This post is about a simple makeover project I did last week in my son’s room that took all of 30 minutes and costed less than $25 or INR. 2,000. It went on to become a huge hit among ‘grammers. The funny thing is all the materials for the project lay buried deep in the closet but never saw the light of the day. Last week, I came out of the decorating slumber to do this makeover project. I wonder what was the inertia for over three years because this project was intended to be done before we moved in. The son was clear of the color scheme for his room: black and white for the furniture and wardrobe with a deep blue accent wall, and decal for the door. Initially, I had planned the outline of a map to go with the blue background, but never got around to…
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…
Siddharth Kothari shares this 3-bedroom, 2,000 sq. feet apartment in Mumbai with his parents, Pradip and Nila. Yes, you read it right. In Marine Drive, Mumbai. I wouldn’t be surprised if your jaws dropped on seeing the square footage. They have called this space their home for more than five decades. Needless to say, the home in its earlier avatar was crying for restoration and a style upgrade to keep up with the times. Livspace worked on the renovation of entryway, living, dining, kitchen, puja room, and the powder room. The before pictures would have made us appreciate the makeover. Key takeaways from this project: Exposed brick wall always works irrespective of your theme. For a contemporary setting, go with a white exposed brick wall such as this one. For a retro or an ethnic theme, opt for a red brick wall. Use the ceilings and windows to your advantage.…
Hola! Let’s begin with a small activity, shall we? If you are at home, walk up to your bedroom. Plonk yourself on the bed. Who do you love the most in this world? Close your eyes. Take your time to think. Who was it? Let me guess: was it your parents, child, spouse? …. …. …. …. …. I was expecting, “Myself”. As in you. Now, look around, do you feel happy in this most private space of yours? Is it a reflection of what you love? Often, the space that is the most private to us gets lost in the race with the rest of the house. This space requires constant attention and revamping just as we grow and transform over the years. I believe our tastes in books, people, food, fashion finetune themselves with age. This post is a reflection of how I perceive this space to be. Unveiling…
So often you step into homes and wonder if it is someone’s home, or an exhibit of the interior designer’s craft — to be showcased for guests, prospective clients, and magazines. They lack the warmth, personal touch, and comfort. I wonder, “Who gets to make the final call when it comes to the comfort of furniture – the designer or the house’s occupants?” Who decides if the sofa should be white because it matches the rest of the theme and would look great in pictures? What if it’s a pain for to maintain with a continuous flow of guests and dust in the area? What if the vintage furniture is really comfortable to sink my rear into to chat or watch TV? Isn’t it my home after all? But, I see homes after homes lost in this race of trying to be a showpiece. So, you know instantly when spot a…
Averse to planning and budgeting? Hate numbers? Don’t fret. Not after you read this post. One of the oft-asked questions when you approach an interior designer is “What is your budget?” I cannot stress the importance of planning and budgeting for interiors because this is a huge project, one with many variables than buying the house itself. Often, we don’t know how much money we have and are scared to spend. At the other extreme, people end up buying more with limited resources, resulting in credit card debt. Both the extreme case scenarios are not ideal. And if you ask me, budgeting for interiors right up to the point of moving in starts well before you begin house hunting. Let’s say, if you can afford to spend Rs.1.5 crores, then ideally your house including registration should not cross 1.35 ~ 1.38 crores considering you don’t want to compromise on interiors.…
Good morning! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. When it comes to dressing up one’s balcony and learning a thing or two about container gardening, I look no further than the Nordic region. The design sensibilities, the color scheme (mostly whites offset with colorful furnishings), simple furniture, tall ceilings, and natural stained wood goes with what I believe in : keep it simple.
This post is about decking up one’s balcony along with the beautiful plants you may have. Most of the apartments featured here are much smaller than a typical 2 or 3 BHK in India. So, if they can look this beautiful, I don’t see any reason why we can’t do the same. Of course, the views from the Nordic apartments overlooking some quirky cafes, a clear night sky above, red rooftop houses, clean streets, lush green views, ancient architecture – it’s all a heady combination that we can’t bring home. But, why not try and make the most of what we have.
It need not cost a fortune to get this look. A simple rug from Cottage Industries or FabIndia, garden/outdoor chairs from Fab Furnish/Urban Ladder/Home Town, a lantern and colorful cushions are all you need to get this look. Many apartments have only one balcony that are rectangle in shape and double up for other things like drying clothes. So fitting in plants, clothes and furniture may be challenging. What you could do is move plants to rail planters and free up the ground space.
It need not be as perfect as the first image. A unkempt place looks just as pretty with the same components mixed and matched in bold colors to your taste.
It’s late Sunday afternoon. I’m sure most of you are excited and exhausted by Diwali preparations and shopping. Making sweets is not a very elaborate affair here. So, I just made a couple dozen gulab jamuns and lemon cake (for a change). Will be making rawa ladoo, coconut barfi and some savory tomorrow.
Have you picked up this month’s edition BBC GoodHome yet? It arrived in mail earlier this month, and one look of it felt like it was a collector’s copy. Beautiful in every way and packed with hundreds of ideas. I haven’t seen such a idea-filled copy in a really long time. Every page is worth devouring (I know not the right choice of word) , but that’s exactly how I felt. The staging, styling of home and ideas were very creatively executed. Don’t know if they have any images online but check out their FB page.
I usually look for Rangoli ideas a day or two before and assumed you must be doing the same too. Some rangoli ideas for you from GH Diwali contest:
