When we moved to this house about three years ago, I converted this room downstairs into a play area/ study area for the kids. Now that the kids are older and much more independent, we moved their study desks in their bedrooms, and this room became a room where we would keep Sheru (our dog) while he was house trained.
Anyways, long story short, this room has gone through a few changes over time(you can view the previous makeover here).
This room was screaming for a purpose and a makeover, so I decided to make it a guest room, but an extraordinary one – it’s a Nani/Daadi’s room for when my mom or Mohsin’s mom’s visit us.
Here is what this room looked like a couple of months ago (a complete mess!)


When I decided to do something with this room, I first connected with Rochelle, who has started a new venture, Aisha’s Attic, where she gets old furniture and refurbishes them. She puts new life in those old pieces – she’s a magician! It’s such a fantastic way of reusing old stuff. It is eco-friendly, but I love the character and story that these old pieces bring to a room. I wanted a chest of drawers for the guests to have some space for their stuff and a mirror/dressing area for the grandmas! Rochelle found these two pieces as per my requirement from the Facebook marketplace, and after a few brainstorming sessions, we decided on what we want to do with them.
Here are the before and after of the two pieces.
I love these two pieces and how they bring so much character to this room.
I also added a few old pieces, and using what I had at home and bought only a few new pieces (like the moora’s), I put together this room keeping in mind that it should be grandma friendly!
I like pretty decor pieces, but more than that, I like the story behind them. This room has many old things and elements like Mohsin’s daadi’s paandaan and my father’s lensometer from his clinic. I also wanted to have some cultural pieces that remind the guests of our culture and show them a little bit of the Qatari heritage (hence added elements like a desert rose, and coffee table book on Qatar etc.). The Willow Tree figurines that were are a gift from my brother, symbolizing us siblings.
























Where I bought the stuff from
Dressing Table & Chest of drawers – Aisha’s Attic
Chair – Home Centre
Mooras (Pakistani Stools) – Home Centre
Table Lamp, Floor Lamp and Pendant Lamp – Home Centre
Cushions – Home Centre, Pan Emirates and H&M Home
Rug – Pan Emirates
Daybed – IKEA
Macrame Wall hanging – Home Centre
Planter with stand – West Elm
Vases and Lantern – Pan Emirates
Candle Stand (floor) – Liwan
Virsa planter – Unique Space
Wooden Tray (dressing table) – H&M Home
Wooden Serving Tray – Home Centre
“Be Our Guest” plaque – Hallmark
Karachi Map – Bela Zeba
You can check out my other room makeovers below