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Stevi Lowmass sold her home in Dubai's The Lakes community so she could live closer to her business.
The 67-year-old founder and owner of The Camel Soap Factory now rents a villa in Dubai Silicon Oasis.
Ms Lowmass, who is from South Africa and has lived in Dubai for 23 years, showed The National around.
Please tell us about your accommodation
I live in Cedre Villas, in a spacious three-bedroomed semi-detached villa in the heart of Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), with my husband, Brian, and our cat, Dobbie.
Cedre Villas has two distinct architectural styles, one very Arabic and traditional and ours is much more modern with huge windows. We love the light and despite the number of windows, find the house very cool and efficient from an AC perspective.
Besides three en suite bedrooms upstairs there is a small study which I have converted into my home office.
Downstairs, there is a guest toilet as well as one in the maid's room, and what was probably designed as a family room.
The house has a fully covered garage area for two cars, with electricity for charging my hybrid car.
We pay Dh205,000 rent per year. I consider DSO excellent value for money. We rent from DSO themselves, who offer properties at very fair values.
How long have you lived here?
I have been in DSO for 18 months, after selling a property we owned in The Lakes.
We’d lived there for 17 years so had built a solid community. But the noise of the road, First Al Khail, became unbearable, and without a child at home – my daughter is studying in London – living near schools was less important.
Many roads around The Lakes are impassable in rush hour, which meant we often felt stuck. Living in DSO has made parts of Dubai accessible to us again.
Why did you choose this place?
Our move was in part prompted by the high sale value of the home we owned in The Lakes, but also the prospect of living close to the factory.
My business is in the Light Industrial Units in DSO, in a great location with wonderful facilities.
I’d driven past Cedre Villas for years and a chance phone call to one of our board members made us look at DSO for renting.
When we found Cedre Villas, we knew immediately this was where we wanted to live. The villas have some of the old-style layouts common in older homes across Dubai. Cedre Villas is like a little oasis.
How have you made it your home?
Moving from an owned home to rented does mean some compromise is required.
Previously, we had been able to modify bathrooms and kitchens, whereas in a rented home we have had to make it our home with our furniture.
Brian and I have been collectors of South African art and Persian carpets for 20 years. The paintings have been collected during visits back to South Africa, and carpets in visits to the souqs, in Sharjah mainly.
The garden is huge but, as we are renting, we made a decision not to invest heavily so laid fake grass over most of it. We did invest in a lovely patio area off the kitchen and erected a small pavilion where we entertain and eat throughout the winter.
Brian has created a huge outside kitchen for his collection of smokers, cookers, barbecues and, most recently, a pizza oven.
He had a shed in The Lakes and was devastated to be losing his “man cave”. But we converted the family room into a pukka man cave with workbenches, cupboards for his biker gear and space for his collection of guitars and drum kit.
What amenities do you have nearby?
We are in walking distance of a small shopping centre with a Spinneys supermarket, a gym, coffee shops and restaurants.
The estate is divided into two, on each side of the roundabout which goes into Silicon Oasis proper. We’re in the smaller, original section.
We have a central pool area with a tennis court. DSO maintain the gardens very well and we generally are able to do a full 5km walk within the estate, which is secure.
Access to Downtown, both Dubai and Sharjah airports and all the new developments east of the E311 is quick and easy.
Are you planning to stay in the area?
We love living here. It feels like an oasis of calm in the “busyness” that has become Dubai. It’s quiet, served by marvellous small restaurants, and we feel like we’ve stepped back in time a little.
DSO is an excellent landlord and the houses are well maintained. We’ve considered our options and I think we’ll stay renting for another few years.
So you have thought about purchasing property again?
We might buy again in a few years' time. If we could buy the house we are renting, we would. But in the long run, we may consider buying an apartment which gives us the flexibility to lock up and go.
In the meantime, living three minutes from the office takes some beating.
