Dubai’s exclusive, gated community of Emirates Hills is where couple Roshni and Nilesh Shewakramani – who hail from India and run various businesses, including maternity fashion brand Smitten and fashion and cosmetic brand Barkha Beauty – chose to move two years ago. “It took a number of viewings to find the right home, but it was well worth the search,” the couple remembers. “We completely gutted the house and made some major changes, but the original layout was well thought through. We wanted to follow the essential points that are required by the Hindu science of architecture, called Vastu Shastra. This ancient philosophy acts like a guide to designing any space to enhance positive energies.” Organized in two levels, the house comprises a ground floor that can easily host 200 guests, while the upper floor offers a calm and serene environment for the family. “It’s a place designed to bring together our favorite people and to celebrate milestones,” say the Shewakramanis, who trusted the team at XBD Collective to bring their ideas to life. An impressive foyer with a bespoke handmade crystal chandelier welcomes visitors, before they discover the open-plan layout of the formal living and dining area. A corridor leads to the family areas with the adjacent pool house (overlooking the pool and a golf course) and a designated space for the children. “We call our house the Mickey Mouse Playhouse,” the couple smiles. “With three kids aged 12, 10, and one, we constantly have playdates and children in and out of the home. It’s our absolute favorite part of having a spacious home.” A guest suite, a study area designed with more of a masculine scheme in mind, and a powder room are also located on the ground floor. The upper level hosts the private spaces including a second family living space with views and a terrace area, the master suite, two children’s bedrooms, a second playroom/kids’ study area, a gym and spa, and a guest bedroom.
“The owners wished to create a home that mixed both Grecian and Balinese elements with a sense of zen,” says Ellen Søhoel, founder of XBD Collective. “We were able to take inspiration from these locations by using neutral tones, a combination of textures, and different materials to convey the effortless chic that the clients had envisioned.” “Spirituality had to radiate,” the Shewakramanis add. “We wanted simple, clean lines with a lot of details enhanced by our cultural preferences. Your home has to evolve as life happens, and we wanted to keep some scope available for that as time passes. Some changes are bound to happen as the children grow.”
One of the challenges Søhoel faced during the year-and- a-half long project was to “hide” a column in the center of the main bar seating area. The solution she found was to create another matching column and dress both in mirrors, which added to the aesthetics of the space. The overall neutral color scheme, with its shades of beige and gray, combines with accents of brighter jewel tones through the decorative cushions and poufs in the more quirky areas like the playrooms and pool house. Pastel hues adorn the bedrooms to maintain a sense of serenity. “The colors were selected keeping in mind the end users of each space as well as the overall feel of the villa, to preserve a coherent scheme and natural flow throughout,” Søhoel says. “The feel of the villa, although luxurious, is warm, inviting, and cozy – it is not aggressive in its modernity, which both the clients and ourselves are quite pleased about.” Soft finishes for sheers, curtains, and upholstery, as well as luxury materials that are not ostentatious complement the carefully selected furniture. “We love texture and different dimensions within the same shade,” the couple confesses. “Metals and silk combined with marble and linen can work so well together – rough with smooth, without trying too hard.” Among the owners’ favorite pieces are the bronze cat by Shibu Natesan, the emerald butterfly by Sachin Gawde, Arab Singers by Khosrow Hassanzadeh, and a fun, vintage series of acrylic British India stamps above the piano. According to Søhoel, for whom it was crucial that no element appeared out of place, the villa “is a sophisticated haven that exudes serenity and luxury.” The Shewakramanis feel at peace here with their children. “We both prefer an elegant yet comfortable look in our wardrobe and our home is also a version of that,” the couple says. “Our home is soulful without being pretentious.”
