This week You! takes a look at the unique home interior of Rezz Aly Shah based in Islamabad...
interior
This week You! takes a look at the unique home interior of Rezz Aly Shah based in Islamabad...
There’s something unique about homes inherited from the older generation. They’re beautiful, classic and have a story behind them. They are unique and irreplaceable. You can buy a new house but you can’t buy a home with stories of older generations in every nook and corner. And that’s exactly what makes them so special.
This is a realization that comes only when you enter a family home and that’s exactly the kind of vibe one gets when they enter Rezz Aly Shah’s home in Islamabad. Rezz is the only child and therefore inherited his family home from his late father. He shares the space with his mother and so the decor reflects both his and his mother’s preferences, which blend in perfectly to tell a tale of their yesteryears and their today.
Rezz, while talking about whether the home reflects his personal style, he can’t really say that he has the entire home to himself or that it completely reflects his style. “It’s both me and my mum and I am very happy with that. The upper portion reflects my modern day style, but I also enjoy traditional and old school touch. I am not too modern myself - I am old school and I like antique and traditional stuff,” tells Rezz.
Speaking about the many statement pieces at his house that gain one’s attention instantly, he says that he has inherited a lot of decorations and artefacts from his grandmother and great grandmother. “We have a lot of silverware and traditional decorations and antique cabinets, all of which works very well with my modern furniture”, he informs.
As a child, Rezz loved collecting statuettes, figures and sculptures because he somehow always had a connection with them. “On our family vacations to Greece and Italy, we would purchase these artefacts and bring them home so each of them reminds me of fond memories of my childhood,” he shares. He believes that one should always carry things from the past because every piece carries a story.
The vintage feel in his home is purposefully kept because he doesn’t want to let go of the things or stories from his past! “I constantly try to mix the new and the old and make them look good in today’s day and age”, he reflects.
Despite the overall vintage effect, most of the furniture at Rezz’s place is modern. He loves Marina Home and has quite a few statement pieces from there. But he balances the modern furniture with antique artefacts that he has inherited from his older generations. It is this blend of modern and antique that makes his place special.
The colour tones are subtle in most places - shades of brown, beige and grey have been used judiciously because they blend well with the antique artefacts and the sculptures placed. Traditional hand woven carpets have also been placed to complement the overall ethnic feel.
Another strikingly attractive feature at Rezz’s house is the use of big traditionally carved doors. While telling about the story behind them, Rezz says that his father was a government official and they spent much of his childhood in government owned houses. “Old government houses have their own character - most of them were built in the colonial times and have that feel.
They’re traditional with a huge influence of wood, big windows and doors. Well one can’t live in the government houses forever but when we moved out and made our own home, we used doors like those in the drawing and dining door to add character to the space and also remind us of the good old times we’ve spent in those big colonial homes”, he adds.
Rezz also believes in the power of lighting. It is for this reason that his home is well lit. Some rooms have ample natural light while others have been lit with lamps and artificial lighting. The mirrors at his place also help in amplifying the lighting in the house. Rezz is a big fan of mirrors and that is quite evident. “I absolutely love mirrors and every corner of my home has mirrors - standing or hung on the walls. I love how they reflect light and energy and they also add a certain kind of charm and beauty to my place”, he elucidates.
Being a sole proprietor of his event management and a PR business and an only child at the same time, Rezz has perfected balancing work and personal life. To make it easier, he has set his office at home so he can give due time to work and be around his mother at the same time and not leave her for long hours. His office is simple but reflects his work. A wall has been dedicated to his work in the press and a rather traditional wooden chair sits behind the big desk where he deals with all work affairs.
