Advertisement

Uwamahoro: Putting small spaces to good use

Friday October 21 2016
uwamahoro

Claudine Uwamahoro has used her hobby to transform small living spaces into spacious rooms and clutter free. PHOTOS | DENISE TUYI

Given the rise in urban population and the high prices quoted for land and houses, people have opted to make use of all space provided to the maximum.

More and more people are opting for smaller buildings and hence small rooms. “Small space living in Kigali can be chic and pretty if you want to,” says Aimee Claudine Uwamahoro who lives in a two bedroomed house in the heart of Nyarutarama.

Aimee’s house is a little haven of chic personality and painstakingly thought out décor and renovation.

“The moment I stepped into that house I knew we needed to make it a home for my guests and I,” said Ms Uwamahoro. She has lived in that house for a couple of years now and the owner keeps telling her to stay for as long as she wants.

She renovated most of the house from kitchen to a bathroom. “I had to give it a touch of pizzazz to make it more lively and since I love cooking so much the kitchen had to be a reflection of who I am, the entire house really is a reflection of who I am,” pointed out Ms Uwamahoro.

In this age of house décor evolution, Rwandans living around the country are not to be left behind and she has joined the bandwagon.

Advertisement

“I took short courses in Nairobi at a school named Beautiful Wedding Centre where I did wedding planning, public speaking, international relations and a little on event management,” she said.

The house is painted in white so to add a touch of her femininity she has a colourful tapestry of little and big artworks, pieces of furniture and natural light. Her bedroom is painted green because that is her favourite colour.

“I discovered my inner self when I did décor for friends. When people visited my house their gasps of surprise always revealed that there must be something right that I was doing,” mused Ms Uwamahoro as she explained on how she discovered her love for interior design.

She loves to travel and all the knickknacks she collects during her travels fill her house with art and a sense of versatility.

“I am often mixing and matching things so that they can blend and create a piece that would have been lacklustre. The focal point of the house is a sun creation I came up with, initially it was just a black wrought iron but after adding the colourful woven flowers to it, the entrance is much more alive,” explained Ms Uwamahoro.

She ventured into her own business, Green Decoration in 2013 after her sociology degree. “From the couch in the sitting room to the dining table set I had to personally go around town looking for carpenters who were able to do what I requested,” she said.

She has apps like Pinterest, Décor apps, Wedding decoration and food apps in her phone that keep her creative juices flowing.

“When I see something interesting I buy it, so I cannot say it has taken me long or in a short time it depends on what I set my eyes to. In order to save I mostly go for custom-made things after doing rounds on what is currently being sold in the market and I find it cost effective,” she said.

To make the house appear bigger, Ms Uwamahoro used mirrors and lots of lights to illuminate the room illuminated.