A shabby-chic Arabian Ranches villa

When people walk into my home I want it to feel cosy and welcoming,” says Dana Najia as we chat over cappuccinos in the living room of her Arabian Ranches villa. In a refreshing departure from the understated, modern decorating style that dominates many Dubai interiors, the Najia home is brimming with a collection of family heirlooms, mementos from holidays spent in the South of France and Greece, interesting artwork, and plenty of furniture and accessories that have been customised by Dana.

“We’re quite sentimental,” she says of her family, which includes her husband, Omar, their daughters, Carina (12), Tatiana (10) and their son, Fawaz (five). “We have a lot of pieces here that have been left to us by relatives, paintings by my sister and my mum, and knick-knacks that remind me of a certain time in my life. These are all things we have collected over the years.”

Although the Najias’ home is an eclectic assortment of prized possessions, everything has been carefully selected and fits Dana’s shabby-chic style. “The house is a work in progress,” she laughs. “It’s really a history of us, of our family. Every year we tackle another project.” The Najias’ first task was to swap the dark cherry finish on the skirting boards and door frames for a more elegant white.

Hardwood flooring by Nordic Homeworx helped to customise the decor still further, while last year a new Häcker kitchen was installed. Next on the list is to landscape the back garden and update the children’s rooms.

With an education in architecture and as a former jewellery designer, Dana has a creative flair and a passion for DIY projects, so she takes pride in doing her own decorating. “I never buy something and leave it the way it is,” she explains, pointing to a collection of picture frames she’s painted for a photo collage project she is working on.

Even the furniture is fair game, and for that she enlists her carpenter and upholstery expert Rampal from Muntaja Furniture in Sharjah. “I decided to customise the sofas in the living room by changing the cushions, so we cut them apart to alter the shape, sewed some pom-poms on them and added some lace trimmings. Now I think they’re perfect!”

The dining chairs, sourced at THE One, have been modified from their original leather to a tactile linen fabric that complements the rustic dining table from Marina. The lampshades have been adorned with lace and pretty floral embellishments that Dana picked up during summers spent wandering around Nice with her family. “I just see something I love and I have to get it. The women there know me now!” Dana says as she shows us a basket of rolled lace and frills, pieces of fabric and other pretty items that inspire her projects.

At the top of the stairs is the first-floor living room. “I didn’t know what to do with this space for ages,” says Dana. “It’s a very small room and at first I couldn’t find the right furniture.” Eventually she took two chaises longues to Rampal and asked him to create one extra-long sofa that could sit along one wall, while a library-style bookcase and TV console from Flamant was selected for the opposite side. A small nook turned out to be the perfect place for a neat bureau that has become the domain of Tatiana.

With all the lace and feminine touches, my husband and I have made a deal,” Dana says, laughing. “He takes care of all the electronics – he can choose and change whatever he likes, and I can do the decorating.”