Bright & cosy vibes

interior

When it comes to interior design, it is not something that is merely limited to the appearance of your home’s interior. In fact, it plays a vital role in the functionality of every room in your home.

Most people will believe that you need to spend loads by hiring professionals or decking up the space with expensive décor, when you can do all of that by being smart and creative. This resonates with the cosy and humble abode of Mr Mustafa Haroon and Mrs Riffat Mustafa, located at a prime location of PECHS, Karachi, where they live with their children.

Mr Haroon is an Admin of a shopping centre in Jama Cloth Market, Saddar while Mrs Riffat is a housewife. Two of their eldest daughters are married, so now it’s their two sons and their youngest daughter. The Haroon family belongs to the middle-class strata, but the whole clan is passionate about decking up their home.

“I came to this house 30 years ago when I got married. The house has three levels and we were given the top floor, while my husband’s siblings live downstairs. At the time, this whole floor was mere two rooms and the rest was a terrace. So, we built this place over the years,” shares Riffat.

Going up the stairs will first of all lead you to the drawing room. The room is a typical Pakistani drawing room, which will tickle your nostalgia.

The main reason for that is that the sofa set here is from Riffat’s dowry. The dark wood sofas feature cream-coloured upholstery with gold accents in elaborate motifs, which a lot of us have grown up with.

The modern twist to the space is the large red wall with black floral design that captivates you. The lighting is minimal but doesn’t feel dim. It’s a good balance and allows for a perfect ambiance to interact with guests over tea.

To the left of the place is where one enters the living area. Further left to that is the entrance to the terrace which looks no less than a green house. Planters of different sizes deck up the area and a gorgeous Sindhi ralli on the takht looks inviting to venture out.

Moving on to the living room, the first thing you notice is the large floral wall art that boasts in the centre of the room. The basic palette is neutral with grey marbled floor and cream-coloured walls which (literally) became a great canvas for the family to explore. The chandelier lights make the environment warm whereas the pops of colour in some form – either with another ralli, the upholstery or the collectibles – livens up the space. “The house is a reflection of all of us,” shares the daughter, Yumna. “We did bits here and there which translated into this. For instance, Abbu wanted to do wall art so I suggested to go for a floral and green theme. My youngest sister Amna is the one who keeps ordering stuff, or she and Abbu would head on down to local markets to pick up trinkets together,” tells Yumna.

The living area is a big hall which aesthetically opens up the whole floor. The dining table is kept close to the wall so it’s not acting as a divider of sort.

The floor has two bedrooms – the children’s is on the left and the master bedroom on the far right. One enters the kitchen through an arch, crossing the bathroom area. Both the rooms have floral art done of its own kind. In the master bedroom, the art is more colourful whereas the one in the children’s room is trendy. The master bedroom has a chest of drawers made out of cane, which is a refurbished piece. “A lot of the stuff that we have is recycled, reused or refurbished. The rest is my mother’s dowry which is like 30 years old. We used old wood and utilised whatever we could find at the local market. Nothing in this house has been overly priced or bought from high-end brands. We are a big family but very keen on making our home look good.” The children’s room is quirky and fun. The lavender coloured walls and the addition of fairy lights add the oomph to go with the room’s personality.

An interesting detail that one might not give much thought to is the fact that there are no cupboards or wardrobes in the bedrooms. It was something that Yumna pointed out before we could observe it. “We feel that cupboards clutter and mess up the room more. If someone has a change of clothes, it’ll be lying on the bed or on the floor. If you’re getting an outfit out, you’ll probably empty the whole cupboard and dump in the room. For that, we found that the best solution is to keep all the cupboards in one room. It just keeps everything in one place and gives us more space in the room as well,” highlights Yumna. All the cupboards are aligned with the walls of the room with a carpeted floor and an ironing stand in the corner. “We just have a functional use of this room. However, Abbu will sometimes come in here to sit in peace, other than we may have some family meetings or just sit here during winter,” she adds.

Gone are the days when it was thought that interior design was just a pompous expression for a certain sensitivity and good taste in decorating a space. It is now more about the experiences and how much it feels true to you.