Oasis of style: A harmonious Dubai retreat

It is a sumptuous garden haven designed to invigorate your heart and soul," says designer Marie-Inez Botha (Maz) of the beautifully landscaped and serene Al Barari development. Al Barari needs no plug as, over the years, this garden community has carefully cultivated a reputation for luxurious sophistication in a peaceful, well-executed landscape. The villas here cater for the affluent elite, but only those with refined taste, a discerning attitude and an appreciation for fine living and nature.

In all of nouveau riche Dubai, Al Barari is as close as it gets to a classy, covetable residential address.

In the past, we have been welcomed into beautifully designed show villas here that offer buyers a glimpse of the lifestyle they could lead. This particular home is dedicated to holidaymakers wanting to rent into a lifestyle that they dream of. Maz and Lesley Zaal, co-designer at Etcetera, decided to create a ‘home away from home' in the Bromelia Villa, located on a ‘leaf' formation among other luxury villas named after plants, such as Dahlia and Camelia. The formation, names and layout of the sprawling development is in keeping with the nature theme.

The development is located near Nad Al Sheba, and from the moment the car turns off Emirates Road, you are encased in green. A tree-lined avenue guides you through what appears to be a heavy, manicured plantation and the path meanders through dense foliage with silver palms on either side. Situated on a corner plot, the Bromelia villa seems fairly unassuming at first glance. The contemporary and clean-lined façade is embellished with mashrabiya detailing and occasionally revealed through heavy greenery.

Large wooden double doors open into a triple-volume centre court, immediately instilling a sense of grandeur. But there is openness to the interior layout and architecture, and humility to the decor that helps to steer clear of ostentation. The courtyard leads into the dining room and through to the garden.

As you walk through, purple and lilac hues dominate the contemporary dining area, "which worked out quite well here, even though these colours are normally construed as ‘girly' and ‘feminine'," says Maz. Following the simple-lined look, the chairs are bold and upholstered in purple, silver and lilac. The dining table is local furniture designer Raminder Singh's creation, and made of solid wood and glass. "My favourite items in this room are the crystal block chandeliers that we picked up on one of our buying trips," says Maz. Both designers have a penchant for scouring authentic markets in exotic cities. They also visit design fairs, such as Maison et Objet, and have a warehouse filled with goodies from their collective finds in Thailand, Cambodia, Morocco, London, various parts of Europe and from around the world.

A fair amount of local flavour was cleverly injected into the decor, particularly in the formal living area to the left of the dining room. As you enter, heavy doses of black with a touch of bling leave a dramatic impact. "We like to combine classic with contemporary, so you will see Louis XV style chairs upholstered in plain fabrics and muted tones," says Maz, as opposed to the original decorative gilded gold ones with expensive brocade and silk upholstery.

There are noticeable Arabian design elements in the room, such as the scatter cushions embroidered with Arabic calligraphy that spells out "love is peace". A feature black wall is covered in what appears to be square pieces of cow hide. This is textured vinyl wallpaper from Elitis, very much in trend, and available in most stylish stores such as Harvey Nichols and other upmarket boutiques.

The design formula here is a blend of exotic and modern with touches of Baroque. The chandeliers, for example, are metal and ornate in style but the crystals are cut in contemporary shapes.

The main challenge posed when designing the interiors of this villa was to cater to a universal clientele, "As opposed to one customer with specific needs and tastes," says Maz. "We had to get into their shoes in order to determine what they would like in their ideal holiday house." To appeal to the varying tastes of a broad clientele, the base colour palette of the villa is in hues of grey. "This is an aesthetic as well as practical choice, as different types of families will be using this villa," says Maz. Also a clever choice as the colour grey has been identified by international trend forecasters as the colour of choice for interiors for the next ten years, based on its flexibility and ability to blend with any other colour.

"Because this home would cater to international holidaymakers, we wanted to bring in elements of Dubai. So along with the calligraphy cushions in the formal living area, the hallways also have framed black and white calligraphy." Some of the artwork is also of local interest, such as photographs of sand dunes printed on canvas by photographer Neil Corder. These hang in the family room. Situated next to the kitchen, which is at the heart of the home, the family room has a pervading theme of nature. The coffee table, again picked on one of their buying trips, is made of blocks of natural wood with a glass top. Grey linen and raw wood furniture are the basic ingredients for the decor here.

Bi-fold, wood and glass doors open into the garden and pool areas, bringing the outside in. In fact, all the main rooms on that side open out, offering views of the famous Al Barari nature sanctuary and desert panorama. "At night, with mood lighting and running waterfalls, the effect is incredibly dramatic. It doesn't feel like you're in Dubai anymore. It's quite amazing," says Maz.

Luxury being the obvious factor in these homes, we are not surprised to learn that the Bromelia villa comprises of two master suites and a total of six bedrooms. The upstairs master suite has a walk-in wardrobe and large windows. The decor is uncluttered but the decorative element is there. In the upstairs suite it comes in the form of a chandelier, which is delicate and classical crystal with a plain circular shade introducing the contemporary element.

"Our secret to bedrooms is to make sure the bed linen is always white, and occasionally accentuated with a colour. And that the room is completely blacked out when the curtains are closed," says Maz. The colour schemes in all the rooms can be described as serene. "We stay away from loud colours." The idea is to create an area that is comfortable and calm - adding lots of blues in the upstairs master suite helps. The master bedroom downstairs has a beautiful onion chandelier with a headboard designed by her.

"We don't really buy designer stuff, but more creative, beautifully designed items that could be acquired from literally anywhere." Maz's personal taste in decor is very similar to this home, although maybe not as lavish. Her philosophy is that decor should be fuss-free and the base palette neutral. And there should always be some quirky, fun elements thrown in, such as the Beatles cushions in the family room or the faux bookshelf wallpaper by Andrew Martin, which takes up a wall in the study. "Usually we would add bookshelves in a study, and clients would fill the shelves with their own books," says Maz, "but seeing that holidaymakers don't travel with trunks full of books, these shelves would have been empty!"

Her favourite room in the villa is the basement home cinema, which was the most challenging to design as the bulk of the budget was spent on technology. "We painted the walls black, ordered big black and white posters of old movie stars, and included two oversized comfortable sofas, which also double up as extra beds for overflow guests."

Lesley and Maz launched Etcetera in 2003. About her own design growth, Maz tells us how she initially wanted to pursue ‘magazining'.

"About eight years ago, I was studying design in South Africa and stopped in Dubai during my gap year to get away from it all and find my feet before heading to Ireland," says Maz. "I met Lesley by chance and we just clicked. She wanted to open an interiors shop so we started from a small setup in a villa. Four years ago, we were already taking big villa projects." The firm quickly built a reputation for tasteful, elegant and functional interiors. "Our design philosophy is simple - combining classical with contemporary features is what we do best," says Maz. "We source products from the four corners of the world, be it mirrors from Morocco, carvings from Cambodia or handmade headboards from India. Our aim is to put a truly unique stamp on people's homes."