July 13, 2006

 Shanaz Ramzi visits a house filled with souvenirs and memorabilia that speak of the denizens' passion for traveling

Rana and Tariq Fawad’s home is a seasoned travelers’ treasure trove. Every corner boasts a decoration piece or painting that has been picked up from one of their numerous trips abroad. The accessories lend a unique character to this abode.

Take the entrance foyer, for instance, a square room that opens into the spacious lounge. The right wall is occupied by a sideboard with inlay work and decorated with ivory pieces and slabs of semi-precious stones. A mirror to match the sideboard hangs above. The left wall, covered with etched glass, allows a view of the formal living room within.

The lounge is decorated with huge paintings that have been purchased from Africa and India, and also has huge photographs of the family members. A glass window to the right allows a partial view of the driveway and the foliage that dresses the area. Off-white leatherette sofas and a hand-painted diwan in antique finish provide the seating in this room.

The extreme end of the lounge is used as an informal dining area with a glass-topped table, its legs made of transparent fibre glass and the delicate chairs covered with leatherette, unobtrusively occupying the centre space.

To the right of the dining area is the couple’s bedroom, simply decorated in shades of green. The room allows for sunlight and a view of the verdant plants outside through large windows dressed elegantly with green chiks from the outside, and off-white embroidered organza chiks from the inside.

The formal living-room, approachable through etched-glass sliding doors, is decorated predominantly in shades of beige and maroon. A console behind the sofa is adorned with a huge rock of amethyst bought in Brazil, and impressive elephant tusks –– without a doubt an African find.

Sculpted ivory pieces can be found almost everywhere, even in the extended portion of the living room which follows the same colour scheme of the main living room, but has wooden and upholstered sofas.

The highlight of this area is the aviary that it overlooks –– a passion of Tariq’s, one is told –– full of exotic parakeets and parrots. Beyond the aviary is a cemented area which the family uses for entertaining.

The formal dining room has a distinct character of its own with purple being the predominant colour. The plush purple carpet is complemented by a huge silk painting in the same hues –– painted by Rana herself –– and has two single seaters below it, also in a pomegranate scheme. A huge glass-topped dining table and a service table with a matching mirror placed within an enclave in the room make up the rest of the furniture here.

The dining room opens into a music room where friends and family are frequently entertained with soulful music. A permanent stage with a harmonium, guitar, tablas and music system graces the area, and wall-to-wall seating gives the listeners a chance to make themselves comfortable.

A house that is both functional and tastefully done, it depicts artfully the aesthetic sense of its owners.

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