In little under a year, Sharon Harvey has transformed her Umm Suqeim villa in Dubai into a welcoming home where her love of art and antiques takes centre stage
Walk through the doorway of Sharon Harvey’s Umm Suqeim villa and your eye is drawn to a huge Sabhan Adam canvas guarding the hallway. Love it or hate it, the painting gives a clue to the resident’s passion for art. With no interior doors on the lower floor, the ground level of this five-bedroom villa is a seamless space filled with decorative antique chests, several Rokni Haerizadeh paintings and lots of interesting coffee table books on design, travel and architecture.
The home of Sharon Harvey is a testament to her background (she is originally from Zimbabwe), but also to her profession as a gallery owner (Showcase Gallery Art & Antiques) and former interior designer. The house is comfortably chic with many striking conversation pieces.
“I was attracted to the villa primarily because of the incredible light; there are massive windows and glass doors in every single room including the bedrooms, so no matter what time of day it is there is always sunshine pouring in,” says Sharon. “In my view, natural light is one of the single most important factors. Apart from the visual aspect it also brings amazing energy into a home.”
The light is complemented by the interior design scheme of neutral furniture (think creams and white linen), accessorised by richly coloured cushions, kelim rugs, artefacts and paintings. It’s a style that has not changed in the 24 years Sharon has been living in the UAE. “My style is so ingrained in me and my lifestyle,” she explains. “It’s eclectic and overflowing with furniture, accessories and art.”
Having a beautiful home is easy for Sharon, but she admits that having an art gallery can mean she is unwilling to part with many pieces and so it also becomes an expensive pastime. “I have a personal collection of Arab chests in my home. These have come my way and I have not wanted to part with them; from the traditional wedding chests to the sea chests, which are more simplified. I just love them at the base of a bed, as side tables next to sofas and I also have them in my entrance hall. They are wonderfully decorative as well as functional. I see the gallery as an extension of my home and not vice versa. It has to be in a way, as I spend more time there than I do at my home sometimes.”
She cites her favourite pieces as those by Rokni Haerizadeh. ‘I fell in love with his art when some of it was brought to the gallery five years ago when he was unknown. I purchased my first piece then and in fact his earlier works are my favourites – being a friend now makes his work more meaningful. Another of my favourite pieces is a sculpture by the Indian artist Debanjan Roy, which I purchased at Art Dubai from a series called ‘India Shining’. It is a humorous bright red Ghandi reclining on a chair.” (See image above.)
These artworks are all juxtaposed with family photographs and work by Sharon’s daughter Michelle who has graduated this year from Central St Martin’s in London as well as her impressive book collection – displayed on her Omani chests throughout the house. References to her African heritage are also part of the home’s DNA – ebony sculptures, pen and ink drawings of ostriches and safari-style skins all shout of a contemporary colonial vibe.
While Sharon has deliberately enhanced the light in her villa by making the interior open plan, she has also resisted the temptation to use curtains or blinds. This also brings the outside in and the garden is secluded with many different seating areas. “I moved in last February and the garden was a total mess apart from the enormous bougainvillea hedges separating me from the neighbours, which bring year-round colour.
I planted an easy to maintain garden, with some lawn and lots of potted plants on the paved living space for outdoor dining. I use the outside for entertaining and I like to eat al fresco as much as possible.” Surprisingly, the latest addition to her home are two chickens content to roam the spacious garden. They provide the finishing touches to an idyllic address.
