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March 10, 2005
An artistic setting
As you enter, the wall directly in front of you grasps your attention as it is decorated with tiles that have large horses painted on them by the owner. A brick-lined driveway dressed with colourful plants leads you to a beautifully carved antique doorway, writes Shanaz Ramzi
As you would expect, renowned artist Mashkoor Raza’s home reflects the aesthetic sensibilities of a man with a creative flair.
A relatively new double storey house, you cannot but notice the shining blue porcelain horse perched high on its wall, as you drive towards it. The steed gives only an inkling of what to expect within as the entrance porch is a visual treat. The wall directly in front of you grasps your attention as it is decorated with tiles that have large horses painstakingly painted on them by the artist.
A brick-lined driveway dressed with colourful plants leads you to a beautifully carved antique doorway, shielded from the sun by a chick. A ceramic wall-hanging adorns the space above the door while a little alcove in the wall boasts a ceramic sculpture.
A tall black statue stands near it while another — of a man seated on a chair — apparently made by a student, sits to the right of the door amidst some plants. To the extreme right of the porch is a covered car-park.
As you enter the narrow passage that serves as an entrance foyer, you find a wooden carved paneling framing a door to your left. You discover that the door leads to the upstairs portion of the house, which also has access from outside so that it can be treated as a separate unit.
Raza says, “I drove the architect crazy because I told him I wanted a fully functioning home in the upper floor — which means three bedrooms, drawing, dining, lounge, kitchen, and all — and wanted provisions for an identical set up downstairs. Currently I am using the ground floor as my studio and a meeting place for clients, but if there is ever a need to give the downstairs portion on rent, I want to be able to that, by just erecting a few walls.”
Hence, the layout of the ground floor is unique to say the least. The passage opens out on the right to a large room which serves both as a drawing room and the owner’s main gallery. It is tastefully decorated, with his own paintings dressing the walls and ceramic pieces and sculptures adorning the furniture.
An attractive dark polished Chinioti sofa set occupies one end of the room, complemented by contemporary glass and wooden side tables that boast hand-painted lamps. The centre table is unique and is a combination of fibre glass and iron. The fibre glass table top has a deceptive stone finish and its legs are carved in the shape of elephant tusks.
Another interesting piece of furniture in this section is a low tortoise-shaped stool, with a round cushion seat on its back. Raza claims that he bought it from the Sunday Bazaar. In fact, he seems to have quite an eye for unusual items. For instance, one corner is occupied by a pedestal on which stands the statue of a man. Two ceramic tablas sit against one wall.
Minimum attention has been paid to dressing windows, which are covered simply either by vertical blinds or by chicks. As you move further into the room you see an antique wooden showcase housing various ceramic pieces. Close to it is a semi-circular marble table placed against a wall and carries interesting artefacts. A high round glass-topped table with intricately carved legs occupies the centre of the other end of the room. While two carved single seaters with a table in between standing against a wall.
Interestingly, wooden carved brackets and pillars bought from kabarias adorn walls as do wooden masks. At the far end of the room is a beautiful sculpture of a woman. A large planter adorned with little colourful chips sits against one wall.
Acting as an extension of the gallery is yet another room that also serves as an informal sitting room. Leatherette sofas provide comfortable seating around a huge glass-top centre table with intricately carved legs.
With his studio on the ground floor, Raza has managed to make his home a heaven for both his professional and personal life, merging them and yet keeping them distinctly apart.
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