GID

FOCUS

CELEBRATING LIFE
WITH
DESIGN

GID PUTS THE FOCUS

ON THE LATEST
PROPERTY OF LE
MIRAGE THAT
BELONGS TO SHARAKA
HOLDINGS GROUP
WHICH IS
NOW AVAILABLE FOR
LEASE.
BY SINDHU NAIR

34

GLAM INTERIORS + DESIGN

A SENSE OF CLASS:
Opposite page. The lounge area
opens to the living space, Below: the
living and dining space that opens to
a well-maintained garden.

Doha has a multitude of residential

properties available for lease. Most
of them are in standard formats.
Barely adequate facilities, poor
workmanship, planned without much
consideration for comfort or usability,
a one-plan-fits-all design. We are not
even talking about the mass housing
solutions provided by certain real
estate agencies, where the rental costs
seem to justify the poor quality of
construction. But being from the same
profession, I would argue that quality
living conditions can be affordable by
efficient planning of material and time
without sacrificing essentials.

In the quest to find the perfect balance

of intelligent and sensitive planning,
quality workmanship and materials to
the cost of the rentals, I have mostly
been disappointed and was on the verge
of giving up when I was asked to review
this beautiful property. That it was one of
the properties by Le Mirage, whose first
project near the Mall roundabout, Le
Mirage Village, has always been the envy
of many designers for the beautifully
maintained gardens and even the
architectural features of the houses, was
not very surprising.
So it was with much curiosity that I set
about my architectural review.

I have seen beautiful interiors in Doha

in upscale institutions: Education City
buildings, offices in the West Bay and a
few interiors of restaurants around Doha.
So to see the quality of the residential
properties on offer by Le Mirage Elite,
one of the property divisions of Sharaka
Holdings, was a revelation.
According to marketing officials,
the brand offers a selection of stylishly
designed compound villas, apartments,
suites and office towers in Qatar with
each property impeccable in every
detail featuring progressive, innovative
designs, which exceed industry
standards.
GLAM INTERIORS + DESIGN

35

GID

FOCUS

GOD IS IN DETAILS:
Clockwise from top left:
The luxurious kitchen
furnished with all amenities
and kitchenware, living
room details, the bedrooms
are kept simple and reflect
comfortable settings

At Le Mirage, we dont just build

beautiful properties; we strive to create
extraordinary environments in which
beautiful lives are built. We build
properties in which people can celebrate
good living. Our strap line celebrate
life is embodied in great design.
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GLAM INTERIORS + DESIGN

While this seemed like PR jargon,

on close scrutiny the words seemed to
express the details that have been put in
place within the property.
Explaining the story behind the brand
Le Mirage, the Group Marketing and
Communications Manager, Malini
Saldanha says, At Le Mirage, we dont
just build beautiful properties; we strive
to create extraordinary environments in
which beautiful lives are built. We build
properties in which people can celebrate
good living. Our strapline celebrate life
is embodied in great design.
Le Mirage is the star brand of e
Sharaka Holdings, a family of businesses
with over 45 years of experience. Since
the inception in 2001 and the completion
of our first successful project, Le Mirage
Village, excelled in providing properties
of highest-quality standards, combining
desirable location, architectural
distinction, and high-end amenities to
create innovative spaces for privileged
lifestyles, she says.
Lacasa Architects and Engineering
Consultants were the architects for the
project and the interiors were executed
by the team at Le Mirage.
The exteriors of the building
complement the interiors as one flows
seamlessly into the other.
According to the Raed Jahshan, Head
of Engineering department, that forms a

The approach is to fulfill the aspirations of

tenants by giving them their dream house
with not much art pieces but stylised living
conditions is our optimum goal.

INTERIORS SPILL OUTDOORS:

Clockwise from top right: The living room,
landscaped exteriors and another view of
the well-lit living spaces.

GLAM INTERIORS + DESIGN

37

GID

FOCUS

COMMON AMENITIES:
The bathrooms are planned
well with materials that are
sourced from around the world.
Below: The common amenities,
swimming pool space in the
club house.

In this region, where raw

material scarcity is universally
well known, the biggest
challenge is the change in rules
and regulations.

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GLAM INTERIORS + DESIGN

part of the team comprising of designers

and experts at Le Mirage, The design
comprises of three interior design themes
blended together to give the impression
of simplicity, elegance and style. The
approach is to fulfill the aspirations of
tenants by giving them their dream house
with not much art pieces but stylised
living conditions is our optimum goal.
This approach ended up with something
unique; merging minimalist and midcentury-modern design to gothic with a
touch of classic design giving our tenants
a sense of wow.
The villas are planned on a simple
square grid, like most of the villa
compounds here in Doha, but a
difference is the abundance of space that
marks this property. Green spaces and
open spaces between villas make the

Colour, texture and shades are the three basic

elements that we have deeply concentrated on. We have
selected the right kind of muted colour palette to give a
gentle and soft ambiance on the walls and ceiling.
Dark-coloured tiles on the kitchen floor with suspended
glossy white panelling door shutters on the wall cabinet
highlight the contrast in the kitchen.
compound look airy and larger than it is.
Entering one of the villas, the same
sense of space prevails. The well-lit
lounge directs you to the visitors area on
the right and the main living room ahead.
Simplicity and detailed wood work is the
other feature that makes the living space
seem immersed in a sense of warmth.
Jahshan says, Colour, texture and
shades are the three basic elements that
we have deeply concentrated on. We
have selected the right kind of muted
colour palette to give a gentle and soft
ambiance on the walls and ceiling. Darkcoloured tiles on the kitchen floor with
suspended glossy white panelling door
shutters on the wall cabinet highlight
the contrast in the kitchen. A two-toned
combination of subdued colours like ash
grey and beige Porcelanico tiles on walls
and floors for the bathrooms gives the
impression of softness. Exposed grain

finished ash wood claddings on walls

as well as on the doors and architraves
gives a natural earthy looks.
The materials are selected to achieve
minimalistic and mid-century design
ethos. Italian design furniture covered
with black fabrics accented with steel
rings defines the living room. A Touch
of glass accessories and mirrors adds
the feeling of pre-modern times. The
kitchen is a delight for homemakers
with beautifully finished panellings
and most modern amenities and a
central cooking range, bringing a bit of
European design into an Arab setting.
The modern kitchen solutions are all
sourced from the sister company of the
real estate company, Khazanah, which
specialises in kitchen fabrication.
The engineers and planners at Le
Mirage too berate the lack of availability
of materials and the consequent delays.

In this region, where raw material

scarcity is universally well known, the
biggest challenge is the change in rules
and regulations. With this challenge the
productivity and the timelines of projects
are affected, he says.
Environmental factors such as
extreme heat and cold conditions are
inevitable and so, the engineer who
works with the construction team is
taught how to manage and delegate his
workers during these diverse climatic
conditions. Above all, the entire
construction team was deeply guided and
motivated by a common principle and
that is: To work by heart as if you are the
owner of the property.
All the furniture is sourced by one of
the other divisions of Sharaka Holdings,
Living Home or Design Lounge and fit
cozily into the interiors.
While the villas are functionally
comfortable and aesthetical to the
senses, the common amenities are
equally luxurious and is the last
inducement to make you sign on the
dotted line of the lease agreement.
This beautiful property makes you
believe that life can be experienced as
comfortably and as aesthetically as you
had wished, making your dream house a
reality, right here in Qatar.
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39