A garden in Dubai is not really finished until it has somewhere to sit, gather and entertain. The outdoor majlis — a shaded seating and dining area — is the heart of the whole space, and it reflects the region’s long tradition of welcoming guests outdoors. Getting it right is as much about the climate as it is about the look.
Start with shade — everything depends on it
An unshaded seating area in Dubai is unusable for most of the year. Shade is the first design decision, not the last. The main options:
- Pergolas — the most popular structure by far, from timber to aluminium to bioclimatic louvred roofs you can angle or close. See our full pergola comparison.
- Shade sails and canopies — lighter and cheaper, good for covering a defined seating zone.
- Natural shade — well-placed shade trees and tall planting soften the space and drop the temperature underneath by several degrees.
Build it for the climate
Materials here live under Dubai’s generous sunshine, warmth and coastal air. Choose surfaces and finishes that cope: porcelain and stone paving that stays cooler underfoot than dark tiles, powder-coated aluminium or treated hardwood for structures, and cushions in UV-stable, fade-resistant outdoor fabrics. Cheap indoor furniture put outside falls apart within a season. This structural work is the core of our hard landscaping service.
Cool it down
The features that make an outdoor majlis usable for more of the year:
- Ceiling or misting fans under the pergola for air movement.
- A nearby water feature — the sound and evaporation genuinely make a space feel cooler and calmer.
- Soft planting around the edges to enclose the space and block hot wind.
- Layered lighting so it works after dark, which in Dubai is when it gets used most.
Position it well
Face the seating away from the strong afternoon west sun where you can, take advantage of any breeze, and give it a sense of enclosure with planting or screening so it feels like a room rather than an exposed patch of paving.
An outdoor living area pulls together paving, shade, planting, water and lighting — which is exactly why it is best designed as one project. Our landscaping team designs and builds outdoor majlis areas across every community in Dubai.
Want it done for you?
We design, build and maintain gardens across every community in Dubai. Whatever your project — a full landscape, a maintenance contract, a pergola, lighting or irrigation — call +971 50 495 4437, message us on WhatsApp, or book a free site visit.