Dubai. London. São Paulo. There are three clocks in the entrance to Angelita Alves's apartment, showing the local time in each of these cities. Under each clock face, the name of the city is spelt out in bold black print. It's a striking design feature and a quirky allusion to Angelita's journey from São Paulo, where she was born and raised, to London, where she studied architecture and started her career, and then Dubai, where she has lived for almost three years.
First Look: Saadiyat Beach Villas: The cultural island's first residential development offers luxury living in an unrivaled setting.
The clocks set the tone for an apartment that is brimming with personal references. Piles of books jostle with mementos acquired during Angelita's extensive travels and periods spent living in New York, Lisbon and Paris; her own photographs and paintings adorn the walls, and unusual ceiling features speak of her architectural prowess.
Angelita, a senior architect with Godwin Austen Johnson, took up residence on The Palm in September. Having lived in Downtown Dubai since arriving in the UAE, she was ready to try somewhere new.
"To be honest, I hadn't considered moving to The Palm. But I'd been looking for a new place for about a month and I couldn't find anything that I liked because it's so difficult to find spacious one-bedroom apartments. So the estate agent asked if I had considered The Palm. And I hadn't, really."
Angelita looked at a number of developments on the man-made island, including the Shoreline Apartments and the Golden Mile, before settling on the Fairmont Residences. She was won over by a partial sea view - a rarity with one-bedrooms - and high-quality finishes.
"I like the fact that the apartment has natural stone on the floor. The detailing is good and so is the spec. That's very important for me. Because of the field of work I'm in, it really bothers me when I see things that are built in a sloppy way. The space is great, the finishes and amenities are really good, and you get a sea view. There are all these pluses."
When it came to furnishing her new home, Angelita wanted to create a cool, comfortable, neutral space and opted for a primary colour palette of grey, white and champagne. She acquired her basic furniture items from shops such as Ikea, The One and ID Design, and coupled them with unusual accessories.
"It's difficult when you are setting up because you need all your basic items in order to live comfortably. So it's good to have a go-to place where you can get all the basic stuff and then build on that by adding your own quirky little touches - all those little things that you find on your travels or in tiny shops somewhere. I like that philosophy. It means that you can always be building and adding things on."
For her living and dining area, Angelita coupled a tempered glass Ikea table with funky slimline chairs - four black and two transparent. Oversized silver letters spell out "Yo" on the wall, and paintings produced by Angelita herself hang over the television. A small wooden statue of a horse, bought on a trip to Nepal, sits on a mirrored coffee table next to a pile of books.
Overhead, Angelita has substituted traditional light fittings with circular mirrors suspended at rakish angles. Reflections of the room's white sofas and sumptuous white carpet bounce off the mirrors, introducing a new dimension to the design.
One of Angelita's favourite pieces is a side table made out of sawn-off branches. "I love it because it has this really rough materiality to it," she says. "It's from a great little shop called Pier Import in the Mazaya Centre, which not many people know about. It's the kind of place where you have to fish through everything and every now and again you'll find something amazing. I've bought a few things from there."
The bedroom is more masculine in its feel. Dark woods dominate, with white bedclothes and shelves for contrast. Overhead, undulating white fabric has been suspended from the ceiling to soften the space. It's a modern take on the four-poster bed, and proof that interesting design features don't have to cost a fortune. It's also a mark of Angelita's creativity. "The ceilings are quite high here and I find it difficult to find nice lampshades. I felt like the ceiling needed a bit of focus. It needed to be brought down a little and this just softens it. It's a very simple thing to achieve."
Elsewhere in the bedroom a multilayered lamp from The One offers a suitable dose of drama, as do an antique mirror and two blown-up photos on the wall. "They are of Dubai, although you may not be able to tell straightaway," says Angelita. "I looked at construction sites and things like that, and left the exposure open a bit. I was just playing with light. Photography and painting are my hobbies. My paintings are kind of naive but when I work I have to put a lot of thought and pragmatism into it, so when I paint it is much more fluid; it is just about expression and letting go."
The bedroom leads out on to a large terrace area, where there is a burst of colour. Ikea's low-lying PS Gullholmen rocking chairs and Alseda stools, which are made from banana leaves, have been coupled with colourful, floral cushions from The One to create an inviting outdoor space. A monochrome rug and square plant pots add to its charm. "Everything else is very muted but I felt that for the outside a bit of colour and life would make sense. Also, something light wouldn't have been practical."
As an architect, Angelita is used to looking at buildings with a critical eye, which can be torture, she admits. "You go into any space and you are instantly critiquing it. So of course, if it was me designing this place, I would have done a million things differently. But architecture is a personal thing and is very subjective. What you think is right is not necessarily what other people think is right."
For the most part, she is happy with her home. In fact, her only real gripe is that it doesn't offer enough storage space. And while the interiors are more or less done, she has a few improvements in mind. For example, she would like to introduce a feature chair in the living room but has yet to find one that she loves.
"A home should never be a finished thing," she says. "You are always wanting to change or add something to it. Of course, your circumstances change as well. People get married and have children and your space has to adapt. It's good to have a look that isn't too finished. I think it's more interesting as well. I like to keep it fluid."
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
The%20Kitchen
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The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
RESULTS
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THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
