Top picks for home decor: These 10 stores get interiors right
The right accessories can transform a room, adding warmth and personality. A single lamp or rug is enough to begin to create a specific ambiance.
Whether your style is minimalist, cozy or grand, finding the perfect accent pieces can be a bit of challenge in Karachi. Here are a handful of fabulous stores in town that can help you spice up your home décor and add those all important finishing touches.
1. Renaissance
Renaissance is Karachi’s ultimate home décor store. From wall-coverings and lighting to furniture and photo frames—Renaissance has it all.
Their massive new showroom in Defence features everything from a wood-paneled study to several different bedrooms. It’s the only store to offer designer fabrics by the likes of Christian Lacroix and Sanderson.
They also stock a large array of accent pieces ranging from topiaries to leather trays. Renaissance’s aesthetic is a mix of classic and contemporary that works well with many individual styles.
The prices are surprisingly reasonable, particularly for their accessories.
2. Khaadi Home
Khaadi Home is the place to head if you want to add a pop of vibrant ethnicity to your interiors. Khaadi uses indigenous techniques such as block printing, embroidery and handloom weaving in products such as bedcovers, cushions, placemats and notebooks.
They also have a limited range of furniture including ottomans and footstools. Khaadi’s home accessories are bright, bold and quirky. They are great for making a statement but certainly not for everyone.
3. Chen One
Chen One is particularly popular for bedlinen and towels but the department store stocks a huge range of homeware including tableware, vases, frames, cushions, candles and artificial plants.
From novel vases to chunky crockery, Chen One has plenty of eye-catching accessories to add depth to contemporary décor.
4. Habitt
Habitt is another home store that offers a breathtaking array of home goods. Ranging from bedroom furniture to crockery, kitchenware and artificial plants, Habitt has all your home needs covered.
They stock Cornelle crockery, tiffins, steel dustbins and much of the paraphernalia needed in a home, as well as bedcovers, towels, wall clocks and picture frames.
The style is resolutely contemporary with clean lines and Habitt is the spot to head for modern accent pieces. Habitt is known for their attractively priced bridal furniture sets – wonderful for couples setting up home for the first time.
5. Pith
One of the quirkiest home décor stores in town, Pith is a hidden gem. Their furniture has an industrial twist, giving it an edgier feel than other contemporary furniture around town.
Pith has some unique wall art, decorative accents and candles as well as some truly memorable printed cushions. The eclectic prints feature spectacular landscapes or humorous signs and are an effortless way to add interest to any room.
6. Ensemble Home
The tiny Home section of multi-brand store Ensemble is worth a mention for the quality of the brands it stocks.
Head there for leather accessories by La Maison, cushions and crockery by Indian brand Good Earth as well as silverware by Carbon. Recent finds included beautiful silver and wood bookends by Carbon and gold leaf doves by Maria Chinoy.
7. J B Saeed
J B Saeed is the odd one out on this list, mainly selling unglamorous items like kitchenware, dustbins, door fittings and hardware but interior designers know that even functional items can be a style statement.
From steel Brabantia bins to Italian salad bowls and Joseph Joseph draining boards, J B Saeed brings a chic twist to mundane household items. The store is a must for any true lover of style.
8. Object
Object is full of marvelous home décor items with a modern ethnic or oriental twist. It is noted for wood and twisted silver trays, free-form silver bowls and centerpieces and beautifully crafted wooden coasters and boxes.
Object’s creative table accessories include trivets, salad servers and serving trays.
9. Tali
The tiny Tali is a treasure trove of original and unusual home accessories with a definite cultural slant.
Bestsellers include trays printed with Frere Hall or the masthead of this newspaper.
Every corner is crammed with interesting pieces such as a chair brightly painted in truck-art style, comical Urdu mugs or quirky rickshaw bookends. Tali is a store with personality and a panache that shines through its wares.
10. Interwood
Interwood is THE place to go for wooden floors, fitted cupboards and stunning bespoke kitchens. In terms of furniture they make everything from dining tables to kids beds.
In recent years they have introduced home accessories including lamps, mirrors, clocks, urns and cushions. Their range also includes some of the most sophisticated artificial plants and flowers in town.
This is by no means a comprehensive list and there are various other smaller shops offering original home accessories. Karachi may not have the ubiquitous simplicity of an Ikea or the practiced ease of a Zara Home but there are plenty of places that can help you create the home of your dreams.
Salima Feerasta is a freelance journalist and the creative force behind style blog *karachista.com. Follow her on Twitter @karachista*