Marina Residence Tower A

Task

Dubai Marina is the liveliest district in Dubai and one of the most popular with visitors. It sits on the coast, next to the city's best-known attractions: the JBR promenade, the reclaimed Bluewaters Island and Palm Jumeirah.

Over the past 20 years the area has seen the largest wave of high-rise construction in the city. Two metro stations and a tram line make it easy to get around, and the neighbourhood offers a wide choice of hotels, restaurants and a large shopping mall.

Flipping means investing in property for a short period and reselling it at a profit. The investor buys a liquid apartment in need of renovation at a discount, brings it up to standard and sells it at a higher price. The approach is also known as fix and flip: before the sale, the owner carries out a full or cosmetic renovation and furnishes the home.

The strategy emerged in the United States in the late 1980s and quickly spread worldwide. By buying a property built 5-10 years ago, the investor enters an established neighbourhood with steady rental demand, which makes the return easy to calculate.

Like the pumpkin in Cinderella, this apartment has turned into a carriage, and it will not turn back. The whole idea of flipping is to change a space beyond recognition before resale. Dubai Marina has a lot of older housing stock, and our project stands out on the market thanks to its contemporary interior approach and ergonomics.

We removed walls and brought more air and volume into every room. We made the space practical: in the second bedroom, for example, we specified box spring beds that future buyers can arrange in whatever way suits them best.

The interior uses a natural colour palette that wraps the home in warmth. Large panoramic windows run throughout the apartment. The key idea was a set of curtains with a soft gradient that recalls the sea horizon and brings a sense of calm to the owners.

Irina Filippova, project architect

Solution

Properties chosen for flipping have to meet a number of criteria. The purchase price matters, but so does the scale of investment needed to achieve the best possible return. For this project we chose Dubai Marina, where 80% of the housing stock consists of buildings completed more than 5-10 years ago.

Working with older buildings usually requires some replanning, even if minor, and it must be developed as a separate project by a licensed company. This extends the timeline considerably, but it allows for an ergonomic layout that meets today's expectations.

The result is a clear functional zoning. We removed the partition that enclosed the kitchen, creating a single kitchen, dining and living space that opens onto a large terrace. We enlarged the master bathroom, added a separate shower room and gave the laundry its own enclosed space.

Dubai's market is dominated by apartments sold with a ready finish, usually in a neutral palette meant to suit any future buyer. Projects like this call for a careful choice of furniture, textiles, decor and art to turn the interior into a distinctive offer on the market.

The calm base is complemented by furniture with unusual forms, gradient accent curtains and bright decorative details. The contrast between dark timber surfaces and pastel tones on the walls and ceiling creates a balanced, welcoming space.

Result

Area: 80 m². Year: 2024. Status: Built.