Project
Project BURJ
Modern One-Bedroom — Downtown Dubai.
A one-bedroom renovation in Downtown Dubai
Project BURJ is a full one-bedroom apartment renovation in Downtown Dubai — the city’s landmark central district, home to the Burj Khalifa and one of its most desirable short-term rental addresses.
Downtown commands a premium nightly rate, and a premium location sets a high bar for the interior. The brief was a complete renovation that would let the apartment compete at the top of its market rather than blend into it.
The renovation brief
The apartment was renovated to combine contemporary elegance with practical, functional design. Every room was reworked so that the finished home would feel refined to a guest and straightforward to operate for the owner.
Design strategy, room by room
The bedroom is designed as a calm retreat, with a backlit feature wall that adds warmth and a quiet sense of luxury. The bathroom was reworked as a sleek, spa-inspired space, and the kitchen streamlined for everyday ease — the three rooms guests judge most closely.
At the centre of the apartment, the open-plan lounge and dining area is enhanced with bespoke details and layered lighting. The result is a space that feels sophisticated yet welcoming, and that photographs with the depth and warmth a strong listing needs.
Materials chosen to last under turnover
Throughout the renovation, materials and finishes were chosen for their quality and their soft, contemporary character — and for how they hold up. A renovation in a high-turnover rental has to look as good in its second year as on handover day.
The outcome is a cohesive, timeless apartment whose value rests on the quality of the work behind it: a renovation that improves how the home looks, how it functions and what it can earn.
Why a renovation, not just decoration
A premium address is only an asset if the interior lives up to it. The renovation existed to close the gap between a Downtown location and a dated apartment — because a guest paying a Downtown nightly rate compares the unit against hotels, not only against other rentals.
Renovation, rather than decoration alone, was the right tool here. Where a unit’s finishes are tired, no amount of styling will hide them in a photograph; reworking the bathroom, the kitchen and the surfaces was what allowed the apartment to compete at the top of its market.
The three rooms guests judge most
The three rooms a guest judges most closely — bedroom, bathroom and kitchen — were given the most attention. A spa-inspired bathroom and a streamlined kitchen are the details that turn a good listing into a confident booking and a strong review.
Design and renovation managed as one project
Studio PASE handled the design and the renovation together, so structural decisions and finishes were resolved as one project. For an overseas owner, that meant a single point of responsibility from demolition through to the final styling, rather than coordinating trades from a distance.
Materials were chosen for how they age under turnover, not only for how they look on handover day. A renovation in a high-occupancy rental has to hold its finish into its second year — durability here is part of protecting the return on the work.
Competing at a premium Downtown address
Downtown Dubai is the city’s landmark central district, and a guest choosing it is choosing the address itself. The renovation made sure the interior rewarded that choice, so the apartment confirms its location rather than disappointing against it.
Layered lighting was used to give the open-plan living and dining area depth. A room lit on a single level photographs flat; ambient, task and accent light together give a listing image the warmth and dimension that make a guest want to book.
The bathroom was reworked as a spa-inspired space because it is one of the few rooms a guest uses every single day of a stay. A bathroom that feels generous and calm contributes to reviews out of all proportion to its size.
Project BURJ shows how Studio PASE approaches apartment renovation in Downtown Dubai: a complete, considered transformation built for a property that has to perform in one of the city’s most competitive locations.
What this project shows for investors
For an investor, Project BURJ illustrates when renovation, not styling, is the right tool. A premium address only pays back if the interior matches it; where finishes are dated, photographs expose them and no amount of furniture hides it. Reworking the bathroom, the kitchen and the surfaces — and managing design and construction as one project — is what lets an apartment compete at the top of its location. The takeaway is to be honest early about whether a unit needs a renovation or a refresh, and to budget for the one it actually needs.
Planning a short-term rental like this?
Studio PASE turns investment apartments in Dubai into listing-ready short-term rentals — explore the investor guides:
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