David/Nicolas Open a Window Into Another World with Equestrian Library and Saddle Workshop in Abu Dhabi.

Library photography by Ziga Mihelcic.

I’ve followed David Raffoul and Nicolas Moussallem since early in their career, and if you know their work at all, you’ll understand why I’ve always believed these two were destined for something exceptional. There’s a particular kind of studio that holds cultural intelligence and aesthetic precision in perfect balance, and david/nicolas has always been exactly that. Watching them grow from strength to strength—while remaining completely true to their design ethos—has been one of the pleasures of covering this industry. And this commission feels like them firing on all cylinders.

ADREA—Abu Dhabi Royal Equestrian Arts—is the world’s fifth school of classical horsemanship and the first established beyond Europe. Rooted in the Arab world’s centuries-old tradition of Furusiyya, it represents an authentically Emirati interpretation of equestrian culture—one that unites heritage, discipline, and artistry in a way that feels urgent and alive rather than purely archival. david/nicolas was brought in to design two complementary spaces within this ambitious cultural initiative: the Equestrian Library and the Saddle Workshop.

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Saddle workshop photography by David Raffoul.

What I find so compelling here—and what separates this from so much “culturally inspired” design that ends up feeling like a mood board exercise—is how specific and grounded the thinking is. Rather than reaching for visual cues or decorative references, the studio let materiality and proportion do the heavy lifting. The spaces don’t try to look Emirati; they try to feel connected to this world. And that, friends, is a very different thing.

The Library is organised around a sculptural, hand-carved wooden core crafted in Lebanon—a personal detail given the studio’s own Beirut roots. Warm, intimate, and softly lit, this inner nucleus creates an immersive environment for reading and study. Spreading outward from it, a continuous sequence of curved steel bookshelves establishes a more open, fluid perimeter—the curve a subtle, embedded nod to the posture and movement of a horse. It’s the kind of reference that rewards attention rather than demanding it.

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Portrait by Katarina Premfors.

The material conversation between wood and metal is beautiful. Textured, hand-worked timber speaks to memory and tradition; the cool precision of steel pulls it firmly into the contemporary. The marquetry throughout—developed through the studio’s own artisan relationships rather than drawn from Emirati craft traditions—carries a geometric language that resonates naturally with patterns found across Middle Eastern architecture. Cultural dialogue without pastiche. Massive respect.

The Saddle Workshop is a different world entirely, and I love the contrast. Conceived as a room within a room, it places the artisan squarely at centre stage. Saddles in progress line the perimeter; leather, brass, and utilitarian tools are laid out with deliberate care so that the gestures of making— the human act of craft—become the entire point. There’s nothing here that isn’t earned.

Across both spaces, ADREA offers something increasingly rare: a window into a world that is specific, rooted, and alive. This is architecture in service of culture, and david/nicolas have delivered it with precision and care.

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[Images courtesy of David\Nicolas. Library photography by Žiga Mihelčić. Saddle workshop photography by David Raffoul. Portrait by Katarina Premfors.]