My Dubai Rent: Digital content creator loves 'watching people' from her Marina apartment

New entrants to the UAE are captivated by Dubai Marina home that captures the pulse of the city

Zhale Rousta and her husband Nima Farahbakhsh on the balcony of their apartment in Dubai Marina. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

The living room in the two-bedroom apartment

The kitchen where Ms Rousta records cooking videos for YouTube

The master bedroom has a large window offering views of the water

The guest room in the apartment

The swimming pool in the building

The gym area

The view of the marina from the balcony

Ms Rousta has decorated her home with plenty of personal touches, including plants

Outside the building Ms Rousta calls home in Dubai Marina

My Dubai Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and asks them what they like and don't like

The buzz and bustle of Dubai Marina is the reason why a couple of young content creators chose to live there.

Zhale Rousta, a digital content creator, was drawn to the neighbourhood from the moment she visited Dubai in 2007.

Ms Rousta and her husband Nima Farahbakhsh then moved to the UAE from Rasht, a coastal city in Iran, about a year ago.

After living in Business Bay, within a 15-minute walk of Burj Khalifa, the couple moved to Dubai Marina a month ago – where they say they can feel the vibe and energy of the city.

The 32-year-old, who produces videos and photo shoots on home decor and food for companies, told The National the two-bedroom apartment in her dream neighbourhood is the perfect fit.

Tell us about your home

I love working from cafes and this area is perfect. The building has a separate door to Marina Walk and I have hundreds of choices.

I like walking here, sitting and watching people, watching life.

It really boosts my mood and creativity.

On our apartment balcony, I sit with my laptop and watch as people run and walk. I see the cars, the metro, the tram, the boats and this calms me. I just like watching life.

Why this area in particular?

I travelled to Dubai about 17 years ago and I have loved the Marina since.

We moved to Dubai a year ago and this is our second home.

Our first was in Business Bay near the metro station.

We both love crowded places, being among people. Although we loved Downtown, we were saving up for a year for this area.

We were thinking of coming to live in the Marina since we visited Dubai.

And here we are after 17 years of loving this place.

Is it value for money?

We pay Dh110,000 and have been lucky because it’s a two-bedroom with a huge balcony and large kitchen in a great building.

When we first saw this building, I was instantly in love with this place because it has very big windows.

I record videos of cooking on YouTube and the kitchen is big enough for this.

There is a lot of wardrobe space and both bathrooms have their own showers.

The living room is very cosy and there are huge windows to the balcony with a perfect view.

The bedrooms have a view of the water as well.

It’s great value for money.

How have you made the apartment your home?

I study architecture and this is my area of speciality.

I designed it with a few sharp colours but mostly beige and muted colours for the walls and furnishings.

The table and floor lamps that a friend in Iran has designed gives the colour as do the many plants I have.

We chose to give it a homey and cosy feeling.

Are there other advantages to living here?

We develop content for brands and do photo shoots, so we need as much natural light as possible.

Although it’s a crowded neighbourhood, it’s silent inside the house.

When I close the windows it’s a comfort zone for me.

Is it a sociable neighbourhood?

My husband is outgoing and makes a lot of friends.

It is a friendly neighbourhood.

What are the disadvantages of where you live?

I don’t think there is any downside to living here.