Daily Times

LAHORE: Marina Home Interiors Country Director Rehana Rajput sees great potential for premium furniture, accessories and interior decorators in Pakistan, and envisions to stamp her brand’s authority on the flourishing home fashion industry in the country.

“Marina Home Interiors aim to strike a balance between sophistication, modernity and youthfulness,” Rehana emphasised during an exclusive interview with Daily Times. “People love the exotic pieces we have collected from all over the world, including fossilised tables and railway tracks wood. At Marina, we strive to provide more than a retail store, as our goal is to help people design their spaces and realise their dreams.”

Conceptualised in 1997, Marina Home Interiors is a premium home décor retail chain based in Dubai and operating in eight countries worldwide. It made an entry into Pakistan earlier last year and since the launch of its flagship store in Lahore, the brand has been successful in offering fashionable, signature pieces of furniture that are unrivalled in the interior arena.

“The brand is synonymous with quality, creativity and a strong inspirational value proposition,” the country director asserted. “Last month, Marina Home Interiors opened its doors to audiences in Islamabad with a view to transform the concept of interior designing in the capital and neighbouring cities. The designing of our products is exclusive, luxurious and royal, keeping in mind the exquisite taste of Islooites. With the kind of response the brand has received so far, we plan to extend our services to facilitate Karachites in the future as well.”

The products displayed at the launching ceremony of Marina Home Interiors in Islamabad, attended by some of the country’s leading interior designers, architects, members of the media fraternity and a loyal clientele, reflected individuality, quality and uniqueness in their designs. Rehana said the brand’s singular appeal has resulted in it being a preferred home décor store of choice by millions of satisfied customers, adding that the display included some fascinating cross-cultural fusions of the modern classics and chic contemporary designs.

The brand is present in some of the most prominent and commercial locations in the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian sub-continent. “Due to our increasing clientele in Dubai, we observed that Pakistanis have a natural flair for home décor and there was a huge market for quality furniture in the country. We came to Pakistan with a mission and that was to set a precedent in the home fashion industry. With the variety of products we have, I am confident that Marina Home Interiors will continue to facilitate citizens like nobody else.”

Sharing her experiences of working in the retail industry for the last nine years, Rehana opined although conditions were not ideal for women to step into the retail and sales industry, but passion for the job, persistent approach and hard work were some of the requisites to achieve success. She urged young women entrepreneurs to venture into the sales industry, as Pakistan, being a densely populated country, offers great potential for aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals.

Born and brought up in Hyderabad, she lamented the lack of quality education in the area while growing up, and believes in equal right to education for everyone in the country. “Although it was tough, but stronger was my resolve to achieve and succeed,” she remarked. Rehana said she is glad that things are finally moving in the directions now, but admits that the there is still a lot of room for improvement as far as professionalism and ethics are concerned in the country.