Katy's Space: Art & IKEA Hacks in Dubai House Call

Name: Katy Mer-chan
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A big misconception about Dubai is that everyone is wealthy, so I thought it might be fun to show you how the fabulously unwealthy live in under 400 square feet! I'm making a feature length documentary about art and urbanization called Cultural Capital: Finding Art in Dubai coming out next year. I live in a 1 bedroom efficiency apartment that doubles as the production office for the film. The space is very minimal so I can decompress from the hectic nature of the city. And — maybe because I look at art all the time, my walls are somewhat blank?!

The furniture is mainly from a local retailer The One and IKEA. I know buying a lot of IKEA can be problematic, but I recently arrived in a new country with only my suitcases. And I bought almost everything secondhand (a lot of people have been leaving Dubai). More details about home:

THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE:
• Most floors here are tile because of the dust and sand.
• Book cloth tape is a great way to temporarily decorate. I used it to create a frame for the posters in the bedroom. In the living room, book cloth tape adds edging to an otherwise plain sofa. And of course, I like to switch up the walls with it too. Using one color helps pull the elements together.

BEDROOM: The posters were a collaboration with artists and Bidoun, a Middle East arts and culture magazine. I'm lucky to get a dose of green and privacy from these two tall trees that are in front of our almost floor to ceiling windows. Here's the view outside the bedroom with Bupesh, the building's very nice and brave window washer!

KITCHEN: The kitchen is in a closet. I used curtains to hide it — the refrigerator sits on the counter! This might be more appropriate for TheKitchn, but because ingredients are somewhat hard to source here, I've had success in the tiny kitchen with homemade yogurt, camel milk cheese, kimchi, and sauerkraut. Dubai has good probiotics floating around the air!

MAIN ROOM: This is my live/work/eat space. The "editing room" lives inside the wall-mounted desk on the right. The coffee table is an IKEA hack, where I took the IMFORS tabletop, a two tiered coffee table with metal legs, with pre-drilled holes and put in legs from a FROSTA stool. I even made an extra table for friends with the spare parts!

Thanks Katy!

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Comments (18)

You just made my day! I loathe my hand-me-down sofa, but am in no position to buy a new one...your book cloth idea is exactly what I need. So simple but what an impact! I hope you don't mind my borrowing, thank you so much!

i thought everyone in dubai WAS WEALTHY except for workers who were brought in various projects.

I have that very same sofa, and that bookcloth tape makes it so much cooler! Great idea!

It's not that I dislike it, but I think everything has a so _temporary_ look. And it's a pity since the apartment looks good. But that being said, you already know what's the single most amazing idea in this home, right?!

Looks great, I want to see photos of the kitchen in the coloset!

great job! i too want to see kitchen photos. and don't be ashamed of temporary - it is temporary. sometimes temporary inspires you for what you want in future and clears the clutter from the present so you can focus. i love it!

Thanks for the comments. Since its also the place where I have production meetings with my crew, the apartment straddles the home/office look. @patrik - I'm one of those workers! @tulpoeid - Dubai is a very transient place. There's really no system to allow foreigners like me to stay here for an extended period of time and maybe that gets into our psyche. @RQinGeorgia - expat workers send over $10 billion in remittances out of the UAE to home countries. But I don't know if the volume of remittances redeems the moral ambiguities of migrant labor...

I grew up in Dubai and loved the memories, but it is transient and you have to move on. I remember coveting an Ikea catalog because any style at the time was overpriced...those with money reaped the benefits while the others dealt with hand-me-downs and less. The disparity in design and life, was large in my observations as a teenager, and nothing much has changed. I am glad that truths of life in Dubai are being revealed ...slow as it may be...it was always heart wrenching to witness the silence of migrant labor and the premium placed on the color of your skin.

@dubai2la - so interesting about the higher prices for Ikea! I do feel that in here it is more of a premium brand and less pervasive in Dubai homes. Ikea is seen as a refreshing alternative to some of the excesses. The smaller scale of their furnishings don't work in massive villas. Ornate, carved furniture rules here partly because of traditional pattern and ornamental styles and maybe because people have maids to do the dusting?

i agree with transitional being a challenging inspiration...also, RQingeorgia posted an article with an uncanny understanding of the socio-political context of dubai...and after reading it, i appreciate this transitional/temporary space and am certain that the dweller can find additional sources (i.e., the book tape used) to make it cozy for the time being. purchasing an artifact or two that speaks to the underclass would be a wonderful inspiration for this space and something to keep for all time.

Wow, RQingeorgia, that was some article. Thanks for posting it.

That's why I had to make Cultural Capital. The film is about artists asserting their humanity and expressing themselves in the challenging context of a surreal city. As mentioned in RQingeorgia's link, the economy is still zzzzzzz. Should the film be called Art in the Time of Collapse?

I like it that this is temporary and you made a home out of it. Life is always temporary.

WOW @ the article RQingeorgia posted! You all need to read it! I never knew that about Dubai! That is the WORST place in the WORLD! I will share that article with everyone!

Believe me, I am very critical about what goes on here, of which I'm more aware than a journalist who spent 10 days here (I'm looking at you Johann Hari). But in light of all the negative comments, I feel like I have to stick up for Dubai. This is my home for now and I chose to live here. Dubai has been a vital city, which is why so many people came here from all over the world. It can be an important hub for arts and culture for African, Asian, and Middle Eastern Art, serving as an alternative to the US and Europe: http://www.scribd.com/doc/20471005/J-Osborn-and-K-Chang-Contemporary-Art-in-Dubai

For a cheeky take on the sensationalism of the dark side of a country, read this: http://blogs.sun.com/christophersaul/entry/yet_another_gulf_bashing_article