Interior Design in Abu Dhabi

Refresh or re-plan: the first design decision in Abu Dhabi

Before choosing a single finish, decide whether the design keeps the existing layout or changes it. In Abu Dhabi that one decision affects the permit, the drawings you need and the programme.

Keeping the layout

TAMM describes the maintenance permit as covering maintenance, improvements or décor that do not modify the interior spaces, create openings or affect structural safety, and painting and ceramic work in a villa has a permit of its own. A design built from new finishes, joinery, lighting and furniture within the existing rooms points toward those routes.

Changing the layout

Moving walls, merging rooms or adding openings goes beyond the maintenance permit. TAMM's building permit service covers internal modifications and reviews the engineering plans, so a re-planned layout has to be developed into plans that can be submitted.

Settling this at concept stage avoids falling in love with a layout that then needs a permit route nobody planned for.

Case study: designing the Saadiyat Island villa

For the 7,500 sq ft Saadiyat Island villa, completed in 2026, we produced the interior design and coordinated the civil works, and the scope included architectural joinery: a media wall, fitted wardrobes and a dressing suite, made at our Ajman factory.

Because the design was developed around the municipal approval requirements from the outset, rather than adjusted once the drawings were finished, the layout and the joinery were settled together. The project page shows the finished villa.

Design fees for Abu Dhabi projects

Design is priced the same in Abu Dhabi as elsewhere in the UAE. A villa design package starts at AED 30,000, a townhouse at AED 20,000 and an apartment at AED 12,000; a single room with a 3D concept starts at AED 2,500. Prices exclude VAT.

If the layout changes and the design has to go forward for a permit, detailed working drawings are priced separately, from AED 12 per sq ft. The initial consultation is free, and eligible design fees may be credited toward the project if we are appointed for the complete fit-out, subject to contract value and agreed terms.

From approved design to finished villa

Once you approve the 3D renders, the design can go to your own contractor or to our fit-out team. If we build it, the joinery is manufactured in our 15,000 sq ft factory in Ajman and installed on site. Our Abu Dhabi fit-out page covers the build stage, costs and programme.