Interior designer’s debut collection shows traditional furniture with a splash of colour

Maira Chinoy displayed her first collection at The House of Ensemble.

KARACHI:

Maira Chinoy has spent the last two years in Italy, taking in all she could from the country’s art and culture. She has now returned to share it with Pakistan.

The 26-year-old showcased her first collection at The House of Ensemble on January 18 and 19, which included decorative furniture pieces like mirrors, candle stands, mannequins, chairs, and trays along with other art pieces.

Chinoy said her work is a representation of herself. “This exhibition defines who I am. It brings out the fun as well as classical side to me,” said Chinoy, who has done her Masters in Interior Design from the Florence Design Academy in Italy. “In Pakistan, artists have become a little stagnant with their designs. With my work, I want to encourage people to be fearless and take risks.” She feels Pakistan is going through a gloomy period and needs something fun and colourful to look forward to.

At her debut exhibition, Chinoy tactfully infused a vibrant theme to traditional and antique designs; one of the chairs, for instance, was uniformly rustic and dull gold with a bright and cheerful seat print. “My main goal is to light up a room where my art piece is placed,” she said.

Growing up, Chinoy said she always knew she wanted to create enthused art. “I started off by creating art pieces solely for myself. This is something I absolutely adore and enjoy doing,” she said. “When I start working, I get inspired by tons of things and have a million ideas going through my mind at once; as a result, unique things are created which you would have never imagined.” The theme she had in mind for this exhibition was nature, which was clearly depicted through the mannequins and animal (deer and horse) heads.

“All my pieces are made of fibre glass. It’s a good material — light-weight, doesn’t break easily and moulds very easily too,” she said, adding that she’s made every piece herself.

Prices for different pieces vary, so when asked how she structured them, she said, “I’ve put in my time and effort into creating each piece so I’ve set the price accordingly.” She hasn’t surveyed the market and is indifferent to what prices others are setting for their art pieces. At Ensemble, other designers are showcasing cutlery, crockery and silver, something she doesn’t plan on doing.

Chinoy said her prices are set between “affordable to very high.” Guests on the first day of the exhibition praised her work but did add that the price tag was a bit steep. Art enthusiast Nisha said, “The chairs are a little overpriced but the horse head caught my attention; it is cleverly moulded and shows skill.” Ishrat, another spectator amidst the crowd, said, “I was expecting something typical but the pieces here are quite unique. The bright colour [chair] is what attracted me and when I saw the price tag, it blew me away!”

For Chinoy, selling her art work was never part of the plan. But after the positive response she has received from art enthusiasts, she is considering opening an outlet. “I’m getting married and moving to Lahore next month, so it’ll be some time after that,” she said, adding that she will also be holding an exhibition in Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2013.

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.