A conversation with Marco Mangili, founder of MMA Projects

13 aprile 2026

Exploring a process defined by research, materials, and vision, to reveal not just the final result, but the journey that makes it possible. The dialogue takes shape within the newly completed Villa DRN, one of Dubai's most exclusive residences and the latest project by the firm.

Your projects shape some of Dubai’s most exclusive homes. How does the Made in Italy philosophy influence the way you create spaces defined by the highest levels of privacy?
I come from a country where refinement and attention to detail are essential—they are part of our soul, our culture. I’m referring to something deeply rooted in our heritage: families of artisans like my grandmother or grandfather, who used to carve wood. This is not something you can simply say “I studied for,” or learn at university; it is something genuinely connected to who we are.

What is the distinctive element that consistently appears in all your projects, in Dubai or elsewhere, as a sort of signature?
There are many elements that represent my signature and that recur across my projects. I feel a strong connection to materials: it can be concrete, travertine stone, or worked leather. But there is something very specific that ties all my work together, almost like a thread stitching different projects: mother-of-pearl. In most of my villas, I include a handcrafted mother-of-pearl chandelier or a Capiz shell sculpture—hand-worked shell that I find extremely elegant and refined. The way it reflects light is incredibly warm, and the glow it produces is soft and welcoming. This is something I love to incorporate into most of my projects.

What motivates and fulfills you?
In modern society, there are so many aspects related to quality, performance, and durability, but there is one element that truly captures everyone: beauty. What I perceive in the very first instant I see something—before its quality—is whether it is beautiful. And this is what guides me when I design a home, when I conceive the interior of a villa, or when I create anything else: I always strive to find the right proportions, the right material, the right combination. But at the end of the day, everything can be traced back to a single word: beauty.