In this post, Indu Bheri, a regular reader of this blog, shares step-by-step instructions how she reupholstered a bench. She generously details the makeover. May I add she makes it sound easy to undertake one of our own. If you have been looking for some motivation to upholster your dining chairs ( I know I have) or bench, then grab this chance. If I may admit I have always dreaded fabric projects. Over to Indu now.. We have a dining table comprising four chairs and a bench. The table, bench and chairs are strong and in good condition but the faux leather on the seats started giving away. We used this for almost 10 years and I was contemplating if we needed a new dining set. I kept going back and forth and felt that’s unnecessary and we could do a makeover project for the bench. Took a trip to…
Katie shares the challenges of being an expat in India when it comes to renting and decorating a home. She lets us into her eclectic home that is gifted with natural light, her design sense and penchant for DIY projects. Lessons we can learn. If you are a regular reader of AT, I bet you have seen this. Digging through the treasures of AT, I re-discovered Katie’s home in New Delhi. As an expat living in the capital, it can be daunting to find a home on rent with enough natural light, space, and finally, furnishing it to one’s taste. On a budget, of course. When you look closer, you will find that the home is decorated on a shoestring budget with flea market finds, DIY hacks, and budget decorating objects like the railway clock. Things that don’t burn a hole in a one’s pocket yet make the home look…
Easter is a reminder of how soon time flies. It marks the end of another school year, and the beginning of summer break. With kids home, Easter is a harbinger of a prolonged period of messy homes, and DIY craft and science experiments all around the home. Some gone awry, of course. If you haven’t given Easter decorations much thought, don’t fret. I’ve rounded up seven, super-easy, fun DIY projects that you can do with materials around the house. You don’t have to run errands for craft supplies. But, you know what the biggest motivator is: these project promise to keep your kids busy for a while. 1. Pink brush stroke easter eggs: this project redefines easy. Boil white eggs, or take a couple of plastic eggs. With flat brush dipped in pink paint, gently paint the surface in random brush stroke patterns. Use a color of your choice. 2. Ink splattered…
Appearing for the big exam calls for a brief hiatus from the blog every time. Now that it’s over, the quant-analytical brain can be given a rest to indulge in the simple pleasures of life. And for me, it always starts soaking up images with a riot of colors. For three months, the BBC Good Homes magazine piled up waiting to be opened on June 6. Without fail, I did that yesterday and loved the recent issue the most for two reasons – it has dozens of ideas to decorate kids spaces and practical tips on gardening.
If you remember, I hand painted my son’s bunk bed last summer. The project is not complete and I intend to finish it now.For the benefit of international readers, I’m posting pictures from the issue.
Letting kids paint the pots is actually a brilliant idea. This summer vacation, I let my son paint all the diyas and pots with no instructions. Just let his imagination flow and you’d be surprised at the results. Shall post soon.
Before we get to the wooden collections from Jin Kuramoto Studio, let me tell you how I got there. I have two identical terra cotta pots with an interesting shape waiting to be painted and planted. I got it on my trip to Mahabalipuram; so they’ve been sitting in my balcony for over a month. I can’t settle on a design/color for the pots, and am constantly looking for fresh ideas. While scouting for modern patterns, I discovered materialicious. According to the folks who run the site, “materialicious™ (“shelter, materials and objects”) is a user-submitted visual curation site featuring modern architecture and design, craftsmanship, materials and products.” True to every word. You can’t get your eyes off the page once you start browsing, and before you realise you’ve spent enough time wasting looking at the stunners. Now, materialicious is what led me to Jin Kuramoto Studio. The wooden tea sets…
You’re well traveled. You love to cook. You’re an avid reader. You have an eye for interesting curios. Now, that means you have an impressive collection of souvenirs from the various countries you’ve visited, a good collection of recipe books, spices and well-stocked grocery, and an overflowing library. And, there’s always only so much space in an apartment to display one’s collectibles, right?
Umm, that’s true to only an extent. But, if you ask me, limited space is an excellent opportunity to change the look of your home often. Don’t you think cluttering a showcase with all those shot-glasses and porcelain frames from exotic locations is a tad boring and old-fashioned? For a minimalist look, introduce open shelves around the house. Line them asymmetrically to give it a stylish edge. The material is of your choice but wood looks classy.
Try not to clutter a shelf with too many similar objects. Change the display frequently by rotating your collectibles. This way you get to get out all you have on time or the other. Match a photo frame with a odd looking vase. Go wild. The part I like about open shelves is you don’t have to spend a fortune and it’s easy to maintain.
Plan carefully how many shelves you would need based on the room. If it’s a living/dining room, limit it to two or three. For a study/kids room, you can design them into open cubes for additional storage.
Here are several ideas for inspiration.
One long overdue project is re-designing our guest bedroom-cum-study in white. As my husband and I got discussing about it last week, we got into a small argument over wall color. As you may agree, getting a color palette that appeals to everyone involved is one of the challenging tasks while designing interiors. Let’s just say we’ve had better conversations on the subject. While on the subject, I’m reminded of an apartment I visited recently that was freshly painted in turquoise blue, bright orange, chrome yellow – every member in the family got to choose one color for a wall. Shall we safely forget the end results ? But, the people who live in it love it and, I think that’s what matters.
If you spend so much money and time, and don’t like what you’ve got done, then it’s money wasted. So, it’s good to browse/research a few designs online for choosing colors, visualizing it, planning the furniture and the other accessories that would be a part of the room before hiring the painters. Some colors like lime green or orange or magenta look great in ads but are not ideal for a small room cluttered with furnishings. Let me be honest here; I’m a color-hungry person. But, for once, I’m leaning heavily towards muted colors – shades of white, in particular.
When I said white, my husband remarked, “It will look like a hospital or hotel.” Now, there is a element of truth in this argument if not designed with care. There are downsides to decorating in white, such as being impractical for its high maintenance, lacks in warmth, and with no color or texture, it can get depressing. But, the positives far outweigh the negatives. White walls are suitable for any season; you need not re-paint the wall to match your furniture; you have all the freedom to bring color to the room through curtains, cushions, furniture, rugs and other accessories. Changing from a minimalist look to any other theme is relatively easy. Monochrome colors gel well with any trend. And, more importantly, white gives a feeling of peace and space like no other color.
For inspiration, I went searching for a few rooms dressed in white. So, let’s forget the violets, greens, peaches, oranges, bright reds, wild pinks and fall in love with white through these rooms.