Dr Lamees Hamdan’s Dubai abode is often host to family and friends, hearty meals and satiating conversations, bringing loved ones together especially during holidays.

A smart tastemaker with her brand Shiffa Beauty, Dr Lamees has transformed every corner of her home into a lyrical essay on the art of being the perfect hostess.

With her great eye for design, she recently joined forces with fashion journalist and friend Sujata Assomull to create Shiffa Curated, a luxury boutique focusing on fashion, fine jewelry, objets d’art and the duo’s own bespoke line of homeware, jewelry and gifts. Ahead of its launch at the new Waldorf Astoria DIFC this summer, Dr Lamees crafts beautiful table settings bedecked with pieces from Shiffa Curated, and offers Villa 88 exclusive tips on how to host.

• Don’t shy away from color. Always have some sort of color scheme. Sometimes, it’s as easy as opting for just one color.
• Decorate with flowers and fruits. You don’t have to splash out on expensive flowers that get thrown away a few days later. Use what’s growing in your garden—I know we live in a desert, but bougainvillea grows very well here and the flowers look beautiful in a vase. I also fill crystal or silver bowls with clementine, pomegranate and lemons.

• Be generous with food. Always have enough food. You’ll be surprised how many times I get invited to a party and it’s ‘mocktails only’ or the food isn’t enough. I prefer a more ‘Italian mama’ approach, and serve fewer dishes but in sufficient quantity. I rarely have finger food or nibbles. Fewer dishes also means you’ll be a more relaxed hostess—after all, guests also want to enjoy YOUR Company.
• Mix-and-match table linen. I love table linens and own so many of them. My current favorites are from D’Ascoli because I can mix-and-match them. I have only two sets of tableware, as it’s more economical to change the look of your table with linens.

• Put your best tableware forward. Drinking water from crystal or gold tumblers turns everything up a notch. I bought my crystal set from Budapest, and the tumblers I have in LA are vintage Georges Briard.
• Replenish your restroom. Your guests will probably use your bathroom. So, make sure it’s clean and pretty. I always have large flacons of perfumes (the large ones really set the tone, for some reason), as well as one men’s cologne (from Acqua di Parma or Guerlain), and one women’s perfume (usually, Aya from Shiffa). I also light up a candle from Cire Trudon.

                  Photography by Aasiya Jagadeesh