Get to Know Me
Hello, I'm Ibtihal, Your Interior Decorator (everyone calls me Ibti!)
I have always had a passion for interior decorating and design from a very young age. However, I kept dreaming and reminiscing about it for years! I took a leap of faith and walked away from the corporate world, and a 23 year career in education to pursue my passion! I am qualified and I have an Interior Decorating diploma from the States. I have worked on some projects alongside my job. I designed residential homes , a commercial play area in a mall, and a full on commercial nursery with 9 classes and two playgrounds. I offer complete design, decor, and turn key solution for your homes, commercial & residential units. Join me on my quest of turning houses into homes, empty spaces into living ones & let me bring life to where you live.
-
Describe your style?My style is an eclectic style that is a mixture of contemporary, rustic and farm house chic. That being said, people’s styles evolve and change with time, age and the use of the space. So my home while in my 30’s is much different than my 40’s especially becoming a semi empty nester!
-
What do you think your ideal project would be?I believe all projects are unique and special in their own way. However, I would love to restore an old home and bring back its glory and give it back to the original owners that had to let it go because of the high maintenance costs.
-
What do you love most about designing?I love designing with a passion and I never feel that it is work because it’s fun and I enjoy every aspect of it. What I love most, is the reveal moment and when i see the awe look in my cliet's eyes, that is the highest reward I could receive!
-
How did you begin your career and where did you study?I knew in my heart at a young age that this was my passion. However, fate hadn’t allowed me to pursue as it was not being taught in the city I was residing at. Therefore, in university, I studied English Literature and Business Administration. I worked a few years as a teacher. When I got married, I insisted that my husband understand how passionate I was about interior decorating and design, so I applied and went back to school in Pennsylvania in the States and graduated while on maternity leave after two years . I also moved to Canada by then and studied Early Childhood Education and worked in the field, that is when I designed and created places for children to play that would be safe and secure. This was followed by a move to Dubai later in life, where I combined my love of children, décor and design together. I studied management in Early Years, which led to a great opportunity to lead two nurseries and a play area. That also allowed me to design nurseries that were safe, aesthetically beautiful and environmentally conscious that would nurture children’s creativity and individuality . I designed and decorated the first Sustainable nursery in Dubai at The Sustainable City. I have also offered turn key solutions to clients’ homes transforming them from empty white walls to equipped homes ready to be lived in immediately, even the toothbrushes were taken care of!