At Home with Fara
Actually, Fara Mahmudy is a student. Around 2 years ago, the 25-year-old found an apartment in her adopted home of Hamburg, in the Generalsviertel, with her partner. For some time now, Fara has been sharing authentic impressions from their shared apartment on her account. Fara demonstrates like no other that individual furnishing is possible on a relatively small budget, because “cheap doesn’t always mean IKEA”. More and more people liked this, the account grew, and initial collaborations with furniture brands began to take shape. She curates her furnishings carefully, mixing flea market finds with contemporary designs. With mirrors and the right colours, she gives the 59 square metre apartment more air – and anyone who enters it quickly forgets the square meterage. What immediately catches the eye, however: everything glows in warm colours, which are a compensation for the lack of sunshine on this autumn day.
Q: One thing that immediately struck me when we walked in here is the colours, which are immediately appealing. You’ve relied very heavily on pastel colours here in the apartment. How did that come about? What does colour do to you? Why is it so colourful here? What advice would you give to people who aren’t quite so bold with colour?
A: I reach for pastel tones because they are a good starting point for experimenting with colour. They are colourful and friendly, but not intrusive, they don’t become too dark or serious, which is why I like pastel tones so much. Colour simply brings cosiness and a personal touch. You can transform a room with colour. You can also leave the large pieces in neutral colours if you’re hesitant. Our sofa is light and the large pieces of furniture aren’t very colourful. However, you can still set accents with colourful rugs, blankets, and candles.
Q: You can be bold without being bold, because colour can always be painted over.
A: And you can always put a different colour there.
Q: You mentioned it earlier. We are in an apartment that measures 59 square metres. Yet it feels as if we are in 100 square metres. How did you manage that?
A: That’s nice to hear. I pay attention to that through the furnishings. What I noticed again when painting the dining room is that the rooms look much smaller without furniture. You can play around with the furniture pieces or do something with mirrors. Mirrors greatly stretch and widen the room. I really like the large mirror in the dining room. In addition to the many mirrors, the high ceilings also contribute to this.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the most in the whole land?
Q: You stand here in the room and have the feeling of double the length because you have so many large mirrors, which don’t take up much space – they hang on the wall, after all. Another topic, which is of course exciting for us, are the Kelims that are lying here with you. There are even two of them that have made their way to you. You’ve also opted for pastel colours there. Why, and what do the Kelims do for the apartment in your opinion?
A: As you said, I mainly fell in love with the rugs because of the pastel colours. The runner in the hallway, which I saw on the website, was truly love at first sight. I love the combination of green and purple, and when I saw it, I knew it had to be mine. The other Kelim also features my beloved combination. I like them immensely and they fit in incredibly well here.
Q: It suits you, it suits the apartment. Another thing where colour is also a theme is the walls in the dining room, which you’ve just painted in a particularly beautiful colour by Anna von Mangoldt. You’ve chosen a light sage-matcha green here. Why this colour?
A: I absolutely love green and had been thinking about painting a room green for a long time, as there wasn’t really anything green here before. I thought now was the perfect opportunity and time to choose a beautiful shade of green with professional colour advice, because green is so versatile. I definitely wanted a light, friendly tone. With the previous colour we had on the dining room walls, I was bothered by the grey undertone. We have so many grey days in Hamburg, which is why I wanted to move away from that and chose the colour “Ceylon” by Anna von Mangoldt. Ceylon is mixed with yellow and green particles and doesn’t appear grey in any light. That was particularly important to me.
Q: That has turned out really beautifully too. I find that in combination with the Kelim that’s lying there, which also has these green nuances in the border, it’s an incredibly beautiful combination that makes the room super friendly, even cosier, and more extraordinary.
The colour "Ceylon" by Anna von Mangoldt looks so beautiful and impressive in combination with our matching Kelim Gashgai.
Q: Dear Fara, thank you so much for letting us visit; it was great fun. I’ll check back in next week and hope there are still those delicious Franzbrötchen and we can meet again with one or another Kelim or rug here. Who knows?
A: I’d be delighted. Thanks for coming.
