Cool Spaces: White & The Bear

WORDS Cheri Morris IMAGES courtesy of Natalee Cocks

Step inside Dubai’s White & The Bear, a children’s restaurant, concept store and workshop space, designed by Sneha Divias Atelier.

After the success of Oli Oli, Dubai’s interactive children’s museum, Sneha Divias Atelier took on the White & The Bear project, designing a space that aims to offer families an imaginative oasis for creative play.

A collaborative approach between the owner, Hana Al Mula, chef Annabel Karmel MBE, Sneha Divias Atelier, Neotech contractors and graphic design team Yellow, White & The Bear’s interiors sees a move away from complex strategies, primary colours and the depiction of pop-culture characters typically found in child-centric spaces. Instead, the aesthetic is urbane, minimalist and calming.

Spread across two floors, the space comprises a restaurant, retail store, reading corner, nursing room, child-friendly washrooms and workshop space that blend seamlessly into one another. Clean lines and simple furnishings juxtaposed by a distinctive range of natural textures and playful, quirky graphics make for a warm and homely ambience.

See more projects by Sneha Divias Atelier here. For more information, visit whiteandthebear.com.