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
Deejith Thekke Purayil works in insurance and has lived in the UAE for more than nine years, having grown up in Saudi Arabia before making Dubai his home.
Last November, he and his wife – a dentist, Dr Anshika Chandran – moved into their first property, a two-bedroom apartment in the Haven community in Majan, which he bought off-plan in December 2023 for Dh1.1 million. It is now worth around Dh1.3 million to 1.4 million.
The National takes a look around.
Please tell us about your home
It is a two-bedroom apartment. It is just me and my wife – we are only two people – but we thought about the future and decided to go for the two bedrooms. The design was done mostly by my wife. She had a vision for it and we worked on it together.
When did you buy it?
I bought it in December 2023. It was under construction at the time I bought it, it was only two floors. It was completed in July 2025 and we moved in by November 2025.
Why did you decide to buy?
I had been working towards this for the past seven to eight years. It takes time, of course. You know the finances and all those things. But it went well.
Why did you choose this neighbourhood?
I have known this area for a long time because [the nearby] Al Barari is one of our favourite places to take a break. It has good restaurants. And ever since then, we were thinking about having an apartment somewhere in this area.
I chose it for two main reasons. One is that this area is quiet and peaceful, with a lot of greenery. Around 50 per cent of the land is dedicated to trees and parks, so you know the buildings are going to be limited.
The government has committed that space to green areas and parks. That is not going to change. So, we know it will remain peaceful.
The second reason is the location. It sits right between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. If you want to go to Dubai, the 311 highway is right on the front side. If you want to go to Abu Dhabi, it is the same – you take a straight, non-stop road and just drive. We are somewhere in the middle.
I should also mention the new metro line, which passes in front of the building. That is going to add value to properties in this area as well.
What facilities do you have?
We have a beautiful gym with good equipment, a swimming pool, a party hall on the second floor, a co-working space, and a kids' play area. We use the party hall, the gym and the pool regularly.
It is also one of the biggest communities in Majan. Before I finalised on Haven, I visited a couple of other properties in the area – Majan is getting a lot of new developments now – but this one stood out.
It has a rich, luxurious look from the outside, with a lot of amenities, and it is peaceful. That is the most important thing. When you finish work and come home, you just need a quiet place to relax. That is what this gives us.
How would you describe your interior design?
We wanted to keep it simple and elegant without putting too much money into it, but at the same time it had to look a little bit luxurious. So, we chose a colour theme of off-white, ivory and gold – it gives a golden touch without being overdone.
We actually designed it ourselves, using references from Google and other online sources, and then handed the designs to a third party to build and construct. The sofas, everything – we designed it, they made it.
Have you done any renovations?
No major renovations. The only thing we did was add a false ceiling in the living room, to get good cove lighting in there. We did not want to do any chipping or breaking of walls because it is a new apartment.
Is there anything you would change in the future?
At the moment, no. If anything, I might think about adding some wall designs in the bedrooms down the line.
How long do you plan to stay?
We are not planning to sell. It is a good area and it is convenient for us to commute to work. We plan to stay in Dubai for at least the next 10 to 15 years – that is the current plan. We might look at buying another property in Majan as well eventually, but this one we are going to stay in for now.
