Beauty with brains with an artistic talent that leaves you in awe is what comes to mind when describing 41-year-old Natalia Vasilieva who we met on Palm Jumeirah recently where we talked about art and architecture in the tranquility of her aesthetically designed home.

Born in Moscow, Natalia comes from a family of lawyers and while she is a lawyer herself with a Masters in law, she is more interested in the retail business. She has a trading company but loves painting and is a self-taught artist whose work leaps off the canvas in vibrant yet realistic colours.

While her talents and interests are diverse, Natalia successfully manages all aspects of her life constructively and in an ordered way while enjoying being able to do what she loves most. One of her talents is designing projects on paper and then taking the construction of these projects further by project managing the process from design to delivery.

Her love for design and seeing value in bricks and mortar led her into property investment. She believes it is one investment that takes you far and this has given her another creative outlet to implement her visions of interior design into reality.

In Moscow, Natalia is hands on when involved with projects with proofing designs, arranging the legal papers and is involved in the construction process right down to selecting the quality of the concrete. She delivers projects where the client can walk in and live without worrying about their basic needs from the day they take over their property.

Natalia has two beautiful and charming daughters, Irina 10 and Alexandra 15 and she has homes in Moscow and Dubai. They have been living in Dubai for seven years and love it so much that Natalia’s parents have moved to Dubai so that her children can have their loving grandparents nearby.

To be successful in life, Natalia believes you have to know your expertise. She is a project management expert and brings other experts together, manages them and delivers the best of projects. As an artist, Natalia’s vision is to exhibit in the future. She believes investing in Dubai is more stable and would like to focus on Art here as she feels life in Dubai is beautiful and puts her in the mood of painting.

Natalia believes her kids are her biggest achievement and she gives them most of her time. She talks to them daily about life so they grow up to be good people. Her daughter does horse riding and they love travelling together as a family.

For holidays, Natalia loves cruising as it gives her an opportunity to visit a new place everyday and as she lives on the beach, she goes swimming everyday. The sea is cold everywhere else so she enjoys her swimming sessions in Dubai.

Another passion of Natalia is cooking and she would love to do a cookbook. Natalia loves fishing and enjoys cooking with Hammour and Sherry fish that are readily available in the UAE. She enjoys cooking Italian food as well and loves to experiment with tastes, colours and textures.

Natalia spent a bit of her childhood in Afghanistan so she is able to speak the Dari language. She had a lovely experience there which is why she is comfortable in an Islamic environment. She loves being in organic environments that inspire her.

Travelling is high on Natalia’s priority list and while she goes to Moscow regularly, she enjoys travelling around the world. Her next trip is to Japan and Alaska and she travels with her children and parents. She loves Russia and Italy but when abroad, she looks forward to coming back to Dubai.

Natalia is most influenced by her parents who are always with her. Currently she is redecorating and as she loves the colours grey, white and blue, she might use that as her theme. She loves reading in Russian and has a good collection of literature and historical books.

For relaxation, Natalia takes her two very cute dogs out, goes to the cinema and does yoga. She loves traditions and enjoys meal times to catch up with friends with no phones on the table as she enjoys having company. She also values waking somewhere in a beautiful place near mountains and spending the day relaxing with a spa and sounds of nature.

Natalia see herself being in Dubai long term and hopes to keep pursing art and having her own cooking show. She hopes to turn her passion for design by setting up a professional design company and hopes her daughter can take further interest in architecture and design.

With the time I spent talking to Natalia, I found her to be a good daughter to her parents, a great mother to her two daughters and a person of great integrity. As a Capricorn, if she sees a target, she does not see any obstacles and finds routes to achieve her target. She places great emphasis on good education but believes you also need luck to be in the right place, right time and be ready to take chances.

With her personality and charisma, Natalia is an amazing role model for women who want the best balance of family, career and adventure and we hope she continues her passion for living life the way it is meant to be lived.