The importance of home linen for interiors is underestimated even today. This week You! talks to Zairah Maher and Yusuf Agha regarding their funky online linen store...
decor
The importance of home linen for interiors is underestimated even today. This week You! talks to Zairah Maher and Yusuf Agha regarding their funky online linen store...
We think about lights, curtains and furniture, but we often fail to visualise how home linen can turn around the ambiance of a space. Zairah Maher and her husband Yusuf, the masterminds behind their online linen store, were always passionate about home linens and understood how they can be used to add life to a rather dull space.
“As a fine artist, I was already working with textiles. My work focused on creating spaces within which people interacted, creating art that wasn’t confined to the walls in a frame. My husband is a textile engineer, and has been in the industry for over 20 years. With his expertise and experience and my fine art background, I knew we could work together,” shares Zairah.
It was only a matter of time that Zairah and Yusuf harnessed each other’s strengths to create their own dream with this online linen store - ‘Pomegranate Linen’ . They make everything from table runners to mats, napkins, trolley covers, cushions, beddings, home furnishings and accessories. But what’s most interesting is that every design at Pomegranate Linen begins with hand painting made by Zairah. “Pakistan produces top notch quality linens for export. I thought it is sad that we didn’t have the same level of quality or aesthetic offered within the country. The store aims to create top quality linens, with a beautiful aesthetic and the flexibility for customisation for our people at home,” mentions Zairah.
It is interesting to know how a touch of colour can turn around the decor of a space. Colours can turn a boring old room into a youthful space that makes people happy and energetic. It can add life to a characterless space and make just about everything look interesting. The store focuses a lot on colour and motifs/forms that represents abundance and prosperity, to find beauty in the ordinary. The process begins with painting and sketching. “Flowers, fruits, vegetables, all are researched and played around with. Stories connected with some of the forms/places inspire a design. The Summer Squash design evolved after weeks of watching my neighbour’s squash plant grow and creep into our home, defiant of the concrete walls. Its yellow flowers were resplendent on the dull white boundary walls. Similarly, the Green Champa design is a favourite as it reminds me of the tree growing in my mother’s courtyard, intense green leaves unfolding rhythmically across the width of her small courtyard, punctuated by the fragrant white flowers,” highlights Zairah.
Watercolours have a life of their own. They have the power to move you, affect your mood and transform simple fleeting moments. Zairah loves it when customers tell her that it simply makes them happy to see the colours and designs. “The functionality and low maintenance of the linens makes them even more user-friendly. That’s what I love about my work - it cheers one up and is easy to use, bringing beauty to your home,” she emphasises.
In Pakistani culture, we love feeding and hosting others and thoroughly enjoy food. So it is only fair that our dining rooms are bright, welcoming and cheerful places. While using fresh flowers in the centre of a dining table is the easiest trick to add life to the dining room or table, flowers are not always available. The store has a table linen collection to add that kind of life to the dining area. Just the addition of some candles along with their linen can transform the whole space. “I wanted to bring a touch of colour to that. We have such busy schedules that the daily getting together is difficult and often hasty for many. But when you add a painted placemat or napkin, it slows you down. You take time to pause and look and focus some more on the food you are enjoying and the company you are in,” she explains.
Moreover, Zairah recommends decorating it with a statement piece and bright coloured watercolour design table runners make for great statement pieces. Layering with placemats and charger plates is a great way to up the formal look. You needn’t worry about proper western table setting. Keep it simple and easy for your guests with just a fork, knife and spoon.
Colour block napkins can also turn around the look of a dining room regardless of how simple the crockery is. Napkin rings can add a touch of glamour to your setting. Napkins can be placed under the cutlery, or on the top most dishes at each place setting. “We recommend placing it on top of the dishes to make it easier for your guest to remove and lay on their lap. Fresh flowers and candles are still a must and can turn the look around! Scented candles are the rage these days and they can even make your dining room smell so good every time you are hosting,” she elaborates.
Last but not least, the brand also offers statement furniture pieces that use fabric, colour, and print to highlight the beauty of the structure within a space. They treat statement pieces like jewellery. They add that powerful finishing touch to any room and make a statement about its personality. And not only do they create furniture pieces but they also refurbish them as a lot of people have emotional attachment with their furniture yet want to give them a new look. Clearly, you don’t have to waste or let go of old furniture to give your home a new look! Just some changes, a splash of colour and a creative mind is all that you need to turn your old sofa into a statement piece in your living room.
