The corner: Ghazala Rahman

Ghazala Rahman, a pioneer in interior design and owner of the furniture outlet Indesign, welcomes us into her culturally rich house and gives us a glimpse of our timeless heritage

At first glance Ghazala Rahman’s home seems like any other contemporary house, but as soon as we step inside, we are transported to a different era. From the interior to the architectural design, it’s a house that is not only rich in culture that reflects our roots, but one that has stood the test of time.



As we enter Rahman’s favourite space, her study, we are taken aback by the history and heritage prevalent in the compact area. Primarily in neutral tones, the bookshelves dominate the walls, filled with books that have been collected over the years by her husband, Rashid Rehman, and some which have been a part of her father-in-law’s library. An olive green and maroon rug from Lahore Carpets is sprawled across the black marble floor. A wooden, carved antique desk sits in one corner of the room, while miniature paintings from various artists such as Ayesha Khalid, Imran Kureshi and Usman Saeed add colour to the white walls.

“I designed this house around 28 to 29 years ago in collaboration with the architect Kamil Khan Mumtaz, who is not only a well established architect, but also my ustaad.” Rahman states. “I planned my house around two elements, natural light and air. I have windows that allow the right amount of natural light to enter the rooms, as the day light shifts around the whole house,” she adds, while pointing to a beautiful frosted window with a painting in the centre. On inquiring we learn that the mirror from a Sindhi door has been with Ghazala for years, which she has used to great effect as a window.



The wooden carved ceiling with an Italian Murano chandelier catches our eye, which she tells us was actually a door that she got from an antique shop in Karachi years ago. “I started collecting these pieces over 40 years ago when I was a young girl. I would save up and buy one or two furniture pieces from Karachi vendors who would bring antique pieces from Sindh, most from the Raj period,” she explains.

“This is the most populated area of our house, since we entertain here quite often. We easily manage to fit at least 10 guests if not more,” Rahman chuckles. “This hand-painted demi-console, that I designed myself, has to be my favourite piece in the study,” she answers when asked about the piece of furniture she loves the most in the area.



We take one last look around the study and notice a small white window with a wooden rehal set in its centre, overlooking a scenic courtyard, complete with a fountain, and it takes our breath away. Every piece in Rahman’s study has meaning behind it. Whether it is the silverware that belonged to her mother, the hand woven velvet cushions from Central Asia, the Qajar paintings from Iran – or, indeed, pieces from her own shop.

As we exit through the chambeli glass door, we can’t help but think about what a profound history lesson Rahman’s house has been. It is a reminder for us to connect with our roots and be proud of our cultural heritage.