When it comes to speaking about the world of interior design, the industry is quite vast and growing rapidly. It is not easy to make a name for yourself in this field especially, when you are young. However, there is one person that is defying all these odds! Wajiha Ali Khan is a passionate, talented and young interior designer in her 20’s who is redefining the art of interior designing with her immaculate and creative work.
As someone who has always been fond of painting and creating art since she was a child, Wajiha opted to step into the world of interior and explore this field. Her creative journey started as a student at Indus Valley School (IVS), from where she graduated with a distinction in her thesis. According to her, she felt interior designing was the way through which she wanted to bring her imagination into reality and create spaces that reflect the true essence of what the client really wants. Experimenting with colours, textures and forms became something she loved doing and it was then when she decided to take it forward as a profession.
She also works as a head designer in a well-known private firm. Her work has received a lot of recognition and praise. This created a channel for her, due to which she was approached for projects from renowned companies which encouraged her to invest time and started providing her own design services by the name of “WAK Design Studio”, a platform that guaranteed the clients with creative design solutions that would enhance their personal or professional space.
Her design concepts are “minimalistic yet bold “and her signature style is reflection of screen design and Jefferies, where she loves playing with angles and curves to give drama to a space. Solid wall sometimes acts as a barrier and limits the view; therefore she uses screens and believes they are the best way to connect a space in a way that it is not obvious but also simultaneously serves the purpose of division, acts as a focal point and feature together. She usually plays with asymmetrical layout rather than a symmetrical. It also depends on which area it is for, for e.g. hospitals – needs to be in symmetry and technical details and circulations as it’s important where you have fixed standards of bed, doors, machines and layout to be followed, it is more in category of sensitive design, whereas, if its media office or café, you can break the boundary of symmetry and play with spaces and introduce interactive design ideas. Her design approach is that it should not only aesthetically pleasing but also add a function and value to the working environment which leads to a successful design.
Pakistan has seen a major growth in the field of interior as the patterns are changing today within the commercial sector. The interior of a space has a major impact on the productivity of the employee, people are quite aware of how imperative it is to create a space that promotes productivity and encourages employees to be comfortable, enabling them to remain positive, motivated and to perform better.
If a space is planned in a way that all the heavy and massive pieces of furniture are pushed towards one end of the room, with nothing on the other side, the room would obviously look out of balance. She believes that too much of anything (be it furniture, colour or design itself) kills the essence of the space. A good design is always minimalistic where functionality and aesthetics are linked together and each detail have a reason and logic behind it, be it a small spot light or a planter. Nothing is placed randomly for the sake of filling the space or beauty. There needs to be a balance maintained with the space, form and colour scheme.
Various companies are now emphasising on providing a space which is not only functional but also reflects their company through its aesthetically pleasing visuals and an inviting aura. Interior design is becoming an integral part of the corporate sector and architecture plays a vital role in reflecting one’s company. Architecture is the soul for any space and Wajiha Ali Khan does a brilliant job bringing one’s vision to life!
When you say yes to an opportunity, you must be prepared to do all the work which is required to ensure that you deliver exactly what your client has asked for. However, with practice, as well as action, commitment and engagement, this habit will be beneficial for your growth as a person is able to learn more, build numerous connections and trust people and that is exactly what Wajiha has done, as she delivers exactly what is promised to her clientele.
It is young and dedicated people like Wajiha Ali Khan that create space for likeminded individuals to share their vision and make it into a reality, allowing their spaces to reflect who they are and creating an environment that promotes overall growth.
Wajiha strongly believes that an individual should keep exploring their creative side and appreciates taking risks which are steps towards being successful. It is essential to learn what you’re passionate about, explore the possibilities of what it is you can do to pursue your passion and make the most of it. She is truly an inspiration and it is the commitment of such dedicated, young, and dynamic individuals that inspires others to pursue their own dreams without any fear.
