I doubt if there is any design enthusiast who is not a daily reader of AT; it’s very likely you may have drooled over these images. But, in case, you got lost in the deluge of posts, here you go. It was worth every penny re-posting it here.  The stacking vessels are made by Pia Wüstenberg. They are actually three vessels made from three distinct materials: wood, ceramic and glass.  Colored glass actually make for great planters and objects to deck up a window sill.

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This week I’m going to showcase some inexpensive projects done around the house. We’ll cap it with a easy, DIY project on Friday.

If you remember, I’d spoken about wall cladding a while ago. The project, in itself, was easy to get done, but making the decision was hard. We went back and forth choosing the tiles, questioning often if it go well with the new paint color or not. Of course, if you don’t intend to re-paint anytime soon, it might be easy for you to decide. Initially, we were inclined to clad the walls perpendicular to the orange one as it is in the line of sight from the main door in an earthy palette or render it a stoned look.

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This is a guest post by Alia Haley.

Lighting different corners of the house can be a more challenging job than it appears in the beginning. One needs to keep various aspects of the room in mind before selecting the lighting scheme. Correct lighting can enhance the room and help every corner to achieve the perfect look that you desire.

Light up your life

Lighting should be flexible for different types of activities in the room. The mood and the atmosphere are some of the most important aspects that one needs to keep in mind before settling on a lighting scheme.

Lighting for accent points such as artwork, architectural details etc is a tough job because you have to insure that these become eye catchy. Spotlights are best suited for such effect. They consume less electricity and usually involve halogen bulbs. These can be a good, energy efficient choice.

Lighting specific areas

Lighting up ‘task’ areas in the proper manner is most essential. Task areas are the ones where you carry out some of your daily tasks such as reading, the bar, hobby room or gaming den. The amount of light can vary from task to task, like hobby and reading areas require bright lighting, where as the bar area may need much less luminosity. A hanging light, or floor lamp and spotlights can be good options. While fixing spotlights you need to take care of the glare and need to focus it carefully.

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My love for white walls and decorating in colors continues. I doubt if this beautiful, colorful frame would look  this good on any other accent wall. And the best part is you can let your imagination run free and do it yourself. All you would need is a framed canvas and an uninhibited mind that isn’t overworking the colors and patterns. Have you seen that ad (is it for a car?) where an artist makes random patterns by dipping his hands in pots of paint, and the result is marvelous?

But, for a sophisticated, neat piece of art with a three-dimensional look, the ones from 61c fit the bill. Totally. I first stumbled upon their work in an issue of GoodHomes and promptly wrote to them.  Their site is up and the pictures are absolutely stunning. Doesn’t it really transport you back to childhood when kaleidoscope was a fanciful object? It doesn’t take much to bring that magic int your home - all it takes is this piece of art.  I was too much into geometrical shapes as a kid, and would love making intricate patterns that ran deep and color them, just like the ones below,  as part of my coloring class. That’s perhaps what drew me to these.

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We are all back to work after a long, long weekend.

As I get ready to paint the house later this month when the rest of the family would be away for a week, I’m exploring my options. Just thinking of getting one of the outer walls stenciled in a flower pattern. What do you think? Have you stenciled any of your walls? If so, how did you do it and where did you get the stencils from?

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Have you ever wondered how nice it would be to have a virtual shopping assistant - one that had all the answers to your shopping queries from where to buy the finest applique cushion covers to finest cotton bed spreads? Some times isn’t it so frustrating to find the simplest of needs that is high on quality like a ethnic bed spread.  Mushrooming of so many decor stores and malls has made one’s choice all the more tough, don’t you think? You hunt all around only to find it at your neighborhood roadside handicraft shop.

My question to you today: where do you buy your ethnic hand block printed bedspreads from? From the numerous online fabric and craft stores (I love so many of them but either they aren’t not in Bangalore or don’t have shipping), handicraft exhibitions like Dastkar or ones that happen at Chitrakala Parishat, or from traditional stores in your city?

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This past Sunday was World Kitchen Gardener Day. Never knew they had a day like that. Wow! It can work wonders for a garden aficionado like me to indulge in pictures of herb gardens from around the world and get hands dirty.

Imagine. Herbs like betel leaves, basil and ajwain from your own balcony to soothe your sore throat. Dhania to garnish the tomato and basil salad. And some hot chillis again from the pots to add spice to your life. Right now, the plants in my balcony are capable of doing just these.

The idea of eating fresh, pesticide-free produce as good looking as this gives me goose bumps.

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Interest rates are soaring. Cost of apartments skyrocketing in Bangalore. Are you planning to move into a bigger house, a villa perhaps, or a 3 BHK one from a 2 BHK, or one with better amenities and closer to work?

Finding a right buyer at the right price at the right time for your current home before deciding on the new one is a common catch-22 situation. So, how can you stage your house to get the desired price?

Make the new buyer fall in love with your home. How? Make it spacious and airy. There is not a single soul on this planet who doesn’t love a sunny, bright, airy house that feels like you were in a football field, no matter how small. The transformation is simple. Go over some instant styling to create a magical feeling. So much so that you will start loving.  Get inspired by the transformations below to change the look of your home.

The accent wall is a brilliant idea if you are living in. It’s tough t predict the choice of a buyer - for all you know, the bright color may be a big turn off, or just not their favorite. So play it safe with white and bring in the air.

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A quick little question that you have to answer without thinking too much. Ready? What was your last purchase for the home? The big couch, fancy dresser, or pretty mugs at an exhibition. For me, the cheer a big investment brings is short-lived, but the small indulgences keep the cheer flowing all year long.

Don’t you think it’s the little, unexpected changes around the house that put a smile on everyone’s face? Like when you painted a wall, or changed the seating arrangement, or bought some bright cushions?   When my son gets back from school to see a new Pooh sticker on his door, or a Batman sketch on his side table, he is overjoyed. Last week, while cleaning his shelf, I found some wall vinyl stickers my brother had sent a year ago. It just lay there for I was in the search of a perfect wall and timing to put it up. If not now, when I thought? In five minutes, it was up along with a antique wooden piece my husband picked up in a Tokyo flea market. Ten minutes later he walked in and was pleasantly surprised.

There is a 1 feet wide strip of wall that divides the dining and kitchen. This is where I pasted the vinyl stickers of a steaming pot of coffee. And anther one on the opposite side.

The stickers are from DCWV and they have a huge collection for every occasion, room, theme and mood.

What beautiful, reassuring lines for every time you look at yourself in the mirror. Can’t be a better way to start a day

How are you going to transform a wall in under Rs.500? Share your ideas.

Image courtesy: amazon (lettering)

Continuing with the theme of all-white houses, here is another brilliantly designed Stockholm home. Be inspired by the infusion of color in simple art forms, cushions, throws and glass vases.

This was not how the house when designer Victoria Hamberger moved in with her family. As per the article, the house was a riot of colors. In its present state, it is anything but that. It’s a century old villa - built in 1907 to be precise - that has housed two generation of a designer family before Victoria moved in with hers.

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