Dubai · Commercial Fit-Out
Fit-Out Design in Dubai
Offices, restaurants, shops and clinics from shell-and-core to opening day: concept, 3D, approval-ready drawings and a BOQ your fit-out contractor can price. Designed in Dubai, with the authority stage planned from day one.
4
sectors: office, F&B, retail, clinic
12+
years designing across the Gulf
AED 73
per m² — full design package, from
DM · DCD · DEWA
requirements built into the drawing set
Fit-out in Dubai is an approvals project as much as a design project
Every commercial unit in Dubai has at least three parties who must sign off before work starts: the landlord or building management, Dubai Municipality (or the free-zone authority — DDA, Trakhees, DMCC, DIFC, JAFZA — depending on where the unit sits), and Dubai Civil Defence for fire and life safety. Restaurants add Food Safety, clinics add the Dubai Health Authority, and anything touching power or water passes through DEWA. Miss one and the fit-out stops.
Our drawing sets are prepared with that sequence in mind. Layouts respect travel distances and exit widths from the start; ceilings are coordinated with sprinklers, smoke detectors and AC; kitchens and treatment rooms are planned to the inspecting authority’s checklist. Your contractor or consultant submits, and we respond to comments until the set is approved — instead of redesigning after a rejection.
Kenania is a design studio, not a contractor. That keeps our advice independent: we design for your brand and your budget, then brief the contractor you choose, review their shop drawings and visit the site at milestones. Our published fee starts at AED 73 per square metre for the full design package.
What a fit-out set includes
- Demolition and proposed layout plans with furniture
- Reflected ceiling plans coordinated with fire and AC
- Electrical, data, lighting and plumbing layouts
- Elevations, joinery and finishes details
- Finishes schedule and bill of quantities (BOQ)
- Authority-format sheets for DM / DCD / landlord submission
Fit-out sectors we design
Each sector has its own authority checklist. We have designed for all four.
Office fit-out
Reception, open-plan, meeting rooms, executive suites and pantries for Business Bay, DIFC, JLT, Dubai Internet City and free-zone offices.
Restaurant & café fit-out
Front-of-house design with the kitchen, extraction, grease trap and Food Safety requirements planned into the layout, not added later.
Retail & showroom fit-out
Mall units and street shops with display, lighting and shopfront designed to the mall’s tenant criteria.
Clinic & medical fit-out
Patient flow, privacy, infection-control finishes and DHA-friendly room schedules for dental, aesthetic and general clinics.
Shell-and-core to turnkey design
From an empty unit with a DEWA connection to a complete drawing set and BOQ ready for tender.
Renovation & rebranding
Refreshing an existing unit for a new brand, with minimal downtime and minimal authority resubmission.
Commercial interiors from our portfolio
Office, hospitality, retail and wellness spaces that share the Dubai fit-out brief.
Corporate office interiors
Workplace design balancing open collaboration with focus areas and a strong reception.
Restaurant interior design
A dining room planned around seating yield, kitchen flow and the brand experience.
Spa & wellness interiors
Treatment rooms and wet areas with finishes and services specified for the Gulf.
How a Dubai fit-out design runs
From unit handover to approved drawings in four stages.
01
Unit survey & brief
We survey the unit, collect the landlord’s fit-out guide and the as-built drawings, and confirm scope, fee and timeline in writing.
02
Concept & 3D
Layout options tested against exits, services and your headcount or cover count, then photorealistic 3D of the key views.
03
Authority drawing set
Full fit-out set coordinated with fire, AC and electrical, formatted for DM, DCD and landlord submission by your contractor.
04
Tender & site support
BOQ for contractor pricing, shop-drawing review and milestone site visits until handover.
Fit-out design fees in Dubai
Published “starting from” rates. The final fee follows the written scope; units under 80 m² are quoted as a fixed price.
| Scope | Starting from | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Full fit-out design package | AED 73 / m² (USD 20) | Concept, 3D visuals, authority drawing set, finishes schedule, BOQ |
| 3D visualisation only | AED 33 / m² (USD 9) | Photorealistic renders of an approved layout |
| Drawing set only | AED 44 / m² (USD 12) | Authority-ready execution set from an existing concept |
| Site visits & shop-drawing review | Per visit / per week | Priced in the proposal according to programme |
Authority fees, consultant stamping and contractor NOCs are charged at cost and listed separately. Fit-out construction cost is quoted by your contractor against our BOQ.
Fit-out questions we hear in Dubai
Do you do the fit-out construction as well?
No. We are the design studio. We prepare the approval-ready set and BOQ, brief the contractor you choose, review shop drawings and visit the site. That keeps our design and cost advice independent of the builder.
Which approvals does a Dubai fit-out need?
Typically the landlord’s NOC, Dubai Municipality or the relevant free-zone authority, and Dubai Civil Defence. Restaurants add Food Safety, clinics add DHA, and DEWA covers electrical and water. Our set is prepared for all of them.
How long does fit-out design take?
A 200 m² office typically needs 2 weeks for concept and 3D and 2–3 weeks for the authority set. Restaurants and clinics take longer because of kitchen and medical coordination.
Can you work with our landlord’s fit-out guidelines?
Yes. We ask for the building’s fit-out manual at the start and design within it, so the landlord review does not stall the programme.
Do you design fit-outs outside Dubai?
Yes, across the UAE and in Saudi Arabia, with the drawing set adapted to each authority. See our Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam pages.
Plan your Dubai fit-out
Send the unit plan, the landlord’s fit-out guide and a short brief. You will get a scoped proposal with a fixed design fee within two working days.