KARACHI: A small polish studio and a showroom set up speaks of Saher Qadir’s love for furniture.
The 26-year-old furniture designer unveiled her first ‘Winteresque’ exhibition on Saturday, just six months after she launched her furniture company ‘Esque’ in June last year.
“The word ‘Esque’ is the abbreviation of my name and it also means style,” she said while talking to The Express Tribune. Qadir had a total of 110 items displayed at the one-day exhibition, which included 60 furniture items, 25 cushions and 25 mirrors and painted trays.
The young entrepreneur graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011 and started work June last year. Through Facebook, Qadir has delivered more than 100 pieces in a short span of six months.
She has more than six shops across the city and manages everything from carving wood to polishing to transforming old pieces. “There are a total six places where we work, which include [studios in] Saddar, Manzoor Colony and Tauheed Commercial Area,” she told The Express Tribune.
“When I saw an old, attractive window in the market, I had an idea that I should buy and transform it into this beautiful floor lamp,” she said, pointing towards the ‘golf leaf antique window floor lamp’. The upper part of the lamp is made of jute as it gives it a touch of antiquity, she added.
Moving towards the ‘shikaar’ chair, she explained the idea behind its creation. “This chair is an inspiration from my childhood memories of my late father’s hunting expeditions,” she said.
Sharing her future plans, the young designer said that her dream is to inaugurate her own furniture studio. “I will be looking forward to start a big studio instead of working on my next exhibition,” she said.
According to Qadir, four types of woods are mostly used for furniture in Pakistan: sheesham, rosewood, walnut and keekar. “I always prefer the best wood because I want my furniture to last long.” Talking about the quality of acrylics, the designer said that she only uses German and Chinese acrylic because local acrylic is not durable or long-lasting. “This trunk took one month to complete because the acrylic used in this is imported,” she said. “More than 20 pieces have already been sold of this design.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2015.