XBD Collective, an international architecture and interior design practice, has won the Best Residential Interiors award in the Private Residences category in the 2026 BIP Global Interior Design Awards for Solar House, a completed residence in Emirates Hills, Dubai.
The BIP Global Interior Design Awards recognise projects that demonstrate excellence in design through innovation, creativity and functionality. The programme celebrates spaces distinguished by outstanding design quality, originality, and enduring value.
Solar House is recognised for turning a large private residence into a cohesive home that addresses the needs of a contemporary family. Its interior architecture balances privacy, wellness, hospitality, and social interaction within a multi-generational household.
The project stood out for the way XBD Collective resolved a demanding brief with many competing requirements.
Spatial planning as the project’s foundation
The brief called for including private family suites, formal and informal living areas, guest accommodation, workspaces, wellness facilities, entertainment rooms, and extensive outdoor spaces.
The house also had to respond to the changing needs of a multi-generational family, with Vastu principles influencing key planning decisions.
Accommodating these functions was only part of the challenge. They also had to be organised without weakening privacy, ease of movement, or the character of the house as a home.
XBD Collective established clear relationships between private retreats, communal areas, and hospitality spaces.
Family members can occupy different parts of the residence while remaining connected to shared spaces. Entertaining can take place without overtaking everyday domestic life.
That order carries through the interiors.
Interior architecture creates continuity
Solar House contains spaces with very different functional demands, from formal reception rooms and family settings to wellness and entertainment areas. Each required a distinct response, yet none could feel detached from the rest of the residence.
Bespoke joinery, integrated storage, custom furniture, architectural detailing, and a restrained material palette keep the specialist spaces visually connected to the wider house.
The cinema, sports lounge, games room, wine cellar, and cigar lounge retain their individual purpose while remaining part of the same interior language.
XBD Collective’s involvement extended beyond decoration and furnishing to include interior architecture, lighting and landscape coordination, furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E), technical documentation, and construction-stage support. This helped maintain the design intent through delivery.
Luxury expressed through control
Solar House includes an extensive wellness programme, hospitality spaces, entertainment facilities, and outdoor living areas all carefully integrated into the house.
Natural finishes, restrained tonal variation, and bespoke detailing create a calm interior in which craftsmanship carries greater weight than ornament. No single room or material dominates. The effect depends on the consistency maintained throughout the residence.
Wellness, landscape, and sustainability
Wellness informed the planning from the outset. The principal facilities are placed on the rooftop, creating a quieter setting for restoration while retaining views and a connection to the landscape. Their location gives wellbeing a clear place within the organisation of the house.
The landscape continues the residential programme outdoors. Lounges, wellness gardens, entertainment terraces, water features, and fire elements serve as living spaces and reinforce the connection with nature set out in the original brief.
Daylight-led planning, building-integrated photovoltaic panels, rooftop solar generation, moisture-harvesting technology, and high-performance glazing reduce energy and water demand while remaining integrated with the residence’s architecture and interiors.
Together, they improve natural light, comfort, and resource efficiency.
Many luxury residences accommodate a similarly broad range of functions. Solar House earned the award for organising them into a home that remains coherent from one space to the next.
“Winning the 2026 BIP Global Interior Design Award for Solar House is a meaningful recognition of the vision, collaboration, and attention to detail behind the project.
It reflects our belief that exceptional homes are created when architecture, interiors, and landscape are considered as one complete experience.
We are grateful to our client, project partners, and the entire XBD Collective team whose commitment brought this vision to life.”
— Ellen Søhoel, Founder & CEO, XBD Collective
About XBD Collective
Since its inception in 2015, XBD has undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as a distinguished boutique consultancy renowned for its expertise in interior design and architecture services.
Originating with a focus on luxury residential projects, the firm has, over the years, expanded its horizons and now proudly serves a diverse clientele with cutting-edge and visionary design solutions for both commercial ventures and high-end residences across the Middle East and on an international scale.
Contact Details
Suites 207 & 208, B-Wing, Building 6
Dubai Design District, Dubai AE
+97145535362
