Small wonder!

As our number becomes larger spaces available to us become smaller and the challenge today in some of the biggest and busiest cities of the world is to ... well, of course find some kind of space to call your own and then to make the most of what is usually a small space. The challenge, of course, being to not just us the space intelligently but also making sure its well-equipped and presentable.

So coming to the rescue of small-home owners it would seem to IKEA. The Swedish furniture manufacturer is now boasting a new small number on its sign-boards and this time they don't claim them as prices. Advertising their 391 sq. ft. apartments in their Brooklyn stores, their designers have come up with some rather well-designed and assembled living units.

"It might be compact but its more spacious than you can imagine. Its our 391 sq. ft. home" - reads the billboard. And from the images it looks like they're not just boasting. They've managed to carve out quite a decent bit of utility space in their professed 391 sq ft apartments with a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and even a small-sized living room!

And since there's no better way to lead than by example, the little demo spaces they've designed and dressed up at their Brooklyn stores is sure to get plenty of attention as well as give lots of fresh ideas to small apartment owners on what they can do with their living space. And this, of course, will translate into lots of sale for the Swedish furniture manufacturer. Talk about keeping abreast of the times!

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10 tips to get you started on your Japanese style home

Do you sometimes feel like there’s too much clutter in our day to day lives? There are too many demands, commitments, lists, desires, necessities ... just too much! Do you wish your home would be a haven from these constant demands of the outside world; a place where there’s more space to do, think or just be, and less clutter? Well, you’re not the first. The first person or people who had this idea are probably credited with the creation of the modern style of furnishing.

However, if you’re not one for steel and chrome but still love the clean lines of the modern style then you might want to try going Oriental with your home decorating style. Now, adopting this style in practicality may take a little more research but the basics that you need to get yourself set for a Japanese style home are the following:

1.     As a general rule, stick to neutral colours and soft, natural colours in neutral tones.

2.     Even if you would like to pick one accent colour for your interiors, make sure it’s not an unnaturally bright one. Pick deep brown, turquoise, sort pink or mauve, or even red.

3.     Resist the temptation to turn your walls into collages of every picture you ever took. If you must, pick one accent wall and put up a few pictures in simple frames.

4.     In fact, why just the walls, declutter your house and your lifestyle. Throw out things you don’t or haven’t used in a while or give them to somebody who could use them.

5.     Use light screens of dark wood or bamboo screens to separate spaces.

6.     For your furnishing, pick a low seating arrangement with tables to match. You can even choose to take your seating to the floor but that might be a problem with some of your guests so we’d suggest something that’s between the two.

7.     Invite nature in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be big plants, either. Get a small, flowering plant or even a small plant of dancing bamboos which you can even place on a corner table, or perhaps a small rockery or waterfall in your garden space.

8.     If you’re willing to go as far as relaying a floor, consider getting bamboo flooring. It’s also a very environment-friendly option.

9.     Consider laying down Tatami floor mats to cover the floor.

10.   Use Shoji and Fusuma screens to cover your windows. They not only block out the harsh outside light but also look great.

The basic principle you need to keep in mind when going the Japanese way with your interiors is that Japanese architecture and design works in very close conjunction with nature, both in terms of materials and decor; so keep your spaces open plan and use plenty of glass.

                                                                                                                                                     

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Bring India home!

Bring the warmth of India into your home with the use of rich colours and textures. Whether it is your bedroom or the living room, a touch of warmth in a home never goes amiss.

Use warm colours on your walls, or keep your walls in a neutral shade and add a splash of warm colour to your interiors; get a bright rug or frame an antique sari and put it up on the warm. You can also opt for cushions in bright colours on your couches or warm lampshades. Get interesting stone or brass work floor or table lamps to go with these but be careful not to overdo it. Bright draperies can also add life to your room.

Look into other ways you can incorporate stone in your decor, such as marble tables with inlay work from Agra or Rajasthan.

They might be a little expensive but are a real investment. The north-west of the country is also a great place to buy glass from, from colourful traditional hanging-globe lamps or handis to any other artifacts.

The south of the country is a great place to buy brass work and wood works from, while the North is a great place to source all your carvings. Head to the  North east for warm rugs and interesting bamboo works etc. 

The really great thing about Indian decor is the vast variety that’s available to you to work with thanks to the sheer diversity of the country.

So go ahead, bring some India into your homes!

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5 tips for the pocket sized garden

Unfortunately, in today’s Lego block world, garden space is not a luxury most of us can afford. In fact, you’re lucky if you own a patch of grass to call your own. And if you are, in fact, one of these lucky souls, we have just the ideas you need to make that little garden space turn into your personal haven!

1.     A good imagination always helps so that when you look at your little piece of land you don’t extra garbage space but a potential garden.

2.     We really liked the idea of small step gardens. They’re exactly like the terrace gardens you studied about in school, only a lot more compact, and you don’t necessarily have to grown vegetables in it. Plus, they’re expandable and conserve water; just add on another little step whenever you want to add more plants.

3.     Another really great idea is of gutter gardens! No, don’t wrinkle your nose we promise you they’re not disgusting. The idea is to create a long pipe like structure (open from the top, of course) that can be strung along a fence or a wall and grow plants in that. Some people create these “gutters” out of wide bamboo sticks cut across in half.

4

     Another interesting idea would be the one created by Wee Tree landscape designers of Chicago where they place horizontal planters between fence slats, creating a sort of wall of plants.

5.     If what you have in the name of a garden is a square spot of concrete or are not a huge fan of crouching with a spade in your garden, a raised flower bed that stands much like a table on its own four legs is a great idea, looks great and barely takes up any floor space at all!

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5 Green-ovations you want to look into!

Consider yourself ‘Green inclined’? Do you want your new home or your soon-to-be revamped home to be as Green as possible? Well, then the possibilities of what you can do boggle the mind. And if money’s no object then sky really is the limit as technology comes to your rescue.

Eco-friendly paint for your home has now been around for so long that there's hardly anybody who doesn't know of it. Just as we've all (in the days before eco-friendly paint) walked into a freshly painted space and felt dizzy with the fumes before the tour was even over! And the answer came in the form of Low VOC paints - paints that emit fewer fumes on application and removal, as well as in the years afterwards. For your house exteriors, however, you might want to pick a paint that'll last you longest, since low-maintenance is also Green.

Wanting to bring the sun straight into your home now has new meanings. If you thought solar panels were expensive and too much of an investment for a rented house, these movable solar panels could well be your manna from heaven. Easily installed, you can literally roll these soft solar panels, pick them up and leave the next time you decide to move house.

If you’re so inclined you could also wire your home to a large flat screen monitor that monitors your room-by-room energy consumption helping you identify the areas where you could cut down.

Another fascinating trend is that of modular homes that can literally be packed up and moved with you. What is really interesting about these homes is that their energy-consumption is remarkably lesser considering they can be kept warm or cool as you desire with markedly lesser energy consumption.

If you’re fond of your long hot water showers at the end of the day, you also need to know that every 5-minute shower that you take sends about 80 litres (20 gallons) of water down the drain – literally. That’s enough drinking water for a day for about 20 people. Investing in shower water conservation does sound like a good idea now, doesn’t it? If you scout around in the market you will find ones that suit your requirements the best. We’re sure they’ll prove to be worthy of the investment in the future.

And of course, at the end of the day remember the adage that tells you that there’s nothing Greener than low maintenance. The lesser time, money, energy and resources you have to spend maintaining it the more Green it is!

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The Green Ec(h)o!

Eco! It’s nothing if not the new buzzword. It’s the wagon everybody seems to want to jump on to. But eco, like charity, begins at home right? So, what exactly is an eco home, then?

Now, before you picture yourself hitching a bag and heading to the woods or living in a drippy thatch hut in the middle of town with high-end cars and SUVs zipping past or a house with walls of corrugated paper – don’t. All this hue and cry about eco homes is not an underground conspiracy to get you to move into either of those. What an eco home, undoubtedly, is about is an attitude, lots of sensitivity, sprinkled generously with wisdom.

So, basically, whether or not you live in an eco home is really only a reflection of you. Yes, you want every single modern appliance known to man and then some. Yes, you want your home to light up like the Eiffel Tower at the push of a button and for it to be as plush as that of the shahs of Iran. But living luxuriously does not mean you cannot live wisely.

That button which will turn off the light is not, in fact, a mile’s trek from you; use what you need when you need it. Make use of the natural resources available to you. It is, after all, possible for you to harvest rain water and to design your home such that it makes the best of all the natural light and air coming in before you resort to artificial sources. Plant a living or green roof if you can. It'll not be an eye-catching trendsetter, it'll naturally regulate the temperature of your home, all year round! And there, the home you’ve always lived in has now metamorphosed into an eco home!

Remember, an eco consciousness lies in the mind. If you care, it shows and that’s what makes a real difference. 

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Bringing in the wild, blue yonder!

Have you ever been awestruck when you’ve walked into a home? Have you tried to pick your gaping jaw up off the floor as your mind continuously chants ‘this is where I want to live!’ or some version of it? Have you ever walked into luxury so plush that as you insidiously dig your toes into it you hope nobody notices them as they start to turn green in envy? Have you ever walked into somebody else’s home and felt like you’ve walked into your dream home? Have you ever thought about what your dream home would be like?

Now, I’m not necessarily into the Hollywood kind of living but I remember coming across popular singer, Rihanna’s number ‘California king size bed’ and feeling all of those I was just talking about. 

While I’m not an idiot and I do realize that a lot of it is thanks to miraculous photography I cannot deny that what I remember most (OK, I’ll admit it! All I remember) about the song is the gorgeous room it’s shot in. It almost looks like the room’s poised at the edge of the earth and pours right into the smear of sunlight beyond. Much like an infinity pool, if you know what I mean; or a Jacuzzi that looks over a misty, green valley. There’s just something fascinating about that extending into nothingness.

Now, if only we could all live in places that allowed us those luxuries. But, fortunately for all of us (phew!), space is such an interesting idea and can be used in so many different ways. For instance, just one French window will make such a startling difference to a small room, just as would a skylight and clean, sparse furnishings in white or walls painted in a light, cool colour. Not only will it add dimensions to your room, it’ll also soothe your mind every time you’re in there.  So if your dream home is about inviting in the wide open spaces, too, maybe you want to try some of these things? Open a window and throw out a branch to nature!

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The African way!

Think Africa and you think of vast flatlands, magnificent wildlife and some of the most glorious sunsets in the world. It smells of adventure and is enough to quicken the blood of an intrepid traveller whether or not he’s tasted Africa yet!

And what better idea could there be than to bring magnificent Africa to reflect in your interiors. Warm and earthy yet sophisticated at the same time – African interior decor ideas are perfect if you want the kind of look for your home that is non-fussy, clutter-free and inviting.

Start with painting your walls in the colours of Africa, warm like red, yellow and orange. If you’re not one for bright walls pick a basic colour like taupe or beige and paint one focal wall in a warm colour or use the colours for accents.

African interior design also draws its strongest inspiration from nature so it would be a good idea to use artefacts made from natural fibres though we’d suggest you stay away from animal skins for a variety of reasons! 

Go for floor lamps with shades in warm colours or Moroccan lamps, use plenty of wood, cane and bamboo in your decoration as well as furnishing. There’s plenty of lovely cane furniture available that’s also much cheaper and lesser maintenance than wood. There are also plenty of African motifs that you can pick for spreads. And if you’re feeling adventurous get a woven rug in African motifs – gorgeous and eye catching!

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A Roman Colloquium At The Colosseum - The Story Behind Colosseum

Roman architecture was also considered to be an exact copy of the Greek building style. But, the Romans have also contributed to the classical architectural styles. The two developments of Roman buildings styles are the Tuscan and composite orders. Tuscan is a shortened, simplified variant on the Doric order of the Greek style. Composite is a tall order with the floral decoration of the Corinthian and the scrolls of the ionic building style of the Greeks. The grand marvel structure of Colosseum is exemplary of the fierce Roman Empire's sense of engineering and a zeal for architecture under whom the masterpiece was built. The construction that started by around 70 to 72 AD under the emperor of Vespasian reached its completion in the 80 AD and so had Emperor Vespasian throne after being replaced by Emperor Titus.

The Roman Colosseum is the best-known amphitheatre in the world. The commonly known Ancient Roman Colosseum derives its name from the Latin name Amphitheater Effluvium, as it was constructed by the emperors of the Fl-avian dynasty. The Pantheon is a building in Rome, which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets of the Roman state religion. Since 7th century, it has been a Christian church. The Colosseum and the Pantheon are some of the buildings built during this period. The structure breaking the stereotype trends of past Greek buildings is elliptical in shape being 189 meters long and 156 meters wide spread around a spherical ground ranging up to 6 acres which is about 24,000 meter square. The outer wall measures 48 meters, while the central pitch forms an egg shaped ground stretching up to 87 meters, which is surrounded by a wall 5 meters high.

Once a host to the bravery battles which are the roman gladiatorial games, simulated sea battles and the cuber prestigious games held by Titus which had this mega block filled with water to demonstrate the acrobats of trained swimming creatures; the Colosseum was capable of accommodating a whopping figure of 50,000 spectators at a time. There were also recitals of mythological dramas performed here, with the execution of the hero often by beasts or an unruly character would mark the high point of the play. The Ancient Roman Colosseum continues to stand with the same stature representing that compromised power of the Roman Empire today, even after the structure has been ruined after suffering the tremors caused by an earthquake.

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Furniture time-travelogue 3: Rome

Now Rome, unlike Greece, was not only prolific in its furniture building but also apparently diligent about preservation. But then what else would you expect from nearly the first empire builders in the history of the world.

The Greek style is very strongly reflected in Roman furniture but with the additional embellishment of bronze and stone. The ornamentation on this furniture generally consisted of vegetable and animal motifs. With time the rigidity of the furniture relaxed towards more flowing lines and the ever-present Greek influence became more pronounced.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the folding chairs and the stool make an appearance in Roman history too, except the Romans tended to use it as a chair and footstool combination, the footstool usually being fashioned out of bronze. However the Roman besellium  had cylindrical legs and lateral arm supports but no back rest (think Julius Caesar in Asterix) making them extremely uncomfortable to sit on. By contrast there is evidence of stone chairs with a curved back rest that were so perfect technically that were, paradoxically, very comfortable.

However, the most characteristic piece on Roman furniture remains richly decorated, portable, folding stool with double curved feet called the curule which was mainly used for dignitaries.

A bas relief showing the Roman curule 

Tables were also a popular item of furniture and there is reason to believe that the three-legged wall leaning console originated then as also we see the first signs of a large serving table often with a marble top.   

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Furniture time-travelogue 2: Greece

The Greeks have long since been acknowledged as some of the greatest architects of the world. It’s only natural that their furniture should also be equally spectacular. However unfortunately there are few examples of ancient Greek furniture existing that could give us a clear picture of their craftsmanship in that area. But what we do have is sufficient for us to glean some information from it.

In the construction of their furniture the Greeks basically used indigenous wood like cedar, pine, cypress etc and much like the Egyptians their work was inlaid with other precious materials like marble and metal.

Classic Greek furniture, with its curves, also had a novel delicacy as compared to any other preceding period. Their sinuous form with the sharp dip of the back is also evidence of their understanding of and an attempt to adapt to the human body.  In this regard the light-weight klismos chairs created circa 5^th century BC were extremely popular, especially as evidenced by their frequent appearance on Greek period property and bas relief. Their slender legs swept outward as well as inward giving them not just their flowing shape but also stability. Since then the klismos chairs have made several appearances in furniture fashion around the world from France to England and even America.

The klismos chair

Another popular Greek design was the diphros – backless and with scissor shaped curved legs reminiscent of the Egyptian design. These were often also foldable. The Greeks also seem to have a found a wide use for tables, unlike the Egyptians, though their tables also remained compact and portable, scattered around corners in their homes, used to hold food and drinks.

A representation of the diphros

Interestingly, Greek couches apart from their rather decorative legs were also fairly simple in structure. Consisting of a rectangular frame for the seat and the back, the legs were often turned outward or were built like Greek pillars and decorated with classic motifs. From these couches evolved the ever-popular triclinium that also became tremendously popular with the Romans. In fact various versions of it are visible even today. 

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Furniture time- travelogue: Egypt

It was a well-travelled friend of mine who set me on this path. It was on one of my recent visits to his house that I realised that his house increasingly resembled a ‘curiosities of the world’ museum more than anything else. But the result, rather than being a mess, was a rather eclectic thing of beauty. So if you’re somebody who travels the world a lot or knows people who do, the next time, instead of chocolates ask them to pick up something that truly reflects the culture of the place they’re visiting. And please try to remember that culture isn’t something that usually comes in a bottle! Or if you’d like to attempt something more suited to your personality wherever you live we have a quick dose of background info for you!

We start this slightly peculiar travelogue/ time travel journey with Egypt ... feel free to join in.

Egyptian cross-legged stool

One of the oldest and richest cultures in the world, it’s lucky indeed for us that Egyptians were masters of preservation. Thanks to that we have live snapshots of Egyptian culture available to us even today. Lets’s take furniture for instance. It is apparent from a study of Egyptian cultural history that furniture in ancient Egypt was an indication as well as a consequence of social standing. But even the rich and the powerful didn’t pack their rooms with furniture. They were, however, comfortable and well-made, and a lot of it consisted of chairs. Some of the folding variety like the scissor and the X-shaped chairs have been replicated and remained popular through centuries. It wouldn't, in fact, be far off the mark to say that most skills known to modern furniture makers were already to known to those Egyptian craftsmen of yore. 

Their tables were made in varying sizes not so much to accommodate the height of the person but the fact that Egyptians were accustomed to sitting both on floors as well as chairs.

A fascinating peculiarity of their furniture design is the clear influence of nature, particularly animals. So if you thought only Europe had a thing for claws, think again! The legs of Egyptian furniture most often were slender and curved or shaped like claws or even hooves. Even the legs of their beds show a clear influence of cats, gazelles and sometimes even bulls and lions! 

Egyptian bed

The bed otherwise was a simple rectangular frame interwoven with leather thongs. Since Egyptians weren’t really into pillows their headrests sport some interesting features. Along with being portable they were usually made of wood, iron or ivory and in some special cases were covered with linen making them only marginally more comfortable! The headrests were usually a little higher than the rest of the bed to facilitate breathing and also to protect their complicated hairstyles!

Another intriguing thing about Egyptian furniture was the way they used wood. Since most of the wood indigenously available in Egypt was unsuitable for furniture making and had to be imported from the neighbouring countries their carpenters and craftsmen learned how to make the best use of the wood with barely any wastage!

We could certainly learn a lesson or two there!

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Let there be light!

Have you ever considered the difference the right kind of lighting can make to your home? The right lighting can effortlessly set the mood apart from making a palpable difference to the way your home looks.

Nothing can, of course, beat natural lighting. A well-planned home should be built such that it gets the best light in all seasons. While you don’t want to build a house where you can’t escape the heat in the summers when you want to, you want to ensure that your house gets the most of the meagre winter sunshine. Now this might sound like it needs to be a conjurer’s trick but that’s not strictly necessary! To set off, matters are greatly helped by owning an east facing home which will ensure that you get sunlight for the maximum amount of time through the day. But since we can’t all have east-facing homes without making for a very lop-sided world the intention should be to allow as much light into the principal rooms as possible. Using light tapestries and furnishings will also go a long way towards the cause.

Natural light apart, there are three basic kinds of lighting a place needs – task lighting, accent lighting and general lighting.

Task lighting is basically functional and used in high concentration, perhaps for reading or being able to examine things clearly.

Accent lighting, like the name suggests is meant to highlight paintings, plants or other interesting things about interior design or landscaping and is basically decorative. That being said accent lighting rightly used can bring your home alive in a variety of ways. Just see the difference it makes over a painting or tucked artfully behind a plant.

General lighting or ambient lighting fills up the gap between the two and is used for the basically illuminating an area.

And playing with just these three basic kinds of lighting there are so many things you can do to revamp the feel of your home! From alcove lighting to recessed lighting or even a soffit lighting to accentuating the pattern on an interesting wall, there are innumerable options you can explore to achieve whatever effect you want!

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5 ways to bring the holiday cheer home

Time does indeed seem to fly and it’s hard to believe the holiday season is here again! But though celebrating in the delicious winter cold is something to look forward to, the holiday season inevitably means a spike in expenditure. From gifts for family and friends to vacation or celebration plans, all of it spells money. And yet, it isn’t quite a celebration if your house doesn’t reflect the cheer.

However, there are some simple things you can do to make sure your house looks like the happy place it is as you end one year and get set to usher in another one on a high note.

1.     1. Your furniture might look like the same one you’ve been looking at for years and perhaps, the ‘s joy it once inspired is a long lost memory but you’d be surprised at what a lick of polish or paint, as it may be, can make to the way your furniture looks. What’s better is it something you could even do yourself if you chose.

2.     2. Have you tried a new look for your home recently? Again, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean expensive changes. In some cases it could just mean moving your furniture around a bit. Bring out a piece of furniture that’s been hidden in one of the inside rooms and make it guest of honour in your living room. Or even better try and find an old family heirloom that’s been ignored for years, polish some shine into it and bring it out!

3.     3. Reupholster!  There’s no better way to make your old furniture look like new. You could pick out your own patterns of upholstery and give it to the furniture maker. You could even get curtains to match! When we say furniture, it includes lamp shades and anything else you please!

4.     4. Get some flora into the house. From plants to artistically done floral arrangements, they can all look great if done right. Consider artificial flowers as there are some really great choices available in the market today and these have the benefit of lasting longer and hence being a one-time investment.

5   5. Another great way to revamp the way your home looks is wallpaper or wall stickers. Now before you shy away at the thought of the labour and money that’s going to involve you can relax. With several very attractive wall border patterns also available in the market today you don’t need to take the trouble of papering a whole wall. You can even opt for a more interesting option in the wall stickers. Read our other post on the topic. http://tainconstructions.blogspot.com/2011/12/way-with-walls.html

So, what are you waiting for? The holiday season awaits!

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Art the Raja Ravi Varma way

Raja Ravi Varma

‘A prince amongst painters and a painter amongst princes’ - the name of Raja Ravi Varma, artist extraordinaire, is one that few art lovers in India would be unfamiliar with. Born in 1848 at the Kilimanoor Palace in Travancore, Ravi Varma displayed early signs of his exemplary talent as he scrawled on the walls of the palace with charcoal.

Fortunately, the talent of the youngster was not scolded away as vandalism as his uncle recognized his gift. While he, Raja Raja Varma, gave the artist his preliminary lessons his formal training began at the age of 14. However, it was not till he was about 17 that his introduction with oil paints came about and the rest, as they say, is history.

Renowned for his depiction of Indian culture, particularly mythology, there is something near magical about his work. It has been over a century since the artist breathed his last but if you look at his work it shines as though it were painted yesterday. Quite apart from the exquisite detailing of the works one thing that would never fail to catch your eye is the way his subjects seem to breath as though rather than being trapped in a painting they were just looking at you through a window.

The ones that leap to mind even as I think of his works are the one he did of Rani Lakshmi Bai where the queen stands in her regalia, her hand placed on a stack of books, where even the intricate border of her sari and the name of each book is discernible; and the painting depicting the scene from Ramayana where Ravana slays Garuda as he attempts to intervene with his abduction of Sita. Even though the face of the heroine is hidden in the painting the artwork is alive with her anguish.

Closely acquainted with the habits and graces of Indian royalty his paintings are unsurprisingly flawless in details of not just the finery but also their attitudes and poses. A lot of his works depict Goddesses where he has used South Indian women, who he considered beautiful, as models. But whether depicting mythological characters or real people, his paintings, more than anything else, look like a moment frozen in time where some real people were just caught as they went about living their lives. 

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A-way with walls!

While on this ‘wall trip’ we’ve discovered several other interesting ways you can bring your walls, which you’ve so far probably only considered as a necessary part of your building structure, to play a greater role in your home décor. You can paint them and paper them, make them out of glass and fiber, or train creepers over them! And now you can also dress them up with wall art! Move over paintings, wall art is here! It’s different, dramatic, eye-catching and now comes in a variety of materials!

Wall art isn’t necessarily a new concept but the dimensions it’s taken on in design metal and vinyl. It could be an eclectic looking wine rack that you hang on your wall, or perhaps an ornate light fixture that becomes the cynosure on a wall. It could even be a very ornate mirror that your visitors wouldn’t be able to keep away from. The interesting thing about metal wall art is that though they’re usually not particularly small, irrespective of their size, they’re so eye catching that they easily dominate attention while instantly dressing up the space. The result is that you can design the rest of your décor the way you want to and choose to keep it either bold or simple.

Another fascinating new trend, particularly of interest to people wary of trying wallpaper, is wall stickers. Available in a variety of materials these stickers are exactly what their names indicate. But before you go picturing the Disney characters currently “stickered” in your 7-year old’s wardrobe, don’t. These wall stickers are interesting cut outs that you can stick on your walls, usually without damaging the paint, and come in several interesting silhouettes in colour or black and white. All you need to do is stick on the piece of art you like best and you’ll transform your room! You can get hardier materials for areas with more moisture, vinyl wall art is designed to last for several years; whimsical designs for your personal workspace or cute or educational ones for the kids’ rooms. 

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It's on the wall!

An interesting way to change the way your home looks could be with the use of wall papers. As the trend picks up in India an extensive variety of wallpapers is now available for you to choose from. Or if you so decide you could even create your own wallpaper designs with the help of your computer! You could opt for a natural look with wood finish design wallpaper or choose to go for something dramatic instead.

You could wallpaper an entire room or accentuate one wall to dramatic effect. You could also choose to dress up the interiors of a cupboard with a glass front or that of a sideboard etc. Wallpapers in light colours can make a room look bigger and darker colours can have the opposite effect while also making the space feel cosier. While vertical stripes have the effect of making the ceiling look higher and is ideal for tight or small spaces. If the wall you are looking to wallpaper has some surface flaws then you could choose to go for an embossed variety or one that has been made out of natural fibres. However, if you’re planning to attempt the wallpapering yourself and it’s your first time it is recommended that you pick wallpaper that’s easy to line up. For instance, if you pick drop match wallpaper you have to ensure that every strip of wall paper you cut matches exactly with the last one. Most of the intricate patterns fall under this category. But if you still find yourself leaning towards one of these designs it is recommended that you seek professional guidance.

But if you’re not quite sure of being ready to experiment with wallpapering a whole room you could also use it to interesting effect by dressing up a lamp shade or the surface of some other furnishing. You might just be enthralled enough with the result to decide to take on something bigger!

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The Shaker way

An old image of a Shaker village

The Shakers or the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing are a religious sect found today in the United States of America and widely known for being the forerunners of gender equality as also their cultural contributions especially in the field of music and furniture. Their unique culture and dedication to hard work and perfection is legendary and has resulted in a unique range of architecture, furniture and handicraft styles.

Shaker Weaver's Chair

And their fame is well-deserved as they made their furniture with care believing that doing something well was in itself “an act of prayer.” You can imagine then what exquisiteness was the result of such dedication to excellence. Until the 19th century they rarely made anything with an elaborate or complicated design. Everything was crafted with a specific purpose and only for an intended use, form followed function rather than the other way round. Most of their furniture was crafted out of pine and other cheap wood and hence was light in colour as well as weight. In fact, the exquisite simplicity of Shaker furniture is said to be the basic inspiration behind a lot of modern furniture.

Even when in the post 19th century era Victorian influence was noticed in Shaker furnishings its basic character remained simple with clean lines and an inimitable elegance. As the late 19th century saw the dwindling of Shaker colonies experts and collectors recognized the need to protect their unique heritage in furniture building. Thanks to this early vigilance several pieces of Shaker craft have survived such as the Shaker cabinets, tables, chairs, and rocking chairs etc which have continued to inspire furniture makers and designers across the world even today. The interesting thing about Shaker furniture is that it is maintained that if you closely examine the furniture you wouldn’t be able to find a single nail anywhere in it!

Of course, apart from its very obvious influence on modern furniture-making Shaker furniture was also a symbol of their honesty, the reason that their products were considered amongst the best. You could always be assured of having paid for true quality, and nothing quite matches that in terms of worth.

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The lie of the land

Do you have a yard or a garden or some space around your house that you can develop? Whether you want to do it on your own or call in an expert for the job it always pays to be aware of exactly what you’re looking at. Not only will it give you a better idea of the cost estimates it will also help you get a clearer idea of what you’re looking at in terms of the project. And if you decide to take a shot at it yourself, well, there’s really nothing better than getting your own hands in the dirt and making so part of your home on own!

Plan your project depending on the season you’re in and the gestation period of your plan. Create an image in your head or go online or to your local library and do some research. Zero in on ideas that are suitable for your weather as well as the space you have to work with. The idea eventually is to create a space that never fails to delight you whenever you visit it and to have enough variety for there to be something for every season.

Depending on the look you want for your garden you can decide what to do first and how to go about it. Do you want to create a water garden or a gravel garden? Do you want to create a small bower in a corner where you can put a bench and enjoy the late afternoon sun or would like some place to put a swing set or like some space where your kids can play? While you’re brainstorming learn to differentiate between things you need in your garden and the things you want. Once you’ve zeroed in on the basics draw a rough image of your plot and start putting in the essentials. After which you can move on to the things you’d like to put in. You might learn that instead of a lily pond in the corner you’ll have to contend with a basin with two lilies in it!

Also before planting anything it’s a good idea to consult an expert so you know the exact quality of your topsoil and the care like, the amount of water, sun and shade, the plants you’re putting in will need. Who knows you might find out that you can, after all, plant that one orange tree you really wanted!

And remember landscaping your garden isn’t like waving a magic wand and creating your own fairyland overnight. It takes sustained work and patience so reign in your horses and do your landscaping in stages if you think that’ll work better!

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Pooling it in!

There are, inarguably, few feelings in the world quite like sinking into a pool of water that’s at just the right temperature at the end of a long day of work. So if you’re considering fitting a pool into your house no matter what its size it’s probably a good idea. Provided of course, you’re prepared to bear the cost. And if money’s not the problem then go right ahead and set the ball rolling!

The first thing you need to decide is what kind of a pool you’re looking at. Are you looking for a pool in which you can do laps, or are you  short on space? Do you have young children at home; in which case you might want to ensure you in a baby or a wading pool.  You also need to pick between in-ground and above ground pools.

If it’s an in-ground pool you’re considering there are several options you can consider.

1.     Freeform pool – a freeform pool is a naturalistic pool that’s designed to look like a natural lagoon and is often fitted out with rockeries and small waterfalls.

2.     Lap pool – the idea behind a lap pool, as the name suggests, is for a swimmer to be able to do laps in it so the pool is usually long and narrow. If you want a lap pool make sure you have plenty of space.

3.     Play pool – play pools are usually not very deep, generally about 5 feet deep, and are made such that people can wade or play sports in them. You can choose to either just sit and relax in your play pool or even do laps.

4.     Geometric pool – a geometric pool is basically a traditional pool with very straight lines or a consistent radius.

5.     Diving pool – a diving pool is usually about eight and a half feet deep or more and because they’re so deep they need to be built to specifications and you need to take due care when you fit it in.

6.     Infinity pool – and infinity or negative edge pool is very specifically designed to look like it extends all the way to the horizon. While they’re a breathtaking sigh they’re expensive to install and their engineering and architecture cannot be compromised with.

7.     Spool – a spool is basically a spa and a pool. It’s like having your very own over-sized spa that you can relax in whenever you want. Since they’re small in dimensions they’re great if you’re short on space. However, the smaller size of a spool does not mean they’re any cheaper to install.

8.     Perimeter overflow pool – if you’ve seen pools that are filled with water right up till the top of the pool deck and look like they should spill over you’re looking at a perimeter overflow pool. Around the perimeter of the pools is a channel or a notch through which the water drains.

Most in-ground pools take some space as well as time to fit in. And pool maintenance once the pool’s been fitted in is also very important. So before you think of getting a pool make sure you call in the experts and check out the viability.

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