In the first of our Dubai special episodes of Bricks & More, Adrian Strittmatter sits down with Mark Eacott – Global VP of Design at Ennismore – to unpack how design, culture, brand and experience fuse to create lifestyle destinations with emotional depth and commercial longevity.

Together, Adrian and Mark explore how lifestyle brands evolve, how residents become ambassadors, why some markets respond differently to design cues, and what’s next for branded living as technology, service, and culture collide.

Key talking points:

✨ Why branded residences work when design, service and community all pull in the same direction

🏙️ How “sense of place” becomes a commercial lever, not just a design flourish

🔧 The amenity space race – and why smarter, flexible spaces beat bloated service charges

🤝 How global brands localise through storytelling, cultural programming and community integration

💡 Why the future of “residential” is actually “living”: mixed-use, lifestyle-led and emotionally resonant

🏠 Why success depends on long-term partnership – not selling, walking away, and hoping for the best

If you want to understand why some destinations feel alive, and others feel like branded ghost towns, this conversation with Mark will change how you think about design-driven value.

Mark’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/markeacott 

Ennismore: https://ennismore.com/ 

Adrian’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianstrittmatter 

Saentys: https://saentys.com/