It’s been two weeks since the last post? In my head, I thought I was away only this past week.  School admission and a very active cold virus in the house had kept us grounded for nearly a fortnight. However, I did find some time to hit the home decor stores in between for fresh finds.

I’ve been staying up late nights with a book, and once I’m done, it’s quite a task to walk off the bed and switch off the tube lights. Can you believe the bedroom does not have a table lamp yet? We’ve lead a nomadic life these past few years that some of the essentials never found a place. We are slowly getting our lives back in order and so is the house.  Well, I did have two, one of which I gave away when we last moved. I couldn’t find the shade for the other and came up with all these crazy projects t make one myself. It wasn’t worth the effort as the base, though never used, had suffered from the numerous packing/unpacking sessions. So, a table lamp figures high in the list of things to be purchased immediately.

I’ve been busy looking for interesting, simple and budget-friendly (under Rs.700) table lamps for my bedroom. It was quite disappointing to not find even a single tasteful piece at @ Home. It’s been a while since I stopped visiting Home Town. Home Town store displays are rather boring and highly priced.  Home Art didn’t stock any either. Can you believe what dismal lighting section most of these big retail stores have? So, I went to a few local light shops to find a clean lamp shade. Yes, I mean clean because most of the lamp shades (including the ones at @ Home on sale) are dirty from being over-exposed or lived a more shelf life than they were meant to.  In any case, it was a futile search in person and online to get a table lamp.

Some inspiration doesn’t hurt, does it?

Very functional table lamp

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Every once in a while, I get tired of modern home furniture and crave for something natural and minimalistic. I came across a flyer of bamboo furniture among some old magazines a neighbor lent me to read. The furniture was very impressive despite the rustic look.  I logged on to see if the company still(Logasree creations)  existed and what their current products looked like; it was quite disappointing to find no trail of  it any more.  But, that didn’t deter me from exploring further on Bamboo furniture.

If we ever buy a house on the countryside, this is how the furniture is going to look like

Living Room Bamboo Sofa

Doesn’t the living room look uber-cool with this bamboo sofa set? However, I think it would be nice to not have such a polished look for the walls and flooring; the earthiness is missing.

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What is it that you look at when you walk into a kitchen - at a friend’s, relatives’, your own or at a store? My eyes advertently scan the space for a clutter-free counter, organized pantry storage, layout, and to my surprise, how the pots and pans are stored.

I spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen cooking regular food or trying out new recipes and desserts for my son. Though keeping kadais and pans in the open makes for easy access and helps in drying naturally after washing them, I think it is an eyesore. Currently, I store my pans in a stainless steel stand over the sink and kadais in a large pullout drawer like the one below. I’d prefer to stash them away in cabinets but find most Indian modular kitchens ill-equipped in that area.

Pullout Drawer Utensil Storage

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How many receipts do you have in your purse this minute? Do you have bills ranging from dry clean, tailor, grocery bills from Reliance Fresh/More,  vegetables purchased last evening to parlor trips a fortnight ago? The secret is out - these are after all what  makes a woman’s purse bulky! But, if you are the one of those organized ones, then you do know what to keep and where to file and what is to be trashed.

An incident at my son’s pre-school got me started on this post. The school asked parents to submit the child’s file Monday morning. This is how the system worked - at the beginning of the school year, every child was given a file to be taken home, and subsequently it was the parent’s responsibility file the individual sheets of school work that was sent home. The sheets just got interesting with time - coloring, art work, finger printing, oral drilling of numbers and alphabets, and I could see my on growing every week.  So, when I went to drop him Monday morning with the neatly filed sheets of paper, I was stunned to see another mother submitting her child’s file. With not a fold at any corner of the file and no signs of dirt or whatsoever, she has brought it neatly enclosed in another transparent folder. Yes, she was one of those ideal people who had hacked life successfully and made lists of lists, if you know what I mean.

This incident was just an eye-opener to how far we can go in organizing stuff around the house for easy access. Receipts and bills add to clutter around the home easily. It need not be an overkill, but striking the right balance with organizing can save a lot of time and effort in finding something when you need it.

Some simple tips to help you in organizing better:

1. Grocery Bills - Unless you’ve made a big purchase or intent to exchange something, it’s a good idea to trash the bills after checkout.Most stores require to see bills at exit. On exit, just dump them in the trash can instead of stashing away in your purse.

2. Dry Clean/Tailor - Important receipts such as dry wash, tailor or photos, the ones that you need a week or fortnight later, often get lost in the mundane clutter. Store such ones in a drawer or a box after you get home. Label the box so you’d remember. You don’t have to buy a box if you don’t have one, just reuse a shoe box or a old chocolate metal box.

3. Utility Bills - Electricity , telephone, water, credit card, mobile bills, and bank statements tend to quickly accumulate.  What’s worse is you can’t find them when you need them on instances like furnishing address proof. Maintain a file for your utility bills. Wherever possible , opt to receive monthly statements by e-mail. This works well for credit card, mobile and bank statements. Once in six months, revisit the file to discard old bills.

4. Appliances Bills - Maintain a folder to store bills of big purchases such as TV, washing machine, camera, sofa, furniture or anything else that comes with a warranty. We know it as the “pink folder” in our home as all the important bills are filed there after every purchase.

What do you do when you’re feeling low some day? I eat a sinful brownie (a BIG one and don’t you remind me of the calories) and indulge my senses with beautiful pictures (of home accessories of course, what were you thinking?!).  FCML came to my rescue today and though it’s been long since I got over the down-and-out mood, I can’t get myself to close the site. So, here’s what I’ll do - share a few pictures that I’ve been enjoying and then hit the sack.

Have you ever seen a clock like this? I have not, which is way this figures on top of my list. It’s a good one for the kitchen or the dining area. But I would have liked a chrome finish and a smooth stem, without the bristles, on the spoons and forks.

Spoon and Fork Clock

I’m itching to make a colorful clock like this for my son’s room. My DIY antennae is already working overtime figuring out the best way to get started on this project. Stylish numericals, different colors, and numbers - what more does one want?

Kids' room clock

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Your foyer is an indication of what to expect inside the home. Color or muted interiors, organized or cluttered,  storage space, accessories etc. A organized, tastefully decorated foyer generally leads to a equally well-maintained home. If the entryway is disheveled, then your guess is as good as mine as to how rest of the house will be.

I’ve always liked having a foyer so that the front door doesn’t open directly into the living room.  But, unfortunately, the apartments I’ve lived in have never had one.  So, I’m always scrambling for a space to hang coats, helmets, keys, and place the shoe rack. Imagine having a house plant or a vase with fresh flowers on top of the shoe rack - what a welcoming feeling every time one steps inside the house.

Several apartments I’ve seen in metros do not have a foyer. And surprisingly, all but very few apartments in tier-II and tier-III cities have one. So, why do you need one and what comprises the space? I need it for two reasons - privacy and storage.

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