Photography by Francisco Nogueira
Rings of Fire: Leña Dubai by Astet
PROJECTS
A restaurant that returns to earth and fire, Leña Dubai is shaped by elements that feel ancient and immediate. Astet Studio brings the Dani García Group’s steakhouse concept to The Palm Jumeirah with an interior that treats smoke, ember and raw material as both palette and narrative. Black is the constant, a deep jet tone that wraps walls, ceiling and floor, then shifts through subtle textures and finishes. It evokes charred timber and the Japanese Yakisugi technique, a fitting backdrop for Wagyu and the theatre of the grill.
Inside, a sculptural ceiling sets the rhythm. Sinuous rings in stained ash seem to trace the growth lines of a felled trunk, each band extruded at a different height, each one lit to suggest a gentle burn. Metal accents run between the timber, catching light like the flicker of flame. Shadow is part of the composition, shaping volumes and inviting guests to explore.
The material story is tactile and grounded. Stone appears as suspended and emerging rocky forms, one opening to reveal a show kitchen, the other housing the DJ. The arrival sequence builds the atmosphere with a carved wall in rosewood and smoked glass, then a tunnel of handcrafted detail. More than forty thousand wooden scales fold over ceilings near the threshold, a quiet display of craft that mirrors the precision of the kitchen. Bathrooms take on a sculptural language, with a suspended timber and mirror element, a brass skinned sink wall and concentric terrazzo, all composed to capture light and reflection.
The bar reads as an installation. Indoors, the ceiling rings tighten to form a suspended bottle rack, while the counter itself is finished in a matrix of scorched wood pieces with a veined black tropical stone top. Outdoors, the slatted language extends to form a canopy and bottle rack, with travertine punctuating the rhythm. Lush planting and a lighter, sandy palette carry the mood into the evening air.
Dining is arranged as an open landscape of sculptural seating and generous benches, with tones drawn from the fire, blacks, browns and ochres, balanced by warm leather and lighter chairs. Knife displays for VIPs hover in the space and read like fine instruments. Underfoot, dark stone carpets in Zimbabwe black granite set off timber floors. A double height wine cellar in black steel and brass frames holds more than a thousand bottles, connecting dining spaces and adding a quiet glow. Tables and suspended lights are custom designs by Astet, conceived as functional sculptures.
Tucked within Leña, SmokedRoom offers a Fire Omakase for just fourteen diners. The path in is cinematic, a dark passage with lines of light, then a carved black door that opens to an intimate room. The palette is rigorous, black brick, metals, mirrors and brass mesh, balanced by a Japanese maple bar and the glow of the grill. The omakase counter is semicircular, so every guest watches the choreography of plating, with a mirror above reflecting the work.
Floors in black terrazzo and timber, black ceilings and a central chandelier complete a mood that is rich, austere and precise. SmokedRoom continues a recognised line of work for Astet, following wins at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, including Best Overall Restaurant for the original Leña Marbella in 2021 and a Global Winner for SmokedRoom in Small Space.
Leña Dubai is a study in restraint and intensity. Fire becomes structure, shadow becomes material, and the craft is present at every scale, from forty thousand hand placed scales at the entrance to the fine joinery of a chair arm. It is hospitality with a clear point of view, made to be felt before it is explained.
