Kitchen Design in Dubai for Villas and Apartments

Open, closed or somewhere in between

The first decision is how much of the kitchen you want to see from the living areas. An open kitchen suits families who like to cook while talking to guests or keeping an eye on children, and it makes an apartment feel larger. A closed kitchen keeps smells, noise and mess contained, which matters if you cook with a lot of heat, oil and spice or rely on help in the kitchen.

Many owners choose a middle route: an open kitchen for everyday use, with glazed sliding doors or a pocket screen that can close it off when the cooking gets serious or the guests arrive. In apartments, opening up a kitchen may involve building management and, where services change, further approvals, which we explain on our authority approvals page.

The show kitchen and the back kitchen

Many UAE villas are planned with two kitchens, and the arrangement works well for families who entertain often or cook in large quantities. The show kitchen, sometimes called the clean kitchen, sits close to the family and dining areas. The back kitchen, often called the dirty kitchen, handles the heavy cooking out of sight.

The two need to work as a pair, with a short, direct route between them and a pass-through or door placed so dishes move without crossing the guests' path.

Show kitchen

Light cooking, breakfast and entertaining

Designed to be seen, with an island, integrated appliances, a coffee station and clean worktops. It is where the family gathers and guests are offered drinks, so finishes and lighting are chosen to sit comfortably beside the living and dining rooms.

Back kitchen

Heavy cooking and preparation

Built for hard use, with a powerful hob or range, large sinks, generous extraction and washable surfaces. It usually sits near the service entrance, laundry, bin store and staff areas, so deliveries and waste never pass through the main house.

Pantry and coffee station

Supporting both

A walk-in pantry for bulk dry goods and a separate coffee and tea station close to where guests are received, so hospitality does not interrupt the main cooking.

Planning the island

An island is often the centre of the show kitchen, but it only works with enough space around it. We keep clear walkways on every side so two people can cook while a third passes, and so appliance doors open fully without blocking the route. If the island needs a hob or a sink, we plan the drainage, ducting and power under the floor before the screed goes down.

Seating needs a proper overhang for knees and a comfortable stool height. Pendants above the island are positioned for the worktop, not the ceiling grid, and switched separately from the general lighting. At Emirates Hills Villa, a 6,700 sq ft home we designed and built in 2024, the kitchen was kept sleek and functional, with concealed storage holding the calm, neutral look the owner asked for.

Appliances and how they shape the joinery

Appliances should be chosen early, because their sizes fix the joinery, and their power and water needs fix the services. Large households often need more capacity than a standard layout allows: full-height fridge and freezer columns, a second dishwasher, extra oven space or a warming drawer for holding food when guests arrive at different times.

Integrated appliances behind matching panels keep an open kitchen quiet to look at. Heavier kit belongs in the back kitchen, where noise and heat do less harm. If the new appliance list adds significant electrical load, we check the supply and board with the MEP engineer before the design is fixed.

Ventilation and extraction

Good extraction is the difference between a kitchen that stays fresh and one that leaves the whole house smelling of last night's dinner. In a villa we prefer ducted extraction to the outside, with the hood sized to the hob and the duct run kept as short and straight as possible. A back kitchen used for daily heavy cooking needs noticeably more capacity than a show kitchen.

Apartments are harder, because duct routes are limited by the building and the rules of building management. Where ducting to outside is not allowed, a well-specified recirculating hood with regularly changed filters is the fallback. Extraction also has to be balanced with the air conditioning, so the kitchen does not pull hot, humid air in through gaps around doors and windows.

Stone and worktops

The worktop takes more abuse than any other surface in the home. Hot pans, citrus, turmeric, saffron and oil all test it daily, so we match the material to how each part of the kitchen is used. It is common to use a statement stone on the show kitchen island and a harder-wearing surface in the back kitchen. Our materials and finishes guide compares the options in more depth.

On MK Villa, the kitchen centres on a large marble island with gold details, in keeping with the glossy finishes and golden accents used across the home.

Natural marble

Beautiful, but needs care

Unmatched veining for islands and splashbacks. It is porous and etches with acids, so it suits owners who accept a patina or keep it for lighter use.

Quartzite and granite

Natural and harder wearing

Natural stones that resist scratching and heat better than marble, with plenty of character. Sealing is still recommended.

Engineered quartz

Consistent and low maintenance

Even colour and good stain resistance, which suits busy family kitchens. Hot pans should go on a trivet rather than straight onto the surface.

Sintered stone and porcelain

Tough and heat tolerant

Large, thin slabs that shrug off heat, stains and sunlight, making them a strong choice for back kitchens and outdoor cooking areas.

Storage for how you really cook

Kitchen storage in Dubai homes often has to hold far more than the everyday: large pots for family meals, serving platters for occasions, trays and flasks for coffee, bulk rice and spices, and appliances that come out only for festive cooking. We plan storage around an inventory of what you own and buy, not a standard set of cabinets.

Deep drawers work better than base cupboards for pans and heavy dishes. Tall larder units with internal drawers make dry goods visible. An appliance garage with its own sockets keeps the toaster, blender and coffee machine off the worktop but ready to use.

Heat, humidity and the Dubai climate

Joinery in a Dubai kitchen has to cope with steam from cooking, humidity in summer and cold, dry conditioned air the rest of the time. We specify moisture-resistant boards, sealed edges and quality hinges and runners, especially next to dishwashers, sinks and ovens where swelling starts first.

Kitchens on sunny outside walls can gain a lot of heat through the glass, so we look at glare on worktops, fading of timber finishes and where the cooling reaches. Our 3D visualisation for Jumeirah Villa 23 shows a kitchen and bar in dark stone, a useful way to judge how a darker palette reads in strong daylight before any slab is chosen.

What drives the cost of a kitchen

We do not publish kitchen prices, because the range between a refreshed kitchen and a pair of new show and back kitchens is very wide. What moves the budget is predictable, and we will show you where it sits once we understand the brief. The quickest way to start is our estimate form.

• The size of the kitchen and whether it becomes two
• Moving sinks, hobs or walls, and the drainage and ductwork that follow
• The extent and finish of bespoke joinery
• The worktop material and how much of it is used
• Appliance brands and the number of appliances
• Lighting design and control

Guides from the studio

• Kitchen Renovation in Dubai: A Luxury Planning Guide