Ridge House Private Villa by Mai Wahdan Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design

Mai Wahdan honored for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category for Ridge House Private Villa by Mai Wahdan. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Silver A' Design Award Means

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Regarding Ridge House Private Villa

Ridge House is a private villa interior shaped by the dramatic mountain ridges of Alula. The design interprets geological mass and erosion through sculpted volumes, textured surfaces, and controlled shadow. Double height spaces enhance vertical depth, while full height glazing frames distant landscapes and extends the interior toward the horizon. Custom Grc cladding and selective limestone veneer create a monolithic yet refined atmosphere, where raw material expression and spatial precision define a grounded and immersive residential experience.

About Mai Wahdan

Mai Wahdan is the founder and Interior Design Director of Luxentti Design House, a multidisciplinary studio working across architecture, interiors, landscaping, and collectible furniture. Her work explores the dialogue between natural materials, spatial experience, and cultural identity, often shaped by a biophilic approach that reconnects people with their environment. Across residential, commercial, and product design, she leads projects defined by material depth, atmospheric quality, and contextual sensitivity. Her practice moves beyond aesthetics, positioning design as a medium for emotion, human connection, and purposeful living.

Award Record

This recognition makes Mai Wahdan a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2024 - 2025 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award

The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Typical entries include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. The awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/167107
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/167107
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!167107
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/363296
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.instagram.com/luxentti?igsh=MTFyNXM0MXJmYmRj&utm

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Ridge House Private Villa
Function: Private Villa
Category: Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture and Packaging & Retail
Colors: Silver, Gray, Dark Gray, Dark Slate Gray and Black
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: Mai Wahdan
Country: Egypt
Recognition: Silver A' Design Award
Edition: 2025 - 2026
Design ID: #167107

Credits

Image Credits: Architectural Visualizer Mai Wahdan (Designer) Mai Wahdan, Ridge House, 2025.

Design Details

Unique Properties: Ridge House is a private villa interior defined by sculpted mass and material continuity. Unlike conventional luxury residences that rely on ornamentation, this project derives its identity from monolithic stone cladding, controlled shadow, and double height volumes. The strength of the design lies in its restraint, where raw texture, precise detailing, and framed mountain views create a grounded yet refined spatial experience shaped by depth and light.
Inspiration: Ridge House was conceived as an interior interpretation of the mountain ridges of AlUla and the client’s affinity for raw, elemental environments. The inspiration emerged from the geological character of the region, where mass, erosion, and shadow define spatial experience. The design investigates how interior architecture can evoke the permanence and gravity of natural formations while maintaining residential comfort. By sculpting volumes through material continuity and controlled light, the project seeks to create a grounded sanctuary where strength and refinement coexist in quiet balance.
Research: Type of Research: Applied interior design research. Research Objectives: To translate mountain geology into livable interior space while preserving comfort. Methodology: Spatial analysis and material prototyping. Data Collection and Tools Used: Site studies, client interviews, 3D modeling, and cladding mock ups. Participants: Client and technical consultants. Results: Balanced mass and openness. Insights and Impacts: Demonstrates how raw material language can enhance residential identity and experiential quality in contemporary housing.
Challenge: The primary challenge was achieving a raw, mountain inspired interior without compromising livability and proportion. Translating geological mass into refined residential space required careful control of scale, light, and circulation. Balancing heavy textured surfaces with expansive glazing demanded precision in detailing and lighting integration. Production feasibility, panel weight limitations, and constructability were key technical constraints addressed through material research and system coordination.
Realization and Technology: The interior is developed over a reinforced concrete structural framework. Feature walls are constructed using custom molded GRC panels mounted on concealed steel subframes to achieve large scale geological textures while minimizing structural load. Select focal elements utilize thin cut natural limestone veneer over lightweight cores. CNC fabrication ensured dimensional precision, while integrated grazing lighting enhances surface depth and shadow articulation.
Operation and Interaction: Ridge House is organized around a central double height living space that acts as the heart of the home. Upon entry, the eye is drawn upward and outward toward framed mountain views. The open plan arrangement allows daily life and social gatherings to flow naturally without rigid separation. Private suites are positioned away from the main volume, creating quiet retreats while remaining visually connected. The layout balances openness and privacy, offering both shared energy and personal calm.
Project Duration and Location: The project commenced in January 2025 in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, and was completed in July 2025. The design phase included concept development, spatial planning, material research, and technical coordination to ensure a coherent and buildable interior environment.
Specifications: Total built up area 1240 sqm. The principal living space features a double height volume with approximately 7.2 m clear height, while remaining areas maintain standard residential ceiling proportions. The program includes 4 private bedroom suites with en suite bathrooms and an open plan living dining kitchen core. Feature walls utilize custom molded GRC panels fixed to concealed steel subframes, with selective 15 to 20 mm limestone veneer at focal elements. Integrated linear lighting is recessed within cladding junctions to emphasize surface depth and shadow articulation. Full height architectural glazing frames mountain views and ensures thermal performance.
Keywords: Ridge House, Luxury Villa Interior, Mountain Inspired Design, Monolithic Interior, GRC Cladding, Double Height Living Space, Sculpted Volumes, Contemporary Residential Design, AlUla Residence