Fashionable address: Tokoph's Marina apartment

Alejandra Tokoph, owner of fashion boutique Luxecouture and former Dubai One TV show host, lives with her son, Liam, in a three-bedroom apartment in Al Mesk, one of the first Emaar towers in Dubai Marina. The Texan fashionista had her first taste of Dubai in the late 1980s, when she would spend holidays here with her family. "Back then it was a dusty town with much charm and history. For entertainment, my siblings and I had limited options. Other than walking around the Gold Souq or ice-skating at the Hyatt there was nothing else to do. When I came back to Dubai in 2004 I was astonished at how the city had developed to the standards of a metropolis in under a decade, when it usually takes most cities a century to develop to the same level."

At the time Alejandra was looking to buy her own place but was disillusioned by the options available. "I was considering buying off-plan and had been looking for so long that I'd become frustrated. Then one day my parents ran into a friend who'd been living in a three-bedroom seaview apartment that was for sale. It ended up being just what I was looking for." The decision to own versus rent a property was an easy one for Alejandra. "I envisioned our lives in Dubai as long term," she says. "I wanted a place of my own, a place to call home. The property cost just under Dh3 million. This was, of course, when Dubai was on the cusp of its real estate boom. I'm not sure about the value of the property at the moment, or even what it was worth at its peak last year, but comparatively speaking I do know that similar properties were going for Dh12 million."

However, this is more a home than an investment, she stresses. In order to transform the apartment into a home, she chose to renovate it over the span of a year and turned it into a grandiose yet cosy hotel suite-styled apartment. "Hotel suite was the ideal choice because the concept uses minimal clutter and maximises beauty through window treatments, fabrics and furniture. This is conducive for our lifestyle because living in an apartment with a busy little boy means any movable object is at risk of being broken, or worse, him getting injured."

After compiling pictures from the Architectural Digest magazine, Alejandra worked with at least three different interior designers, all of whom, she says, never lived up to her expectations. "If I were to do it all over again, I'd hire a contractor and leave the design to myself, as I have garnered enough experience after designing this home and Luxecouture, which I did on my own. The apartment was purchased as a cookie cutter shell," she says. "I transformed the interior as best as was allowed by the developers. Initially, I wanted to knock down a wall but since I couldn't get approval to do so due to a structural beam, I had to work my way around the wall." The end result is very Louis XVI with lavish dark floors, lush golden walls and ornate furniture in ruby tones. The standout feature of the home begins at the entrance. "I had a fibre optic lighting system built into the floor. It's the same system that lights the swimming pool at the Burj Al Arab and had to be ordered and created in Germany. We had to obtain special permission from Emaar to drill six-inch tunnels in the hall for the equipment to be placed.

"As it had never been done before, it meant months of waiting for the approval and weeks of living in concrete dust once the drilling began. Today, however, I'm glad I didn't throw in the towel as it's a soothing and unique feature that only exists in our home. So should I ever consider selling, I'm confident that I will get all my money's worth."

Following such a detailed transformation of the apartment, would the self-made fashionista consider putting her home on the market? "Although I'm confident that at the present time the apartment has at least doubled in value, I have no intention of selling. It was in this apartment that my son took his first steps, celebrated nearly every birthday and milestone in his life. We have many memorable and emotional attachments to this home and selling it is not on the cards."

The 2,300ft² apartment is a haven away from her hectic day-to-day life. "I love waking up to the endless seaview, watching the sun set from my living room, having life's conveniences such as my doctor's office, grocery store, dry cleaning, restaurants and coffee shops an elevator's ride away. Also, living in an apartment requires less maintenance than living in a villa. I don't have to worry about maintaining a garden. Instead, we have a garden area as well as playgrounds in the Marina where my son can play.

"My favourite corner of the apartment is the couch next to the window in the living room. There's nothing more relaxing than reading a book to my son as we relax on the couch with our feet kicked up on the ottoman with breathtaking views of the Marina and Palm Jumeirah at our disposal. For me, it's heaven on earth," Alejandra says.