LA-inspired Dubai megamansion hits the market for $33M

A modern-style mansion on Dubai’s manmade archipelago, Palm Jumeirah, is on the market for just under $33 million.

The 14,000-square-foot home was built by clothing industry businessman Michael Alibhai, who told the Wall Street Journal he “wanted to blow people minds when they visit me.”

He bought the property for an undisclosed sum in 2011 and spent six years designing and building the home, taking aesthetic notes from the modern-inspired mega-mansions mansions of Beverly Hills and Bel Air, particularly a Bruce Makowsky-developed property that sold last year for an underwhelming $94 million.

The influence shows in both design and amenities. The spaces are almost all right angles and centered around a massive double-height living room with large windows and glass doors leading out to the backyard swimming pool.

There are three home theaters — one inside, one on the roof, and another hydraulic-driven pop-up theater outside. The house comes with a Rolls Royce, a Ferrari, and a custom Harley Davidson motorcycle turned into an “art piece,” Abilhai told the Journal.

That’s another cue taken from Makowsky and his fellow Los Angeles-area spec builders, including Nile Niami. Both of them included high-priced cars and artwork with their spec properties, although both removed extras with price chops later. [WSJ] — Dennis Lynch