All things Ajrak |

Wondering what Ajrak is? Ajrak is a name given to a unique style of block printing done in Sindh, Pakistan. And it is breathtakingly gorgeous. Ajrak has over the years become a sort of symbol of Sindhi culture.

I’ve used an Ajrak throw here as a bed head. When I had shop back in Australia I had a lot of queries about using these textiles to upholster furniture. Im sure it can be done, but why do you need to make that sort of commitment when you could pretty much use a throw to camouflage your existing bed head? I’ve always had issues with committing to large expensive pieces of furniture, I’m worried I’ll regret it later so instead I love this way. Get a basic upholstered bed in a basic or a neutral color, and then use rugs, throws, scarves to change the entire look of your bedroom!

When I first came to Australia, I did not want to commit to any big piece of furniture, so we were sleeping on a mattress on a floor for a pretty long time before my husband got sick of it and told me that if I didn’t get it that very day, he would go buy a bed himself. I thought he was joking, but he wasn’t. I was going away to complete my degree back home in Pakistan and I was scared he’d get something ugly, so I went and got something ugly myself. In my defence honestly I did not know the markets, the places, the shops and just bought a decent looking bed with a leather bead head. I was okay with it.

Then I hated it. I hated the black and wish I had invested in something white or oatmeal or just generally…light. In our first apartment the floors were a beautiful washed wooden tone so the bed didn’t feel all that grave, but we recently moved into a house with dark grey carpets, and somedays I just get sick of the black/brown.

So every now and then I bust out the tool box and roll up my sleeves to give my bed a good ol’ make over… Fine, I don’t really own a tool box. And it kills me! I have literally been begging my husband to get me one ever since I discovered the beautiful world of DIY. He refuses because he thinks I’ll kill myself (by accident of course), I think he’s just making excuses because he doesn’t want a tool box around incase I’ll ask him to use it. But I digress, with limited resources financially to be able to buy a new bed more suited to my current tastes which change every month, and zero skills in the DIY department, I generally just use a throw/textile piece, and to be honest it works pretty well.

I used an Ajrak throw with mirror detailing that I designed (and used to sell too) over my bed head and absolutely loved it! And I wanted to keep to the Ajrak theme so popped in the blue Ajrak mirror pillow to add a bit of a contrast to all the Maroon and Black in the throw.

I totally dig this look, I like how it looks against the white sheets and added the beige throws to soften the look to help the white from looking too cold. I think I’ll keep it!

Tip: If you invest in bigger pieces like furniture, they should always be neutral. Think of your room like a canvas, and then work around it. So you always want to make sure you have a blank canvas to work with!

We know the cheapest most affordable ways to freshen interiors is of course by home wares like throws, pillows, new linen, decor items etc. We hear that all the time. But I find you can go a step further if you get creative with how you use these things. Using a throw as a bed head, table linen as bed spreads, cushion covers as wall art, thats the sort of stuff you should be doing to get the most of out items like these.

Looks pretty easy right? And it is, unless you have a toddler running around trying to “fix” everything. See example below