Locked away in our homes in 2020, with nothing more than Netflix to chill with, we kind of shifted our existence online. In the obsession with hygiene and distancing and masks and quarantines, we found safety in cyberspace, and attempted to mirror as much of our ‘normal’ lives online. While Zoom meetings and Facetiming family and friends became the best way to stay connected to work as well as loved ones, online buying became the next best retail therapy. And once we started looking, the options kept popping up.

Personally, and I’m sure many people are like me, I was looking not just for everyday items of utilitarian use – the groceries and essentials – but also items that had novelty value and were difficult to find otherwise. Anyone living in Pakistan will vouch for the fact that good lamps are extremely hard to come by here and so in a bid to redecorate/uplift my house in lockdown, I starting searching and one day stumbled upon The Art Space. What caught my attention: The Dali Lamp.

I’ve always been a Dali fan, being into surrealism and the idea of distorted reality. And I also love collecting odd items in my home; you won’t find crystals or any of the grandeur associated with wealth and fortune. So I loved the Beech wood tri-pod on this lamp and the suggestion of Daliism, evident in the moustache and Dali’s portrait, not so much in the poetry. Eclectic is the word.

For all those interested, The Art Space is owned and run by Hira Khawar, student of Art & Design, who also has an MBA in Advertising and Marketing from Nust Business School. Hira started her business five years ago, venturing into furniture two years on. You’ll find lots of fun, colourful and arty pieces on her Instagram page.

My favourite would be the lamps, which Hira admits are hot sellers. Her dream is to have her own E-commerce platform and eventually a brick and mortar outlet but until that happens, I have to say she’s doing quite an effective job on social media.