Though it is set in a city known for its velocity, mornings in this Dubai villa begin rather quietly. Villa Serena is a sanctuary-like home for a family whose days are grounded in mindfulness and wellness, created with their unhurried pace of life and their penchant for luxury in mind. For Claudia Baliyan, co-founder of local studio Creating Homes, the quietly abundant sensibilities of her client granted an opportunity to step away from the prevailing grain of Dubai’s polished and glossy visual language. “It allowed us to explore a slower, more soulful approach to design,” she tells AD, “one that aligns with how people truly want to live, not just how things look on the surface.”
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Inside, the architecture keeps things open and easy from room to room. Spaces are organised around a sense of flow and a tropical ease to fold the house into its lush surroundings in Al Barari, an ecologically conscious neighbourhood set a way back from the city’s noise. Light moves easily through the house, carried across open volumes and through expansive glass walls that keep the landscape constantly in view, and the rest of the plan follows suit, shifting comfortably between shared spaces and quieter corners. “We wanted the home to feel like a peaceful retreat,” says Baliyan.
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While a connection to nature and the elements is always present, the interiors lean into this sentiment with softness and restraint. It is a minimalist style that the architect playfully describes as “Contemporary Organic meets Balinese influence.” “We carefully selected natural, high-quality materials to reflect the serene and organic vision for the home,” she shares, reflecting on how various textures chosen for their elegance and durability are woven through the light-filled, soaring spaces to soften the journey as you move through Villa Serena.
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There are particular poignant moments of this philosophy in the thoughtfully curated custom details and proportions: Swedish wood flooring runs underfoot in the bedrooms and infuses a grounding touch of warmth, paired with the elegant textures of travertine appearing abundantly along surfaces and cladding. Alongside this, “accents were kept subtle and organic to maintain visual harmony and support the overall serene, nature-inspired concept the client envisioned,” Baliyan adds. The kitchen and built-in elements were all designed specifically for the home as anchors within the spatial rhythm.
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Most striking is the geometric staircase built of sharp planes of white, complemented by the sultry presence of large travertine blocks. It is set on slender illuminated plinths which become a defining moment in the house, and these kinds of interventions, Baliyan says, introduce understated elegance and timeless craftsmanship without ever tipping into display.
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Ahead, in one of the wooden wall fixtures, the architect has also integrated an entire marine ecosystem in an aquarium, which she notes was particularly challenging. Developed over months with careful planning and biological conditioning, the tank was conditioned in phases to allow it to mature naturally ahead of handover. “Aligning nature’s pace with the construction schedule was no small feat,” she says.
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Wellness is clearly a central feature at this Dubai villa in terms of the lifestyle and wants of the residents, how the project absorbs the tranquillity of its location, and how the material finishes practice serene restraint. Light and airy spatial spaces are abundantly woven through, circulation is kept intuitive, and visual noise remains deliberately low. “This home is a celebration of stillness, proportion, and purposeful design,” says Baliyan. It is also, she adds, “a perfect reflection of Al Barari living: conscious, beautiful, and deeply personal." @creatinghomes
