Simply Abu Dhabi XXII

2 0 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I The yacht was the beginning and asserted what Leone already knew. He could take his creative skills, merge them with his business sense and eye for detail, and create “jewels” in different ways. The yacht’s owner had wanted to do something with a 13,000-square- foot home he had on the ocean. “He said, ‘I want to build something there that is different,’ so I immediately began working on a design,” Leone recalls. His European roots had Leone imagining something that would be built in the United States that hadn’t been seen before. “This would be like a castle you would find in Europe.” It would be an American version of Versailles “like nothing anywhere in the United States.” For two years, he worked on the design and engineering. During that time, the house next door went up for sale. “The land was fantastic. I advised him to buy the house next door because the land would be a plus for the new masterpiece we were building.” The original 2.8 acres on Hillsboro Mile became almost 5 acres of prime property. “We tore both houses down and began building Le Palais Royal.” He says that he worked on every step of the project as if he was creating a piece of jewelry. “Everything was thinking first, then analyzing second, then we would build.” The actual construction began in 2009, and Leone expects the palace on the sea to be finished by July 2016. Coastal Construction Group worked with Leone on the project. Sean Murphy, co-president of Coastal, says Le Palais Royal has evolved into one of the most complex and extraordinary homes Coastal has ever built. “Joseph Leone’s vision to create such a unique property with fountains, pools, stone, mosaics, and ornate details throughout are so extraordinary and complicated that it really pushes the envelope for luxury residential construction. He has challenged everyone involved to create this masterpiece.”