Playing with intricate details

design

Shireen Waheed is a Design & Management Consultant for the Retail & Hospitality industry. She provides multiple services which include concept development, design, branding and marketing, human resource planning, operations management and training, project management and procurement. She is also involved in purely interior design work for signature commercial and residential projects. As if that’s not enough, she also teaches at the business school at LUMS. Talking to You!, Shireen reminisces, “In my travels as a child, I would be fascinated by different architectural styles of buildings in the cities I would go to and always compare them. The same is true for interiors… I was most drawn to places of worship, hotels, restaurants and department stores. I loved the intricate details and drama in the design, the concept, functionality of the spaces and the energy of so many people gathered there seeking some form of happiness.”

Shireen loves doing hospitality and retail spaces, “I can be bold and use design elements that are engaging. I would also like to be involved in projects that involve restoration and remodelling of old buildings and spaces, keeping their inherent architecture and features intact and creating new concepts within them. Cultural work that resonates,” she shares.

Shireen prefers working with natural materials such as solid wood and stone. According to her, they have so much beauty and character in them that very little is needed to be done with them to create an exceptional interior or an exquisite piece. She likes to use materials that are indigenous to the region of the project and have been used over centuries in the architecture and design of old buildings that exist there.

On how she approaches a hospitality or retail project verses a residential project, Shireen delves, “The needs and expectations from each of these spaces are very different. In a store you may spend some minutes; at a restaurant a couple of hours; in a hotel a few days and a home is for life. It is very personal so you have to study the people who will live in it and help them create their happy space adding your own aesthetics within the realm of their desires. For hospitality or retail, the space needs to connect with the brand and its positioning as well as the target market. The story combined with function defines the design. My approach to design is not to follow trends but to try and create something timeless.”

In the two Al Fatah Department Stores, Lahore, Shireen’s latest interior projects, the design is reminiscent of the iconic and historic department stores found in cosmopolitan cities of the world. “I wanted to design a luxury store which gives different aesthetic and emotional experiences to people, and inspires them to have an enjoyable time shopping there. The two stores were designed with the same design concept but because the architecture and scale of the buildings was different there are minor variances. The Johar Town store was a six-floor box of a building with no windows, low ceilings and lots of structural columns. The design dilemma was how to make it grand and luxurious. I opened up windows with faux balconies on each floor bringing in natural light on all the lift landings. A grand double height wrought iron entrance was created leading to a lobby lit up by classical chandeliers. The colour palette selected for the terrazzo floor and other surface finishes was black, white and grey with accents of gold in the brass inlay in the floor and in the art deco inspired staircase.”

Moreover, against this classic backdrop of Al Fatah, Shireen has designed all the displays and the signage doing a balancing act with muted natural tones in wood, and splashes of bright colour in the signage. The lighting of the entire store is varied with ambient chandeliers, industrial LED strips and spotlighting illuminating the spaces and the merchandise. Each floor has a different layout and design but common interior elements like the floor pattern, staircase, lobbies etc. draw the entire design together. I spent a lot of time with the client on the floor layouts and placement of merchandise. The aisles are large and there is abundant negative space in and around the displays creating ease for the customer to stroll and shop.

The Gold Crest store comprises of two floors within a modern shopping mall space. The entrance is sliding glass doors leading to a lobby with a black and white checkered marble floor with a gothic medallion in the centre. This store has the same colour ways, lighting, floor and surface finishes, displays and signages as Johar Town. This design concept is the look for all the new luxury stores of Al Fatah.

“The grocery area in the basement of Gold Crest was the first section of the projects to be designed. A lot of hard work and thought went into the floor layout and spacing, the equipment, product placement, the display and signage. I loved bringing in the Lal’s Chocolate store there who are also my clients. I got Loafolgy Bakery from Islamabad to open up there as well which has been a great addition. I also really enjoyed doing the Kid’s Floor at Johar Town. It is a huge space dedicated to indoor and outdoor toys, clothing, furniture, games and candies. The concept is a ‘carnival’ with carts selling candy, red and white candy cane awnings, large scale display units shaped like different toy vehicles, quaint bright coloured cupboards, a space to play some one on one basketball, a playground, red columns with curious bright faux windows and endless merchandise organised painstakingly,” elucidates Shireen.

The lifestyle sections of both the stores selling makeup, perfumes, toiletries, sunglasses, watches, lingerie, accessories and various gift items was the most challenging to design due to so many details that were required and innumerable brands that had to be displayed.

Decades ago people went to stores when they needed something specific and they shopped for it. Now boutiques and stores have become experiential and very sensorial. The layout and design need to inspire people to stroll around, enjoy their time and buy. “The challenge of designing a flagship department Store was the multitude of product categories and brands they carry. I do not know of any store in the world that sells so many ranges and with immense price differential,” tells the designer.

When asked to comment on the overall future of interior design during and post Covid-19, Shireen contemplates, “Emotionally I feel we will be drawn to nature, mindfulness and wellness which will reflect in the design aesthetic. Minimal and sanctuary like airy spaces with greenery and natural light will attract us. Scientifically we have learnt how the virus settles on surfaces and stays in the air. This will lead to creating clean lines in design, using germ resistant materials for surfaces, good ventilation, new filtration systems for air and water, new technology for sanitisation, touch free mechanisms, automatic cleaning faucets, smart toilets to name a few. The use of local materials and craft will be on the rise which will be good for the economy. We will be in the ‘less is more’ mindset. Our lust for life and beauty will remain but we will have a more wholesome approach towards it.”