We are a Dubai studio of architects, designers and one resident psychologist —
making rooms for governments, hospitality groups, schools, restaurants and the people
who live in them.
Roar is an award-winning interior design and architecture studio in Dubai,
founded in 2013 by architect Pallavi Dean.
We work across seven sectors — commercial, F&B, hospitality, education, residential,
retail and product — for clients ranging from federal governments to ten-table restaurants.
The "fifty / fifty" rule is literal: every project runs alongside a wellbeing
psychologist who joins us on the brief. Half evidence, half instinct — the bit
that makes a building feel like something.
* project / headcount figures from interviews — client to confirm at build
{/* ============ FEATURED CASE STUDIES ============ */}
The portfolio is the pitch.>}
link="All 30+ projects"
onLinkClick={() => setRoute({ page: 'projects' })}
/>
{/* Big alternating feature blocks */}
ALL AWARDS ATTRIBUTED TO PALLAVI DEAN — CONFIRM EXACT NAMES/YEARS WITH CLIENT BEFORE LAUNCH.
Press features
{PRESS.map((p, i) => (
{p.name}
{p.detail}
→
))}
Recent talks
{SPEAKING.map((s, i) => (
{s.year}{s.event}{s.city}
))}
{/* ============ FOUNDER TEASER ============ */}
The Pack
Led by Pallavi Dean.
Founder & Creative Director. Architect by training; design-juror,
Clerkenwell Design Week and Dezeen Awards speaker by reputation.
Architectural Digest Middle East named her Designer of the Year.
Behind her: a studio of ~35 designers ("the Pack"), a resident wellbeing
psychologist, and a quiet, careful insistence that the work outlasts the trend.
);
}
const SECTOR_BLURBS = {
commercial: "Workplaces and government interiors for global consultancies, law firms, regulators and federal bodies — designed around how people actually work, with a wellbeing psychologist on the brief.",
fnb: "Restaurants and cafés that read on the plate, on the wall and on Instagram — from QSR rollouts to Levantine fine-dining flagships.",
hospitality: "Hotels, clubs and wellness flagships that prefer atmosphere to spectacle. Repeat work for IHG-managed properties and regional clubs.",
education: "Schools, nurseries and university innovation hubs designed at child-height — used by the Ministry of Education as a reference for early-years policy.",
residential: "Private villas and developer show-units across the UAE, Kuwait and India — the same calm, layered detailing the studio is known for, at domestic scale.",
retail: "Brand flagships and multibrand stores for retail clients from Mumbai to Manhattan — including the regional flagship for SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker.",
product: "Furniture and lighting collaborations with Artemide, Stellar Works, Preciosa and AHEC — the studio's research becoming things you can buy.",
};
/* =========================
STUDIO
========================= */
function StudioPage({ setRoute, openEnquiry }) {
return (
Studio · founded 2013 · Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai
The Pack.
Roar is the studio of architect Pallavi Dean — Founder & Creative
Director. We were founded in 2013 as Pallavi Dean Interiors, and rebranded
to Roar in September 2018. Same studio. Same people. New name.
We work from a warehouse in Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai's design district, with around
thirty-five designers — what we call the Pack. One of us is a
psychologist; one of us is a materials librarian; the rest of us are
architects and interior designers.
ROAR STUDIO, AL SERKAL AVENUE — PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT TO CONFIRM
{/* The 50/50 philosophy */}
The 50/50 philosophy
Fifty wild,
fifty tame.
The "tame" half is the evidence — a wellbeing psychologist on every office
project, post-occupancy studies on every workplace, materials sourced from
suppliers we can name.
The "wild" half is everything else — the bit that's a hunch, a sketch on
a napkin, the courage to paint a whole restaurant dusty rose.
Both halves are non-negotiable.
{/* The Pack — team grid (portraits TBC) */}
People in the building.>} />
{PACK.map((m, i) => (
{m.name}
{m.role}
))}
PORTRAITS & FULL TEAM ROSTER — CLIENT TO SUPPLY.
{/* History */}
Twelve years, one studio.>} dark />
{HISTORY.map((h, i) => (
{h.year}{h.title}{h.body}
))}
Tell us about the brief.
);
}
const PACK = [
{ name: 'Pallavi Dean', role: 'Founder & Creative Director' },
{ name: 'Senior Designer 01', role: 'Associate — Workplace' },
{ name: 'Senior Designer 02', role: 'Associate — Hospitality' },
{ name: 'Senior Designer 03', role: 'Associate — Residential' },
{ name: 'Resident Psychologist', role: 'Wellbeing & Workplace' },
{ name: 'Materials Lead', role: 'Library & Sourcing' },
{ name: 'Project Director', role: 'Delivery' },
{ name: '+ the rest of the Pack', role: '~28 designers, regional' },
];
const HISTORY = [
{ year: '2013', title: 'Pallavi Dean Interiors founded', body: "Architect Pallavi Dean opens her own studio in Dubai after working with HOK, Aedas and Pringle Brandon — early commissions in workplace and residential." },
{ year: '2016', title: 'First federal commission', body: 'A federal government interior brings the studio into civic work — the category that now anchors a third of the portfolio.' },
{ year: '2018', title: 'Rebrand to "Roar"', body: 'The studio rebrands from Pallavi Dean Interiors to Roar — same entity, sharper voice, the lion and "the Pack" as motifs.' },
{ year: '2019–22', title: 'Awards run', body: 'FRAME Global Emerging Designer of the Year (2019), AD ME Designer of the Year (2020), CID Interior Designer of the Year (2020 & 2022), Interior Design "Best of Year" (2021).' },
{ year: '2024', title: 'Ajman Ruler\'s Court delivered', body: 'A landmark government interior that becomes the studio\'s most-published project — featured in Dezeen, The National and Work Design Magazine.' },
{ year: 'Today', title: 'Seven sectors, one Pack', body: "~35 designers across commercial, F&B, hospitality, education, residential, retail and product. Speaking at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026." },
];
/* =========================
AWARDS
========================= */
function AwardsPage({ setRoute }) {
return (
Awards · Press · Recognition
The receipts.
We don't lead with awards, but they're a fair signal of where the work is judged
against. Everything below is attributed exactly to its issuer and year.
Awards All to Pallavi Dean — verify exact crediting
{AWARDS.map((a, i) => (
{a.year}
{a.name}
{a.issuer}
CONFIRMED ✓
))}
Award attribution under review
Ajman Ruler's Court — 2024 award attribution
Some 2024 coverage attributes an "Interior Design — Office" win on the
Ajman Ruler's Court project to Roar; the official CID Awards 2024 MENA list
records the win under another contracted studio. We present the project,
but won't claim a specific award until the issuer's record is reconciled
with the client.