Tag: India

SHOPPING

An Expert Reveals How to Buy Handmade Rugs / Dhurries Online

4 hours, 31 minutes. That’s the time I spent researching to buy a rug/dhurrie online. That was before House of Ekam sent me this beautiful embroidered cotton rug. Thanks to the time tracker application on my browser that documents how (un)wisely I spend my time. In my defense, I was being over cautious after the last rug fiasco; I had recently bought a navy handwoven dhurrie at an exhibition that has now turned into light grey. “Your thoughts become things.” Rhonda Byrne Do you believe in the universe your thoughts? Now, I have reason to. But, you know what I was more glad of? To receive some words of wisdom from Tanvi, the founder of House of Ekam. I picked her brain to understand more about rugs, how to buy rugs online, how to clean or wash them periodically in the dusty environment we all live in India, and live…

SHOPPING

Where to shop for lights in Mumbai? Bookmark this guide to the wholesale market.

No Comments

Long before online shopping and malls came to town, one’s go-to place for bulk shopping, festival shopping, home furnishing, or even electronics were the wholesale markets. They were the pulse of the city, its identity, and in many trend-setters; the goods came here first before they hit the display windows of retailers. One honed the life skills of identifying good quality stuff, navigating through the crowded streets jostling shoulders with hawkers and window shoppers alike, and the art of of bargaining in these narrow by-lanes. Every city in this country has its own famed wholesale market; a street dedicated to a particular good like books, clothes, electronics, packaging and stationery, lights and so on. Systematic chaos. And no visit for a tourist was ever complete without stepping foot in one of these. Often, a visit to these markets was a task in itself that required meticulous planning: how to get…

SHOPPING

How Many Hours Of Sleep Is Required To Rejuvenate Your Body?

No Comments

Even though there are recommendations, there is no hard or fast rule that says that you need a particular number of hours of sleep in order to rejuvenate your body. You need enough to feel awake, be aware and also be able to think creatively. Sleeping disorders are becoming more common today and credit goes to the fact that people are trying to do more by extending their work hours into their sleep time. But the reality is that, when you sleep for the required number of hours, your mind is more active and you can finish your work efficiently and that too in quick time. Recommendations given for Number of Hours of Sleep: Given below is the recommendation given by the National Sleep Foundation segregated as per the age of the person involved. New Born Babies need to sleep for a minimum of 14 to 17 hrs a day.…

CLEANING & ORGANIZING

Pest Control: How To Get Rid of Cockroaches From Your Kitchen

6 Comments

Roaches. Those creepy little things that give you goosebumps anytime you spot them. I wonder why they were created in the first place. Nothing makes me squirm as much as these dirty little things. They are not only creepy to look at, but quite unhygienic and hazardous health wise to have in a home. The tricky question is how do you exterminate roaches? The answer is : Pest Control. How often have you switched on the kitchen lights in the middle of the night to find the creepy little dirty insects moving about freely? Do you tip-toe into your bathroom like a detective carefully inspecting the corners behind the door before stepping inside? I doubt I would be so scared of any other creature on Earth..cockroaches make me shriek loud enough for the whole building to hear. That makes me take a lot of preventive steps to keep the pest…

3 BHK

A Sprawling Mumbai Home Gets a Scandinavian-Inspired Makeover

No Comments

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.…

LIFESTYLE

Add To Your Cart: Set Up Your Guest Bed Room In Less Than INR 95,000

No Comments

If you had INR 95,000 to set up a guest room, what would you add to your cart to make the room functional and aesthetic? Check out my list. We live in an era where we understand and appreciate the merits of shopping online – be it for our personal wardrobe or taking it as far as setting up a whole home. The convenience of comparing prices, designs, returns if it doesn’t match our preferences or dimensions are unparalleled. I wanted to illustrate how to set up a guest bed room in less than INR 95,000. This is more along the lines of “Shop the look” you may find on many sites, but this is more comprehensive in that products are curated from multiple sites and chosen to fit a budget and a minimalist theme without going over the top. These are bare essentials for a room. Having said that,…

KITCHEN

Capricoast: A kitchen in the making

12 Comments

It’s been three months since we moved into this new house. It feels like home now. We cherish the crisp air in the mornings, the evening breeze, and I must sheepishly admit, I sometimes miss the sounds and cacophony of Marathahalli. In today’s post, I offer you first glimpses into my kitchen: a place that I hold dear to my heart because of the time and effort that went into its planning, civil modifications, designing, choosing a vendor and execution. Kitchen layout: It is a 14 feet long by 11.5 feet wide east facing kitchen. The kitchen is flanked on north side by the living room wall and on the south by the utility. It is open on the east and faces the main road on the west. There is a huge 4 * 3 window on the west side. Civil modification: Originally, the kitchen was smaller as it had…

REAL ESTATE

Bought a new home and losing your sleep over interiors? Plan and budget better with this foolproof checklist.

No Comments

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.…

Uncategorized

Can digital prints bring life to a wall?

1 Comment

What do you think: is putting up digital prints on a wall too textbook-ish style of decorating, or does it have the potential to stand out? Well, it depends, I think. If it’s funny, quirky and makes one take a second look, then yes, it’s maybe worth it. The folks at Crude Area wrote to me and there were three prints that I really liked.

Uncategorized

Guest post: Wall decals to deck your walls

1 Comment

(This is a guest post by Sankalp Patil, owner of Kakshyaachitra Arts that produces wall decals.) Wall decals are a new and happening mode of wall decoration. With the right use of design and color, you can achieve outstanding results in your home. Decal designs can range into different areas like quotes, nature, kids’, celebrities, mythology and everything that can be converted into a design. This simple ‘Two Butterflies and a flower’ wall decal adds so much of charm and style to the wall. Also, this ‘Beautiful Blossoms Wall Decal’ effortlessly livens up any unnoticed corner of the house. You can experiment more with the colors and sizes of these flowers. Nature wall decals are favorite among the decal users. This simple ‘Tall Branch Wall Decal’ or the ‘Birds on Branches wall decal’ adds so much to the aesthetic appeal of the wall. Large size decals can be used to produce much more…