Mila: A Yacht Reimagined in the Desert by Nellis Architecture
10 Oct. 2025
“Like a yacht, but better” was not merely a client’s request—it became a design manifesto. From the outset, the concept demanded more than a stylistic echo of a luxury vessel; it sought to translate the experience of stepping aboard a beautifully crafted yacht into a permanent architectural condition.
The villa’s form embraces the sleek, sculpted curves that define superyachts, while the warm texture of teak-inspired decking weaves a nautical narrative across its façade. The result is a structure that feels at once anchored and in motion, its geometry seemingly carved by wind and water.
The ambition was to capture the emotional response of standing on a yacht’s deck—a sense of sophistication, precision, and freedom—and embed it within the DNA of a home grounded in the desert landscape. From the curvature of its exterior shell to the flow of its interior circulation, the villa mirrors the elegance and movement of a vessel gliding across open sea.
More Than Style: A Commitment to Lifestyle
Mila is not simply a stylistic statement; it is a bold commitment to lifestyle. The villa is purposefully designed around health, wellness, and biophilic principles, creating a sanctuary where nature and luxury converge. Lush greenery softens the desert edge, transforming the property into a private oasis.
Upon entry, visitors are met not with visual clutter but with fluid curves and layered materials that catch light like rippling water—elements that collectively build a narrative both distinct and emotionally resonant.
Mila is therefore not just a design, but an identity—one that is undeniably bold.
Innovation Anchored in Practicality
The villa’s ambitious yacht-inspired forms are grounded in buildability. Its fluid lines were realised through the use of GRC (Glassfibre Reinforced Concrete) cladding—a lightweight, durable composite material that allows complex curves without compromising structural integrity. Combined with a rationalised structural grid, this ensured sculptural expression could coexist with construction efficiency.
Material specification prioritised durability and performance under harsh desert conditions. Teak-inspired surfaces capture the elegance of yacht decking while offering resilience against UV exposure, sand abrasion, and extreme temperature fluctuations.
Sustainability was embedded from the earliest stages. Passive cooling strategies, deep overhangs, and high-performance glazing work in tandem with the villa’s orientation to optimise daylight while reducing heat gain. Shaded garden zones, cross-ventilation corridors, and drought-tolerant planting enhance thermal comfort and minimise water demand, all while maintaining a lush, resort-like character.
Every design decision—structural, material, or environmental—was carefully calibrated to balance cost, efficiency, and long-term performance.
Biophilia as a Core Strategy
Here, biophilia is not ornament but a central design principle. Courtyards, water features, and vertical gardens create a layered microclimate that softens the arid surroundings and enriches psychological well-being.
Spa-like wellness zones, natural ventilation pathways, and constant visual connections to greenery establish the home as both retreat and restorative environment. The result is a villa that is not only visually striking but pioneering in its integration of wellness and lifestyle.
The Living Heart
At Mila’s centre lies a dramatic triple-height glazed atrium framing a magnificent tree—a sculptural, living anchor that connects every level. This vertical green void blurs boundaries between interior and exterior, fostering continuity and calm. Daylight animates the tree throughout the day, casting shifting shadows and reflections that enliven the interiors.
From the rooftop, a glass-bottom pool cascades into a ground-floor pool, which in turn flows into a Bali-tiled basement pool. This sequence creates a theatrical choreography of water, light, and sound—transforming circulation into spectacle.
Formal and family spaces are arranged to embrace these elements, ensuring every room opens to greenery and water. The material palette—stone, timber, and glass—grounds the design in natural textures that resonate from macro gesture to micro detail.
A Cohesive Architectural Vision
The villa’s spatial organisation heightens the visual experience at every turn: corridors framing views, staircases floating within light-filled voids, terraces reaching outward into the landscape. Inside and outside flow into one another through layers of transparency, natural light, and carefully orchestrated materiality.
Altogether, Mila is not merely a home but a fully immersive environment. Every architectural gesture, every surface, and every spatial relationship contributes to a cohesive and emotionally charged vision—a celebration of nature, water, and movement set against the desert backdrop.
