"We are trying to break the mould of what is typical of Dubai – and work out what it is that high-net-worth individuals really want from their homes and lifestyles," explains Matthew Bate, executive manager of Al Sharq Investment, as he shows me around the new Alef Residences show apartment.
Located on the west crescent of Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, Alef Residences consists of 104 homes and is a joint venture between Qatar’s Al Mana Global and Saudi Arabia’s Al Sharq Group. With the apartments due for handover in the second quarter of 2017, Al Sharq Investment recently unveiled a fully fitted show apartment, designed to give potential buyers a taste of what’s on offer.
First off, we’re not to call them apartments. “We wanted to create a development that would attract buyers who were looking for a solid investment, but also a home that they actually wanted to use, whether it was their first or second or even third home. The sales process can take up to two months – it’s an emotional purchase, because they are going to live here, at some point. That’s why we call them homes, rather than apartments,” Bate notes.
Comprising between two and five bedrooms, measuring from 4,800 to 15,000 square feet and with a price range of Dh14 million to Dh50m, the apartments will be serviced by the W Hotel Dubai, which is being built adjacent to the property and is due to open in early 2017. Residents at Alef will be able to avail themselves of anything from room service from the W’s impressive array of eateries, to laundry, maid and event-planning services.
The developers set out to create something "really special", Bate says. Whether that means floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offer expansive water views from every apartment; enormous wraparound balconies; walk-in wardrobes by Poliform; high-quality timber floors; Philippe Starck mixers; a 475-metre-long stretch of beach; or private cabanas that are dotted through the landscaped gardens leading onto the beach (as opposed to the standard Tetris-like rows of sunbeds), to afford more privacy and intimacy – every effort has been made to ensure that Alef Residences offers the very highest standards of luxury living.
“It’s something that I truly don’t think has been seen in Dubai,” Bate insists.
It is not unusual to hear such superlatives from property developers, but the Alef Residences can be credited with doing something that is still all-too-rare in Dubai. It takes full advantage of its seafront location through clever architecture and spatial planning. Every apartment overlooks the sea on one side and/or a stretch of beach on the other. When you stand in the kitchen, living room or bedrooms of the show apartment, your eye is drawn straight out to sea, with the property appearing to almost protrude out over the water.
This impression extends across the development, from the organic-looking, curvaceous facade to the floor-to-ceiling windows. “The facade is quite minimal. It looks like a mega-yacht sitting at the end of The Palm – and that’s also because of these big, flowing balconies that come down like the aft deck of a yacht. We’ve also really looked at maximising views of the ocean. It’s all about waterfront living – and about drawing those views into the interior of each home.”
In the show apartment, the Poggenpohl kitchen (fitted with Miele appliances, of course), living and dining areas take up one huge open space. A concealed back-of-house area, featuring maids’ quarters and a second kitchen (which come with views of the beach, the Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa beyond) leads off from the main kitchen and comes with its own entrance. Bedrooms, too, are hidden from view, with all master bedrooms measuring at least 95 square metres.
Owners have the option to modify interior finishes and reconfigure room plans according to their tastes. “All the MEP [mechanical, electrical and plumbing] has been zoned,” Bate explains. “If people don’t like this big open-plan living, we have an idea where they might like to create some additional rooms. If they want to put in partitions, to create a separate majlis or closed-off kitchen, for example, everything is in place for them to do that.”
“When we looked at the brand we wanted to offer as much flexibility to the owner as possible, because that’s what they expect – and what they deserve.”
sdenman@thenational.ae