A home full of treasures

interior

This week You! peeks inside the bespoke home of Sahar and Yasir Noon...

In today’s time, everyone seems to be opting for an interior design that is contemporary yet chic. And in the search for creating a modern interior, people seem to have forgotten the beauty and elegance of traditional interior designs. However, the home of Sahar and Yasir Noon stands out from the modern ones due to its DIY and eastern stylistic features.

A stone’s throw from the famous Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore, yet tucked away from the madness of the main road; the seemingly old house lends a unique appearance. There’s an instant connection as soon as one enters the premises that exudes warmth which is the focal trait of the owners residing there. Sahar and Yasir Ali Noon have been living in this house for the past few years now. The couple believes that a peaceful, healthy and beautiful home is fundamental for happiness, and that it doesn’t need a lot of money, but rather anyone can use their own impetus for creativity and ideas to make a home their own. The entrance of the house takes one back in time as every nook and cranny resembles the rich historic legacy of the Noon family. For instance the horse sculpture by Sahar’s cousin Qasim Noon is a treasure trove and a Mazhar Hayat miniature hangs right beside the main door. Halima Noon, Sahar’s sister, is another artist/psychologist whose paintings adorn the walls of the house.

“In terms of designing the house’s interior, there hasn’t been much prior thought put into it. Things started materializing over sometime. I feel one can’t buy everything at once and make a home space look lived in; things have to evolve over time to give it that homely vibe,” says Sahar, who is an NCA graduate, a visual artist, a painter, interior designer and a fashion designer.

 The hanging instalment in the reception is made out of embroidery frames with little light bulbs. “My husband is an equal enthusiast. We completed this piece in one whole night,” she tells.

Sahar somehow finds good deals on vintage/antique pieces and occasionally visits shops, thrift stores and flea markets to pick up stuff for transformation. One notices black and white pictures in silver frames of the couple’s great grandparents implicating their true attachment of their roots and backdrop of the feudal family.

The perfectionist mother of two also does miniature paintings that she has put up in her main sitting area which also serves as a drawing room. Here, one  would find African wooden sculptures that her 

 

husband brought from a trip to Uganda; along with the most trendy, functional, and chic design elements. The highlight of the room is the industrial wall clock on one side of the room, which has been made by Sahar. “It was during summer break when I had time on my hands that I decided to create this. Everyone feels that we have spent lavishly but that is not the case as most of the stuff that we have here is redecorated and refurbished. We have tried to make products into unique statement pieces.”

Their lounge area is basically dominated by rustic charm. “Our lounge is comfortable. My two kids spendmost of their time here so we have kept it simple and clean. I like industrial elements against a completely polished space. It’s always pleasing to see how rustic charm complements its opposing elements,” states Sahar.

The coffee table for instance is made out of wooden planks that Sahar’s family home possessed but she utilized it by adding a slab on it and rusty wheel barrows placed underneath it. 

Sahar has a certain vision and spend hours creating things out of rags and bits. The DIY ideas are completely unique and make a gorgeous statement in the given space. This makes for a refreshing departure from expensive decor and a fun way to get creative juices flowing. A little coffee table is an eye catching piece that she made out of a broken chair of her great grandfather.

Most of the artsy things are done by the husband wife duo while sitting at home. “I have to admit that Yasir partakes in my enthusiasm for creativity and for constantly wanting to paint or sketch or design, be it canvas or clothes or even a wall in the house. We love it when an idea simply pops into our head and we rush to the store that has a horde of things. I also pick up stuff from the carpenter,” she shares.

Sahar has judiciously used her parents’ discarded kitchen cabinets in her home. “I brought the cabinets home and after getting them lacquer painted I hung them on the front wall of the staircase. Because I am a professionally trained artist, the ability to identify colour combinations and aesthetics come easy. Moreover, creativity runs in the family - my mother is very creative and my grandmother was an artist as well. My grandmother never went to school yet she painted beautiful landscapes and it was always awe-inspiring for us growing up with such people with an intrinsic artistic ability,” she adds.

“I love antiques so some of the furniture pieces have travelled down from generations. There’s a standing mirror which is an artefact that belonged to the family’s ancestral house,” she shares.

Moreover, there is a time piece that the couple made out of Sahar’s great grandmother’s clock lying around her village house. “There is so much that you can do with those pretty remnants. That’s just what happened with this time piece makeover. We took it out and hand painted it while getting bored during an electric breakdown in our village. It was done within the night. So when you are creative, even something as simple as a leftover box or wood planks standing years in the store become a creative project for one night.”

However, the dining table is a true piece of art and a focal attraction in the house. “We didn’t have a dining table for a long time after we moved into this house so I supervised with an old hand carved door made of solid sheesham wood and just placed a glass top over it . So whenever people appreciated the dining table and asked how much time I’d taken to design it, we would laugh because it was literally done overnight as we had to host a big family dinner the next day.”

This is not all. There are a lot of horse based paintings and sculptures around the house that give a unique touch to the entire space. Regarding the love for horses, Sahar says, “I learned to ride before I could walk. My abba used to play Polo so there is this deep connection with horses.”

Yasir and Sahar are both very homely and love spending their time relaxing at home  which reflects in their space as well. One corner might be completely different from another but the end design gels together and comes out well balanced.