Marina 23 Penthouse, Dubai

Prepare to be amazed by this penthouse in Marina 23. The ‘apartment’ spans 43,000 square feet and is housed over four floors, offering a 360-degree view of Dubai.

The entire “apartment” includes three bars, a cigar lounge, a nightclub, home cinema, swimming pool, six bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, six terraces and an industrial kitchen! If that is not enough to get lost in, to add interest, there are also secret passageways embedded in the layout.

The penthouse was meant for use by a young, affluent, young, businessman who travelled a lot and simply wanted a place where he could “have it all”. And the design, by Omar Ghafour and Peter Caruso of L.S. Design, achieved that in a minimalist way. They pay homage to Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte, poetically erasing the barriers between reality and dreams.

Because of the sheer size of the project and its location, the designers faced certain challenges – the space was initially assigned to the mechanical floors of the building, and work started on its interiors when the building was only 80 per cent complete. So getting all the material to the top floor as well as converting the mechanical space into a penthouse was not easy. Insulation load and layout were also key hurdles considering the hexagonal shape and slanting walls.

The fitout was executed by Speedhouse.