'I could’ve just shopped but built a business instead': Glam housewife-turned-CEO now lives in Palm mansion with 24k gold ceilings

Dubai: Anita Surani had all the makings of a classic rich Dubai housewife: a mansion on the Palm, a pink G-Wagon for her teen daughter, and ceilings literally gilded in 24-karat gold. But instead of sipping oat lattes and matcha tea in Louboutins all day, she rolled up her designer sleeves and built a design company from scratch — mostly staffed by women.

“I have a lot of money. I could’ve just shopped,” she shrugs. “But I didn’t. And I continued.”

Today, Anita heads a boutique design firm named after her daughter — a business born out of grit, glamour, and a little tough love from her husband Moiz khoja.

“He said, ‘The money I’m investing in this… you have to get it out. You're not doing it for fun. Otherwise, just go and do your shopping.’”

A long way from convenience stores to Gold ceilings:

Anita’s story didn’t begin in the plush corners of Palm Jumeirah. Born into a middle-class family, she moved to the US as a student and worked her way through college.

“It was a struggling phase. I worked part-time — in a convenience store, then a jewellery store,” she recalls.

That’s where she met Moiz, her future husband and her now business partner. Apparently, he used to clean restaurant floor before kicking off a tech-store empire.

“We were partners, friends, and then a couple,” she says. Together, they started a tiny cell phone kiosk in an American mall — which eventually scaled to over 100 stores. While he ran retail, Anita tapped into her degree in interior design.

“I was practising on our own real estate,” she says. “Eventually, I felt ready to start a company. I teamed up with a colleague who had 12 years of experience, and we founded my own Interiors Design company in Dubai.”

From two people to a team of 40

“We started with two people. Now we have more than 40 employees — engineers, architects, graphic designers, interior designers,” she says. “It’s growing and I’m planning to make it even bigger.”

Dubai wasn’t exactly a soft landing.

“Dubai is very competitive. People want local experience. So the experience from the US didn’t count much at first,” she admits. “We had to start small — doing up offices and apartments, just to get the word out. Eventually we landed villas and restaurants.”

But the real motivation? “I wanted to show my daughter that we can balance everything. That we can achieve whatever we want,” she says. “That’s why I named the company after her — Zena.”

High heels, High maintenance — and High expectations

One look at Anita and you'd think she stepped off the set of Dubai Bling. “I’m high maintenance,” she laughs. “I like it. That’s part of the lifestyle.”

Her home is a maximalist masterpiece — think 24-karat gold ceilings, futuristic lighting, and curated opulence. She proudly owns it. “One thing about me — I made the office really nice too. That was my first task,” she says. “But my husband told me — first, you pay off that office. Then you make sure the employees are paid from your own pocket — not from our joint account.”

Responsibility turned into fuel. “Once that came on me, I worked harder. I put in more hours, more effort. I started handling marketing, testing out strategies — and now, luckily, it’s all working.”

Money, motivation, and mall trawls and whole lot of retail therapy

Anita’s relationship with money? Honest and fabulous.

“I enjoy money, and I work hard for it. I’m a shopaholic — and I own up to it,” she laughs. “My favourite place is The Dubai Mall. Always there. And yes, my husband makes fun of me for the credit card bills.”

But she finds joy in using money she earned herself. “It feels satisfying when you’re using the fortune that you are making yourself,” she says. “Rather than just spending your husband’s money.”

So… Can women have it all?

“I think so, yes,” she says, without missing a beat.

Anita Sorani is living proof. With a full-time business, two kids, and a husband who’s “very camera shy,” she still makes it home by 6:30pm — thanks to her trusted help who makes awesome food and a tight schedule that even diamonds can’t disrupt.

She could’ve played it safe, kept it glamorous, and lived off the family fortune. But Anita Sorani had other plans — and they involved building something, in heels, with a fierce work ethic and a fabulous 15-carat-diamond ring to match.