An Abu Dhabi Café With Serious Design Credentials.

Dubai studio Styled Habitat has unveiled a sophisticated café concept for Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island, approaching coffee culture through a high-design lens. Daily Press occupies a prominent position along the waterfront promenade, designed as a gathering place for the city’s creative and professional community.

The 60s and 70s modernist public spaces provided the conceptual foundation, filtered through a contemporary Middle Eastern context. The studio established a geometric grid that extends from the existing coffered metal ceiling canopy through to the quarry-tiled floors and zellige-tiled back wall. This rigorous framework creates visual continuity between exterior and interior while allowing for spatial drama.

The layout breaks convention by shifting diagonally from the main facade, generating unexpected sightlines and perspective shifts throughout the space. At the centre sits a cantilevered stone island bar backed by a deliberately angled brushed steel wall. The handmade zellige tile introduces an irregular, handcrafted rhythm that plays against the precision of the grid. Mirrored and steel retail walls with angled alcoves frame the perimeter, displaying curated merchandise and objects.

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Materials deliver texture and weight. Brushed steel surfaces catch and reflect light, richly veined marble provides visual anchor points, and knotty burl veneers add warmth to the material palette. The interplay between wood, stone, glass, and steel creates a layered environment that feels both refined and approachable.

Styled Habitat programmed the space to accommodate different modes of use. A communal table and lounge seating support collaborative work, while the central bar area with surrounding dining tables serves the social crowd. A quieter lounge zone features sofas, armchairs, curated artworks, and a record player for extended stays.

The furniture selection draws from established modernist and contemporary pieces. Jean Prouvé’s Standard Chair and Fauteuil Direction anchor the space alongside work by Le Corbusier, Mario Bellini’s Cab 413 Chair, and pieces from Tacchini and Flexform. Lighting includes Volker Haug X Flack Studio’s Bruce wall sconces and Mario Tsai’s Bloom and Mazha chandeliers.

The Daily Press positions itself as a cultural hub, striking a balance between aesthetic ambition and the practical needs of daily use.

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The two-level design flows from street-facing seating to elevated dining, wrapped in Ettore Sottsass-influenced veneers, graphic vinyl floors, and custom Pollock-inspired fabrics by Venezuelan artist Fernanda Mogna.

[Images courtesy of Styled Habitat. Photography by Oculis Project.]