an open letter about housing in abu dhabi

this is for all of you out there who are considering the expat lifestyle here in abu dhabi.  where the benefits are great, the housing situation is a challenge.  here is some information that i wish i could have found clearly stated somewhere before i moved:

*         There are about four categories of housing available to you:

o   High rise apartments

o   Villa conversions (stand alone villas divided into apartments for individual let)

o   Villa/townhouse complexes (Arabian version of the suburbs)

o   Buildings that look like they are going to be fabulous, and look mostly done but are still under construction, but no one can officially tell you when they will be done, should have opened 6 months ago, could be 3 more months, could be a year.  These are the most frustrating ones of all.

*         There is typically a refundable 10,000 Dhs security deposit required.

*        The entirety of 12 mos rent is due upfront.

*         Studios tend to be between 65-95,000 dhs, one bedrooms 110-135,000, two bedrooms and up are 160k +.  Prices do not really differ in or out of the city proper unless you go all the way out to al reef, which is well on your way to Dubai and also starts at 2 bedrooms (our realtor didn't even have time to take us there, she said that would have to be a separate trip). 

*         One bedrooms and studios are very scarce to come by.  More complexes/buildings than not don’t even offer them, they start at 2 bedrooms.  The further out of the city proper you go, one bedrooms are nonexistent and even 2 bedrooms become fewer and further between.

*        Apartments do not come equipped with appliances.

*        High rise buildings in the city tend to include gym and pool facilities, but villa conversions in and out of the city, and villa developments further out typically do not.

*        Basically what you get further out of the city is more for your money in terms of space and interior fit out style, but less for your money in terms of facilities (gym, pool, etc.).  This is of course if you are looking for a 2 bedroom + situation, nothing under two bedrooms is available. The finishes are less “Arabian” like you would find in the city and more contemporary, something we would be more used to seeing in the States. 

*        UAE has a zero tolerance policy for drinking and driving.  If you live any further out than between 2 bridges (where the Fairmont and Shangri la are) then getting a taxi is a difficult process.  Depending on your social lifestyle this is something to consider.  One drink could be enough to put you in an Arabian jail. 

*       It is very common here for a building/complex to be listed as “complete/move-in ready” and when you get there, by any sort of American terms the building is still under construction.  Site trailer is still up, parking lot and entry side walk are 6” deep sand, and workers are still on site.  But somehow, among all of this, “all of the good units have already been spoken for, in some cases even moved in to” 

*        Parking.  Some of the high rise buildings have underground parking usually one spot is allowed per apartment.  Villa conversions, parking is available but often uncovered (which is painful out here in the heat, for you when you get in the car and for your car’s paint job) villas and townhouses out of the city seem to have 1-2 car ports or full garages. 

for better or worse...

i am well on my way to 27 dresses!... at least in my scenario the brides have taste :)

murphy's law has it that the year i decided to move to a foreign country all of my friends would decide this was they year they would tie the knot!

make no mistake friends, i am not complaining, i am really happy for all of you and wouldn't miss your wedding for the world! (in this case that isn't a figure of speech... it's real y'all) 

so needless to say, a lot of my travel this year involves some back and forth to the US.  the especially great thing about this is that i am banking my Etihad miles like i am at a Las Vegas slot machine!  I'll be from coach to business in no time :)




Dress by Priscilla of Boston, check out their site here.

and the award goes to...

well, me this time, and 17 other fabulous designers across the "good old US and A"

I was honored to be in Vegas for an award party thrown by Boutique Design magazine in honor of this year's Boutique 18, up and coming designers in the hospitality industry!

They put on a fabulous party in full vegas style: Tao: Opium Room: photographers: champagne: and good friends and family!

They also gave us a little ink in the latest issue of their magazine... 

                                 read the full issue here.  


 asking us five questions:

                                  (of course to fit all of our greatness into one magazine they had to edit... so see my uncut answers below)

1.       Briefly, tell us about your background.

     As the daughter of an architect, I grew up around design.  I did have a pink plastic miniature mayline at the age of six, so I’ll leave it to you to argue nature vs. nurture…  I attended Miami University of Ohio from 2000-2004.  I fell in love with their program because of the way it was created; the interior design, architecture, and graphic design disciplines were always collaborating.  This kind of “design is design” thought process led me to my first design job in Scottsdale, Arizona as a designer for my father’s architecture firm, Callahan Studios, LLC.  As I began to explore the industry a bit more, I took a huge liking to hospitality design.  Then I discovered BBG-BBGM’s Scottsdale location and have been in hospitality design ever since.  I love that our industry covers so many different genres of design: restaurants, lobbies, spas, guestrooms, how could I ever get bored!?  Two years ago, I felt inspired to change up my location, so I transferred to the BBG-BBGM office in New York City where I’ve been working on the Rosewood Abu Dhabi Hotel.  Most recently, I have accepted an on-site position in Abu Dhabi to oversee the interiors portion of the construction; an opportunity that designers rarely have and of which I am greatly looking forward to.  

2.       What are your goals as a designer and how do you work those goals into your design?

I love interior design because through it I have an opportunity to interact with people in a unique way by shaping the spaces that surround them every day. 

My goals as a designer are to:

inspire people: help them to see the world, or even just their lobby in a way that they might not have otherwise before.

be poetic: give a space depth and meaning, something that goes beyond the magazine photo, full of intimate touches, local style, and a story that guests want to know more about.

be collaborative: in the world of design two heads are always better than one.

be purposeful: create beautiful usable spaces.

travel: I’ve always been an adventurous type, and I love to travel. I think it opens you up as a person and enriches the depth of what you can offer as an interior designer.

3.       How has the design industry changed for you and the world in the last year?

     Design is creative, but it is also a business.  For designers that began their careers post 9-11, this is the first time we are seeing any sort of economic downturn from a professional perspective.  It has been extremely eye opening for me to see a design world that is struggling and the way in which we have responded.  As a creative individual, I believe that forced change is one of the biggest catalysts for creativity.  When you can’t continue doing what you’ve always done, you have to jump off the wheel and ask yourself “what are we really trying to accomplish?” While not every moment in this last year has been pleasant, I think our industry will come out stronger, more efficient, and more creative than ever. 

4.       What are the biggest challenges young designers face today? 

WORKING TOO HARD – Your time is valuable.  People will respect your time if you respect yourself.  There will always be times where the extra mile requires the extra time, but it shouldn’t be on a regular basis.  The last thing you want to do is burn out on something you love

ASK QUESTIONS -  If you don’t feel like you know what you are doing, try first and then ask for help.  Your team will see you as a proactive member and that you are willing to ask questions and learn. 

CONFIDENCE IN YOUR TALENTS – You wouldn’t have gotten this far without it – believe in yourself, and your designs, and people will listen. 

TRAVEL -  Find time to travel and open yourself up to new experiences, cultures, and activities.  Each one adds a layer to the development of your own unique design style. (Although, as my mentor once told me, “As a designer, you might not like every design style, but a good designer should be capable of designing in any style.”)

KNOW THE BUSINESS - If I were to do anything differently, I would have also minored in Business.  I think design programs largely under-value the business aspect of design, and thanks to our right brained nature, most designers could use business knowledge more than anything.

5.       If you could create anything at all, what would it be?

    

   The most amazing design studio ever known to man…and more time! (double yellow to the max!)

MaAa es-salama Abu Dhabi...Marhaba Vegas!

in english please?...oh, right, that means "Good Bye Abu Dhabi... Hello Vegas!"

you heard correctly, I am off to Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend.  Why, you ask?  No one needs a reason to go to Vegas for the weekend,  but for me it is part business and part pleasure :)  I will be attending the 2010 Hospitality Design Expo, catching up with all my favorite sales reps at fancy cocktail parties, and spending some QT with my fave friends + my dad! it is a whirlwind jaunt, but i can't miss it, for reasons that are soon to be announced!

starbucks is a thing of my past

ahh sunday morning... after a long day in dubai yesterday it is time to begin the work week once again.  after hitting the snooze four times and wishing that sunday was still indeed a day of rest instead of a day of office emails and meetings, i managed to get  up, shower, find something to wear and drag myself to the site trailer, riding only on the motivation of one thing...

CAFFEINE!... hand delivered to me at my desk upon arrival by Jon.  it is part of the office culture here to have a tea boy!... so lucky for me the days of long lines and the baristas at starbucks who always seem to want to call me "Bryan" instead of Brynnen are a thing of the past...at least for now :)

workin' for the weekend

a lot has been accomplished this week, i exercised 3 times, my residency visa is sorted out, and we've started to settle in nicely over at the site trailer!  now it is time to reward myself with a little day trip to dubai!

this will certainly be the first of many trips there, and the purposes are 3 fold:

1. a nice visual break from abu dhabi
2. the burj khalifa, which at 2,717 feet is the tallest building in the world, and almost three times the height of my old office (aka the empire state building)

and thirdly...  car shopping!  we are hearing it is a lot cheaper to buy than to rent or lease, especially in Dubai, as the economy has slowed there a bit... here is what we hope to come back with :)

a volkswagen eos

OR...

a mini cooper :)

what ever it is, i've decided to go with a light color, the sand here is light and it makes any other color look dirty right away...

wish me luck!

there is something about the bendy ones

i'm not sure why, but everywhere you go here, they give you a bendy straw with your soda, i haven't seen a straight straw since i've landed?!

happies

my first abu dhabi happy hour, or as my friends here call it... happies :)

Check them out on facebook :)

how traditional should be done

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, may be the most beautiful thing i have ever seen!

jet L... A......G.........

feels exactly like it sounds.  like someone spun you around 100 times and asked you to walk in a straight line. 

the idea of flying back to the US in two weeks led me straight to "the internets" for some sort of remedy.  here is what i've found:


1. sleep a lot before you leave (yes, because i always have time to do that before i go on vacation)
2. sleep a lot on the plane
3. planes are like deserts people, drink water, not caffeine or booze! forget how the person in that aisle seat feels about you climbing over them ever 2 seconds...
4. pretend from the moment you get on your plane that you are in your new time zone
5. continue your normal exercise routine before you leave and after you land (see sarcastic remark from no.1)
6. get 15 minutes of daylight as soon as you land, sunglasses free.
7. adopt all eating and sleeping times of your new time zone asap
8. keep busy as soon as you land (you can and should sleep on the plane on your way home!)

here is what i've decided you need for sleeping as much as you can on the plane, especially if you are in coach like me!

super cute travel kit from Flight 001 (find it here)

Sound cancellation headphones from Bose (find them here)

and finally...also shamelessly i have to add...

that's right folks, you saw right... the Snuggie (those airplanes are always so freaking cold!)

looks like i have some shopping to do before my next flight... good luck to me finding a snuggie in abu dhabi, i think it was 100 degrees F out today!

thursday is the new friday

you can find this inventive take on a calendar here.

in the uae, the work week is from sunday to thursday... this makes thursday the new friday, and well, sunday the new monday.  what does this mean ultimately, well it means i'm going to work today!

obsession v. addiction

 

addiction. the feeling of not having a phone to flick on the minute my plane landed, not hearing the familiar stream of beeps from missed calls and texts left me with a wave of freedom and anxiety all at once. 

obsession. i fell in love with the iphone the first second i laid eyes on one, but until now my loyalty to verizon has held me back.   and now that I am in the uae, a far cry from the reaches of verizon's amazing service range, i can finally indulge!... or so i thought. 

a trip to the mobile phone store today confronted me with an interesting dilemma...  

i went in to get a phone and at least a prepaid plan until my residency visa is processed. this is all moving along swimmingly until i announce what phone i want.  iphone... 

salesman: we are out of iphones.  

me: ok, is there another location that has them?  

salesman: all of abu dhabi is out of iphone

me: when do you think they will be available?

salesman: maybe sometime next week.

obsession v. addiction?  

obsession wins, who really needs a cell phone if it isn't an iphone anyways!