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Ursula Winzel has owned and rented homes during her 18 years in Dubai.
A German raised in South Africa, she is the founder and chief executive of Balcony8 Brand Buro and an Emirates Woman of the Year 2025 award winner.
Ms Winzel, 47, rented a bungalow in Jumeirah 2, Dubai, following the death of her husband four years ago.
She showed The National around the home she shares with daughters Leni, aged seven, and Noä, five, with whom she runs family business Little Rituals, and their nanny, driver, and veteran cat Bahira.
Why did you choose this place?
I love Jumeirah bungalows. There is something so nostalgic and charming about them.
They complement Dubai’s magnificent, very progressive skyline, and they tell stories about old Dubai and the local families that helped shape its future. I’ve always been drawn to them.
I’ll pay Dh140,000 rent this year.
Why this area?
I fell in love with Jumeirah. I moved to a big bungalow in Jumeirah 1 and had a vision to raise a family there.
At the time it was just myself and my cat, in a three-bedroomed villa. A few years later, I was living there with a husband and two babies. I gave birth to our second during Covid. Six months later we discovered my husband was suffering from a fatal brain tumour.
At the same time, I had to let go of 90 per cent of my employees as all the retainers had shut down.
How long have you lived in this home?
Four years. My lease had expired and I needed something smaller and more manageable.
I drove past this bungalow in Jumeirah 2 with my mum, and they were busy refurbing.
Were you involved in that?
I asked our landlord if I could upgrade tiles to wooden laminate floors.
And I wanted a real garden and, with the landlord’s permission, I bashed down smaller windows and turned them into big glass doors so we had more sunlight.
Many people thought I was mad to pour so much money into a rental. My husband died as we were transitioning into our new home. I hired an Airbnb for my nanny and our babies and was at the villa every day, helping the labourers to finish.
I had one goal: to build a beautiful sanctuary for my children where we could heal and figure out our new life. I turned the garage into my home office so I could be close to my girls while working from home.
I needed to start over again. The renovation project during that awful time gave me focus.
So you really made it your home?
I was lucky to have a landlord who agreed to the modifications to turn it into a home I wanted to live in.
I now have big doors opening on to a small, real grass garden. It’s sublime during cooler months to have this beautiful indoor/outdoor space.
I was able to say “I want those colour kitchen doors”, and asked to build a little pantry.
I commissioned calligrapher/artist Wissam Shawkat to create a beautiful artwork which proudly hangs in our living room.
I also designed a built-in TV cabinet and a friend helped me design a princess castle double bunk bed in the girls’ bedroom.
I’ve been able to invest in upgrades so that I can enjoy the villa as I wish to live in it and rebuild my life with the girls. I like aesthetic things around me, things to look harmonious. I’m in the world of design, so it’s important.
What amenities do you have?
Part of the attraction was this villa had no pool. I had young girls [and] it would have made me nervous.
I built my own amenities – an outdoor kitchen, which we enjoy in cooler months.
Originally I am from Cape Town, so the proximity to the coastline feeds my soul. I need the ocean close. I love being able to wake up, cross Beach Road and within seven minutes I’m walking on sand, breathing fresh air, and my girls can ride their bikes on the tracks.
Mercato Mall is nearby. We do grocery shopping at Spinney’s there. Coffee shops are plenty, and gyms, yoga studios.
You can be a pedestrian. I can walk to my boxing studio at Box Park, to City Walk and Coca-Cola Arena. We’ve an office in the fishing harbour, seven minutes' walk from home.
Are you planning to stay there?
This truly feels like our home. After losing my husband, this is our safe place. Our Dutch neighbours have become our Dubai family. We love going next door for dinners, and making olie bollen (doughnut-style fritters) on January 31 has become our annual little ritual. There’s a sense of community.
Would you buy property?
When I first moved to Dubai, I bought an apartment. My company is called Balcony8 because I dreamt up the business idea on the eighth floor while overlooking the Marina.
My biggest wish would be to own this villa or, at least, to be able to make an offer to my landlord. The hope is these areas will become more accessible for purchase by expats in the future.
Yes, I have spent a lot on upgrades, but it’s not about that. Despite understanding the risks with renting in areas that are locally owned, us expats fall in love with our villas. Our children feel a sense of stability and these villas become our happy homes.
Many of my friends have bought in communities on “the other side” of Sheikh Zayed Road, but after living in Dubai almost two decades, the soulful, special coastline between Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah 1 is really where I feel grounded and happy.
Long live the Jumeirah bungalow.
