
Pictured: Anita Surani, founder, at our JLT studio
Our Design Process
How we take a Dubai villa or apartment from brief and survey to drawings, FF&E, approvals, site supervision, snagging and a full handover file.
Read the guideLonger guides from the studio, written for owners planning a project: how our design and build process runs from first conversation to handover, which materials and finishes hold up in the UAE climate, and the interior styles people ask us for.

Pictured: Anita Surani, founder, at our JLT studio
How we take a Dubai villa or apartment from brief and survey to drawings, FF&E, approvals, site supervision, snagging and a full handover file.
Read the guide
Pictured: MK Villa, Frond L, Palm Jumeirah
How marble, porcelain, timber, joinery finishes, paint, fabrics, brass and glass cope with Dubai heat, humidity, sun and AC, and how to care for each one.
Read the guide
Pictured: our design for Palm Jumeirah Villa, Palm Jumeirah
Contemporary, modern luxury, warm minimalism, organic modern, modern Arabic and classic interiors explained for Dubai villas and apartments.
Read the guideAlongside these guides, our journal answers narrower questions owners ask before a project starts, from what a first consultation involves to what drives the cost of a villa renovation. These are a good place to begin.
Every article is listed on the journal page. For how we work on your own project, start with our design process or send your details through the estimate form.


Xena Design & Build
Every space begins with an idea.
Xena Design & Build transforms vision into refined environments designed to last.