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.

An assortment of shelves

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Pleasant in the mornings, hot in the afternoons, showers in the evenings and cool in the nights. That’s Bangalore weather for you. During late afternoons, it gets totally dark setting the scene for a heavy downpour. And, this is when I get busy giving into a latest obsession - hand painting terracotta planters. I’ve tried on different colors on a few planters we picked on our return from the Mahabalipuram trip. It’s an understatement to say I’m having fun painting them. It’s fun mixing the colors, wiping it away when I feel the colors are either too strong or too subdued, and start redoing it from scratch. The colors look stunning in the hot summer weather. And, I’m constantly searching the web for inspiration.

Some of my latest rustic creations:

The circles are stenciled on a terracotta planter white white as base. I haven’t primed the surface and the surface is not smooth (no sanding) as I wanted it that way for outdoors.

Puzzling circles planter

Here are a few I liked at Crate and Barrel. I’m in love with colors. I think the herb designs on white planters look neat. I’ve been toying with the idea of growing parsley once again. Every single time in the past has been a disaster. It so happens that rats are fond of the green leaves and once the plant starts growing, it attracts the pests. The floral patterns, though a tried-and-tested one, never fails to charm me. When you’ve run out of ideas, you can safely go back to this one  and still feel good about it.

Floral planters

As always, I’ve saved the best for the last. This set is from Anthropologie. The colors and designs look very Indian. They remind me of mehendi and designs one often sees on handicrafts. Bright colors, cool shapes and intricate eye-catching designs definitely make them stand out from the rest.

Anthropologie planters

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.

White walls and floors, multicoloured accessories

Bedroom in hues of gray and white

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If there is one room in the house where the concepts are changing for ever, it has to be the children’s rooms.  Some characters like Barbie and Spider Man linger on; they were there in the 80’s, are there now and I’, sure you will find them even in 2032. While others like Disney characters or Noddy make way for newer ones. There is no dearth of new Doras, racing cars and Dinosaurs in the world of fantasy.

As a parent, I’m sure one is all too eager when it comes to decorating their kid’s rooms more than their own. With no restrictions on colors, themes, plenty of moolah, and a plethora of ready-made options available in today’s home stores, it’s a fun activity!

Wallpaper Mural

Childspace is one of the kid’s concept stores I like in Bangalore. They stock a wide range of bunk beds with varied storage options, attached study units and matching wardrobes. A visit to their store is a treat to the eyes. Not quite compact, but most of their beds can be accommodated in today’s apartments. Childspace opened a new store in Marathahalli on the Outer Ring Road a few months ago. However, I happened to stop by only last evening.There, I found this series of wallpaper from Walltatstic, a UK based company that specializes in murals. Walltastic murals are marketed in India through Kankids ( I don’t have their number). Childspace stocks very few of these murals while the rest can be obtained by placing an order.

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Are you itching to transform your bedroom, study or, even the living room, for that matter? Tired of seeing the same interiors when you walk in at the end of the day? Has it been a long time since you got that painting job done or spent some money renovating your apartment?

Walls are the most easy spaces in a house to bring about a quick transformation without spending a fortune. There is also enough room for experimentation when it comes to walls. I present you with three quick ways to re-do one wall of a room under Rs.10,000.  I say, one wall, because this wall become the focal point of the room and overdoing it can make it look cluttered, small and remove the magic.

1. Cladding: It is a technique for applying non-structural material to the walls of a room. More and more apartment owners are choosing to apply wall cladding to their living rooms, of late. It was a popular decor option for exterior walls but cladding has now moved indoors. Materials range from stones and tiles to fabric and wood. Stone cladding in earthy colors such as sandstone and beige are very popular. Fabric cladding is not very ideal for tropical conditions. A 8*10 ft wall will roughly cost you Rs.7,000 for stone cladding including labor. stones and mosaics come in a wide range of colors and sizes. It takes about 4-6 hours to complete a wall of this size. Once cladding is done, it is easier to maintain. Of course, there is a downside to every good thing. You cannot change the look of the wall easily.

Wall Cladding

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Silver is as much an indispensable and invaluable part of every Indian family’s possession as gold is. It is not uncommon to see a silver plate or set of glasses used by your (great) grand parents. Silver is traditionally passed down generations. The elegant transformation in designs  is very evident now. The solid heavy plate of the early 1900s has given way to one engraved with fine inlay designs in gold. The silver collectibles, traditionally given away to daughters in marriage, ranged from chandan bela, glasses and plates to lamps of varying sizes. It’s legacy that is treasured in many families. It was reflective of their taste and style.

In the olden days, I’m told grand parents regularly ate in silver plates which gave way to stainless steel plates around the 70’s, when usage of silver articles was limited to festivals and grand family functions. But, now I see more and more of silver being used for daily use. Thanks to it’s inherent quality, silver doesn’t crack, break or lose its sheen.

I was compelled to do a post on silverware when I saw this exceptional line of tableware from Gruppo Greggio in the last month’s issue of BBC Good Homes. This range is apparently available at the World of Silver stores in India. The prices looked very steep but it doesn’t harm to get inspired and add silver tableware to one’s collection, if only from the local silversmiths.

Ricci

Spoon and fork Set

More spoons and forks

Alright, I have to agree there was a moment when I felt drawn more for the styling than the silverware. Wouldn’t it be really nice to host dinner in such an elegantly set table?

Image Courtesy:

Greggio

Table and Home

The weather is changing; it was hovering over 39 degrees burning us alive with the heat just two days back and today it is all cloudy and chill. The drastic change in weather is a welcoming change to our moods but not so much for the plants.

Have you noticed how the growth of plants suddenly slows down when seasons change? Just as we adapt ourselves in clothing and eating habits based on the weather condition, it’s important to modify feeding patterns for plants through the year.

In her book on homemaking tips, Household Wisdom, author Stephanie Donaldson writes, “There is a world of difference between a healthy, ?flourishing houseplant and the sad specimens that die a slow, lingering death on the windowsills and mantelpieces of far too many homes. The mortality rate among houseplants is staggeringly high. Half the fatalities are killed by kindness such as overwatering and and overfeeding, while the other half starve to death — an occasional splash of water and no feed.”

Here are some tricks that have worked for me:

1. Group the plants together.

2. Develop a watering pattern for every season. Check the moisture content in the pot by inserting your finger in the soil before you water. If you’ve placed the pot in a saucer, then the roots will remain moist for more than a day. If you’ve been watering every evening during summer and continue to do so even during the monsoon, then the plants are bound to die a slow death.

3. Some plants require a lot of sunlight while others thrive well in shade. However, avoid keeping any plant directly in sunlight. South-facing windows or balconies receive more sunlight during the day than the north-facing ones. Choose your plants based on the location of your balcony or garden.

4. The compost in soil when you get plants from a nursery lasts for a maximum of six weeks.Some plants such as money plant do not require any manure while others can grow at a faster rate with manure.  Tea leaves, vegetable and fruit skins work well as manure.

5. Beware of pests. I’ve lost way too many plants to pests. Check the underneath of leaves for any signs and spray a pesticide at least once in three months.

6. Remove the yellow leaves regularly. Yellow leaves are not signs of a dying plant. Old leaves give way to new leaves.

What are your tricks of caring for houseplants?