My Own Home: Entrepreneur turns Dh1.8 million townhouse into palace now worth Dh7m

Sola Kbaitry wants a place for her teenage children to always call 'home'

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  Lebanese entrepreneur Sola Kbaitry lives in her three-bedroom villa in Springs 11 in Dubai with her husband and two children. All photos: Pawan Singh for The National

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  The living room

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  The kitchen

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  The dining area

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  A reading area

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  The extension

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  The entrance area

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  The garden

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  A view of the back of the house

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

Lebanese entrepreneur Sola Kbaitry has lived in her three-bedroom Springs 11 townhouse for the past 13 years. Ms Kbaitry, who lives with her husband and two teenage children, has been in the UAE since 2002 and bought the property for Dh1.8 million back in 2012.

She’s since renovated it extensively, infused Mediterranean flair into her interiors to remind her of home and says she has no plans to go anywhere else, despite the fact she says she could sell it for upwards of Dh7 million.

But it’s important to her that her children always have a place to come back to that they can call “home”.

The National takes a look around.

Please tell us about your home

It’s a three-bedroom townhouse in Springs 11. We bought it in 2012 for Dh1.8 million.

The entrance to Sola Kbaitry's three-bedroom home. Pawan Singh for The National

How much is it worth now?

For renovated properties, they’re going for more than Dh5.5 million, but it depends on the location and renovations you have done. My house would be worth about Dh7 million now if I wanted to sell.

What renovations have you done?

We broke everything. I broke the walls, changed the tiles, the windows, the doors. It was as if we were building a new house again from scratch.

We did that when we had just bought it, then little by little I’ve changed the look and feel and theme of the house.

What is your interior design style?

It’s gone through many stages, but for now it has a Mediterranean look, because I’m from the Mediterranean. I always say, “Why do I have to go back home and feel like what I feel there? Why not bring it here to Dubai?”

Ms Kbaitry wanted to bring a touch of her home in Lebanon to Dubai. Pawan Singh for The National

We’ve got natural stone, white walls, holes in the walls for decorations where you can put, for example, some plates or cups.

We have neutral colours, greenery around you, open windows. I have a glass room that’s been extended and brings the outside to the inside. When you’re sitting in the house, it feels like you’re sitting in the garden.

Why did you decide to buy?

This was our first property, because we wanted to build a family and we didn't want to keep on moving houses as the rent went up. It was the right decision and we’re very happy.

Why did you choose the Springs?

We rented there before and we love the community. It is so beautiful. We have the lakes around us and the Spinney’s next to us. The supermarkets, the school, it's all within walking distance. In winter, you can walk around, walk your dogs, so you have more nature.

What facilities do you have?

We have a gym next to us. We have pools in the community. We have the park where the kids can play, and they have all the slides and swings.

The garden area. Pawan Singh for The National

The nature and walking trails and quiet are important to me, because after a long day at work, and especially because we travel a lot, me and my husband like to come back and just chill and relax, not be in traffic. We don’t want to hear any other sound. The vibes are important for us. They’re positive to recharge and then start again.

How long do you plan to stay in this property?

We don’t think of selling it, because it’s home. The kids have been raised here. We love it. We think if we want to buy, we can do that and then rent that property out. But for us, this property is home.

It’s like your parents’ home, when you go back there, you feel different. When you enter, you remember your childhood. We want that for our kids.

Because we’re expats and we don’t live in our country, I wanted them to be rooted somewhere. Now they tell me they want to study abroad, but they want to come back to Dubai. They want to come back home, so that’s nice.