A Bahraini interior designer has attracted millions of views on social media documenting her journey of restoring and renovating a 100-year-old house in Germany.
Earlier this year, self-taught woodworker Fatema Mahfood began overhauling the property located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in the country’s southwest, and turning it into a ‘cosy abode’ for her and her family.
Along with her husband, Ahmed, the Bahraini creative has already made progress in the four-storey-house makeover, with viewers on Instagram and TikTok intently following the process.
“We were looking to move into a house since rents are very high in Germany but it was difficult to find a ‘new build’ that suited our needs and budget,” 35-year-old Ms Mahfood told the GDN. “Our best choice was to buy an old house, which could become even better than a new home once the renovation was completed,” the mother-of-three added.
“Older houses appeared so much bigger, had thicker walls, wider rooms and higher ceilings than the modern homes built in a more ‘economic’ style.
“We found one with a basement where I could have my workshop and not only that, it was also located in a town centre, whereas most of the newer homes were located on the outskirts without many services nearby.
“And, finally, renovation proved to be fun and made for great social media content!”
Boasting 285,0000 Instagram followers and 121,000 TikTok followers, Ms Mahfood has amassed a dedicated audience who patiently await for updates in her home renovation video series.
After moving to Germany eight years ago due to her husband’s work, the interior designer from Al Kawarah began an online business as she was unable to find a job in her field in her new country of residence.
Ms Mahfood said she taught herself woodworking, carpentry and furniture restoration skills because of being bored during the Covid-19 pandemic and being confined to home.
She decided to start posting videos of her turning used tables and cabinets into sparkling, stylish pieces and giving them a new lease on life by repairing and re-finishing them.
“When I opened my account, we had just moved into a new apartment and I had some renovations in mind, so I decided to do them and document them as I went,” she said. “In Germany, wood and construction materials are widely available in stores, accessible for anyone to buy, so I decided to give it a try and loved it.
“Eventually, I turned my hobby into a job, registered my business and began selling wood items online.”
She went on to buy an automated laser-carving machine, which she uses to make custom wooden memorabilia to offer on Etsy, an online platform for selling handmade items.
Her virtual shop, ‘ByFatema’, has made more than 1,300 sales and received a five-star rating by customers. She also wrote an Arabic-language guide to flipping furniture for people who wanted to learn restoration.
Ms Mahfood told the GDN that she encourages everyone to try their hand at do-it-yourself projects, and that it has become easier than ever with the large number of resources and tutorials available online.
“You can do anything on your own!” she added. “All the details and instructions are available on the Internet and are within everyone’s reach.
“As I already worked with furniture, I knew a thing or two about renovation so we decided to buy this old house and do as much as we could ourselves. In time, we found that we liked working on it and repairing the house turned out to be easier than we expected.”
The process of remodelling their bedroom and three children’s rooms in the apartment helped when it came to tackling the larger property project, she said.
By sharing her journey online, she also received helpful advice from followers. “By nature, people not only love to criticise, but they also like to give useful advice.
“I received a lot of suggestions, and some viewers alerted me about things that I wasn’t aware of. If I did not know how to do something, I would ask and my followers would offer answers. But you have to take the good with the bad, there will always be some negative and discouraging comments, that’s the nature of social media, so you have to be prepared emotionally.”
The Bahraini couple have so far removed uneven flooring in the kitchen and installed new floors and a new kitchen setup all by themselves. The walls have been stripped of old wallpaper and the basement is being turned into a workshop.
n She is looking forward to renovating the rest of the house, bought for an undisclosed price in May, and publishing the videos to her viewers. Check out Instagram @fatemaingermany.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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