Dim lighting, a nostalgic soundtrack, scented candles and a clinking of crystal sets the scene for a new restaurant at The Arts Club Dubai, a sultry Italian dining concept, cocktail lounge and bar, Ofelia, in Dubai’s financial district. Following in the footsteps of its sister club in London, Ofelia is a reimagination of the former third-floor restaurant Alveare, now transformed to evoke the warmth of an opulent private home – luxurious yet intimate – layered with ample furniture, art and fabrics (think mob wife aesthetic – cool animal prints and gilded accents) from all over the world.
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Inspired by the painting of John Millais, one of the London club’s most renowned founding members, The Arts Club Dubai’s directors invited Italian architect and designer Giuseppe Porcelli to help them reimagine the space into a maximalist haven. His intervention came with an eclectic eye of someone who appreciates the luxury of old world charm with plenty pizzaz; from exquisite antiques and vibrant rugs to chinoiserie elements and rich tapestries, each piece brings an air of timeless modern classicism to the club’s already eclectic interior, created by the sought-after Milanese duo Dimorestudio.
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Spanning the former restaurant, lounge, bar and outdoor terrace, the regal-esque furniture was designed specifically for Ofelia by Porcelli, while one-of-a-kind historical and vintage pieces were scouted from across Europe in antique markets across London, Paris and Milan. The cocktail lounge (which is set around a larger-than-life bouquet-studded bar) is custom-made with veined orange marble, aubergine leather, and antique mirror inserts.
The bee-patterned embroidered silk curtains and bouquet-printed velvets are a whimsical nod to the The Arts Club Dubai's new restaurant and are inspired by original archival drawings dating back from the Napoleon age, crafted by Lelièvre and Braquenié, both fabric suppliers of the French aristocracy.
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The restaurant walls are decorated with bespoke paisley-patterned wallpaper from Fromental, while the grand wall mirrors and chinoiserie-inspired folding screens, finished with oxide red lacquer and padded with textured jacquard fabric in a peacock pattern, sit behind the banquette. Dark-stained timber columns hold Murano blown glass table lamps, complete with hand-painted leaf motifs and silk lampshades with onyx pearl fringe. Equally discerning are the two decadent chandeliers above the bar which feature cast bronze branches and leaves, crafted by hand by Cox London.
“We’re not afraid to make radical changes,” says The Arts Club’s Group CEO Ajaz Sheikh about the transformed ‘fun-dining’ restaurant and social space. The newly eclectic atmosphere definitely suggests so. theartsclub.ae
