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Reflecting Lebanon’s love for hosting and gathering, a formally cold and unimaginative Beirut apartment has been redesigned by Stephanie Moussallem to encourage interaction and conviviality, creating an inviting environment where warmth and hospitality shine.
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The modern, minimalist space is now warm, vibrant and infused with the welcoming atmosphere of Mediterranean living. Marrying the tastes of the couple who own it – one who favours a classic style and the other a more colourful eccentricity – the apartment carries soothing organic edges and natural materials, with an earthy palette broken up by pops of bold colours and textures.
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“Like most modern towers, there was nothing really appealing in the apartment; it was very classical, nice and clean, but it's not homey. The whole idea was to make it a home more than an apartment,” Moussallem tells AD about this tactile Beirut apartment. “I changed everything. The floor, the lighting and the cladding on the wall, which is now made from French oak wood with rounded corners and curved doors that soften the look and make it more convivial.”
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The 2025 AD 100 designer is known for creating spaces that echo the region’s love for gathering and heartfelt hospitality, seeking to craft interiors that are comfortable and liveable, yet wrapped in modern design aesthetics.
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True to her design approach, the needs of the owners were central to the design, taking into account their hobbies, love for large dinner parties and entertaining, and how to make the space as practical through functional design elements.
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A lot of the furniture is modular or custom, allowing flexibility and multiple use options, such as her Milles Pattes coffee table that can be split into smaller side tables when hosting or lounging around.
The Ratatouille dining table is formed from a base of three large cylinders, made of tubular mirrored stainless-steel and topped with a glass. To add more hosting options, a custom-made bar was created for the space, too.
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“I did two parts for the bar - a lower bar where they can dine easily, and an upper bar where they can have some drinks with their friends,” she says. “It’s great for mingling, and on the surface, there is a big ice bucket built in for the big champagnes or wine bottles.
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“Behind the dining table, there is a console Tetris, painted in a matte velvet finish, and the glass is striped so you can partially see what's behind it. It gives you that visibility, but also you don't have to fix the stuff all day long for it to look clean,” she adds. “It also has many different ways of opening the doors: you have sliding doors, opening panels, and each handle has a shape. That's why I called it Tetris, because you can mix and match the shapes.”
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These playful touches extend across other design features in this charming Beirut apartment, including the different coloured bar stools, upholstered in vibrant, patterned fabric, or the burgundy dining chairs. The guest bathroom also holds a lively surprise, with the walls covered in a bright, tropical jungle mural wallpaper by Pierre Frey, adding an unexpected bit of fun to the otherwise quite serene apartment.
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The apartment is a charming testament to design's power to not just beautify, but to cultivate connection and celebrate life's most cherished moments, perfectly reflecting the lively spirit of its inhabitants and the city itself. It’s a great example of how curating homes can instantly capture and replicate a feeling that can be enjoyed by owners and guests alike.
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