Betterliving Summer 2019

INSPIRATION | at home with…
“ I set off solo to
Indonesia in search of
artisans who could
supply the furniture
for the house”
“Being in The Lakes feels like you’re
on holiday,” says Kym Jackson Shen,
who bought a four-bedroom property
here with her husband Tom in 2017.
“I’d always wanted to buy a house in
the community and to upgrade it in my
signature bohemian style, so when this
one came onto the market we snapped
it up.”
Originally from Australia, the
couple started renovating homes as
a hobby, working around their day
jobs in the superyacht industry. When
their children Cleo and Bella were
born, however, Kym decided to turn
her talent into a business, launching
a boutique e-store, Haute Bohéme
(hauteboheme.ae), alongside. “I set off
solo to Indonesia in search of artisans
who could supply the furniture for the
house and my business,” says Kym. “I
asked around until I found a brilliant
studio capable of producing everything
from leather chairs to beaded
chandeliers and solid teak dining tables,
all of which I now ship back to Dubai.
“My main aim was to really open
up the space by knocking down any
interior partition walls that weren’t
essential to the structure of the house.
I even widened the patio door leading
from the lounge to the garden to give
the room an airy ambience. The place
took around five months to renovate,
with everything from the floor tiles
to the AC ducts being removed and
replaced with streamlined versions
that fit the aesthetic. All the walls were
painted in Jotun’s Jazz White – one of
my favourite shades – and I used lots of
natural, tactile materials, such as sea
grass rugs and hand-stitched cushion
covers to bring home the boho vibe.”
36 | bhomes.com