Service · Residential · Hospitality · Commercial
Design and build in Dubai — one studio, one contract
Design, joinery, FF&E, on-site delivery.
Turnkey delivery for clients who want a single point of accountability. We hold the budget, the programme, and the quality from concept to handover.
This is one of twelve services held in-house by Montaigne Design. We do not subcontract the parts of the room that matter most — drawings are produced by our designers, joinery by our workshop, lighting by our team, and procurement is held by us. The contractor builds. We design and supervise.
Engagements typically begin with a private conversation in Dubai or Shanghai. Our minimum project fee is AED 400,000, and we respond within one business day.
65
Projects Delivered
25
Cities
2011
Established
12-Mo
Aftercare
Design, joinery, FF&E, on-site delivery.
Montaigne Design
What This Includes
Four pillars of the engagement
Single Point of Accountability
We hold the budget, the programme, and the quality from concept to handover.
In-House Joinery
Wardrobes, kitchens, vanities produced in our own 10+ person workshop.
FF&E Procurement
Furniture, fittings and equipment specified and procured by us.
Programme Discipline
We work to a deadline. Compressed programmes are met by adding craft, not subtracting it.
The process
How we work
01
Listening
A first meeting, in person where possible. We listen for what the client says and what the household actually needs. No drawings, no proposal — just attention.
02
Site & Brief
We visit the site. We measure, we read the building, we check authority approvals, structural constraints, MEP, wet-area and approvals risk. The written brief comes out of this.
03
Concept
A direction proposed in materials, light, and reference imagery — not in renders. The concept is signed off before drawings begin.
04
Schematic & Design Development
Drawings developed in dialogue with the client. Sample boards, joinery prototypes, lighting mock-ups. The room is resolved on paper before it is resolved on site.
05
Tender & Procurement
Tender package issued. Procurement begins for long-lead stone, joinery, lighting and FF&E. We hold the supplier list.
06
On-Site Delivery
Weekly site presence. Joinery installed, finishes applied, snags caught early. The principal designer stays involved through completion.
07
Handover & Aftercare
A complete handover folder — care manual, supplier contacts, warranty documents. Aftercare visits at +3 months and +12 months. The relationship continues past the project.
Design-Led Fit-Out across Dubai's communities
Common questions
Frequently asked
What does design and build mean?
One studio holds the design, the procurement, the on-site delivery, and the aftercare under a single contract. The client deals with one team, not three.
Do you manage the contractor?
We appoint and manage the contractor. Our site team supervises weekly. The principal designer stays involved through completion.
What is included in the aftercare?
A twelve-month aftercare programme — care manual, supplier contacts, warranty documents, and visits at three months and twelve months post-handover.
Related reading
From the studio
Begin a Project
Every project begins with a private conversation in Dubai or Shanghai.