Interior Design Alumna’s Artefact Boutique

The VCUarts Qatar interior design graduate had just launched her own artefact boutique Mavi Bonjuk (‘Blue Bead’ in English) in March, at the Pearl, when the COVID-19-induced lockdown drove everyone indoors. “I might as well stop right here!” was the first thought that crossed her mind.                                                    

Four months later, Begum is scrambling to meet demand for her handmade Turkish art pieces. And, she’s roped in other VCUarts Qatar alumni as well, displaying and selling their creations in her shop.

“I hadn’t anticipated that staying indoors would – purely by chance – give people the time to think about redesigning the interior of their homes!” she says. “In the past few months, there’s been an increasing demand for these Turkish artefacts. Customers are reaching out to me via the shop’s Instagram account, but news seems to be spreading by word of mouth as well.”

Begum’s shop, situated at Porto Arabia 13 at the Pearl in Doha, sells handcrafted one-off pieces in wood, cloth, metal, paper, paint, terracotta, and wool, including organic and non-toxic ones as well.

See more of the designs from her shop, including those by VCUarts Qatar alumni, on Instagram at mavibonjuk_qa