Has your wooden cabinet in the kitchen lost its sheen? Do the wardrobes in the bedroom wear a outdated look? Does the prized artifact, which you proudly show off to your visitors, retain its original shine?

Restoring the look of wooden furniture, art work, and cabinets is easy. You don’t need to hire a painter or the polishing person, or worry about spending thousands on restoration or replacing them. All you need are some dirty clothes, old newspapers and a few hours to spare. Game for it? Then, let’s get started:

If it’s your first project, then start off with something small.

What you’ll need:

1. 1 bottle of Sheenlac wood finish. Available at all hardware stores in different sizes.  Suggest buying the 200 ml bottle initially.

2. Old newspapers to spread on the floor.

3. Emery sheet - P150

4. Clean cotton cloth

5. A old bottle

How to Clean:

1. Tear the emery sheet into two halves or about the size of your palm.

2. Sand the surface to be polished with the emery sheet. This ensures all the surface dirt is removed and is clean.

3. Clean the dry powder off the surface with a cloth.

How to Polish:

1. Pour a little of the polish from the Sheenlac bottle into a waste empty bottle.

2. Use the clean cotton cloth to apply the polishing lacquer on to the cleaned surface.

3. Let it dry for 10-15 minutes. Apply one more coat if necessary.

Estimated time for polishing a 2*2 sq ft area : 10 minutes

If you are satisfied with the results, extend it to larger areas.

Before we get to the wooden collections from Jin Kuramoto Studio, let me tell you how I got there.  I have two identical terra cotta pots with an interesting shape waiting to be painted and planted. I got it on my trip to Mahabalipuram; so they’ve been sitting in my balcony for over a month. I can’t settle on a design/color for the pots, and am constantly looking for fresh ideas. While scouting for modern patterns, I discovered materialicious.  According to the folks who run the site, “materialicious™ (”shelter, materials and objects”) is a user-submitted visual curation site featuring modern architecture and design, craftsmanship, materials and products.” True to every word. You can’t get your eyes off the page once you start browsing, and before you realise you’ve spent enough time wasting looking at the stunners.

Now, materialicious is what led me to  Jin Kuramoto Studio. The wooden tea sets and mirrors in striking, contrasting, and complementary colors leaves a lasting impression. It’s easier to reproduce the same effect with planters. I need not delve further into the effect it would bring into one’s garden.  The traditional wooden tea sets in subdued earthen colors with simple stripes is unique too.

Striped planters

Consider growing a herb garden in the smaller ones by placing them on your kitchen windowsill.

For dark, bright colored planters

Black absorbs heat and can be harmful for the plants during the summer months. Go for a little lighter shade while retaining the effect.

White rules

When you’ve run out of ideas, a easy fallback option is a white planter. - you can never go wrong with this one. Give it a little texture, group a couple of them in different shapes in a corner, and you have a winner.

While we’re on the topic of painting planters, I feel compelled to share how discarded cups were transformed into eye-catching reusable pieces with a little design on them. And, if those designs happen to be characters from Alice in Wonderland, can one resist?

Alice in Wonderland ceramic cups

Images:

1.2.3. - Jin Kuramoto

4 - Dagens Design

Valeria Nascimento's creations

What's this? Make a guess!

What came to your mind when you first saw these images? Would you believe if I told you these fluid forms are made out of porcelain? Honestly, when I first saw the first one, I mistook it for a snowball tree or a creamy hydrangea bush. On a side note, I love snowball and hydrangea bushes. Does anyone know if we get these blooms in India?

Read the rest of this entry…

I want to continue where I left off my last post on styling ideas for apartment main doors. The featured shop stcks many hand-crafted, woven assorted items such as baithaks, mirrors, trays and cushion covers.

They are colorful, vibrant and lively almost resonating with positive energy. There is something rustic about them which makes for great accessories.

Bench

I loved this wooden, wrought-iron bench. Some day when we have larger garden, this one’s gonna find a place in the patio.

Read the rest of this entry…

A  huge cotton tree, ladies fingers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, chillies, potatoes, brinjals, carrots, cabbage, and beetroots - this was the backyard of our home when I was growing up.  The front section was relatively a colorful one in hues of bright reds, pinks, violets and oranges,  so much so that it was easy for the security guards to direct visitors to our place;  “the house with a large flower garden in the front” did it.  Marigolds, sunflower, dahlias, rajnigandhas, arali, and an assortment of flowers whose name I’m not sure of adorned the house.

My mother loved gardening. She spent hours and hours tending to the plants while my brother and I were at school. It came to such a point that my brother, all of three years, insisted on having only ladies finger for lunch and dinner every day. We moved cities and countries after three years in that small town, and never got to live in a individual house with a front and back yard. Years later, I found the same passion for plants in my father-in-law. He grew everything from palaks (the tastiest I’ve ever had) , mint, radish to cauliflower, potatoes and broccoli.  We rarely shopped for vegetables in the winter. Most of the produce from the garden was cooked.

That’s where my weakness for greens comes from. The limited 8*4 feet balcony space is no deterrent. Last summer, the pots mainly contained flowering plants. This summer, I’m repotting them with jasmines, and white and oragne hibiscus. I’m also adding some vegetables to the mix.

Certain vegetables thrive well even in pots. You can grow them in deep pots of 14″-18″ size or use planter boxes. It all depends on choosing the right vegetables - the ones whose roots don’t grow very deep. Get started with me if you want to grow your own vegetable garden.

Read the rest of this entry…

Doors. More than an entrance to a home. It’s a style statement and more often than not, an impression of what lies behind is made when you see an exquisitely crafted main door.

I spent a good part of my growing up years at my grandparents’ in two southern towns of Tamil Nadu: Madurai and Kumbakonam. The architecture of the ancient houses in Tanjore district has left a lasting impression on me. Several hot summer afternoons were spent playing hide and seek in the thinnais (the front porch), mitham (the courtyard) around the wide thoons (pillars) and maadi (open terrace) and behind those huge small teak wood doors. To this day, when I think of main doors, the first image that comes to mind is the heavy main door at my grandma’s which is over 140 years old now; it looks very similar to this one.

Old Styled Main Door in Tanjore Houses

Most apartment main doors these days are stereotypical leaving little to imagination.  With a neatly crafted main door, you don’t need to accessorize the entrance with sculptures, wall hangings or diyas. For as little as Rs.4,000 you can give a royale look to your main door. There’s this shop called Royal Ambience on Varthur-Whitefield Field Road that sells hand-carved furniture from Rajasthan. A few piece that I loved:

A traditional colorful carved piece

It is made from Acacia wood and colored using chalk powder. Most of the furniture from Rajasthan is made of Sheesham wood, which is a long-standing, hard variety. However, Sheesham wood is not suitable for fine carvings which is why such pieces are made from Acacia. Different views of the same piece:

Read the rest of this entry…

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

Read the rest of this entry…

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

Read the rest of this entry…

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.

Read the rest of this entry…