Renovated double-height villa hall and living room in Jumeirah Islands Dubai with curved seating and dark stone staircase

Jumeirah Islands · Dubai · Before & After

Jumeirah Islands Villa Hall & Living Room Renovation Before and After

This Jumeirah Islands villa already had a major architectural asset: a dramatic double-height hall filled with natural light. Before renovation, however, the scale of the space dominated the ground floor. The living zone had little definition, the staircase blended into the surrounding white surfaces, and the large volume had few elements connecting the lower and upper levels.

The renovation gives the same architecture clearer structure at everyday scale. Curved seating anchors the centre of the hall, full-height sheer curtains soften the daylight, suspended glass pendants occupy the double-height void, and darker stone at the staircase introduces contrast while the living and dining areas remain open.

Transformation Overview

From an Open Double-Height Hall to a Defined Living Space

The original hall was bright and spacious, with white walls, extensive glazing, marble-effect flooring and glass balustrades. Its generous dimensions were immediately apparent, but there was little at ground level to establish where the main living area should begin and end.

Rather than filling the room with excessive furniture, the completed interior concentrates the main elements in the centre of the hall. A curved sofa, two rounded lounge chairs and overlapping coffee tables form a social arrangement surrounded by open circulation.

This hall is part of Arta’s complete Jumeirah Islands villa renovation , where the living spaces, interior finishes and connected areas were developed as one residential transformation.

Before & After Comparison 01

The Main Hall From Ground Level

This matched viewpoint shows how the renovation changed the experience of the hall without reducing its openness or hiding the original double-height architecture.

Jumeirah Islands villa living room after renovation with curved cream sofa, lounge chairs, pendant lights and indoor planting

Jumeirah Islands double-height villa hall before renovation with open marble-effect floor, glass staircase and minimal furnishing

Before After

Drag the divider to compare the original open hall with the completed living room.

Furniture & Proportion

The Living Room Was Planned Around the Scale of the Hall

A double-height villa can make ordinary furniture appear too small. Here, the solution comes from proportion rather than quantity. The long curved sofa has enough visual weight to occupy the centre of the room, while its low profile keeps views through the hall open.

Two lounge chairs widen the arrangement and create several conversational positions. The rug establishes the approximate footprint of the living zone, while round and irregular coffee tables avoid adding another large rectangular form to an interior already defined by long beams, wall openings and stair lines.

Cream upholstery, pale flooring and white walls keep the palette connected to the villa’s natural brightness. Brass-toned table bases, warm glass pendants, timber details, greenery and artwork add smaller points of contrast.

Before & After Comparison 02

Looking Down Into the Hall From the Upper Level

The upper-floor viewpoint makes the change in planning especially clear. It shows how the renovated ground floor is divided into usable zones while remaining visually connected.

Top view of renovated Jumeirah Islands double-height living room with curved seating, dining area, rug and full-height curtains

Top view of Jumeirah Islands villa hall before renovation showing a large open floor area, tall glazing and glass balustrades

Before After

The upper-level comparison shows how the living and dining functions now occupy distinct areas within the same open plan.

Design Decisions

Five Changes That Reshaped the Hall

The transformation depends on a small number of coordinated decisions, each solving a different issue created by the hall’s scale, daylight and open circulation.

A Human-Scale Living Zone

The architecture remains large, but the sofa, chairs, tables and rug create a comfortable area at normal seating height. The occupants gain a defined place to gather without losing the volume above.

Lighting Occupies the Double-Height Void

The new glass pendants descend at different heights, creating visual reference points between the ground floor and upper gallery. Linear ceiling lighting follows the architecture around the main pendant composition.

Full-Height Curtains Soften the Glazing

Sheer curtains preserve the height of the tall windows while diffusing direct sunlight. They also create a continuous pale background behind the furniture instead of leaving the glazing visually exposed.

The Staircase Gains Contrast

Dark stone stair treads create a clearer staircase profile against the white structure and transparent glass balustrade. The stair becomes an architectural feature without adding a visually heavy enclosure.

Living and Dining Form One Composition

The seating zone, dining table, timber shelving and darker counter surfaces can be viewed together. Shared neutral finishes connect the areas, while furniture and material changes distinguish their individual functions.

Living Room Geometry

Why Curved Furniture Works in This Double-Height Interior

The villa contains many long architectural lines: balcony edges, beams, window frames, staircase runs and large wall openings. Repeating the same geometry with a rigid rectangular furniture arrangement would make the ground floor feel more linear.

The curved sofa changes the geometry at floor level. Rounded armchairs and coffee tables continue that approach and create a softer centre inside the rectilinear shell.

There is also a practical benefit. Curved backs allow circulation to pass around the seating from several directions, which suits a hall connected to the entrance, staircase, dining area and adjoining rooms.

Daylight & Materials

Natural Light Became Part of the Interior Composition

The before photographs already show how much daylight enters the villa. The design therefore focuses on managing that light rather than trying to create brightness artificially.

Translucent curtains reduce hard glare while keeping the height of the windows visible. Sunlight moves over the sofa, rug and pale floor during the day, giving the neutral interior greater variation without relying on strong colour contrast.

Plants placed near the glazing and staircase introduce deeper natural tones in areas that receive abundant daylight, while the cream upholstery stays closely connected to the light architectural base.

Completed Interior

A Living Room Designed to Be Seen From Every Level

The completed hall is experienced from the entrance level, staircase and upper gallery. The living room therefore had to work from several directions rather than depending on one primary front elevation.

The curved seating arrangement supports that requirement. There is no visually dominant back side to the composition, and open spaces between the furniture keep views toward the staircase, dining area and adjoining parts of the villa available.

Completed Jumeirah Islands villa living room with curved cream seating, full-height sheer curtains, glass balustrade and dark stone staircase

Completed double-height living room in Jumeirah Islands with curved seating, full-height sheer curtains, glass balustrades and dark stone staircase finishes.

Before & After Result

The Architecture Stayed Open. The Interior Gained Structure.

The renovation keeps the qualities that were already valuable in this Jumeirah Islands villa: generous ceiling height, extensive natural light, open circulation and visual connection between floors.

The major difference is how those qualities are now experienced at everyday scale. The living room has a defined centre, the dining area has its own identity, the pendant composition makes use of the vertical void, and the staircase carries greater visual weight.

Furniture, curtains, art, planting, timber and darker stone add depth while allowing the original architecture to remain clearly visible. The large hall now has a practical social centre and a stronger connection between its lower and upper levels.

Villa Renovation in Dubai

Planning a Villa Interior Renovation in Jumeirah Islands?

Arta works on villa renovations in Dubai involving interior reconfiguration, finishes, lighting, joinery, staircase upgrades and complete living-area transformations. For large open-plan or double-height interiors, the planning starts with the relationship between architecture, circulation, furniture and the way adjoining spaces are used.

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