How a 1970s Villa Became Dubai’s Go-To Curated Space

The taxi driver in Dubai knows the language of landmarks, the destinations in the guidebooks. He understands Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall, Atlantis. So when you give him the address for The Meld, there is a pause. The taxi’s navigation system blinks, recalculating its understanding of where value lies in this city. It abandons the well-mapped coordinates of spectacle for a quiet street where the only landmark is a 1970s villa, partially obscured by foliage. This is the first victory of the place; the journey there rewires your expectation.
The walk from the gate to the front door is a short one, but the air changes along the way. The chemical haze of heat and exhaust is replaced by the damp, green scent of watered earth and flowering jasmine. The city’s soundtrack—the bass note of construction, the hiss of traffic—fades into the background, like a radio dialled down to a whisper. Inside, the light falls in slow, generous pools. This is the environment sisters Afra and Shama Al Ghurair have built, detail by considered detail.
The concept was born from a personal and observed need. “We were responding to a craving for something honest and unhurried,” the sisters explain. “Our intuition was that others were craving the same thing.” This intuition led them to the villa, a structure whose existing character became the project’s foundation. “It had a soul,” they say. “You could feel the history in the layout, the light, and the proportions.” In collaboration with VSHD Design, they sought to preserve that spirit, guiding the renovation toward natural textures, soft palettes, and, as they put it, "a sense of quiet luxury.”
The sisters’ dynamic is the invisible architecture of The Meld. Afra, with a background in brand strategy, articulates the vision. Shama, whose expertise lies in design and execution, translates that into tangible reality. With an obsessive attention to sensory detail—the sound of a door, the drape of a curtain, the temperature of the air—they built the villa’s profound atmosphere.
Within this framework, curation is an exercise in harmony which feels like a deeply personal collection. The villa houses garments from their abaya label in the main salon, Fold, nearby shelved hold an edit from Kadi Boutique, and a rotating coffee counter, currently partnered with FLTR. The connection is philosophical. “Every element must add to the atmosphere rather than compete for it,” the founders assert. They select brands and designers based on “authenticity,” a “clear identity,” and a resonance with their community. Fundamental to this is an emphasis on craft and materiality. “Craft shows care and materiality shows commitment,” they note. “We look for work that feels good in the hand and stands the test of time.” 
The result is a space that has evolved beyond its commercial premise. “The realisation came when people began using the space as a meeting point,” Afra and Shama observe. They’ve seen strangers exchange creative ideas and designers meet future collaborators by coincidence. This organic formation of community was unexpected. “What surprised us most is how naturally people connect without any prompting… The atmosphere invites honesty and creates a sense of belonging.” The Meld has become, in their words, cultural rather than commercial. This outcome was not without its challenges, particularly the logistical nuances of adapting an older property. “The landscape became one of the most important and complex elements,” they share, noting the considerable time spent shaping outdoor areas to feel natural and timeless while navigating regulatory requirements.
As sisters and co-founders, their partnership is a balancing act of complementary perspectives. “One of us is more conceptual and visionary. The other is more detail-oriented and grounded in execution,” they explain. Their guiding principle for creative decisions is straightforward: “The idea must serve the space, not the ego.”
Their Emirati identity subtly permeates the venture, influencing through embedded sensibility. “It shows up in the warmth, in the hospitality, in the preference for natural materials, and in the balance between modernity and heritage,” they describe. 
Looking forward, Afra and Shama see The Meld’s role as a deepening cultural touchpoint. “We want to encourage slower experiences and deeper conversations,” they say of their hope for Dubai’s creative ecology. Their vision for growth is about influence. They imagine The Meld evolving into a destination that nurtures creative thinking and forms lasting connections, a place that supports a growing appetite for intimacy and substance in a city famed for speed.