A Feminine Dubai Townhouse Where European Elegance Meets Modern Maximalism

When Veronika Plichtova bought this 20-year-old townhouse in Dubai’s Emirates Living community, it was still in its original state. A renovation was already underway when she realised the emerging design direction wasn’t quite right. 

What she was looking for was more nuanced: a home that felt bright and feminine, with an almost ethereal quality, while bringing together her European roots, love of vintage, and a subtle inclination towards maximalism.

That was when she turned to Amna Chaudhry Interiors.

“Veronika’s brief was multi-faceted,” says designer Amna Chaudhry. “Aesthetically, she had a very specific point of view that she needed support in achieving. She wanted a very bright, feminine, and almost ethereal home that blends her European roots and slight flair for maximalism — this vision took us a while to understand!”

The challenge wasn’t just aesthetic. The existing house lacked both storage and a sense of flow, something problematic for Plichtova, a real estate entrepreneur with an extensive wardrobe and collection of shoes. 

The renovation therefore became an exercise in making the townhouse work harder, while giving it the distinctive personality its owner had envisioned.

Reworking the bones of the house

At approximately 2,000 square feet, the two-storey townhouse has a relatively compact footprint, but its position as an end unit offered an important advantage: windows on two sides bringing generous amounts of natural light into the interiors.

The original layout was restructured to better suit Plichtova's lifestyle, opening up the kitchen and enlarging the primary suite. As the renovation developed, the design team took the opportunity to extend the primary suite further, creating additional storage and a dedicated walk-in wardrobe.

On the ground floor, the open-plan kitchen, dining and living areas form the social heart of the home, alongside a powder room, laundry area, and a small office. Upstairs are the primary bedroom, bathroom and dressing room, as well as an ensuite guest bedroom.

Designing with a lighter touch

Chaudhry approached the interiors with one deceptively simple rule: “Nothing too chunky.”

That meant favouring slender furniture profiles, rounded edges, and built-ins that feel more like pieces of furniture than fixed architectural elements. The approach is evident in the living room, where newly introduced curved windows soften the architecture and bring a feminine quality to the space.

The language of curves continues upstairs. In the new dressing area, curved walls shape the wardrobe extension, creating a softer transition between spaces while giving the dressing zone a sense of its own. Rather than relying on dramatic architectural elements, the curves introduce moments of pause throughout the home.

It is an approach that feels intentional without becoming too formal.

A palette drawn from the owner's favourite colours

“The inspiration for this home actually was a very specific colour palette given by Veronika,” says Chaudhry. “She wanted the palette of the home to reflect her most flattering and loved colours and hues.”

The resulting palette moves through cool shades of soft taupe and grey, with lilac, dusty purple, deep violet, soft pink, and flashes of fuchsia.

The coolness of the palette is balanced by the warmth of the timber flooring, which runs throughout the home. Its rich stain introduces a subtle Haussmannian reference, helping the interiors feel warmer and more rooted in European tradition.

This balance was important to Plichtova, who wanted something contemporary without losing a distinctly European character. Historical references and vintage pieces were therefore layered into the overall modern framework.

Marble takes centre stage

Stone is one of the home's defining materials, bringing a sense of luxury to an otherwise soft and delicate layout.

Calacatta Viola, with its distinctive veining, appears throughout the interiors – from the kitchen to the door casings, and the dressing tables in the primary bedroom. In the main ensuite, a softer grey-and-white marble surrounds the space, creating a quieter interpretation of the home's love of stone.

The design team also commissioned a series of custom pieces in white and pink onyx, adding another layer of colour.

“Marble has a distinctly luxe and striking quality that was very much in line with what we were trying to achieve in this home,” says Chaudhry.

Natural light plays an important role in how these materials read. With daylight entering from two sides of the townhouse, the stone's veining shifts throughout the day, while reflective surfaces and wallcoverings catch and diffuse the light.

Vintage details bring the personality

If the architecture provides the framework, it is the vintage lighting and accessories that give the home its character.

Most of the furniture was either sourced locally or custom made, while lighting and accessories were selected from vintage dealers, including Murano pieces and vessels sourced online. The mix prevents the interiors from feeling too new or like a showroom, allowing contemporary elements to sit comfortably alongside pieces with a sense of history.

Even the walls were treated as an opportunity for texture. There is no straightforward painted wall in the home: surfaces are either plastered, wallpapered, or clad in marble. The wallpaper selections are mostly woven or fabric-based, bringing softness and depth while reinforcing the home's European sensibility.

The approach is particularly effective in Plichtova's office, where a shimmering dusty-pink fabric wallcovering sits alongside a custom pink-and-white desk. Chaudhry describes it as “the most soft feminine, yet girl boss space”.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom takes a more restrained approach to femininity. A vintage-inspired headboard is paired with softly scalloped bedside tables and Roman shades, creating a room that feels romantic without becoming overly sweet.

A home with a point of view

What makes this townhouse compelling is the consistency of its point of view. Its femininity isn't expressed through colour alone, nor is its European influence reduced to a collection of traditional details. Instead, the two ideas are combined through the architecture, materials, furniture, and decorative objects.

For Plichtova, the renovation ultimately became less about imposing a particular design style and more about creating a home that felt uniquely hers – bright, polished and feminine, but with enough depth, contrast, and character to keep it from feeling predictable.

Credits

Interior design: Amna Chaudhry Interiors,  Instagram @amnachaudhryinteriors

Photos: Casa Mia Visuals, Instagram @casamiavisuals

Production: Karine Monié, Instagram @karinemonie