The corner: Mehrbano Sethi

The CEO of Luscious Cosmetics, Mehrbano Sethi, welcomes us into her favourite space, her multi-functional study room

As the temperature drops and fog takes over the winter sky, we make our way to Mehrbano Sethi’s house located in a quiet residential area of Lahore. We enter through the wooden, main door and are directed towards the study room where our gracious host awaits us.

This is a contained space incorporating neutral hues. Natural light enters through a large windowpane as the wooden blinds have been folded up. A hardwood, panelled floor on which a 20-year-old Persian carpet, gifted to Sethi by her father sits. The furniture is contemporary and minimalistic; a lime green Home Couture chair adds the right amount of colour to the room while the white quilted couch gives the space a fresh vibe. A Home Couture coffee table sits proudly in the centre of the study. Antique detailed lamps displayed on the side tables belonged to our host’s mother, but have been painted red to add colour to the room. The art pieces by Qamar and Hanif Ramay enhance the grace and grandeur of the area.



“In my parents house, where I grew up, there is a massive study room where I used to study during my exams or whenever I needed some alone time. I’m an only child so alone time is very important for me. I wanted to recreate that same feeling, incorporating a room in the house where one can read, relax, listen to some music and unwind,” our host explains.

Books that have been collected and preserved by Sethi over the years are the main attraction in her study room. Sethi’s most prized possessions include novels that have been personally signed by authors such as JK Rowling and Dan Brown, and 200-year-old antique books that were gifted to her by her father. However, when we ask our host about her favourite collection she points enthusiastically at the Enid Blyton novellas. “I only brought a fraction of my book collection from my parents’ home as I don’t have space for all of them, but my father sent over my Enid Blyton collection that was lovingly preserved by my mother since I was four. Now my five-year-old daughter reads them,” she smiles.



A built in wooden work space designed by interior designer, Omer Nabi, proudly displays not only books and statement pieces, but is also home to Sethi’s Starbucks city mug collection that her friends bring back for her whenever they are travelling.



As we begin to inquire about her remarkable art pieces, she recalls: “There is a very funny story about this ‘Godfather’ painting. It is the only piece of art in this house that was chosen and bought from Hong Kong upon my husband’s insistence. It has this geeky vibe to it but somehow it found its way here and manages to gel well with my latest acquisition — Qamar’s grey lady!”



She walks us back to the comfy white couch as we ask about her most precious memories in this room. She pauses for a second and fondly reminisces: “There have been many memorable events in this space, but my favourite has to be when my daughter took her first steps, it was in this very space.”

As we get ready to bid farewell, we take one last look at Sethi’s multi-functional study. This corner is the perfect escape from everyday mundane affairs, where one can simply switch off and get lost in the world of movies and books, or even just get in touch with their inner self.