Lounges are the new drawing rooms

Interior designers talk about the evolution of home decor, how people are pivoting towards a more casual approach

KARACHI:

With new trends and designs speeding towards minimalism, traditional approaches to decorating homes are fading away. This is particularly the case with drawing rooms, which, whether you live in an apartment or villa, are slowly making their way out of the front door. The Express Tribune speaks to interior designers to get their take on the evolving concept of home decor and how drawing rooms may be entirely superseded by other living spaces.

Sabiha Rita Hasan, director at Design19, discusses the origin of the term ‘drawing room’. “It has been derived from the 16th century term ‘withdrawing room’,” she says. “A drawing room has now come to be known as a room where guests are entertained. But in the past, a drawing room was used as a private space, a place to ‘withdraw’ yourself from the rest of the world and self-reflect,” she adds.



According to Beena Asim, owner of Beena Asim Designer Furniture, “Hospitality holds seminal importance in our culture, which is why looking after guests and providing them with the most comfortable environment is a priority. As a result, a special room in the house is reserved for hosting.” She comments that although the merging of the drawing room and living room is a surfacing trend, it will take a few more years to lessen the demand of a full-fledged drawing room in Pakistan.

Asim says that certain home decor trends in Pakistan last longer as many hold onto a traditional way of designing and decorating their homes. She states that the classic formal style still dominates drawing rooms, with heavy curtains, carpets, rugs, lamps, deewans and carved furniture pieces among individuals’ first preferences.



Contrarily, Hasan has a more contemporary approach towards home decor and believes that “lounges are the new drawing rooms.” How we choose to design and decorate our homes must keep up with changes in lifestyle. We now have home theatres, barbecues on the patios, swimming pools and lounges, which is why the idea of housing a conventional drawing room may soon become redundant.

Opting for a living room instead?

Hasan encourages a more informal approach towards a drawing room, which, she says, should be treated like a casual living space “where family can spend time with friends and watch television without worrying about soiling silken sofas or breaking crystal.”



An ideal living room should comprise hardwood flooring, sectional sofas with ambient lighting paired with comfortable chairs. A shelve for your television and home theatre essentials could also be included in the space. Wallpaper is still in vogue as is mixing different designs of end tables, according to Hasan.

If you’re planning to opt for a casual living room instead of a drawing room, then treat it like your personal space and decorate it with something memorable, such as a collage of family pictures or your favourite books. Hasan recommends cream and other lighter hues for living spaces and anything else that adds ‘the happy factor’ to your room. “Don’t recreate the drawing rooms you grew up in. Design according to your age, lifestyle and personal preferences. Put things that make you feel happy and relaxed, not just to get a stamp of approval from others.” suggest Hasan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2014.

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