Luxury in Dubai has always had a language of its own. For years, it was spoken through skyline views, branded towers, private pools and addresses that signalled arrival. Those things still matter, but for Dr Mohammed Baydoun, Head of Development at DAMAC Properties, the market is moving towards something quieter and more considered.
“Luxury doesn’t mean being flashy,” Baydoun said during an interview on Arabian Business’s AB in Focus. “Luxury now is silent, old-money style.”
It is a telling line from one of the executives shaping DAMAC’s next generation of developments. The company, long associated with branded residences and master-planned communities, is now extending its lifestyle-led approach to a broader segment of the market through The Lifestyle Collection, a curated portfolio of apartment projects across DAMAC Hills, DAMAC Hills 2, DAMAC Lagoons and DAMAC Riverside.
The proposition is not simply apartment ownership. It is access to a fuller way of living: open spaces, family-focused amenities, wellness facilities, leisure infrastructure and proximity to Dubai’s expanding business districts, with monthly payment plans starting from $544.32 (AED 1,999).
Baydoun said the launch reflects a structural shift in Dubai’s property market, where more end-users and long-term residents are looking beyond location alone.
“People are no longer looking only for special locations,” he said. “They are looking for special products, special lifestyles and spaciousness within the building, the unit and the amenities.”
That shift has been accelerated by changes in how people work. Dubai continues to attract entrepreneurs, traders, freelancers and digital professionals, many of whom run businesses from home or work remotely. As a result, the quality of the home environment has become central to buying decisions.
“The environment of the home became essential,” Baydoun said. “The lifestyle that comes with the product is now becoming a very important element in differentiating yourself in the market.”
The Lifestyle Collection is designed around that demand, but at a more attainable entry point. While many of Dubai’s master communities are dominated by villas and townhouses, DAMAC is using apartments to open that environment to a wider buyer base, including first-time homeowners, young professionals, investors and long-term residents.
“The challenge with communities is that most of them are composed of villas and townhouses, which require a high affordability threshold that is not attainable by everyone,” Baydoun said.
Apartments, he added, allow buyers to access the same community setting with a lower ticket price, while still benefiting from lifestyle amenities and proximity to business centres.
Dubai real estate market matures
Baydoun said Dubai’s evolution into a more decentralised city has also strengthened the case for community living. While Downtown Dubai and Burj Khalifa once dominated the city’s centre of gravity, new business and residential hubs have emerged across Business Bay, Dubai Investment Park, Jebel Ali, Expo City and the new airport corridor.
That has created new pockets of demand and value across the city.
“Dubai is no longer a centralised city,” Baydoun said. “We have so many business centres across the whole city, and that is driving value almost equally in those areas.”
For investors, he said, apartments within communities have shown a stronger performance than comparable units outside them, with capital gains around 20 to 30 per cent higher over recent years and rental yields typically one to two percentage points stronger.
That makes The Lifestyle Collection, in DAMAC’s view, a product for both end-users and investors seeking long-term value.
The launch also comes as Dubai encourages more residents to move from renting to ownership. The Dubai Land Department’s First-Time Home Buyer Programme and updates to property-linked residency rules have supported a more end-user-driven market, while more than 3,200 residents have bought their first homes since the programme’s launch in July 2025.
DAMAC’s approach begins before design. Baydoun described the company’s model as “story-led development”, where the buyer profile, lifestyle needs and pain points are identified before the product is built.
“We don’t sell properties,” he said. “We sell solutions to problems.”
That thinking shapes the development brief, design, amenities, material selection and eventual handover. Baydoun said DAMAC uses detailed standards covering waterproofing, soundproofing, finishes, tile alignment and interior detailing to ensure the final product reflects what was promised at launch.
The same philosophy extends to sustainability. Baydoun said DAMAC looks beyond conventional rating systems by adapting sustainability principles to Dubai’s climate, using landscape design, low-water planting and grey water irrigation to create greenery while managing maintenance costs.
“For us, sustainability goes beyond the normal rating systems,” he said. “It is about respecting local habits, boosting local economies and preserving the local ecosystem.”
For DAMAC, The Lifestyle Collection is ultimately about widening access to the elements that increasingly define desirable homes in Dubai: community, convenience, wellness and a stronger sense of belonging.
As Baydoun sees it, the most successful developments are no longer judged only by where they are or how they look.
They are judged by how they allow people to live.
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Published by: Arabian Business
