Beena Asim: Fine furnishings

Designer Beena Asim has got the Midas touch on wood,leather and gems.

KARACHI:

Eastern furniture with a touch of class is hard to find. But Beena Asim, who has been involved in furniture designing for the past eight years, has taken her passion to a whole new level.

With the support of her husband Asim Qureshi, Beena launched herself as a furniture designer in April 2008. Since then, she has never looked back. Within a short span of time, her work has evolved into a growing line of selective designs and signature pieces.

Unlike others, who start with furniture designing as a hobby, Asim thought that her passion had to be moulded by academic programmes, so she took classes at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Beena Asim said: “My target market has always been men. Initially I thought that women were into home-making so they were more involved in it, but then I found out that men are far more interested in furniture, as compared to my women clients. Men know the quality of wood and can very easily assess it, and when it comes to buying furniture they are exceedingly more involved in the product and know for sure where to invest.” Asim asserts that people generally like to invest in bed-sets but “are now even investing in dining tables, which is a new trend.”

The Beena Asim Designer Furniture showroom is located in Karachi on Zamzama,  Commercial Lane 6. Asim’s clients mostly look forward to purchasing her ever-in-demand T-series, which consists of tables, dining tables, coffee table, trays and trolleys. “My T-series is usually what gets copied the most and in a very overt manner in Lahore, but in Karachi it is replicated in a covert style,” she said.

When asked about Karachi’s furniture market in recent times, Asim said it has been influenced by, “Firstly the recession and, secondly, the availability of Chinese furniture in various showrooms, which has affected the business of genuine furniture designers in the city.”

From sheesham to oakwood, Asim has experimented with it all.  She has also used real semi-precious stones in her signature furniture pieces. Asim creates furniture in leather combined with solid wood and says that she was the first to introduce gems like emeralds and rubies engraved in wood. What she loves best is “rock-solid wood, adding value through gems and playing with different kinds of polishes.”

With a clientele consisting of TV channel owners and industrialists whose interior decor she has designed herself, Asim also indulges in designing cafes and private offices furnishings. Though there is a client base in Karachi for her, the people of Lahore are “more interested in big furniture pieces and require a more royal look.”

When asked what’s next for her, Asim said: “As the summer approaches, I have a big surprise in store for the people of the corporate market.” And that’s all anyone’s getting out of her right now.

Beena Asim is known to make classic and traditional furniture but said that her clients call out for contemporary furniture designs which have a touch of class. “Today, people look for contemporary furniture with a fine finish, everyone wants a personalised touch. I design according to the client’s demand, their lifestyle and, of course, keeping their budget in mind.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2011.