Arabian Ranches villa gets an illuminating makeover

I just love all the light in here!’ beams Mayssa, standing
in the sunny kitchen of her Arabian Ranches home.
‘But the house wasn’t always like this,’ she says, taking
a seat at the oversized island in the centre of the room. ‘When we first moved in, everything felt closed and dark.
The windows were much smaller and all the finishes were dark brown wood and terracotta. I was full of ideas and I knew we
 had to renovate!’ So the extensive transformation – which included a new kitchen, flooring and two extensions, not to mention new furniture – began in earnest.

Taking in the white Colombini Casa kitchen, which is punctuated by brightly coloured small appliances and rustic 
herb boxes on the windowsill above the sink, it’s hard to imagine the dark home Mayssa describes.

The open-concept living and dining room was extended at either end to add space and light to the main floor. Mayssa 
began by having the door from the living room to the back 
garden removed and extended the room out, creating a cosy nook enclosed on three sides by massive windows, which overlook the pool, dining pergola and outdoor sitting room with fireplace – all of which Mayssa and her husband, Mark, had specially installed in the garden. She furnished the extension with a classic French sofa from Bloomingdale’s Home, but changed the fabric to soft grey and violet to suit the muted palette.

On the other side of the room, adjacent to the dining room, Mayssa took the wall down and had a glass room built – complete with a glass ceiling and accordion doors, which open to the children’s playground and the pool. ‘I like to relax here with
 a coffee while the children are playing outside,’ says Mayssa,
who has two children, Mikaela, five, and William, nearly three. 
‘It’s especially nice in the winter months.’