Just as plants turn their leaves to face the nearest window, humans crave natural light. Sunshine offers a healthy good feeling that is hard to beat, so it’s no wonder that many of us dream of escaping for a few days to our village homes. While builders of modern homes are increasingly addressing our desire for natural light, this has not always been a priority.

It is important to note that there are also advantages to dark rooms. In spaces that receive little or no direct sunlight, there is no chance of sun damage, making them appropriate for beautiful furnishing fabrics and displaying treasured photographs and artwork. Dark rooms make good bedrooms. Waking up to bright light can feel uncomfortable, especially if you are not a morning person. A dim dining area can develop an enchanting evening retreat when painted in rich colours and bathed in candlelight. Dark rooms can be intimate and cosseting, so dress them in pools of warm, sculptural light and celebrate their moodiness.

The amount and quality of natural light a room receivers depend on the size of its windows and its orientation with regard to the sun. South- facing windows get the lion’s share of direct sunlight for most of the day. East-facing rooms benefit from early mornings, while rooms that face west are sunny in the afternoon. Because it has its back to the sun, a northfacing room receives only indirect natural light and tends to be cool and dim.

This week we take a look at a different form of lighting which is not common in urban towns and cities but widely popular in rural areas. Oil lamps, also known as hajak or harican, are used for different lighting requirements in villages. Our photographer Sujan travelled through rural Bangladesh to catalogue their different uses.

In addition to children using oil lamps to study, women use them to cook their evening meals. The different local materials used are mashal, kupibati,prodip and bottle lamps. Village markets also use oil lamps to light their shops. Regionally, summer is the best time for fruits. Villagers use many techniques to protect fruits, vegetable and others crops from insects, birds, bats etc and it is not uncommon to hang oil lights on trees to protect their fruits. Oil lamps are also used in temples.

The advent of electricity has made our lives much easier than that of our forefathers. In using electrical lighting, it is important that we choose lighting plans that are practical and energy-conserving. Lowenergy lighting products are being developed at a phenomenal rate, so gone are the days when we had to compromise our lighting plans to reduce energy usage. LED lights are available in the market and refitting halogen lights with CFL or LED replacements leads to significant energy and cost savings.

I hope one day all our villages will be lighted with modern technology. The upcoming solar energy & electricity plants will hopefully give them access to national gridlines. But at present, the majority of rural Bangladesh still retains the romanticism associated with using oil lamps.

NAZNEEN HAQUE MIMI
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo Credit: B A SujaN / Map
Email: sujanmap@gmail.com

Having a universal appeal, cooking food in an oven has been popular with many, if not most cultures around the globe. As technology advanced and engineering breakthroughs came to the fore, so too the oven enjoyed a renaissance of its own.

In ancient times, our forefathers cooked in earthen ovens- ovens made from digging into the ground and heated by rocks or smoldering debris. Although cooking times were usually long and tedious, the overall process of cooking food by these slow roasting and baking methods yielded incomparable results. Meats, vegetables and pastries release an appetisingly tempting aroma whilst cooking in an oven and the cooked food ends up being tender and flavourful.

Oven placement
Microwave ovens essential features in most households these days and their placement is also very important. As a designer, I always recommend smart kitchens for most of my clients. A well-equipped and organised kitchen can make life easier and economise on time spent in the kitchen. When we are planning a kitchen counter, we should be careful about where to place the oven. A gas burner oven is placed in middle of the main counter. The triangular layout is ideal for kitchen arrangements. Nowadays we also have built-in cabinets for microwave ovens or high speed baking ovens. In Bangladesh, microwave ovens are also commonly placed in dining areas. That is why I opt for double part dinner wagons with conveniently placed just beside the dining table. Here, we could easily place microwave ovens so that family members have quick and easy access.

The steam Inverter Microwave Oven is the solution for cleaner, healthier, better tasting yet faster cooking. These ovens are four different cooking techniques including micro power, steam and grill functions while using the inverter technology that prevents the common problems of shrinkage, overcooking and loss of nutrients through multi-level power settings, which improve cooking performance without wasting energy. For instance, defrosting time is cut by half with inverter technology.

Oven Cleaning
Oven cleaning is no longer an arduous task as it was years ago. Whether your oven is a self-cleaning one or a conventional one, always maintain the cleanliness of the oven interior.

Wipe up all spills as they happen before they start to harden. Be careful not to burn yourself if the oven is still hot,

Save on cleanup time when you know you are cooking something that could overflow or has a lot of gravy by covering the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil. Be sure however that the foil does not touch the electric element.

Line a cookie sheet pr glass try with foil and put underneath the rack you are cooking on so spill are easily collected and disposed of.

Do not cover an entire rack or oven bottom with aluminum foil, this reduces air flow and may cause poor results.

Self-cleaning ovens assist you by making spills easier to clean. Depending on the make of the oven, you take out the wire oven racks; set the timer to clean mode and your oven is done by its self-cleaning. Some ovens, during the clean mode, will produce smoke and or fumes, so be sure to open windows and ventilate well.

Always wipe down the oven interior after it has cooled from the self-cleaning process. Wipe up all residues with a damp sponge.

Always clean the inside of the door. Scrub the seal around the door with a gentle cleanser and rinse the gasket with a damp sponge.

Be sure the oven is completely rinsed clean of oven cleaner residue. You would not want any of the cleaner to be in the oven when you cook.

NAZNEEN HAQUE MIMI
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Journeyman archive

The walls and ceilings of your rooms can be enhanced in many ways: for example, with decorative wood or plaster mouldings, wall panelling, different types of colour, wall paper or fabric covering and paintings and photographs.

Plaster mouldings are a time-tested technique. Classical architectural also exhibits use of plaster mouldings, floral patterns or geometric patterns on wall coverings. Figurative work was being replaced with a lighter and more playful Rococo style in the 1700s. This became particularly widespread in Ireland. Decorations were strung across the ceiling with an emphasis on the asymmetrical and picturesque designs while using acanthus leaves, festoons, swags and baskets of fruits and flowers with the occasional zoomorphic touch of birds and dragons, which became extremely popular in the 1760s.

This week’s column features the home of a very close friend of mine. She is a sociologist with a keen interest in home decor. An important part of the decor of her house is the abundant use of colour. Each room has a character of its own through colour palette distinction.

Colour is the most versatile tool a designer can employ. It is both the easiest way to improve space and an effective way to alter it. It is the most exciting decorating element. The palette for walls is often white or cream — colours that work well as a backdrop for richer hues. Aside from the strength of colour itself, the enormity of colour choices available in paints, wallpapers, fabrics, and flooring options can overwhelm us, making us retreat to the safety of white or neutral walls. However, a little experimentation can often break monotony and liven up a room with minimal effort. My friend used green for the walls in her living room. She also used light beige and green leaves made from printed fabric for curtains and a traditional shitolpatti for the floor. Green never looks out of place- for its position at the center of the rainbow means it is in harmony with all other colours. Its close connection with nature helps to link us to the cycle of life so that we can relax and go with the flow. Green refreshes and cleanses our hearts and minds and generates a source of renewed energy.

The family living room makes use of different shades of purple, from light purple to deep purple. The furniture consists of cane sofa sets with deep purple handloom fabric for cushion covers. White jamdani curtains create a refreshing contrast against the purple walls. Decorating with purple usually requires forethought and caution. The colour is unusual in terms of decor and it can be tricky to design an entire room in purple. However, using a purple colour scheme will undoubtedly add a rich, luxurious feel to a home, giving a dramatic makeover to ordinary settings. In order to create a balanced visual impact, one can use moulding beats and white cornices.

Cornices have always been one of the most impressive decorative plaster features. They were originally used externally in classical architecture at the edges of roofs, but were soon also used inside on the perimeter of ceilings. As with panel mouldings, a huge range of profiles are available, from authentic Greek and Roman forms through 18th and 19th century styles, featuring classic motifs such as acanthus, dentil, swag-and-drop and egg-and-dart. Plain concave mouldings known as covings are also available, made either as paper-faced mouldings with plaster cores or made from wood. Timber mouldings are made with shaped cutters and routers to produce a wide range of cross sections.

NAZNEEN HAQUE MIMI
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Tamim Sujat
Special thanks to: Snigdha Ali

The most ancient doors were in timber, those made for King Solomon’s temple being in olive wood, which were carved and overlaid with gold. The doors dwelt upon in Homer would appear to have been cashed in silver or brass. Besides olive wood, elm, cedar, oak and cypress were used. A 5,000-year-old door has been found by archaeologists in Switzerland. The earliest records are those represented in the paintings of the Egyptian tombs, in which they are shown as single or double doors, each in a single piece of wood.

Many people are worried about doors; especially when they design their own homes. This week’s column focuses on classical doors and their accessories. The door generally fits into a frame consisting of a head jamb and side jambs. Doors are either solid or hollow with some door types and styles mainly designed for exterior use while others are used inside the home.

Doors can take up a surprising amount of floor space, a factor that must be considered in the planning stages of new building work. Generally exterior doors are heavy and strong. For entry doors, we recommend solid wood. Hollow doors are lighter in weight than solid doors and are generally used for interiors only. They are less expensive and easy to maintain.

Exterior doors are hinged so that they swing inward. They should be hinged in the direction of natural entry. Whenever possible, they should swing against a blank wall. For safety, doors are usually not hinged to swing into a hallway. Hinged doors are the most space consuming, requiring a sweep of floor area as well as a section of free wall space comfortable to the size of the door itself to accommodate the door when it is fully open.

There are various types of heritage doors. The doors of the mosques in Cairo were of two kinds; those which externally were cased with sheets of bronze or iron, cut out in decorative patterns, and incised or inlaid, with bosses in relief; and those in wood, which were framed with interlaced designs of the square and diamond, this latter description of work being Coptic in its origin.

The Greek Revival style flourished from about 1820 to 1860. This style enhanced an elaborate entrance. These doors were usually surrounded by small widows and made use of additional wood or masonry frameworks.

Gothic doors use what is known as “frame-and-plank” construction. Vertical planks are attached to a basic frame, which provides the stabilizing structure. In some cases, planks are fastened to both sides of the frame, effectively hiding the internal frame from view. The beautiful arched shaped old Gothic doors are still preserved in the Notre dame university, Yale and Princeton in USA.

Victorian houses the external doors were invariably painted, unless they were made of hardwood. Typically they had four panels but there might have been two smaller glazed panels at the top. Later in this century stained and etched glass became very popular in these panels. Door furniture was often solid rather than elaborate.

In the Renaissance period the Italian doors were quite simple, their architects trusting more to the doorways for effect. But in France and Germany the contrary is the case, the doors being elaborately carved, especially in the Louis XIV and Louis XV periods. They sometimes had architectural features such as columns and entablatures with pediment and niches, the doorway being in plain mason.

Door handle
Door handles are a very important feature and to the aesthetic appeal of doors. Generally Gothic and Victorian door handles are brass and nickel plated.

Door bells
Although modern homes now dominantly make use of door bells, in bygone eras door knockers were more commonly used. Classical doors used gorgeous metal or brass door bells with various motifs.

Doorstops
Doorstops are simple devices used to prevent a door from coming into contact with another object (typically a wall). Without the door stop, damage might be done to the wall. They may either absorb the force of a moving door, or hold the door in place to prevent unintended motion.

Door guards
The purpose of door guards (also known as hinge guards, anti-finger trapping devices, or finger guards) is to reduce the number of finger trapping accidents in doors, as doors pose a risk to children especially when closing. Door guards protect fingers in door hinges by covering the gap that is created by opening doors by covering the hinges of doors with a piece of rubber or plastic that wraps from the door frame to the door. There are also door safety products which eject the fingers from the push side of the door as it is being closed.

There are various levels of door protection. Front door protection a front anti-finger trapping device but leaves the rear hinge pin side of the door unprotected. Full door protection uses front and rear anti-finger trapping devices and ensures the hinge side of a door is fully protected.

Safety doors
A safety door prevents finger injuries near the hinges without the use of door guards. Rather than covering the danger area, the shape of the door is changed so that an accessible gap does not form. This is achieved by adding a perfectly circular (“bull-nose” shaped) extension to the door, which moves in and out of a cavity as the door opens and closes. This prevents injuries caused near the hinges – either inside or outside.

In endnote, doors provide the first impression of a home and hence its inhabitants and one could never go wrong with choosing door wisely.

NAZNEEN HAQUE MIMI
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo Credit: journeyman archive

In a tea garden, the day begins before the first light of dawn. As the mist rolls over the low tea bushes, only the tender’s shoots (two leaves and bud) are delicately hand plucked solely by tribal ladies and tossed expertly into deep wicker baskets called ‘dokos’ slung onto their backs. These leaves produce the champagne of all teas — Darjeeling tea. The rolling high rain fall in the eastern Himalayas produces some of the finest tea in the world.

Tea has long featured in the national scenes of painting and literature. We are familiar with many famous paintings of the eighteenth-century that represented elite families gathered around a tea table. The porcelain crockeries and tea caddies displayed their heritage and culture.

The calm, clean energy of tea has also inspired writers. Europeans and Asians writers, artists, and philosophers also adore tea. The Japanese haiku master, Issa, even choose to become the ‘cup-of-tea’ poet, symbolising how he found beauty in daily life.

Tea was first consumed for its beneficial properties, which science has since proved. As well as containing minerals and vitamins, tea has a good dose of polyphenols, which act antioxidants mopping up free radicals that damage the body. These polyphenols are particularly potent in green tea, which is why it is promoted as a healthy drink. Tea is also thought to act against such problems as heart disease, cancer and tooth decay.

Today our focus is on tea pots. The first tea pots in the world were made in Yixing in China, at a time when tea-making evolved from whipping powdered tea to infusing whole leaves in water. These beautiful pots of unglazed stoneware are still made today and over time, the porous material becomes infused with the flavour of tea.

Tea leaves, milk, salt and bicarbonate of soda are churned to a soupy consistency in a cylindrical container called ‘dongma’. This is often made of wood and copper, studded with turquoise, coral and inlaid in ornate silver. The tea is poured out of a ‘khu-ti’ (copper teapot) into small wooden silver-lined cups called ‘phor-bha’.

A plain white china cup is best for showing off the colours that distinguish different teas. To brew a single mug of tea you can also use an infuser mug with a removable mesh basket or an infuser ball. Teapots are now available with infuser baskets for the leaves, which you can remove after the tea has been brewed for the right length of time to prevent it stewing. You can also brew the tea Chinese-style in a tea bowl, refreshing the leaves with new water for successive brew.

Many other European countries today enjoy the porcelain sets that were inspired by Robert Adams, but some countries still will have a cupboard filled with handle-less cups. These are sleek, simple, streamlined and serve the purpose of drinking tea.

Other countries vary in the style and type of tea cup. While tea was said to have originated in China, the Chinese will manufacture and sell many ceramic tea cups usually very colourful and has a ceramic lid. But the Chinese prefer to drink their tea in pottery ware. They are very proud of what is known as their “purple clay”. The most famous purple clay can be found in the regions of Yixing, Jinqdezhen, and Jianqsu. These tea cups are handle-less and require the user to completely wrap hand around tea cup. The pottery-type tea cup is thicker thus, protecting the hand from a burn.

The Japanese do have 7 oz. tea cups with handles, and some with lids and strainers built into the cup (very innovative), but they also prefer the handle-less pottery-type ceramics in some cases. These are small in size, usually between 3.5”-5” tall. They usually have hand painted designs of flowers, poems, or courtesans drawn onto them.

Now we are mostly concerned about our dinner or lunch tables but we can also put a little effort into our tea or coffee arrangements. Sometimes early in the morning, we can arrange a small family tea party or just a special sitting with your loved ones. Use traditional Chinese or Japanese or traditional rose printed tea cups, elegant cookie jars, handmade wooden trays and cotton napkins instead of you regular tea cups, cutlery, and table settings. You will be surprised how rejuvenating these little changes can be.

Nazneen Haque Mimi
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo: LS Archive

We spend most of our time with family and friends in indoor spaces although outdoor areas have the potential to become favourite spots for eating, entertaining, visiting and relaxing. A green space for gardening, dining or just getting away from the chaos of city life can often provide much needed respite.

This week I discuss some outdoor decor ides for homes, restaurants, book shops or cafés. Over the last few years, I have travelled to many places in South-Asia and urbanisation is a dominant trend in most cities. High rise buildings replace large open-spaced, traditional layouts but city dwellers still crave for some greenery in their dwellings. Extended sunshades or small patios are being into lovely green areas.

A summer barbecue can be a fun event through which to reconnect with friends. This summer enjoy your outdoor grilling experience with traditional clay pots, plates, banana leaves as table mats and so on.

As a designer I think, when planning for space management, courtyards should be kept in consideration. A courtyard is a cool place to escape the heat in warm climates. It is also the perfect spot to set up a dining area for a sun-kissed lunch or a casual coffee or tea with friends. Within the privacy of four or three walls, a courtyard falls somewhere between indoors and outdoors. Situated between interior rooms, it functions as a lively, transitional space to connect indoor and outdoor areas. If there is scope for more interaction between the interiors and exteriors, we can install a wall of glass louvers. Open them and the sounds and scents of the outdoors drift inside; close them, and the room is shut against unwanted drafts and cold weather. Sometimes, a courtyard or main entrance is a welcoming area shaded by tall tropical plants.Tropical plants, Balinese furniture or even our traditional furniture like cane sofas, mora or chokyorharican lights can make for vibrant open air layouts. A vibrant curtain of Bougainvillea or kamini looks amazing in summer. A collection of potted plants can also easily fill in empty spaces along pathways and corner areas.

For restaurant décor, dockside seating can be arranged under the shade. For shops, make sure that outdoor sitting areas are protected by a canopy of some kind of industrial sheeting, polycarbonate sheeting, or soft cover shade clothing. Enjoying a quiet moment with coffee and a novel or having a relaxed weekend brunch with friends or family members outdoor offers a more pleasant feeling than closed door rooms. Lakeside restaurants or a busy road like Banani Road 11 that has many small cafés and restaurants have converted their verandas or courtyards into open sitting areas.

Dining alfresco means eating in fresh air, which is not quite the same as “roughing it”. For an experience at the table that is as fresh as the outdoors itself, forget about folding chairs, paper napkins, or plastic utensils and style a tabletop with the elegance and comfort of its indoor counterpart. Use bright red, orange or blue striped table cloths, blue napkins, red or white table mats, modern juice glasses, colourful water jugs, vibrant red or blue plates for fancy lunches or dinners. Décor can be elegant and elaborate or rough and trendy with easy maintenance. Style is yours, but the theme of open sitting is really refreshing.

Nazneen Haque Mimi
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Journeyman Archive

Mirrors have a long history of use both as household objects and as objects of decoration. The earliest mirrors were hand mirrors; those large enough to reflect the whole body did not appear until the 1st century AD. Hand mirrors were adopted by the Celts from the Romans and by the end of the Middle Ages had become quite common throughout Europe, usually being made of silver, though sometimes of polished bronze.

From the late 17th century onwards, mirrors and their frames played an increasingly important part in the decoration of rooms. The early frames were usually made of ivory, silver, ebony, tortoise shells or veneered with marquetry of walnut, olive, and laburnum. Needlework and bead frames were also to be found. The tradition of incorporating a mirror in the space over the mantelpiece soon became established; many of the early versions of these mirrors, usually known as overmantels, were enclosed in glass frames.

This week, we focus on the mirror’s effect and influence on our homes. There was a time when mirrors were almost exclusively ladies’ accessories, but over the years it has become a functional and necessary home décor item. Aside from the common uses, mirrors can also be used to create the illusion of space.

A large mirror correctly placed can make any room look larger. A large mirror at the entrance is especially good for this purpose. Whether placed at the end of a hall or angled in a corner of a small apartment, the result is the illusion of space. Coupled with proper lighting, any studio apartment can be made to look spacious.

The correct mirrored furniture can also be used for the same effect. Generally, we placed mirrors in the foyer or on the entrance walls. It is a matter of convenience for both resident and visitor to be able to see their own image when they enter and leave the house.

To maximise space utilisation — leaving enough space for furniture is very important in our ever-shrinking city homes — we can attach mirrors on the backs of doors. We can also install mirrors on the walls adjacent to the backs of doors and relocate the switchboard.

Small mirrors can be picked up cheaply at sales, and factory outlets. They improve the illumination in a room when hung together on the wall. All these mirrors have ‘bevelled edges’ rather than frames; this look was popular in the first part of the 20th century, so you are more likely to find these second-hand than new.

If you are an antique lover, you should go for antique mirrors. It’s a really worthy investment to create a dramatic impact. Don’t be tempted to replace old glass with new, however tarnished it is, or you alter the character of the antique piece.Generally each and every bathroom mirror hangs above a basic hand wash sink. Hanging a mirror is not only an easier option than attaching sheets of glass to the wall, but it also adds warmth and character to a bathroom.

When installing a mirror in a bathroom, remember that people’s heights vary. In the modern interior we also use decorative mirrors on the bathroom wall and sometimes on the false ceiling.We installed similar tiled designs in the mirror in the bathroom for beautification. For festive or special occasions a new decorative mirror attachment acts as a quick makeover.

A simple store mirror can be transformed by the application of a coat of paint. The colour should echo the other shades in the room. When you are hanging a mirror, always check to see what it will reflect — the reflection of a charming chandelier or an attractive wall opposite is much more desirable than that of an ugly view outside or a part of your house you don’t want to emphasise. More appealingly, you can ‘double’ your view of your garden by hanging a large mirror near or opposite the window overlooking it.

Nazneen Haque Mimi
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors @gmail.com
Photo Credit: Journeyman archive

As an interior designer, I have always had an affinity for our traditional crafts and this week, I want to discuss the art work of four legendary folk artists. Pattachitra refers to the folk paintings from the state of Orissa, in the eastern region of India. ‘Patta’ in Sanskrit means ‘vastra’ or ‘clothing’ and ‘chitra’ means paintings. The tradition of Pattachitra is closely linked with the worship of Lord Jagannath. Apart from the fragmentary evidence of paintings on the caves of Khandagiri and Udayagiri and Sitabhinji, murals of the sixth century A.D., the earliest indigenous paintings from Orissa, are the Pattachitra done by the Chitrakars.

One of our most celebrated Pattachitra artists is Ragunath Chakraborty. He is mainly a painter of folk life and his paintings have highlighted boat racing, fishing, tribal dances, the barge of Behula and so on. His lines are influenced by folk culture, but he has a distinct style of his own unlike other traditional Patuas. His use of colour is vivid and his paintings ‘Kamarshala’, and ‘Green Bangladesh’ make extremely attractive wall pieces for foyers and living rooms.

Rickshaw painting is another indigenous form of art that is unique to this region. In Bangladesh, R. K Das has been considered a pioneer of rickshaw painting since the 1950s. His subjects range from movie stars to depictions of village life and colourful cityscapes to pictorial interpretations of social issues to flora, fauna and animals. His work is exceptional in its combinations of colour and imagery. His painting ‘A Colourful City’ looks striking on both white and blue walls. It is strongly reminiscent of our culture and tradition.

‘Sarachitra’ is another popular form of art. Sara refers to the lid of a clay pot. Folklorist Gurusaday Dutt once wrote that there was a time when each and every house in Bengal was like a little piece of art. Women of the households were known to decorate their walls, doors and windows by hand paint. Gurusaday Dutt was mostly known for his interest and contributions to Bengal’s folk art, folk dance and folk music. He started a number of organisations and societies aimed at preserving these elements of folk culture. He spent a lifetime collecting and studying art objects and handiwork from the remotest corners of undivided rural Bengal such as paintings from Kalighat, patuas’ scrolls, embroidered kanthas, terracotta panels, stone sculptures, wooden carvings, dolls and toys, moulds used for making patterns on sweets or mango-paste etc. Most of the several thousand artifacts he collected are on display at the Gurusaday Museum in Thakurpur in the suburbs of Kolkata. Gurusaday Dutt also wrote extensively on folk culture.

In bygone eras, greater Dhaka and Faridpur were famous for Sarachitra. Hindu families used to paint pictures of their Gods, Goddesses and other religious symbols on saras. Laxmi sara is still very famous as are Durga and Radha, Krishna saras. After the partition of India and Pakistan many people relocated from their birthplaces and in this process patuas also moved from Bangladesh to India. The spread and shift of arts and crafts in this region also occurred in the same way. Some authentic and very old saras are preserved in the Guru Sodoy Dutt museum in Calcutta. Our national museum and folk museum of Sonargaon also preserve traditional Sarachitro. Originally potuas painted saras with natural colours and their brushes were made of goat’s fur.

Shukumer Paul is a well renowned sara painter and his themes are mainly inspired by rural life. He has skillfully blended popular rural motifs and trends with his fine arts degree. His work represents rural life but also contains elements of modernism.

Shokher Hari is a symbol of traditional Bangladeshi folk culture and a popular name in this genre is Sushanto Pal who is originally from the village of Basantapur in Rajshahi. He has a long history of folk artists in his family. The main feature of Sushanto’s work is that he transcends the limitations of the decorated earthen pot and uses paper as his media and haris as his motifs. He has also developed his own artistic expression, combining it with his own conception, beliefs, experience and choice of subjects.

Bangladesh has a rich history of folk art and however these art forms may have transformed over centuries, it is a heritage of which we should be well proud.

NAZNEEN HAQUE MIMI
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Tamim Sujat
Special Thanks: Gallery Jolrong

The floor plans of our homes are the blueprints of our lives. It may sound odd to say so, but one of the cheapest decorating tricks is to do nothing- or, at least, to do the absolute minimum. Many of us feel under pressure to make our homes a reflection of our personal style, so it’s worth remembering that we are not obliged to redecorate a room unless it’s ugly or really shabby. Rooms and furnishings are arranged to avoid conflict and collisions.

Clutter happens to all of us. Whether they are materials waiting to be recycled – piled up on the porch, photos that never made it into albums, old furniture waiting to be furnished, toys in corners shoes under the bed, unfolded laundry on the sofa, junk drawers galore, or knickknacks you inherited from your parents but never figured out how to display, clutter is part and parcel of every home.

This week’s column deals with a studio apartment that belongs to a well-known ad maker. The interiors were decorated in a simple but functional manner with minimum furniture, abundant open space and a clutter-free ambience.

The colour scheme of the apartment is white on white, lending it an added element of spaciousness. It also provides something of a blank canvas for the lighting as night falls. We opted for formal living, dining, and entertainment corners in the same space. Since it is a studio apartment, we did not plan for a closed foyer.

In the living space we placed two simple low seater cushions, one chair, a comfortable contemporary red armchair and no sofas. We attached a removable remote control projector on the wall. We also installed a sleek white ceiling to hide the screen and made provisions for a slim shelf to hold DVDs and CDs. The floor has simple off white tiles and brown wooden tiles for visual interest. A different type of curtain — the grey roller blind was used for living room windows to create a contemporary appeal.

The dining table is square with contemporary stools for chairs and it is the focal point of this open space. This customised table is at once appropriate for family gatherings as well as for creative meetings. We also designed a custom made built-in cabinet for tableware and china as well as another open shelf for crests and certificates.

Although all furniture in this apartment is simple in design, we were also mindful of the need for storage space. Since adequate storage is the key to a clutter-free ambience we designated the lower parts of all cabinets as storage space.

We also allocated space for the refrigerator, washing machine and water cooler by installing a sliding door with a wooden frame. One portion is glass and movable and the other is fixed with a straight wooden louver.

Our homes are our sanctuaries, but we do not live in isolation. Art and paintings always enrich our minds and homes and we livened up the space with meaningful photographs taken by Amitabh Reza himself.

The whole house looks neutral and natural because of the use of earthy colours. Colours drawn from the earth are comforting because they affirm our connection with nature. Brown, beige, olive and grey blend together in our homes as beautifully as they do in nature.

NAZNEEN HAQUE MIMI
Interior Consultant
JOURNEYMAN
E-mail: journeyman.interiors@gmail.com
Photo Credit & Special thanks: Amitabh Reza