Better Homes Magazine

Better Homes Magazine | ideas
Ask A designer
Our interiors expert answers your queries and
shares her hidden gems in the city
Fabidha Safar
Rahman,
interior designer
at Design Matter
I have an awkward alcove
space on the upstairs
landing area that
I would like to
transform into a
quiet space for the
children. What do
you suggest?
I would recommend
transforming this area
into a lovely, cosy corner
for reading. All you need is to
furnish it with a rug and some
colourful floor cushions, bean
bags or a daybed along with
a short shelf stocked with
books and crayons. You can
ramp up the cool factor by
putting a fabric teepee tent
on the rug. Check out online
parents’ store JustKidding
(justkidding-me.com) or head to
Indigo Living on Sheikh Zayed Road
for inspiration.
I have a large bedroom and I
would like to include a dressing
area within it. How can I achieve
this yet retain flow in the space?
I have previously added a dressing
space to a spacious bedroom by
creating a wall-to-ceiling wardrobe
and an in-built dressing table along
a far wall, while situating the bed right
in the centre of the room. A large 2.9m
wide by 1.8m-high headboard provided
privacy for the dressing area. It also
simultaneously divided the large room
visually, yet allowed access and light
into the space. As an alternative to
a bespoke design, you can make your
own selection, and add a large room
divider to help separate the spaces.
How should I dress a doubleheight
foyer between the dining
and living areas to make it
comfortable and luxurious?
A double-height foyer is a designer’s
dream come true and there are a
number of ways to furnish it. If space
Design Matter
permits, I like to add a bench or
a couple of statement chairs on
either side of a side table placed
along one wall. If the space is
narrow, a table or console with a
display of tall vases with flowers
or candles works well. Hang a
feature artwork or a mirror to
dress the wall and complete
the look.
To exploit the height,
you can use a long feature
chandelier or a cluster of
pendants at different heights
to instantly draw the eye
upwards. If you’re
a collector of art,
photographs,
artisan/folk
masks or
ceramics, the
double-height
space is your
opportunity
to display them
as a collection
without crowding
the wall.
My little
black
book
For paint
MAS paints (mas-paints.com)
has a huge collection of textured
paint finishes that can be
customised to create any colour.
For regular paint, I love Benjamin
Moore (benjaminmooore.com)
and its infinite range of colours.
For Finishing touches
When I’m short on time I like
to shop at places that provide
a variety of products and style
options. Bloomingdale’s Home,
Galleries Lafayette, Kare and
Indigo Living all provide a onestop
shop for everything, from
accents and accessories to little
touches that complete the space.
What’s your dreaM buy?
Melt pendant lights (pictured)
from Tom Dixon (tomdixon.net)
and Little Palm stools by Khalid
Shafar (khalidshafar.com).
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