Shah Palace is a luxury hotel on the coast of Matemwe, Zanzibar. It faces Mnemba Atoll and sits between ocean light and heritage silence. The resort needed furniture that felt real. No mass forms. No generic catalogues. Only pieces that held story and depth.
Start Your ProjectThey asked Iris Bespoke to shape furniture that matched their identity. Not surface style. Identity. The work had to respect Islamic design. It had to reflect East African calm. It had to last under salt, heat, and hands. The tone was clear. Every room needed furniture with soul, not shine.
This case study shows how Iris designed and delivered it. From raw mango wood to bone inlay detail. From sketches to sealed crates. From idea to arrival. Each piece now lives inside the Shah Palace rooms.
Shah Palace stands in Matemwe, Zanzibar. It is private, peaceful, and owned with pride. Each room faces ocean light or a quiet garden. The structure holds silence. Nothing inside feels copied.
This hotel did not want standard chairs or ready-made consoles. They asked for something real. The furniture had to match the land, the air, and the soul of the space.
They serve food under silk art. They seal spa doors with carved frames. The resort follows a full zero plastic policy. It is also building a school in Matemwe for local students. With clean water. With prayer space. With care.
The brief was simple but strong. Do not send them what others use. Build what feels native. Every table had to fit the room it was made for. Every headboard had to feel like it grew from the wall behind it.
This client wanted furniture with identity. And every part of that identity had to live inside the wood.
Each room pulled in light at a different angle. Some framed ocean. Others opened to quiet gardens. No wall followed a fixed template. Every layout needed its own shape, its own fit.
Moisture in the air stayed constant. Salt moved through open shutters. Wood had to stay tight. The Polish had to hold. Drawers could not swell. Handles could not rust. One wrong finish could ruin the surface before the first guest checked in.
Furniture had to feel made for this place. Not for another project. Not from a factory. Every line was reviewed. Every surface was tested against sun, hand, water, cloth.
If a leg felt heavy, we reduced weight. If a joint felt visible, we changed the grain. Every form had to breathe inside the space, not sit like a visitor.
Each decision shaped durability, comfort, and silence. The pieces had to work hard. But they could never look like they tried.
Every space deserves furniture that tells its story. Let’s craft something extraordinary together.
The furniture made for Shah Palace was shaped around use, space, and belief. Every material had to stand up to weather, light, and constant touch. Every motif had to speak the story of where it was placed. Mango wood formed the base for most units. It is stable near salt air, holds fine carving, and resists movement in changing moisture. The carving teams used this for mirror frames, console panels, and spa counters. Each piece held its shape without warping.
Bone inlay was used for bedside tables and mirror borders. The material matched the Islamic design influence seen across the resort. Inlay lines followed repeat geometry found in the city of Fez and across East African religious doors. Every inlay was hand-fixed and sealed with clear resin to prevent lifting.
Brass handles and fixtures followed antique style. They connected with the heritage cues from Moroccan brass work, another design anchor for this project. Soft aging was left in place. The finish stayed matte to reduce glare in high-light areas.
Some furniture was painted. These surfaces picked up tones from the coral walls and fabric used across the suites and restaurants. The paint stayed low-shine and breathable. No gloss, no varnish. Only a sealed tone that held the space.
Motifs came from arches, floral outlines, and textile sketches. Each form was drawn from real history. Nothing was styled from trend or fashion. Every line was linked to a place, a practice, or a faith.
Each item made for Shah Palace was tagged before it left the workshop. Every console, mirror, headboard, and spa unit carried a room code—like SUITE-14-CONSOLE or VILLA-02-MIRROR. These codes matched a digital map shared with the hotel team before dispatch.
Materials were prepared for the coast. Mango wood was cured to reduce movement. Inlay pieces were sealed with clear resin. Brass parts were wrapped in anti-tarnish paper. Paint was applied in low light and dried under natural air to avoid cracking in heat.
Packing followed a fixed structure. Foam sheets wrapped each unit. Corners were guarded with hard buffer caps. No plastic was used. Every item was cushioned in layers of recycled board. Painted surfaces were packed upright to protect edges. Inlay items were separated with cloth and board.
No crate landed without a map. Every piece was tagged with a room code before shipping. Once at Shah Palace, the install team placed each item where it belonged. Room 16 received the console meant for its wall width. Spa Unit 2 received the cabinet with the arch fit. Nothing was switched. Nothing arrived without purpose.
Some adjustments happened on site. A mirror had to shift orientation due to a shallow alcove. One carved unit needed sanding at the base for floor slope. These changes were done without delay. The team worked with site staff to match grain direction, edge alignment, and shadow fall.
Each drawer included a QR label inside. It linked to a care sheet, reorder file, and maintenance note. Staff were shown how to clean bone inlay and painted wood without damage. No acid. No heavy moisture. Only soft cloth and oil polish.
Every room was signed off with a list. Finish matched. Fit checked. Nothing returned to the crate.
Guests remembered the furniture. Reviews mentioned mirrors that framed sea light. Desks that felt built into the walls. Wardrobes that opened without sound.
Every room held its own layout and finish. The furniture did not repeat. It matched space, story, and structure. This gave each guest a different memory. That became part of the brand.
Photographs of the rooms appeared in travel editorials. The tourism board highlighted Shah Palace as a design-led property. Guests used words like calm, sacred, and carved when describing their stay.
Furniture helped raise the value of each room. Garden suites started at USD 900. Beachfront villas reached USD 1500 per night. These rates matched the craft and atmosphere. The pieces worked with the hotel, not against it. They did not need the spotlight. They held shape, form, and purpose without noise.
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