A Bright, Colorful & Bohemian Living and Dining Room

I love Seema’s approach to styling her home. She’s not afraid to use bold colors, she buys what she loves, and to top it all off, she seems to be a master at mixing and matching colors and patterns!

The other thing that I simply adore about her style is that she has a way of infusing South Asian and Middle Eastern pieces of furniture and artwork into her home without making it look traditional at all. She embraces culture and makes it work for her home!

Years in Saudi: 1.5 years

Moved From: London, UK

Your Style:

I’m not really sure what it is. I tend to like Bohemian styles with French antique worn out stuff, but with modern stuff as well. I like a mix of everything I guess!

I would describe Seema’s style as “Bohemian with a hint of mid-modern century.” The vibe is eclectic, infused with all sorts of Eastern touches, but she still maintains a fairly neutral palette with pops of color. I think it’s a fantastic way of using various colors so that when you get sick of them, you only have to change out accessories, and not major pieces of furniture.

Sideboard (Desert Designs), Rug (Abbas Carpets)

How do you find inspiration?

I like using Pinterest for ideas and also enjoy visits to Anthropologie when I’m in the States or in the UK. Their in-store design is awesome, and they change it out on a seasonal basis.

Living Room (Formal & Informal)

How did you come up with the design of your home?

My house has been the subject of constant change. The friends who visit occasionally can vouch for that. It is borderline crazy how many times I have moved my furniture around. I would call it continuous improvement!

Formal Sitting Area

The blue and green abstract painting was actually made by Seema’s sister, Sameera Effendi! The grey couch is from the UK, but was reupholstered by Ali from “From Fabric to Custom.” Seema also had him make a chair to match the couch. The tables in the center are from her favorite store in Khobar, The Gallery.

I also love Seema’s bookshelves. She installed her shelves so that they extend all the way across the wall – they take up little space, but can still accommodate for so many books and decorative pieces!

Artwork by famous Pakistani painters, Mashkoor Raza and Abrar Ahmed

Informal Sitting Area

Seema has also set up another informal sitting area on the opposite side of her living room, which actually feels like a different space because of her use of color and different textures! I especially love how she uses earthy textures and a fairly neutral palette (other than using the exact same yellow in some accessories), so that it doesn’t overwhelm the senses. The green is also really nice in that it makes everything feel so much more cosy.

Can you believe that this recliner was purchased from Dhahran Classifieds? Amazing!

That table was also a Dhahran Classifieds purchase!!

Dining Room

Tell me about your favorite items in your home?

It sounds cheesy, but I love all of them. Stuff that I don’t like, I get rid of quickly. My husband initially bought these massive dark brown sofas for the living room, which I disliked. I convinced him that they will work best in the patio area instead. It took a couple of months of convincing him but now, thankfully, they are out of the house and we do enjoy them when we are in the garden.

The dining room is a completely different color scheme, and again, works so well because of the use of bold colors with a fairly neutral palette.

I also have to show you the beautiful planters that Shohag made her, in the front and back yard!

A Chat With Seema

Where are some of your items from?

A majority of my items are from the UK and from my favorite store there, John Lewis. The rugs and paintings are mostly from Pakistan. I bought a few tables and pieces from Saudi, mostly IKEA, The Gallery and Desert Design.

Your favorite store in Dhahran?

I absolutely love The Gallery although most of their stuff is over priced and out of my budget. I usually try and save up and buy one piece from there every couple of months.

Any advice for people shopping for their home here?

Buy whatever your heart desires for your home. I think it is very important to love your home especially in a place like Saudi where there isn’t much entertainment or outlet outside. At least that is my excuse to my husband every time I bring home something new. We tend to spend so much time at home, so I want my family and friends to feel as cosy and comfortable as possible. You should love the space you live in.