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
Sarah Silsbury is a stylist and personal shopper who has been in the UAE for nearly six years. When her daughter left home, she and her husband Rob decided to downsize from their rented five-bedroom villa in Dubai's Sustainable City – but with one firm condition: a big outdoor space.
They found exactly what they were looking for in a townhouse in a new development called Rukan, behind Serena in Wadi Al Safa, where they have lived for a year and a half.
The National takes a look around.
Please tell us about your home
It's an end-of-row townhouse with quite an open-plan layout downstairs, which is great for Rob and me. I was very concerned when we were in the villa that I'd be in the kitchen and he'd be in the front room and we wouldn't see each other. We were really keen that now it's just the two of us – and all the animals – we would be living near each other rather than spaced out.
It did have three bedrooms, but we've converted one into a huge dressing room for me, for my job, and we've kept the spare room as my daughter's room when she visits. It's all we need. The outside is big – it's a big plot. We're really lucky to have a swimming pool and a sunken seating area.
It's quite unusual. I've not seen one like it.
Where were you living before?
We were renting in Sustainable City, so we knew we wanted to stay at this end of town. We like it up here. This is a very new development – it's one of many developments happening behind Serena. There's us, Reportage, then there's The Acres – all going on in this area.
So, we got such a good price because, when we moved in, it was still really being developed. The plot for us was such a great thing.
Why did you decide to buy?
My daughter had left home and we'd done our time having guest after guest after guest staying with us. We had a big five-bedroom villa and decided we wanted to downsize. We'd always said that when it was just Rob and I, we didn't want a big property in the UAE – we wanted to start our portfolio. We've got one in the UK and one here, and the idea is to build up lots of smaller properties.
We were really keen to maintain a big outside, which is really hard to find in the UAE. We didn't want the huge five-bedroom villa any more, but we did still want a big garden. We were very, very lucky to find this because it's exactly what we wanted.
What renovations have you done?
A lot. We redid the kitchen, redid the bathrooms, knocked through upstairs to make the big dressing room. We've also redone the pool house and added a gazebo barbecue area.
What facilities do you have?
In our community there are gyms, padel courts and swimming pools. We've also got a little shopping area with a Subway, a hairdresser and a big Co-op. It's still a very new community so it still needs that finessing, but it's got a great feel. It's quite a young community. It's nice.
What else attracted you to the area?
I think the position. We were used to living near Sustainable City and the Arabian Ranches area. I feel like I'm 20 minutes from everything when the traffic's good. And it's great for the animals – there are good dog walks in the desert and lots of green areas with the other communities around here.
How many animals do you have?
Two dogs, four cats and two doves. I hand-reared the doves last year, so they live in the tree outside, but they still come in for breakfast.
How would you describe your interior design style?
I think it's what I'd call 1970s Arizona. I love wood, I love natural things. I'm never going to be chrome and white – I really like a natural feeling. Being a stylist, that very much leads my taste. I love Fleetwood Mac and Anita Pallenberg in the 1970s, so I have that sense of woods and leathers and that Arizona feel.
Art is, after fashion, my other huge passion. I wanted to build the look of the house around my art because we've got some great pieces. I've got a lot of Connor Brothers work, a couple of Banksys, a Tracey Emin – and these two massive Keith Haring panels, although those aren’t real. My husband worked for Alshaya, whose brands include H&M, and H&M did a collaboration with Keith Haring. They had all this leftover material they couldn't use so we had two massive panels made.
I've even designed some of the garden furniture myself.
How long do you plan to stay in this property?
At least until I get over the renovations. I think I'd want to rent it out rather than sell, eventually. But not for a bit. Definitely not until things quieten down and we've actually enjoyed it for a couple of years. This will be our first Christmas where we really enjoy the outside, I think.
Do you have plans to buy more properties in the UAE?
Yes, I think so. We were talking about it the other day – we'd like to get some more properties, especially to rent out. It's a good thing to do here. It would be lovely to have little bases all around the world when we retire.
When our daughter was young, I wanted the big house. As you get older, you go the other way. My friends and I are all in our 50s now and we want to get rid of everything so we can travel and have less to worry about. You come full circle.
