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Formerly a resident of Saudi Arabia, Raji Daou has lived in the UAE since 2017 and built a thriving construction and renovations business in Dubai.
The company recently invested in its first villa, a five-bedroom property in Arabian Ranches, which they fully renovated. The idea was to sell it on, but then Mr Daou’s wife fell in love with it. So instead, this July, the couple and their two sons moved in.
Now they're fully settled, and it will take a lot of convincing for his wife before they move anywhere else.
The National takes a look inside the home.
Please tell us about your home
This house was born as my company naturally grew. Our investment arm is where we go and buy villas or plots of land, renovate them or build them from the ground up and then put them back on the market.
Villa 54 was the first of many projects and was never intended to be a home. It was supposed to be purely a business transaction. As soon as everything came together, I made the fatal mistake of asking my wife if she wanted to see it – that was the end of it. We moved in.
It turned out to be a six-bedroom villa, all en suite, with an office. We have a complete gym, a beautiful cinema room with a ceiling that opens and closes. We even installed hidden AC units in that room, so you can open the ceiling in August and the room still feels cool.
Why did you choose this property?
We had been quite active in Arabian Ranches 1 and 2 – it was kind of our backyard. The first project we did in Arabian Ranches 2 was for a client. I went into his villa and thought it was beautiful – I didn’t understand why he wanted to renovate it. We later ended up buying that same villa type.
I fell in love with the community, but at the time, my financial position did not allow me to consider it. It wasn’t even a dream. I guess the universe has a way of putting things together.
How much did you buy the house for?
We got lucky. I got the house for Dh8.5 million. We did go over budget because of all the branded furniture we put in, spending about Dh6.2 million there. But now we have received offers for Dh22 million. The renovations played a part, but the shifting market also helped.
What renovations did you do?
Originally it was a traditional five-bedroom, boxy type house with many walls. There were numerous ledges and courtyards that were not integrated into the house.
I personally like a house that feels open. The main objective was to open it up so you could breathe. It was already a big house, but with so many doors and walls, it didn’t feel that big.
This villa was completely stripped down to shell and core. It was initially 5,305 square feet built-up area and is now over 7,200 square feet. We removed all internal walls and ceilings and AC systems, leaving only the columns, and the entire villa was repartitioned.
Entrances were changed, walls moved, ceilings lifted. Because it was our first project, we went all out to prove our capabilities.
How would you describe your interior design?
We’re modern, but not ultra-modern. With a sense of minimalism.
What facilities do you have?
We have a large swimming pool, tiled with large-format tiles three metres long by one metre wide, so there are no grout lines.
There’s a huge outdoor seating area with top-notch appliances and sub-zero fridges. There is also an independent sitting area, a full gym, and a cinema inside the house.
What do you think of the neighbourhood?
Aseel is lovely. I like that it has just 64 villas, making it quite private. It’s a community in Arabian Ranches on the golf course. It’s very quiet, giving a strong sense of privacy, which I enjoy.
Our favourite part is evening walks on the golf course. You just step out of your house, and less than 300 metres away are the golf course doors. I try to get my 10,000 steps in, which has become a ritual with me and the kids.
Previously, living in Al Furjan, there were many mosquitoes, so we wouldn’t go out much. Now it’s my way of getting the kids off their iPads and engaging with real life.
How long do you plan to live here?
The house is not for sale, but we’re treating it as a show villa. I have to use it to recoup the money we spent on it in one way or another.
I’m not sure how long it will take to convince my wife to sell it, but jokes aside, we’re happy here. We are blessed and grateful for what we have and what Dubai has offered us.
Dubai is home. When I travel back to Lebanon, I go for a week and can’t wait to return to Dubai, even in the middle of August. There’s something about the city’s energy that I’m addicted to. I’ve been coming in and out of Dubai since 2007 and have seen how it has grown into this big city.
