With more and more expats making the move to Riyadh, new places to live are springing up across the city — and this cool "co-living" compound might just be the capital's trendiest option yet.
Flow, owned by WeWork founder Adam Neumann, has opened its first ultra-chic Saudi Arabian outpost in Narjis, with residents getting access to yoga classes, meditation spaces, hotel-style housekeeping and hot desks for entrepreneurs.
With a mission to "connect you with yourself, your neighbours and the natural world", the company's third building – its first in the Middle East – adds to apartment blocks in Florida's Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Flow says it hopes to open two more buildings in Saudi Arabia by the end of the year.
The compound's 278 two and three-bedroom apartments draw on an understated aesthetic that makes use of "earth-based materials and designs", with a palette of earth tones, creams and subtle golds evoking Saudi's desert sands.
Robust oak tables and woven rattan rugs are among the custom furniture pieces in each apartment, which are flooded with natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows that open up to balconies looking out over the city.
Around the compound, there's a sleek indoor pool and hot tub (which Flow says is "arguably one of the better indoor pools in Narjis"), state-of-the-art gym and wood sauna — plus a bowling alley, billiards lounge, ping pong space and gaming centre.
Staying at the compound grants access to a busy social schedule of expert-hosted yoga classes, meditation sessions, fitness meet-ups and events across areas including "holistic wellbeing, passion sharing, business, pets and more".
To encourage community bonding, the team will also help with logistics if tenants want to host their own events.
Apartments come with hotel-style housekeeping and laundry services, while entrepreneurs will find dedicated hot-desking spaces on-site. Conference rooms and private offices are available to rent for an extra fee.
According to Flow's website, annual rents for unfurnished two-bedroom apartment start at SAR114,000, or SAR125,000 for a larger three-bedroom option. Furnished options start at SAR171,000 and SAR186,000 respectively.
