Design Styles

Salmani is not a historical style; it is the contemporary evolution of Najdi architecture: the modern Saudi reading of its own architectural identity.

The vocabulary is unchanged: the triangle, the stepped diamond, the notched parapet, but it has moved from a band at hand height to a whole wall.

From the plateau of Najd: thick earth walls that keep the day outside, a roof of tamarisk and palm trunks laid close together, and a frieze of carved gypsum running beneath it in triangles and stepped diamonds.

Every material comes from within walking distance: clay from the ground the foundations were dug into, gypsum burnt nearby, trunks from the palms that shade it. Which is why a Najdi house never looks placed on its site — it looks grown out of it.

French Rococo introduces flowing ornament, curved panels and delicate asymmetry. Shell forms, foliage and scrollwork create an intimate, decorative character, with the architectural detail taking a lighter and more playful form than the formal Louis XIV tradition.

Italian Baroque interiors bring drama through depth, movement and sculptural ornament. Sweeping forms, projecting cornices and richly modelled ceiling details create a strong sense of occasion in grand reception spaces.

English Regency interiors combine classical influence with decorative sophistication. Slender mouldings, elegant surface pattern and contrasting finishes create a polished setting. Regency is a phase within the wider Georgian era, presented here as a useful design option.

Neoclassical interiors reinterpret the architecture and ornament of ancient Greece and Rome. Symmetry, fluted details, measured mouldings and restrained relief create a composed and formal interior. This historical tradition is distinct from Modern Classic.

No cornice, no medallion. What remains is a curve, an edge, and the light hidden behind it. Once the ornament is stripped away, there is nothing left to hide a mistake behind.

This is the hardest thing we make, not the easiest.

Mughal in origin: a scalloped arch repeating the length of a hall, a jali screen cut from a single slab, and fine inlay set into the stone.

An architecture that loves symmetry, and loves patience more.

Spanish Mediterranean interiors combine warm plaster, rounded openings and natural materials. Timber, terracotta and restrained metalwork create a welcoming, textured setting. This is a broad design direction, distinct from the ornate European classical collections.

Minimalist interiors use a limited palette and carefully resolved details to create visual calm. Continuous surfaces, discreet junctions and controlled light place the emphasis on space, proportion and workmanship.

It is work designed for you alone: our crafts brought together, gypsum and carving, paint, gilding and wood, into a single architectural language that is not repeated on another project.

It begins as a drawing on paper and is approved with you before anything is made. And because it is made for one place, what suits that place suits nowhere else.