Beauty guru revolutionising the interior décor space

The interior décor space is growing with more people preferring to engage the services of professionals for their homes or offices decoration as opposed to resigning to doing the job themselves. Ashamo Hammed talks about her love for all spaces beautiful. 

Rose Muthoni

When did you start Ashamo Interiors

I first ventured into the world of interior décor in 2017, when I started the Facebook group Glam My Home.

In 2018, however, I decided to actualise my long-held dream of beautifying peoples’ spaces.

Unfortunately, the name Glam My Home, which I initially wanted to call my company, was already taken.

My sister then suggested Ashamo Interiors, but I was not sold. I did not want to use my name at all.

She was of the opinion that Ashamo was already a brand, given my ventures in the make-up world and now in the interior décor field.

I hesitantly put it up for a search during my company’s registration process hoping it was taken. It was not.

That is how Ashamo Interiors was born. The name grew on me about a year later.

How many projects have you handled so far?

Many. I have lost count. I usually handle between 10 to 12 projects in a span of three months, that translates to about 36 to 40 projects a year.

Which is your biggest project to date?

It was among the first projects I worked on in 2018. Ashamo Interiors was still at its infancy. The project was very high end.

The client had been shopping around for an interior decorator who could bring her dream to life. She had spoken to several designers, but none really understood her needs.

Whilst driving along Muthaiga, she saw a billboard advertising new homes for sale.

She called the number to see whether the realtor had worked with an interior decorator. She had not.

But the realtor was my follower on my social media pages and quickly recommended me.

A Facebook message later from the realtor, the client called and set up a meeting the same day at Safari Park Hotel.

We went to the site and I got the job. Prior to it, I had done a three-bedroomed house.

This was four times bigger. It was my breakthrough project, as high-end clients started streaming in. 

What would you love to change in the interior décor space?

 Perceptions. For instance, the toilet window is always small because people think that is how it is supposed to be. I am trying to change the narrative. 

Why interior décor?

Well, I was a make-up artist first. I founded a page on Facebook, Glam Life, which empowered and opened up the make-up space.

But I had foresight and could see an influx of make-up artistes coming. That is when I shifted to interior décor. 

Previously, I loved beautiful spaces, but I did piecemeal décor; a curtain here, a sofa there.

Tracing back to the businesses I had run previously, including a bedding then a kitchenware enterprise, I discovered, with the help of my husband, that this was what I was meant to do.

My first complete project was my bedroom and it gave me the confidence to turn it into my main hustle.

Can you trace where your love for beautiful spaces started?

 I grew up in Bondeni Slum in Nakuru. My mum loved decorating her house. Every year, four to five days before Eid, we would transform the house in readiness for the festivities.

We would get a new paint job, new beddings, linen and curtains. We never once repeated a furniture combination. This is where I got my interior décor grounding.

 If you were to host anyone you admire in your house for lunch, who would it be and what would you ask them?

 I would invite Tabitha Karanja of Keroche Breweries. I would love to know how she made it in a male-dominated field.

I would also find out how she balances being a mother, wife, sister, friend and boss without all of it consuming her. 

What is your basic interior tip?

Paint your walls. There is nothing a fresh coat of paint cannot sort. 

What are some of the challenges you have encountered while running Ashamo Interiors?

 Dealing with different personalities is hard. There are clients who are very indecisive, who tend to see the world through their friends’ lenses.

One day you have settled on what to do and the next, their friends have discouraged them from taking the next step. This means that we spend a lot of time in the preparation phase. 

What would you tell someone looking to venture into the world of interior décor?

 Just go for it. It is scary, but just start. Ask yourself; what if it really works? Instead of what if it does not work?