Design with a difference

Sam Abbas

Sam Abbas, with two decades of experience in interior design under her belt, opens a swanky studio in Bath Island.

Samina Abbas, better known as Sam and also as cricketer Zaheer Abbas’s talented wife, took her experience to a quaint villa in Bath Island, magically transforming it into a space that belied its origin. With over 3000 large and little plants lending a human touch to the sharply designed space, it was easy to forget that you were in Pakistan.

With everything laid out so tastefully, Sam Abbas’s showroom is nothing short of a work of art. It makes us wonder: if her studio is so impressive then how spectacular must her home be!

“Everything is made in Pakistan,” she confirmed at the sophisticated launch, as one admired a tiered sideboard that flaunted rich tones of brown. It was a stunning piece in an array of furniture that was impossible to choose favourites amongst. Creating a very strong signature that reflected a contemporary, strong and expensive ethos, the pieces played with black, white and silver while blending in sepia tones of browns and gold. The new collection, titled Arris – as the name suggests – was a sharp intersection of classic and what can safely be acquainted with contemporary that hasn’t lost its timeless elegance.

Zaheer Abbas, at the inauguration of the swanky Bath Island showroom.

The opening of the studio was attended by many of the well-heeled connoisseurs of art and lifestyle in the city of Karachi. The designer’s society friends, who have been loyal clients for well over a decade, walked in to admire and appreciate what can be observed as one of the most tasteful lifestyle spaces in the city. One is used to experiencing cramped spaces and over-crowded show rooms that basically sell items of wood and never ideas. On the contrary, this show-home took one through a visual journey of how a home should look, room by room. Everything from the furniture to artwork, the upholstery to the accessories is part of the presentation.

“I am very proud of my wife,” Zaheer Abbas said over a boutique chocolate that had the ‘SA’ monogram carved onto it. “She’s worked very hard and this is all her hard work.”

Sam Abbas is also one of the Pond’s Miracle Mentors of 2015, an honour that pays testament to her work and dedication.