat which looks through a soft lit environment and spirited atmosphere.

Bishop Design by Paul Bishop

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