My Own Home takes you inside a reader-owned property to ask how much they paid, why they decided to buy and what they have done with it since moving in
Sangeeta Khiara and her husband were born and raised in the UAE. While their families originally come from India, for three generations they have made the Emirates their home.
Now, as the pair run their own companies – Ms Khiara is the founder of ArtBeat Productions – they’ve also bought their first property together in Dubai, where they live with their daughter and her in-laws.
They were living in rented accommodation in Jumeirah 1 for 14 years but were ready to go all-in with a family-focused community – and Tilal Al Ghaf ticked all their boxes.
The National takes a look around.
Please tell us about your home
It is a large, five-bedroom villa in Tilal Al Ghaf. We wanted it to be a reflection of ourselves, a space that we could feel cut off and at home at the same time. I wanted it to be like quiet luxury, nothing too over the top.
What renovations have you done?
We did a couple of extensions – we brought the balcony inside and extended the upstairs living area so we could have a home cinema.
How was the process of renovating?
The permissions, the contracting, the designing – everything was a smooth process with the companies we dealt with. It took four months to finish end-to-end, along with landscaping.
You need to be realistic that there needs to be a certain amount of patience, also from our end. If my expectations are not met, it's also because I don't think we were on the same page with someone, so we would tell them. Then you circle back every now and then.
Where did you move from?
We were renting our home in Jumeirah 1 for 14 years, then decided to take up our own home and move to a community. It's the first time I've lived in a proper community.
How much did your property cost?
We bought it for Dh8 million ($2.1 million). I can say that it's [now] up by 50 per cent. We didn't buy it with the intention to invest, it was to start making it our home.
We bought it off-plan when we were recovering from the pandemic in the second half of 2020.
Why did you choose this neighbourhood?
Majid Al Futtaim being such a known name, this was their flagship community in Dubai. We were sure they wouldn’t leave any stone unturned when it came to community living. The facilities and the way the whole community was planned out was beautiful. We saw it on the plan and we were very happy with it.
We were looking around for a while. We wanted to have a place that was more focused on family living, rather than providing a space with just amenities. I feel like we needed something for ourselves, for our child and for our parents. This was one of the communities that ticked all the boxes.
It's great to see our parents get out in the morning, take a walk around the community. The community is filled with so many lovely families. Everyone's really invested in each other and helpful towards each other.
You want to thrive in a community where people are like-minded and from so many different parts of the world. It's amazing.
What facilities do you have?
I have a park right behind my home. I open my back door and my daughter can just run over, so I can watch her from my balcony. It's a great plus for me.
There’s the swimming pool and the gym, which are less than a five-minute walk from my home. We have a padel court.
The community has a supermarket, they have cafes, they have a salon, they have a laundry. Everything is extremely accessible and close to where we're living. It doesn't feel like I need to go out for much.
How would you describe your interior design style?
It is very quiet luxury. It's comfortable. At the same time, we wanted it to be a space where a family could come in and have a great time. When I invite friends, everybody has their own space. We're all able to spend time together and it just doesn't look too cluttered.
Since we own this place, we went all out. We put our heart and soul into this project, and reaping the benefits of it is amazing. So you sit in your own house and you feel like, wow, we did a great job.
How long do you plan to stay?
It’s a family home for us. It’s been only three months since we moved in and I plan to live here for a really long time. In my previous home we were there for 14 years, so I feel like this is definitely going to be a long-term calling.
Dubai is home for us. It's becoming home for a lot of people all of a sudden as well. It's great. I really think you can coexist in an environment like this, with so many different cultures, so many different communities and be able to thrive alongside each other. It's a very rare thing.