����� DUBAI ����� ����� ���� ���� DUBAI ���� ����������������� ����������������� ������� confirmed wish to live in that environment. The moment that potential client walks through the door, you want him, or her, to fall in love with the property.” So articulate considering this is an onsite afternoon beneath a burning June sun as I juggle a petrol station sandwich and a notepad and writing implement, whilst striding between Zara, Selva, The One and other interior furnishing exhibits. “The second function is the importance to the developer of taking a structure from a concept design through the design and builds process. No amount of sketches, models, CGI’s or such-like can prepare anyone for the reality of the built environment. The show villa is therefore regarded as a prototype for the overall development – it’s the one last chance the developer has to iron out the major wrinkles that deftly avoided the crystal ball.” Roger continued unabated: “Ultimately, the challenge with show villas is the timescale. Logically you purchase a piece of land, finalise the design and assign a contractor to produce a permanent property. However, you cannot accomplish this years in advance of the total development programme. Yet the sub-challenges are even more diverse, for you may be part way through the build and still examining the reiterative questions that surround sanitary ware, fittings, kitchen tiles etc. Meanwhile, you have already sold villas in an earlier period of your marketing campaign and continuing to meet your client obligations. For CHI it has always been hugely important to make sure that what we sold to the customer ended up as the finished goods or as close as is possible. We are, I would hope to say, a good example of a fastidious developer, who does not want to be accused of sacrificial changes in the interests of commercial gain i.e. degrading and devaluing materials and fittings en route.” Looking at a show villa from the perspective of a test bed there is an evolution that can only be achieved by practical application. Philip Lloyd (one of the partners of CHI) stepped into replace a rapidly overheating Roger with an explanation on one example of the minutiae that cannot always be prepared for: “We started revealing the finished material effects via a mock-up room constructed in our offices where, for example, we had bronze sanitary ware and bathroom taps, which were then fitted in the first show villa. One factor we never envisaged was that you cannot actually source the smaller functional bathroom fittings to match the bronze theme of the more visible elements i.e. plughole surrounds, drain covers and shower door hinges, we discovered, were only available in ubiquitous chrome finishes. Not a sliver of bronze to be had in the house. This revelation forced us to go back and fit chrome throughout in the bulk of the villas, which although they cost the same from the same supplier, any change of this nature can offend the buyer. Nevertheless, without the show villa progress we would never have found out until much later.” “Another example was that of the interconnecting archways between room spaces; our original images portrayed a gypsum plaster finish. However, in the show home we elected to adopt a GRC plus stone-paint approach which when finished, we took an ambivalent attitude towards. As a result we have now reverted to the plaster look in the main which we have now constructed in the other villas. There is a definite danger that we could be accused of penny pinching due to this change; however it is definitely not the case. There is no doubt that the provision of show homes opens up a Pandora’s Box of technicalities, in that the developers need to test everything but without disgruntling the consumers.” So now we have this show villa that is structurally complete but exhibits little in the way of being dressed up with places to go. The looking livable factor remains firmly on the critical path. I press another of the partners, Marcus O’Grady on this aspect. “The art of the show villa should be to ensure that the ‘theatre’ of the place should not camouflage the actual experience of seeing the rooms. They have to look like a home but rise to meet the viewer’s aspirations. Without resorting to propaganda, it is possible to fashion a show villa that does not resemble the delivered product. This was an adopted policy from the beginning; in order not to be accused of playing games. Another important factor is to be able to show both a fully dressed show villa and an empty version. This allows a buyer the opportunity to actually see the finished spaces and be re-assured that the finishes etc are the same in the un-furnished villa.” ����������������� ������� ������� A show of villas The marketing process associated with a prime collection of fine villas, nestling beside the links of a magnificent golf course, requires a distinct dash of ingenuity, especially at the conceptual stage with no show home in sight. In a market awash with off-plan sales there is a finite advantage to be gained from the presentation of a show property. The primary function of a ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� show villa (or apartment) is to guide the expectations of potential purchasers but, on another ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� level, it help’s the developer to understand his own product. The decision to provide a show villa ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� is �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� not a difficult one; however this month’s Lime Tree Diaries endeavours to unravel the thought �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� processes that preoccupy the mind of the developer. ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ����������������� ����������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ����������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ISS there CHItowere, covering a vast repertoire design, semanticsglass are also in keeping with the Irish of heritage ofas CHI, n due o deference thoseproud that mirrored owners of a relatively complex man made islands emerged from the foaming o there CHI were, proud mirrored glass covering a vast repertoire of design, as possess an overriding desire to reside the developers behind the project. modest of yet land brine in islands tandem. Onetheir might say foaming that owners of piece abutrelatively man made emerged from the CHI offshore has recently completed second showthere villa at around the fairways, have tocomplex LTV offshore but a function and somewhat different swing club; the word linksof comes from by a comparison with what was brine was morewith than atandem. small element of competition from a modest piece land in Oneobjective might say that there tomore the first. However, before I of getcompetition too far ahead of amyself the Scots language and refers area aroundwith them in to a an sea of wasmarketing perspective. by evolving comparison what was than a small element from at Roger this stage of the proceedings, it seems prudent to secure of coastal sand dunes, superlatives, biggest, tallest, Wakeham, Development Director at CHI for evolving around them and in asometimes sea of a marketing perspective. to open parkland. Fitting perhaps when Roger Wakeham’s (Development Director at CHI) view of the global first etc, etc. Concrete and Roger Lime Tree Valley, aDevelopment residential community of CHI substance superlatives, biggest, tallest, a Wakeham, Director at for the enclave, in this case, Lime Tree purpose of said show creation in the first place. rebar steel structures rocketed rising at Valley, Jumeirah Golf Estates and, in the of manyand global etc, etc. Concrete andhasLime Tree a residential community of case substance “A show home basically aims to display the spatial atfirst Jumeirah Golf Estates, by Andy McTiernanValley skyward, clad in an armour of of the remarkable residences it contains, already risen, rebar steel structures rocketed rising at Jumeirah Golf Estates and, in the case of many ‘living risen resplendent from a large portion build qualities of the home, as well as the potential by Andy McTiernan skyward, clad in an armour of of the remarkable residences it contains, already risen, of dune clad desert sand. The Celtic atmosphere’, to a potential buyer who harbour’s a yet to be 24 2 S by Andy McTiernan 24 o there CHI were, proud owners of a relatively modest piece of land by comparison with what was evolving around them in a sea of superlatives, biggest, tallest, a global first etc, etc. Concrete and rebar steel structures rocketed skyward, clad in an armour of mirrored glass covering a vast repertoire of design, as complex man made islands emerged from the foaming brine offshore in tandem. One might say that there was more than a small element of competition from a marketing perspective. Roger Wakeham, Development Director at CHI for Lime Tree Valley, a residential community of substance rising at Jumeirah Golf Estates and, in the case of many of the remarkable residences it contains, already risen, 3 24 ��������������������� ��������������������� ����� DUBAI Roger stepped back intosense the great tells all; in a marketing that is.debate: As for “However, my part, I there is ofwield course immense cultural ethnic and mix merely the an journeyman’s writing and implement resident in Dubai and therefore a commensurate diversity attempt to keep up. in terms of what appeals as an interior style. In our first “Our main business principle from day one was the show villa we adopted the least radical route with classical desire to create a point of difference ouraccentuate approach Italian furniture; we have of course tried tointruly to that of our industry peers. We have, I believe, all the classic Mediterranean feel of the interior spaces. Ininour dimensions be an not aafaceless second edition tried of theto show villaaccessible we wantedand to instill change of emotion without inducing a shock to theinto system, however, developer. Inviting potential clients the office to it isspend much amore contemporary.” detailed two or three hours (or longer) with us Version two ispractice. modernistic notclients to theto bleeding was normal We but took site to edge, show in my never so humble opinion, and there is an inordinately them the shaping of the golf course and what their plot broad palette of taste to satisfy most people out there overlook.thus We some allowed early clients the options in might Metro-Dubai, insight as to the impact to of make changes to their potential property. Brokers were contrasting styles is vital. Italian wall paper with a highly engaged generally only atofeature act as of finders; we elected textured impression makes the staircase, the placing of more minimalistic accessories overall to painstakingly ‘sell’ our own villasadds on to anthe in-house sense of space, pleasant pervading the overall conducted basis. Even perfumes our marketing and advertising setting add to the lighter feel. Do not get the impression that took a different tack.” I thumb my nose at the classical interior, but it does impose “In October 2006, you were able to open any greater adult formality and needs a light touch to dissipate newspaper or magazineclutter. and confront an immense of any sense of congestive The children’s areaarray is the computer generated images of glossy towers and other offset in terms of the whole. un-built properties. Thus our early creative contained Leaping from myand journalistic opinion box and back to still the no buildings no people whatsoever (the latter words of Le Patron: stands true). We wanted to create a rich texture without “The of pale darker terracotta tiling was alsoand an glossuse in order to and express a legacy of craftsmanship area of exploration and, in fact, we have deployed a different traditional building values. As a company we have a option between Lime Tree Valley East and Lime Tree Valley West. The reality of that choice only became apparent after both installation and then after furnishing the villas. There was a moment when we were concerned that clients might not like the tiling but in fact the show homes have revealed that our instinct was correct. Additionally not all villas have the same depth architecturally and we needed to accentuate perspective by the way in which we apply the wood / gypsum frames in arches, but once again that only becomes apparent once you have seen them built and the show home once distinctly Irish background and a development history which spans thirty years of exceptional building, which has added value in the eyes of most discerning members of property society.” However, when one is bombarded by glossy brochures from all quarters how do you rise above the marketing rainforest? Marcus O’Grady, one of the founding partners of CHI, paints the verbal picture: “We noticed that the majority of property sales collateral presented the same stereotypical images. They were like holiday brochures. A vista of people enjoying themselves surrounded by a lifestyle as yet to be manufactured but no inkling of an actual product. The objective from our point of view was to encourage them to want to live in our properties. We felt a strong impulse to express a practical imagery, not overwhelmed by excessive false glamour, in other words a picture of authenticity. Any renderings employed were actually would expect upon completion again iswhat the you litmus paper. We to arefind planning a third show of was greater important conveyinaa sense of villathe in product. fact whereIt the use to of wood more rustic heritage old farmhouse fashioned setting workmanship. In facttowe provincialand Tuscan should prove be a major feature.” showed no images of property at all in our initial ads, “There plan to refresh Show Villa number one, softening opting forisaagradual build up.” the classical overtones perhaps add other dimensions An impressively short intake oftobreath ensues: “We and possibilities in the eye of the beholder. There is a huge eventually whipped the dust covers off the properties repertoire of villas across the length and breadth of the estate and therefore the variations in layout, sizes and angles and space allocation lend themselves to an equally wide variety of interior styles. In many respects a pageant of show villas can also stimulate longer term interior design decisions for owner occupiers.” I emerge from this stratospheric council of show homes and re-enter society a more enlightened individual. The moral of the story, there are far more dimensions to the making of a show of villas than meet the naked eye. ��������� ���������� ������������������������������������� � 26 4 ��������������������� ��������������������� �������� ��������������������������������������� 5
© Copyright 2026 Paperzz