BRIGHT & CHEERFUL

This week You! takes a look at the beautifully decorated apartment of Naveed Fatima Farhan and Farhan Samiullah...

Bright and cheerful interiors are a good way of staying perky throughout the day. Even at the fag-end of the day, when you arrive home, washed out after a hectic day, the vibrant interior of your home works as an instant pick-me-up, and you become a part of that pulsating energy.

Decor definitely affects one’s emotions and mood. The positive effect of an aesthetically planned decor goes a long way in defining you.

It helps instil calm and composure within, which equips you to face any challenge that life might throw your way.Small changes to colours, interior design, choice of fabric, drapes can easily improve your mood and evoke positive feelings.

Naveed Fatima Farhan and Farhan Samiullah’s beautifully decorated apartment is an apt example of an aesthetically designed and decorated abode that exudes positivity and effervescence - also traits found in the inhabitants of this cheerful home.

Naveed and Farhan, together with their two sons, enjoy their heavenly abode which has lovingly been created by them. A teacher by profession and an artist by nature, Naveed has always been intrigued by everything artsy in her environment. Farhan too, enjoys a love of art and together they have adorned their home with some choicest art works and paintings.

“We are both extremely fond of art so we have quite a few quaint pieces. We have old and modern paintings by Pakistani, Swedish, Bengali, French and Danish artists and some paintings by not so famous artists like myself,” she shares with a smile. And sure enough, you will see quite a few paintings by Naveed either on the walls or standing against the wall. Even one perched on an easel! “When I couldn’t find a spot for my painting, we decided to leave it on the easel in our TV room,” Naveed quips.

Naveed and Farhan moved in their apartment nearly five years back. Talking about the inspiration for her home interior, Naveed says, “I have always loved antique pieces, art, photography, painting and travelling and my home reflects all of that. The theme of the design is a blend of many cultures. It’s a tasteful fusion of modern and vintage, for instance the chandelier hanging in my TV room is 30 years old. My mother bought it from Damascus but had never used it as the house she and my dad lived in already had many chandeliers. So, this particular one had been sitting in the store. When Farhan saw it, he immediately liked it - and Farhan is very picky. That’s when we decided the chandelier would go in our TV room. And now it beautifully hangs there as if it was meant for that spot.”

It took Naveed and Farhan a couple of years to finally turn their home into the kind of place they both wanted. “We did not hire the services of an interior designer. Rather, we did it all by ourselves. We knew what we wanted. I have always had an eye for such things and can tell what will fit where and so does Farhan. So together it was quite a riot to do up our place,” she reveals. While the walls are white you will see splashes of colour in Naveed’s home in the form of colourful accessories. And that is also the reason why she stayed away from traditional drapes and opted for simple yet elegant white blinds. “White blinds appear to be a part of the wall, there’s this continuity that you cannot get with curtains. I don’t like too much fabric and frills and I feel curtains make the room look heavy and opulent. If you add a bright coloured curtain to a room you cannot play around with accessories,” she adds.

Most of the paintings that adorn the walls were with Farhan already and some of Naveed’s work was also added to the collection. “Although we bought some new furniture pieces like the dining table and sideboard, most of the pieces were quite old and have been recycled. For instance, two of our sofas that are now placed in our TV room and lounge were pieces Farhan’s parents had bought in from New York a few decades back. We took the sofas to a couple of designers who refused to work on them, until we found someone who willingly took on the task and the result was quite pleasing. While one sofa is off-white, the other two pieces are in light colours.”

You will also see accents of mustard, bottle green, canary yellow and burnt orange throughout the house.

Wherever the eye wanders, there is some unique artefact or the other - eye-catching pottery by famous Scandinavian designers; Royal Copenhagen antique clock collection; Swedish crystal; the impressive grandfather clock; Turkish ceramics; Moroccan tables and over 30 years old Syrian chandeliers and the list is endless.

Naveed’s favourite hideout is her TV room. “The furniture, paintings and especially my corner window with lots of plants offer me a great view. I find the green of the plants very soothing.” It is here that the family meets, chit chats and relaxes after a busy day. This is also where they put up their feet to enjoy movies at the end of the day. What a lovely way to end your day for sure!