A Modern Mix City Dwelling

By M. Rakinul Islam

For this segment of Fabulous Houses, we take on the streets of Gulshan 2 to visit the small family of 3; Mr. Salman Mazumdar, Mrs. Tasnuva Ali and their son. Taking in a simplistic yet aesthetic aura, the house settles for a relaxed modern outlook that combines tradition, minimalism and aesthetic into a mix for a fabulous house. Going through the corridors we will experience a step by step detailed outlook of the dwelling and go in-depth to see how the proper utilization of warm lights against a beige color play out.

At First Sight

Coming out of the elevator, we are greeted to a tiled floor corridor with warm yellow lights and a mirror wall. Taking a right, we stand across a large two-panel door, mahogany in color. As the doors open, the light setting is smoothened out with the mix of warm light aura inside and the first sight of the fabulous house comes into view.

Once inside, your attention is divided between the well-decorated corridor in front, separating the dining and formal living, and the glass-doored study right in front. When deciding for a worthy first sight, it becomes evident that the construction of both the spaces was crafted and catered to perfection and trickles down to individual preference, my preference being the corridor. [Keep reading to test your preference]

The corridor sits between two partitions on either side, one of glass and the other of wood with a dimly lit panel on top with a low hanging false ceiling. At the end of the hallway stands a decorative set with mixes of color that are elegant and accentuates the area around it.

Set Piece

Once through the corridor, the sight is immediately shifted to the glass partitioned formal living that boasts a critically chosen color combination. Being a person of nature, green has always been a favorite and that reflects in the decorated room as it flaunts a mild color contrast between the furniture, walls, lamps and plants surrounding the room.

With a setting for 9 people, the base color of the room is white as the furniture takes in a combination of shades from the green. Two sides of the room occupy a mixed shade of light green with the wooden frame while the adjacent two sides occupy a darker shade with a mix of a 3-seater and 2 single-seaters. The room is further enhanced with its outlook with the placement of side tables beside each sitting spot, decorated with a lamp for mellow lighting and plants to keep the area lively. This mix of colors and gradients emit a golden green setting that is both soothing and elegant.

Opposing to the entrance of the formal living is a large window with two shelves on each side embedded to the wall. On the central windowsill is a witty decoration of a small mirror accompanied by a statue of Buddha in copper with other complementary ornaments from the same tradition, mixing with the color gradient of the room.

Tradition with a Twist

Across the formal living sets the dining area, large in space and astounding in decoration. Walking through the glass partition through to the wooden partition, we are welcomed to the dining space, happily hosting a total of 8. On the center lays a wooden framed table with a grey marble top. The table comes from tradition, belonging to the family for over a generation before it got passed down and married into new. The traditional table keeps intact the generations of memories while a new marble top has been added to bring coherence to the setting.

The room takes on a base color mix of dark blue and ash with the ceiling being painted white with a rough surface across the venue. The dining space hosts an array of warm lights with a central setting of low hanging oriental lights that do the perfect job of highlighting the grey marble top. The space doubles as a coffee & tea bar with other furniture for crookeries and utensils are placed in distant positions to enable sufficient space for moving around.

The tea & coffee bar is a valentine’s gift from Mrs. Tasnuva Ali to her husband, due to his love for coffee and is hosted in a corner of the dining space with decorated wooden shelves on top to hold all necessities for making and serving both the beverages. The background is a tiled wall that sets it apart from the rest of the space and makes for a perfect corner.

But the beauty of the dining space doesn’t end there. One side of the room is dedicated to a Spanish styled feature wall that has been decorated with a different angle, to instill cultural variation and bring out the best of the venue. The feature wall hosts a multi-colored tiled outlay with a low laying marble top shelf to the front, portraying an elegant mix of decorates, that are draped in silver.

One is Good, two is Best

Right across the dining room is a family living that hosts a comparatively small group on a warm winter evening to spend quality time with the family. Holding on to the same base color, the room hosts a 4-seater adjacent to a widescreen television and a round table to the center. The room is kept lively with scented candles and plants to give it a green aromatic ambience to escape the daily duels of work life.

What’s most interesting about this room is a contemporary single shelf to the side. Upon inquiry, we got to know that it is a tea cabinet to host Mrs. Tasnuva Ali’s favorite blends of tea and the furniture itself comes with a history. An upcycled cabinet deriving from history that was repurposed by a renowned furnisher to give life to a piece of tradition. The setting of the cabinet with flowers and paintings on top makes for it a mellow sight for the eyes.

Green Getaway

The city life can get monochromatic very soon with the hustle and bustle. Understanding this, the family hosts a green getaway in the common balcony, with amazing seating for two. The area is decorated with plants of large variation with a goal to host any new genre available. To accommodate the urban setting, the choice of plants have been bonsai, which are perfect for the setting and brings an ambience unlike other, inviting other forms of nature to mingle in the greenery amidst the city.

Prepared for any Pandemic

The house had initially come with 4 bedrooms but the family had wittily converted one room into a family study. This room hosts a color combination of white and light brown leaning towards mocha with a perfect setting for 3, with individual desks each with a personality and décor of its own.

The entry to the study is covered by a sliding glass door that opens with a bright room that is decorated with family pictures and a wall for all the achievements of their son. Initially the wall was to be dedicated to a picture wall, but the encouragement of seeing their son’s work portrayed in the wall proved to be delightful and thus the purpose of the wall was solidified.

The benefits of a study extend beyond just being a workplace, especially during the pandemic when ‘work from home’ is the norm. This setting has benefitted the family hugely, making their transition much smoother. Talking about the ambiance of the room, it is set and segmented into 3 portions to accommodate the personal space of each individual with a side dedicated to shelves and décors.

Every Kid’s Dream

The life of a kid can be busier than you think. With multiple areas to focus on, finding your favorite toy can be excruciating. But not here! Entering the room, we are amazed at the setting, segmenting each corner of the room to properly utilize every corner for a purpose. The room takes on a base color of faded light blue with a slight splash of ash with tiled wall decoration and an embedded wooden shelf wall on one side with extending edges to cover the top and extend to the rest of the room. The room takes on the personality with paintings, toys and pictures of colorful gradients to keep it lively and fresh.

It can be virtually segmented into 4 parts; a bed to sleep on, a study corner with a suitable table, a gaming corner and a stack to keep all your toys organized. The room comes with an attached bed and balcony, where the balcony hosts a bird feeder to welcome new guests every day and a small aquarium on the inside for a house friendly pet fishes.

Talking about the best feature of the room would be the well-placed windowsill to the side of the bed that hosts a set for all your favorite action figures and makes place for a lovely backdrop of family photos. But what makes the room stand out is its decoration with childhood pictures, properly placed elements and utility that makes the personality of the room blend with the person.

Master Bedroom

Right across the hall to the kid’s room is the master bedroom. Setting itself in a base color of white and mocha the room hosts a Victorian-style bed plus a dresser combo. The wall behind the bed is a bright blue that sets a calming and soothing tone to the whole ambience.

The gorgeously framed and decorated Victorian bed faces a window decorated with plants to give the perfect view for a morning wake, looking out to green trees. The area around the bed itself is hosted with utility, each side coming with a side-table of its own with adjacent wall lamps that come with extended spotlights that are movable, to allow a dim-lit reading experience. The room comes with an attached bath and balcony and boasts a wall closet, along with a marble tabletop shelf with a widescreen TV on top to allow for someone’s in-room entertainment. The room is appropriately decorated to allow comfort and hosts elements of personal likings to keep the place top-notch to serve its purpose.

Delving into Details

The house has used a paint combination of Berger Easy Clean and Berger WeatherCoat to keep it in tip-top shape.
The element of green is used to bring life into any space that feels robotic.
The curtains match with the interior with their shades of brown and warm light tone.
The walls of the house flaunt a mix of colors that include; white, shades of brown and a mix of blue & ash.
The attention to details is minimalist, yet absolutely stunning.
Every corner of the house has at least one plant to keep the dwelling lively and green.

There are elements of blue and white china spread across the house that is inspired by Mrs. Tasnuva Ali’s mother.
Most of the paintings are custom printed to match each individual preference.

General Lighting: Warm tones set across, with shades of yellow or white.
Spotlights to highlight decoration, emitting a white ray.

Delving into Decors

Upholding the marriage between old and new, this fabulous house has elements that blend the outlook of old and transform it into new to create a design and outlook that holds tradition and prides modernity.

Mongolian Ice Bucket: A gift from an ambassador, this antique piece is formidably fitted in the formal living.

Sikh Kirpan: This beautifully decorated piece is set beside the bucket and hosts a glimpse of a multi-cultural lapse in a single sight. It is an article of faith that initiated Sikhs are supposed to wear at all times.

Nanu’s Pandani: An article of tradition passed down to hold the dear memories alive.

Calligraphy from Egypt

Added lines and false ceiling to bring the old apartment into a modern setting.
Anar Series: A 3-part painting of the fruit to show homage to Nanu’s favorite.

Oriental Influenced: Settings and decors that are influenced by the Chinese and Japanese culture to bring a more cultural setting to the house.

Through this journey, we have come across a family that enjoys indulging in nature and has incorporated the concept of old, new and nature into their dwelling turning their home to a fabulous house.