Fit-Out and Interior Decor in Dubai & Sharjah
Complete fit-out and interior decor for commercial and residential spaces, from design, approvals and MEP to joinery, wall finishes, lighting and final handover, all under one contract.
In this climate /
In a Dubai fit-out, the programme is the product Every day between lease commencement and opening is a day of rent against zero revenue. That single fact should govern how a fit-out is run, and it is why the permit process matters more than any design decision. Malls, towers and master developments in Dubai each operate their own fit-out approval regime, a drawing submission in their format, an approved-contractor requirement, insurance and bond documentation, permits for hot works and after-hours working, and a defined handover and inspection process. Depending on the use, you may also need Dubai Municipality approval, Civil Defence sign-off for fire and life-safety systems, and in food and healthcare premises, approvals specific to those sectors.
Rejected submissions are the single largest cause of delay, and they are almost always avoidable. A drawing set that does not match the landlord's template, a missing insurance certificate, a contractor not on the approved list, each costs a resubmission cycle, and cycles take weeks.
We have worked inside these processes. That means fewer rejections and an earlier opening date, which is what you are actually buying.
Scope /
What we do
Sectors
- Retail and shop fit-out
- Office fit-out and workspace churn
- Restaurant, café and F&B
- Clinics and medical facilities
- Showrooms and galleries
- Salons and spas
- Nurseries and education spaces
- Gyms and fitness studios
Pre-construction
- Site survey and existing-condition assessment
- Design development and space planning
- 3D visualisation
- Landlord drawing submission and approval
- Authority approvals and permits
- Contractor registration and bonds
- Programme development
Construction
- Demolition and strip-out
- Partitions, gypsum, glass, aluminium
- Ceilings and bulkheads
- Complete electrical installation
- HVAC installation and modification
- Plumbing and drainage
- Fire detection and suppression interface
- ELV, data and security systems
- Flooring across all types
- Joinery, counters and display units
- Painting and specialist finishes
- Signage and branding installation
Handover
- Testing and commissioning
- Civil Defence and authority inspections
- Snagging and closeout
- As-built drawings
- O&M manuals and warranties
- Final clean
Joinery and built-ins
- Custom wardrobes and walk-in closets
- Media walls and TV units
- Bookshelves and display units
- Window seats and banquettes
- Study and home-office joinery
- Bar units and drinks cabinets
- Under-stair storage
- Reception and retail counters
Wall treatments
- Wall panelling, timber, MDF, fluted
- Wall cladding, stone, brick, metal, acoustic
- Wallpaper supply and installation
- Decorative and textured finishes
- Venetian and polished plaster
- Microcement
- Feature and accent walls
- Mirror and glass wall installation
Lighting
- Decorative and architectural lighting
- Cove and concealed lighting
- Chandelier supply and installation
- Track and spot lighting
- LED strip and profile lighting
- Lighting control and dimming systems
- Outdoor and landscape lighting
Window treatments
- Curtain design, supply and installation
- Motorised curtain tracks
- Roller, roman and venetian blinds
- Blackout systems for bedrooms and media rooms
- Sheer and layered treatments
- Pelmets and recessed curtain pockets
Finishing
- Furniture supply, assembly and placement
- Art and mirror hanging
- Styling and accessories
- Rug and soft furnishing selection
- Complete room styling packages
Symptoms /
What we get called for most
A new lease with a fixed opening date
The programme drives everything. We work backwards from your opening, identify the approval milestones, and flag anything that puts the date at risk before it does. A retail unit that needs turning around between tenants. Strip-out, make-good and refit, usually against a very tight window and frequently at night. Malls generally restrict noisy and delivery work to out-of-hours, so night working is normal rather than exceptional.
An office reconfiguration around a growing team
Churn works, moving partitions, adding meeting rooms, reworking power and data. Usually in an occupied office, so we phase and work evenings and weekends. A restaurant or café. The most technically demanding fit-out type: kitchen extraction, grease management, gas, water heating, drainage and fire suppression all interact, and all attract inspection. Getting the extraction and fire suppression right early is what keeps the opening date.
A clinic or medical facility
Specific requirements for finishes, hygiene, drainage, medical gas and separation. Approvals are involved and unforgiving of assumptions.
A fit-out that has been rejected or stalled
We review the submission, identify why it failed, correct it and resubmit.
A new-build handover that feels bare
The unit is finished but generic. Joinery, panelling, lighting and window treatments are what make it yours, and they can be delivered without construction work.
Storage that doesn't fit the space
Freestanding furniture wastes volume, the gap above, beside and behind. Built-in joinery uses the full height and depth and makes a room feel larger, not smaller.
A living room that needs a focal point
A media wall combining panelling, integrated lighting and concealed storage. The single most requested item we make.
Lighting that is functional but flat
A ceiling light in the centre of each room lights the space without shaping it. Layering ambient, task and accent lighting changes a room more than any other single intervention. Curtains that were fitted badly. Hung at window height instead of near the ceiling, too narrow to stack clear of the glass, or fixed into gypsum without a proper fixing. All correctable.
Offices and retail spaces needing brand identity
Reception joinery, branded wall treatments, display units and lighting that reflect the business rather than the landlord's shell.
A wall that needs to do more
Panelling, cladding, microcement or a decorative plaster finish. Relatively low cost, high visual impact, no structural work.
How we work /
- 01
Site survey and feasibility
What the unit actually offers, power capacity, cooling, drainage points, structure, access. Assumptions here are expensive.
- 02
Design and specification
Layouts, visualisations, materials. Developed with the landlord's requirements already in mind.
- 03
Approvals
Landlord submission, authority applications, permits, bonds, insurance. Tracked, chased and reported.
- 04
Fixed-price contract and programme
Dated, with milestones you can hold us to.
- 05
Construction
One project manager, our own trades, out-of-hours working where the building requires it, daily progress reporting.
- 06
Commissioning and inspection
Systems tested, authority inspections attended, snags closed.
- 07
Handover
As-builts, O&M manuals, warranties and a clean unit ready to trade.
Indicative pricing /
What this work typically costs
- Office, standard
- On survey
- Office, premium
- On survey
- Retail
- On survey
- Restaurant / F&B
- On survey
- Clinic / medical
- On survey
- Strip-out and make-good
- On survey
- Built-in wardrobe (per linear metre)
- On survey
- Media wall / TV unit
- On survey
- Wall panelling (per sq ft)
- On survey
- Wallpaper installation (per roll)
- On survey
- Microcement / decorative plaster (per sq ft)
- On survey
- Curtains (per window, supply and fit)
- On survey
- Motorised curtain track (per window)
- On survey
- Full room styling package
- On survey
Priced on survey. Free consultation, site survey and itemised written quotation.
Why Spanex /
Why Spanex for fit-out and interior decor
We know the approval regimes
Landlord submissions in the right format, first time. This is where programmes are won and lost.
Every trade in-house
MEP, joinery, finishes. No waiting on a subcontractor who has prioritised another site. We work when the building allows. Nights, weekends, restricted access, permit-to-work regimes. Standard for us.
Handover documentation done properly
As-builts, O&M manuals, warranties and test certificates. Landlords hold deposits over missing paperwork.
Programme reporting
You know where you are against the opening date every week, including the bad news early enough to act on it.
We make it, we fit it
Our own joinery, our own installers. Nothing is subcontracted and then blamed on a supplier.
Made to your measurements
Walls in real buildings are not square. Fitted joinery accounts for that; flat-pack does not.
Specified for this climate
UV-stable finishes on sun-exposed elevations, and timber detailing that accommodates humidity movement.
Every supporting trade in-house
New lighting means electrical work; panelling sometimes means gypsum repair; curtain tracks need proper fixings. All ours.
Sectors we serve /
- Retail and malls
- Commercial offices
- Healthcare and clinics
- Schools and nurseries
- Sports and leisure
- Industrial
- Hospitality
- Premium villas
- Residential buildings
- Retail and showrooms
Related services /
Questions /
Frequently asked
How long does a fit-out take in Dubai?
We start the approval process immediately rather than after design sign-off.
Do you handle landlord approvals?
Yes. Drawing submissions in the landlord's required format, contractor registration, insurance and bonds, and permits. We track and chase them.
Are you an approved contractor in Dubai malls?
Where registration is needed for a new location, we complete it as part of the pre-construction phase.
Can you work at night?
Yes, and in most malls we have to. Noisy work, deliveries and material movement are usually restricted to out-of- hours. Our programmes assume it.
What is the most common cause of fit-out delay?
Rejected drawing submissions, followed by discovering the unit cannot support the design, insufficient power, no drainage where the kitchen was planned, inadequate cooling capacity. Both are prevented by a thorough survey and a correctly formatted first submission.
Do you provide design?
Yes, including 3D visualisation. We are equally happy to build to your designer's drawings.
What about F&B kitchen requirements?
We handle extraction, grease management, gas, water heating, drainage and fire suppression, and coordinate the inspections. These systems interact, and designing them together rather than sequentially is what avoids rework.
What documentation do we receive at handover?
As-built drawings, O&M manuals, test and commissioning certificates, warranties, and authority approvals. You will need these for the landlord and for your own compliance.
Do you provide design, or only installation?
Both. We design, visualise, manufacture and install. If you have your own designer, we build to their drawings.
How long does built-in joinery take?
Installation itself is quick; manufacture is the lead time.
Can you work in an occupied home?
Yes. Joinery is manufactured off site, so on-site time is short and relatively clean. We protect floors and furniture throughout.
Will wallpaper last in Dubai's climate?
Indoors, yes, provided the wall is dry and properly prepared. Where there is a moisture problem behind the wall, wallpaper will fail, so we check for damp before installation rather than covering it.
Do you install motorised curtains?
Yes, including the electrical provision and integration with smart-home systems where you have one.
Can you match existing joinery in my property?
Usually. We take samples and match materials, finishes and detailing as closely as available materials allow.
What is microcement, and does it work here?
A thin, seamless cementitious coating for walls, floors and wet areas, giving a continuous finish with no joints. It performs well in this climate and is popular in bathrooms and feature walls. It requires skilled application, poor application is very visible.
Next step /
Get a fixed price for your fit-out and interior decor
Free survey anywhere in Dubai and Sharjah. Written scope and fixed quotation before work starts.