You’ve done the house-hunting, found your apartment with a sea view and the keys are in your hand. You finally have your holiday home in Dubai that will allow you to escape the northern hemisphere winter and get some sunshine for a few days.  Now for the small matter of furnishing it!

Most people who own a holiday home in Dubai have been here many times before and stayed in one of the many hotels in Dubai. This is one reason why the ‘hotel look’ for a holiday home is so popular at the moment.   Small things like bed runners, matching curtains and wallpapers, and balcony furniture are all essential ingredients to make your apartment look like a hotel room.

As most of the apartments in Dubai – especially in Marina and JBR – are quite modern, so too should the furniture design.  If you’re not using the apartment all year around, then you can get away with a minimum amount of furniture to maximize the space.  Fill the blank walls with pictures of your family and friends to give the apartment a more personal feeling.

Picking the colour scheme is the most important part.  If you have a sea view, then bring in the colours to your wallpaper, bed runner and cushions.  Similarly, if the bedroom has a view of the sunset then tries and brings in some of the rich orange colours to compliment the room.  Make use of the abundance of natural light – that’s why you came to Dubai – so use a sheer with a dress curtain in the living room.

Finally, keep the general design simply, fun and fresh and you’ll always feel like you’re on holiday from the moment you walk in.