This is a short case study of a completed FitOut Studio project: a 1-bedroom apartment in Shoreline, Dubai. It is for owners of older, already-finished apartments who want to see what a living-room renovation can change, and for landlords deciding whether it is worth doing before the next tenancy.
We keep to what the project record and the photos show. We do not quote a budget, a duration or an area here, and we do not describe work that cannot be seen in the pictures.
The project at a glance
- Type: 1-bedroom apartment
- Location: Shoreline, Dubai
- Status: completed FitOut Studio project
- Photographed: the living room, before and after the renovation
The full project page, with the main photo of the living room, is here: Shoreline 1-bedroom apartment.
Before and after: the living room
Both photos are taken from a similar position, looking towards the window wall. The before photo was taken in the evening and the after photo in daylight, so differences in brightness should not be read as the result of the works.
What changed, as visible in the photos
Walls
Before, the side walls are plain and painted. After, both side walls have raised decorative mouldings in a light tone: tall vertical strips with rounded tops that form a repeating panel pattern. The walls now give the room a defined, finished look rather than serving only as a background.
Ceiling
Before, the ceiling has a stepped edge with a cornice along the perimeter. After, the ceiling edge is a clean line with a thin recessed shadow gap around the perimeter, and long linear slots run along the ceiling near the window wall. Small round ceiling fittings are also visible.
Lighting
Before, the room has a single round ceiling fitting with hanging glass drops. After, a linear brass pendant hangs over the seating area, and slim brass wall lights are mounted on the panelled wall. Light now comes from more than one source and more than one height.
Floor
Before, the floor is a light grey wood-effect plank. After, it is a warmer, mid-brown wood-effect plank laid along the length of the room.
Window treatment
Before, heavy gold-toned curtains are gathered at each side of the sliding doors. After, full-height sheer white curtains run across the whole window wall, from ceiling to floor.
Furniture and styling
Before, there is a grey modular sofa, a white low media unit and a desk with a chair near the window. After, there is a light-coloured L-shaped sofa, a round dark coffee table, a textured accent chair, a dark textured sideboard with a wooden top and a large screen above it, and a desk with a chair near the window.
Layout
The layout of the room appears unchanged: seating on one side, media unit on the other, the window wall at the end and a work corner beside it. The change comes from the surfaces, lighting, textiles and furniture rather than from moving walls.
What the photos do not show: anything behind the finishes, such as wiring, pipes or AC ducts. We therefore make no statement here about MEP works in this apartment.
What a living-room renovation in an older apartment typically involves
The following is general, not a description of this project. In an older, already-finished Dubai apartment, a living-room renovation often includes some or all of these items:
- Survey and building NOC. Most buildings require a written NOC before any work starts, and requirements vary by building. Painting and like-for-like replacement usually need no authority permit; removing walls or rerouting MEP typically does.
- Ceilings. New gypsum ceilings or reworked edges, often with lighting coves or recessed fittings. Ceiling work is also the moment to check AC ducts and diffusers.
- Electrical and lighting. New lighting points, wall lights and switching. If the works increase the electrical load or change the distribution board, DEWA approval is needed. Any change to smoke detectors or sprinklers goes through Civil Defence via an approved fire-systems contractor.
- Walls. Skimming, repairs and paint, sometimes decorative mouldings or panelling.
- Floors. Replacing worn flooring, usually on a levelled base so the new floor sits flat.
- Window treatment and joinery. Curtain pelmets or tracks, media units and built-in storage.
The order follows the same logic as a full renovation: protection and strip-out, then MEP, then ceilings and walls, then floors, then joinery and paint, and finally handover. Our article on how long an apartment renovation takes in Dubai explains what drives the timing of each stage.
What to take from it if you rent out your apartment
The living room is the main photo of most listings and the first room a viewer walks into. For a rental, that makes it one of the places where a renovation is most likely to show its value. A few practical points, qualitative rather than numerical:
- Keep the layout, upgrade the surfaces. In this case the layout appears unchanged while the room looks very different. In a rental, layout changes add approvals, time and cost that the rent may not recover.
- Lighting does a lot of work. Several light sources at different heights change how a room feels in the evening and in photos.
- Choose finishes for turnover. Flooring, wall finishes and textiles in a rental should cope with frequent move-ins, cleaning and wear. Durable mid-spec materials, and standardised finishes that are easy to replace, usually pay back better than bespoke premium ones.
- Separate the finish from the furniture. Part of the visible difference here is furniture and styling. When you assess payback, look separately at fixed works (ceiling, walls, floor, lighting) and at loose furniture, which may suit a furnished or holiday-home let but not an unfurnished long let.
- Time it with the tenancy. For long lets, the value of a renovation is in practice captured mainly at a new tenancy, because rent increases on renewal are capped by the RERA Rent Index. Vacant weeks during works are part of the cost.
Our rental and holiday-home renovation page and the article on what pays back in a rental renovation go into this in more detail. For more before-and-after examples, see the Aegean 1-bedroom apartment and the Address studio full renovation.
Have an older apartment and want to see what a renovation could change? Contact us to discuss your apartment and the next steps.
