In this post, I talk about how to choose the right kind of floor and wall tiles for your home, the different types of tiles available in the market, and what makes one a best choice for every room. I use Oasis tiles as an example here to illustrate the right choice. One of the often asked questions/email queries from the readers of the blog is on tiles. You may wonder why a common topic such as tiles would pique the interest of so many people. Often, the seemingly simple ones are the ones that take up the most time when you are building a home. The questions I get range from the obvious such as how to choose tiles for a bathroom to how much would it cost to redo the flooring of a room. You may recall my hunt for the perfect aqua blue tiles for my kitchen. It…
Thanks to a bunch of sites catering to every fetish from street wear to handicrafts, working is so much fun now. When I want a minute’s break, I just let myself be distracted and click on one of the ads that pop up. And boy, am I glad when I find a treasure on a newly discovered site. Like a old wooden block, an antique shelf, a block printed kurta in indigo, or a kantha cushion. Of course, it’s another story that a minute’s break often stretches into ten minutes or more, and I feel guilty before getting back to work. It’s Friday. The weekend is almost here, and you are allowed to sneak a few more minutes into your break time :) I’m sure there are many of you out there who spends hours window gazing like me. I have five awesome picks for you today from Askmebazaar all under Rs.…
Today’s Friday shopping picks are a bit different than usual. These are stuff I have purchased and have been using so can vouch for it. If you have a garden to tend to, then these may interest you. 1. Pruning scissors for Rs.165 from Amazon. 2. Falcon Hedge Shears 999 – 10″ for Rs. 528 from Ugaoo. Got a 20% discount on signing up. I realise these are too big and heavy for me. My hands ached the whole evening :( But, it did a great job. I guess even the Falcon Hedge Shear 666 or 888 should suffice. I managed to cut grass earlier with normal large-sized scissors. 3. 8 medium-sized grow bags from Cocogarden on Amazon for Rs. 259. I haven’t used the bags yet, but they seem to be of good quality. 4. Oncrop cucumber organic seeds for Rs. 50 from iRely. Unlike most seeds I have…
Planning to buying a old home and renovate it on a budget? Then this is for you. You will discover which interior designer to connect with, and garden, flooring and furnishing ideas. There’s something about taking a peek inside real homes. There’s a bit of suspense of what lies behind those doors, of how people dress their homes, and the excitement builds if the doorway is tastefully decorated. What I have for you today is the renovation of a 20-year old home in Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore by Jyothika Baleri of Destination Designs. Renovated homes are tricky and it takes trained eyes to see beyond what is obvious and unlock the potential. What to consider when renovating a home Typical questions that would arise in one’s mind are: does the house need to be demolished completely? what architectural features can I retain? how much of the wood can be reclaimed and put…
Overcast skies. Hair gently blowing in the wind. Colors as pretty as these. Blue pottery; block prints; copper vessels. So much diversity under a roof and everything that India stands for. Elegantly dressed ladies draped in beautiful saris. What an electric atmosphere. Sampoorn Santhe is back in town with its visually enticing stalls. If you are craving for Indo-fusion wear in indigo hues, this is the exhibition to go to. Several stalls stacked with block-printed skirts, palazzos, culottes, and dresses. The regulars at Sampoorn were there along with some new entrants. I took a break for a few months from these exhibitions as there were the usual suspects (same stalls) hosted by a different banner each time. And with too many exhibitions happening all around the year, it had lost its novelty. But, it felt good this afternoon. It was good to see Vaaso again. Some pictures from the exhibition.…
Today I have a super easy DIY post for you. Remember in the rope shelves post, I promised to show you how to make a hanging planter with rope. Ready?
I had been scouting for good balcony railing planters to hold the rectangular planters but yet to find one that doesn’t cost a fortune. I am not too fond of the custom made welded ones. So until then here is a stop gap solution to save floor space and give the plants extra sunlight.

Things you’ll need:
- a plastic rectangular planter of any size
- screw driver
- two ropes of equal length
- two S hooks – the kind you use in the kitchen. You’ll get it in any hardware shop for Rs.20-25 a piece
- soil/potting medium like cocopeat
- newspaper
Steps:
1. Spread a newspaper on the floor and if you have soil in the planter, empty the contents.

In this post, I analyse and review if you should consider buying a row house in Renaissance Nature Walk. Continuing with the House Hunt series, today I present to you one of our ah! moments. One where space is the king. One where light rules, and flows in unhindered. One where you can spread a chataai on the terrace and gaze at the stars without the exhaust smoke choking your lungs. One where you can indulge in a hobby. One where you can take a walk every evening without watching your step for stepping over trash. One where there is a hint of greenery from the living, dining, and the guest bed room. One where the windows are not dots on the wall; they are the prominent features. One where the living room opening up to the green patch gets a character with the double ceiling; it makes you feel the…
Owning a house was THE goal after kids’ education and wedding for our parents’ generation. That is slowly changing now with most of us getting an apartment in early 20s. Signing on the dotted line in the agreement should bring happiness. Ads show images of folks like us sitting on the balcony/lawn sipping tea leisurely flipping through the pages of newspaper. Often, they are flanked by manicured lawns, a blooming garden and children playing carefree on wide roads. How far from reality! Making the decision took us months after an exhausting house hunt. And when we made the decision, we had butterflies in our stomach and months of sleepless nights over loan and interiors. We had no clue what we had signed up for. And I’m sure there are hundreds of you out there on the same journey. A house is a big fat elephant. Things were not so complicated…
There is a phase in my life when I am obsessed about something. For now, it is ceramic and glass jars. Anything but plastic. Love the Organica pickle bottles. Wish they were square. I find myself buying those pickles for the bottles. Do you have glass jars lying around the house? If yes, then this DIY will be a breeze. I picked up four of these glass jars with a hole in the lid from Home Town for Rs. 150 a piece. These make cute containers for serving juices at parties. But, I saw huge potential in these to be used for potpourri or as soap dispensers in the bathroom. The hole in the lid makes it a lot easier to push the dispenser through. Things required: Glass jar Hammer Screw driver Some heat source Dispensing pump from another soap dispenser How to make a soap dispenser: Turn the cap of the…
The credit for today’s DIY goes to my 9-year old Pranav who has been a HUGE origami buff for over four years now. There was a time when his days were filled with only paper planes, transforming ninja stars, and dragons. During that time if there was something called persistence, I was learning it from him. It all started with a F-16 fighter jet model that he couldn’t get past after the 30th step – some squash fold. Tadashi Mori is his hero when it comes to origami. For two years in a row, we made Origami birthday invites. It was awesome. Can’t kids be kids forever/why do they have to grow up? I wanted to have a gallery wall exclusively for his origami creations when we moved into the new place. I guess I have a DIY activity charted out before the end of this month. So a few…


