Saina Babaee Is The Harper’s Bazaar Interiors Winter 2025 Issue Cover Star
The art-filled home of Saina Babaee is a lesson in quiet curation, where colour, culture and soul speak the language of storytelling
“Our previous house in Jumeirah Islands was an explosion of colour, the exact opposite of here,” says Saina Babaee. “So this is a place to showcase our art collection in a different way.” As both the founder and creator of Persian luxury lifestyle and fashion brand Ilái Sarái and VP of Controls & Digitalisation at Siemens, it brings a confluence of order and creativity to the Meadows home that she and her husband Shahryar bought in 2020. Having spent her formative years in Iran, before living and working in Germany and then Dubai, Saina says: “The left side of my brain is the reasoning, definitely the German and Siemens side. The right side is very Persian and creative, it’s the people side. And the German side helps me execute my creative side.” It is thanks to both that the villa, overlooking Emirates Hills’ lakes, has both structure and fluidity. Spaces designed to be lived in, then transformed, and rebirthed with new purpose.
“Everything began with the view,” Saina says. “We wanted to maximise it as much as possible. Then, we leaned into the aesthetic of Axel Vervoordt after becoming obsessed with his style having stayed at Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, which he designed. We wanted the same Wabi-sabi ideas, and as many arches and curves as possible, but to make it our own. So, lots of inspiration without copying.”
Knocking through any non-load bearing walls created flow, aided by a Roman wall effect that binds each room together. When Covid hit, renovations paused. “There were no deliveries, no flights, no suppliers…” Yet the couple, now parents to five-year-old twins Aylar and Adrian, still pulled off a masterpiece. Known for its identikit refurbs, The Meadows is oft devoid of singularity. But here, the home is executed differently. Thoughtful curation that tells a thousand stories – pared back and minimalist in many ways, yet filled with colour too. And art, everywhere you look. “The house was my first creative outlet. Just looking at inspirations, discovering artists, it was what showed me the creativity I had within me.”
The Vervoordt-inspired stairs form the focal point, framed by light and shadow, and home to a black female figure by sculptor Emmanuel Fillion. As avid collectors, each wall is an evolving canvas. No piece stays too long. An origami artwork by Iranian artist Shima Shahmoradi of 1,000 warriors transforms into a woman’s face as you walk past segueing to a black and white diptych of Iranian women by Afshin Pirhashemi. The striking face of Iranian poet and political activist Fereydoun Farrokhzad by Esref Yildirim adds colour, while a dinner party scene of life before the revolution by Rashin Ghorbi brings intrigue. “I wanted the house to be very feminine, and to tell the story of Iranian women. For people to feel that energy when they walk in,” Saina explains, curating storytelling in visual form.
Her most treasured piece is a portrait of Empress Farah Pahlavi by Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil. “She’s a source of inspiration, love and admiration. From her style to her architecture, to how she works with artisans to preserve Persian craftsmanship.” It is a connection deepened through Saina’s own brand, Ilái Sarái, that she founded last year. “I needed a creative outlet and wanted to host events, but I realised that I didn’t have anything Persian to host with, such as sweet boxes or a macaron tower,” she explains of its origin. “I asked, ‘why don’t we have beautiful things that are Persian and carry our history but also fit our aesthetic?’ And so, I looked for artists who could design beautiful boxes for me. Then I thought, imagine if we have the plates to match.”
Under the theme of The Conference of the Birds, a Persian poem by Farid ud-Din Attar, Ilái Sarái launched in December last year with plates, napkins, candles and nest vases. Around the same time, Saina hosted a mocked-up wedding at The Courtyard to showcase the beauty of Persian culture, “and someone sent pictures to the royal family in Iran. They then asked me to design and execute the whole wedding of Princess Iman Pahlavi in June this year.” A royal commission bringing Saina back to Empress Farah.
Ilái Sarái is in constant flux – a second season of homewares, a new logo and aesthetic and the recent launch of its first clothing collection under the theme of Quest with birds as its muse. “I returned to my roots… Kurdish melodies, Persian poetry and a bridge between heritage and modernity,” Saina explains of Ilái Sarái’s 20-piece collection filled with sculptural tailoring, flowing material and Kurdish-inspired padded shoulders.
The villa too, is under its own evolution. “I love playing house and every time someone comes here, something will have moved, or an artwork will have been replaced. We keep everything moving.” The home transitions, shaped by both family and community. “Oh, if the walls could talk,” she laughs. “We’ve had magicians, snow scenes, an enchanted forest, and I’ve hosted breathwork sessions and sound healing, too.”
All roads eventually lead back to art: Saina and Shahryar’s unfolding collection, their pieces borrowed by the likes of Art Basel, and ongoing conversations with Dubai gallerists around new art investments. An Ilái Sarái Foundation is being manifested too, Saina says. “It will have an art residency, with the artists creating pieces for Ilái Sarái as well.” And when Art Dubai arrives in April, they’ll buy another piece to add to a wall they’ve dedicated to the fair. “Storytelling is who I am, and art curating is what we love. It’s our passion.”
Photography: Aasiya Jagadeesh
From the Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Interiors Winter 2025 issue