In her design-rich apartment in Dhaka, Azrin Alom succeeds in creating a sense of graceful glam by skillfully incorporating eclectic nuances in a modern setting, expressed through bespoke furniture, bold colour palette and intricate detailing to every corner. Showcase takes the chance to take a peek into the flourishing architect and businesswoman’s abode.
Thank you for having us! Starting off, what is home to you?
To me, home is where I belong. It is a place that reflects me and my lifestyle. After a hectic day, it is where I can sit back and unwind forgetting about all the stresses of the world.
How many people reside in this house?
Right now, I live here with my husband, my 15 months old son and my in-laws. However, we have separate rooms for my sisters –in-law and their families as they love to visit us during the weekends.
Undoubtedly, your house evokes a sense of grandeur. How did you start out with the designing process?
Thanks for the appreciation. Well, being the one and only architect member of the house, I could not trust anyone else to understand me and my family members’ ideas better than myself. My first condition with the home design was to be able to reflect everyone’s personal choices and styles. I wanted every corner of the home to reflect us. Designing a home is not only about putting fancy furniture or chandeliers. Then it would just look like a nicely organized furniture store. It was imperative to blend all the members’ personal choices and create a sense of harmony.
Your home seems to have a lot of global influences. How do you infuse the love for travel into your home?
Personally, I am a travel enthusiast and love getaways with my family. So you can tell that I have infused our travel aspirations and favourite destinations into the home design. The statement pieces and trinkets from travel not only provide the interior spaces with a refresh, they also serve to remind us of the faraway destinations at times when we’re unable to pack our bags for another holiday. The furnishings were also sourced from around the world including Dubai, Guangzhou, Morocco, and Turkey etc.
Can you talk us through each sections of your home?
As one enters the lift lobby, there is a black marble console table with black and hold warm lights hanging over to welcome visitors in our house. Upon entrance, the eyes lead to the foyer, where I have placed another console table with an abstract decoration piece standing in front of a raw concrete finished wall. The foyer gives one a cozy, warm feeling and is evocative of an installation art piece in an exhibition. Then there is the family space, formal living and dining space. These three spaces are separated by bi-fold French doors which gives full privacy when needed. And when the privacy is not much needed, it becomes a huge connected free flowing space to host guests. The family living space is surrounded by four bedrooms and an open balcony with a multi storied flyover running in front of the building. The dining space is surrounded by two more bedrooms, the dry kitchen and wet kitchen. All the bedrooms have different design influences to keep things interesting.
How does your home represent the personalities of the people living in it?
I designed the home so that it reflects the values, lifestyle and choices of the individuals. For instance, my father and mother in law’s room is decorated with traditional wooden Moroccan styled furniture with a hint of warm colours, which clearly reflect their lifestyle. Our bedroom, on the other hand, is designed with modern, contemporary furnishings with a hint of Japanese style. It gives us a soothing and relaxing feeling that is much needed to distress after a very tiring day. My son’s room is decorated with simple, minimalistic furniture which leaves enough space for him to play and all the toys are easy to access.
The colour scheme of the house looks lively and bold! Tell us a little about it.
I have incorporated different colour schemes for different spaces. For the formal living, it is all about being bold and loud. I mainly tried to use teal, black and gold palate for this space. For family living, it is white and rusty with some pops of colours. Furthermore, for the dining room, I used white and gray with reflective mirror/steel.
What, according to you is the highlight of your house?
I tried to give equal importance to each and every corner of the house. But the family living is undoubtedly the heart of it as everyone meets together in this space, everyday. All activities happen around this cozy space. While designing the house, I tried to locate the family space where it will get the most sunlight during day time. In terms of decorating the living room, I gave it a very casual look. Boho chic style is my favourite for designing a casual space. It comprises of lots of greens, tree branches hanging on the walls, modern yet rusty furniture, colourful cushion covers and rugs, quirky wall decors, neon signs, white brick textured wallpapers bring the perfect ambience for a casual living space.
Ending on a lighter note, what are you passionate about?
I am a design savvy person. Anything that is creative and design related attracts me. I love to travel and always love to involve myself in doing something new. Even though I have chosen architecture as my career, I am passionate about my own fashion brand Scicosso.
