The Design House: Michele Barclay

In this edition of 'The Design House', we invite you to take a look inside Michele Barclay's white and cozy home. Michele is the founder of BROWZ - a well-designed and innovative brow, lash and skincare bar that has been frequented & recommended by Dubai's A-list. Michele values clarity of thought and spirituality in everything she does; and these elements often reflect and shine throughout her home. 

Michele: When I come home, I want to release all the things that wears one down during the day. My home enables me to drop anything and come into a space that's so clean and minimal so that I can think with clarity and wind down. 

I don't like clutter, so during lockdown I changed up almost everything. I went room by room and cleared out everything that was weighing me down. My style is contemporary, minimalist, fresh and cosy. I love space, lots of glass to bring the outdoors in. It's very much a feeling of freedom for me. To me, home is a sanctuary - my home reflects my soul.

I moved to this villa about three years ago. The villa style is actually quite modern, but one of the first changes I made was to turn the grey tiles to a wooden flooring by Kahrs by Nordic Homeworx as I wanted to give the home a more earthy and cosy feeling and at the same time preserve a minimal look. I just found the grey tile too cold - the grout also captures dirt easily, which was unsettling to me because I'm such a neat freak; the wooden floors are much easier to maintain.

One of the first things I changed after the flooring is putting carpet on the stairs and the bedrooms. I really like to walk around barefoot, and I love that plush feeling. I know we live in a hot country, but sometimes you just don't want to step on cold tiles.

Michele: I just love white. I'm a big fan of The White Company, I even have the book of beautiful white spaces around the world. I feel, in a white space allows me to think and be creative. There's just something in the process of repainting the whole space white... My daughter's got excellent taste and has recently shared some improvements that I think we will be integrating into the home. Our design styles align perfectly, and I believe she is truly talented with interiors. I've had a personal astrologer for many years who gave me insights that gave space for creativity and abundance in all areas of life.

I've chosen white very consciously and all the pieces with a purpose. Especially with the rugs and linen fabric for the curtains which I sourced from France. I made the sofa in the den from a picture, because I was so fixated by a material. I'm now on the lookout for another sofa in the main lounge. I appreciate quality and simplistic workmanship. 

Michele: We use the den space for reading and meditation, which forms a very important part of my routine. I also do yoga and pilates there two or three times a week. I did a meditation teacher training with Deepak Chopra at his centre in California for two weeks. I learnt to teach meditation from him, I feel very lucky to have had him as my teacher. You will see a lot of Buddhas around my home, I just love how I feel when I have them around.

In terms of the kitchen, I haven't changed much except the fridge. I did add a sofa and a marble countertop and we spend a lot of time here for our meals. I added slide back doors that helps bring the outside in. It feels like an extended space. When it's not too hot, we just open out the doors. For the garden, I've added the decking, and white patio furniture from Marina Home.