Home Tour: Amal Rosa Augustine

Home Tour: Amal Rosa Augustine

Today I'll take you all to Bangalore, a beautiful city where I spent just one year but fell in love with it for a lifetime. We'll take a tour of a home that envelopes British colonial elements and is a minimalist's paradise. Come on in!!!

Amal Rosa Augustine who lives in Bangalore with her husband and a toddler has opened the door of her two bedroom apartment for 3D readers to take a peek inside and her home reminds me of English empire style. Let's start with the console table in below picture that sums up the British colonial style of decorating perfectly. Hammered metal platters in dark tone are paired with a carved wooden frame in ivory that matches the accessories on the console to create a cohesive look. Touches of gold and wooden furniture with clean edges infuse some modern elements. Tradition or modern, plants never go out of trend and Rosa knows that well. 

This minimalist home is a reflection of a clean, pure and serene environment but what makes it British colonial style home is woven furniture in dark wood, light and airy colours, soft & subtle furnishings, eclectic accessories and tropical foliages. Below is the picture of Rosa's living room where dark wood furniture creates a contrast against white walls. The overall feel of this place is traditional with a splash of exotic. 

I love how Rosa has given an extra visual punch with colours. Here is what she shares with us "My tiny apartment in Bangalore was purchased in October 2016 and it's just a 1400 sqft flat with two bedrooms and a study. When I started to do my homework for the interior styling of my house I had some dreams about it and I think I was able to turn it into reality (at least three-fourths of it if I say precisely). I didn't follow any particular style in general and it is a mix of traditional, rustic, farmhouse style. some of it is inspired by Pinterest, interior magazines and home decor websites."

Right opposite to this seating arrangement in the living room is the entertainment unit that you see in below picture. TV unit in dark wood, woven baskets on the wall and on TV unit, some picture frames and colonial hurricane lamp wall sconce reaffirm my statement that this home is a true colonial style home. Every room is dotted with the exotic plants that make the place tropical paradise. 

Further Rosa says "I have to mention here my dear friend Seethu who helped me throughout designing my dream home and also for my husband for signing all the cheques without looking at the amount and above all my parents who made this a reality".

Have a look at this hand wash basin area next to the dining room. It is not only wonderfully organized but also a testimony to the fact that modern and British colonial style mesh together well.

Rosa shares some sweet memories, "my family is a very spiritually oriented family and hence all around the house, you can find bible quotes and lot of images of Jesus. The most integral part of my house is this small prayer area. I love everything about this. The holy family statue was a gift from my parents when we moved into our first home after our marriage. I carried it in all the homes we rented till date and finally to our own home."

The dining room is simple and minimal with woven chairs in dark wood that bind the entire space together.  Balcony space has been converted into an open seating area. Huge windows allow the influx of glare-free ample natural light. This adds the visual depth to the confined sitting area. Bamboo blinds bring texture and organic feel of outdoor to the indoor and create a beautiful dappled light effect that makes the atmosphere soothing and relaxing.

Potted plants add the incredible drama to the place no matter if they are placed on the floor or on the wall shelf. 

The sideboard and crockery unit here offer both style and storage. The displayed crockery here is white that adds a streamlined, contemporary twist to the British colonial style. 

Rosa has to say something about her balcony. Here is what she said "this is an area which was actually a closed common balcony area as per our builder's plan but I turned it into an open area which is an extension of our dining and living rooms. It has really made a good impact and changed the look of entire apartments feel."

"Even if it’s not open I never restrained from growing plants. I have put some of my plants and this area is my husband's and mine most favourite nook in our home."

Rosa is in a mood to share more about her favourite places in her home. 
"Next favourite place in the home is this sitting area. It’s called the “chai corner”, I love sipping my morning and evening tea in this place and it’s so peaceful and comfortable."

Now let's move on to the kid's room and study. Here is what Rosa shares,
"This is our study (the so-called half bedroom). We hardly kept any furniture in this room because this room belongs to the two crazy people in my family. The half of the room is for my daughter and the other half is my husband's office space. My daughter loves this room and it means the world to her. She spends most of her time in this half bedroom. Most of the things here are made by my 14-year-old niece and I gave them their rightful place because of her ardent love for my daughter."

Now before we go further let's have some coffee that is being brewed in Rosa's small and stylish coffee station. 

"This is a small corner in my kitchen which I have turned into a coffee bar. Saw this on Pinterest and it had to be in my home as I love playing with chalks and that's why you will see lots of chalkboard paint done here and there in my home."

"My kitchen is a tiny place but I love to look at the brighter side of it. I feel it’s very easy to maintain and keep a small kitchen spick and span."

The master bedroom is crisp white, comfortable, relaxed and elegant that rightly define the British colonial design. All these elements bring an air of romance and sophistication to the overall design.  

"Our master bedroom is kept very simple. My husband is very particular about making it clutter free and also, I was concerned about my 3-year-old daughter so I kept it minimal. Other than the bed I only have a cot and a chest of drawers in my bedroom for a storage.  Picture frames with family pictures on the wall above the headboard remind us of our loved ones and we all just love looking at them."

Her guest bedroom is a place where I would love to retire for the night. It is such a soothing place with walls in white, furnishing in cheery lemon and dark toned furniture that pops against the pristine walls. I am so in love with this unusual wall decor where embroidery hoops are acting as a frame and beautiful fabric is given a place of artwork. 

White, brown and lemon employing a crisp and minimal aesthetics. Traditional style infused with a contemporary style of decorating in right amount results in British colonial style and truly love how Rosa has effortlessly achieved this look. 

Since I don't like to restrict myself to a particular design or decorating style so 3D is a place where you will find homes decorated in various styles from traditional to modern, ethnic Indian to British colonial, collected to simple and minimal and studio apartment to a sprawling bungalow. Hope you liked what you saw today, a completely new theme of decorating!!!

Thanks a ton Rosa for this wonderful treat to our eyes. Wish you and your family love, luck & sunshine.

Dear readers, I had committed to publish this post but now I'll take a break and will see you all in April. 

Thanks !!!

40 Ways to Maximize a Small Garden

Indian Balcony Garden Decor

Indian Balcony Garden Decor 

A lot of you wanted me to post a video on 'Balcony Decor', 

so here I'm with some pocket-friendly ideas to give your balcony a quick makeover. 

In this video, I'll show you how a balcony can become a cynosure of all eyes with some small changes and easy steps. 

We'll take one step at a time and will decorate just one corner of the balcony today and in some other post, I'll show you how you can give a makeover to the entire balcony. Since I'm talking about Indian Balconies, all the elements I'm discussing here are quite traditional and ethnic Indian. 

The first step is to clear the clutter and just remove everything so that you can plan and picturise what exactly you want. 

Next comes the step of adding a splash of colours. And that you can do without spending much. All you need to do is paint the pots in colour of your choice or if you already have painted pots then consider painting them in a different colour this time and you'll be amazed to see the result.

Now if you have a plain wall in your balcony then perk it up. You can put up wall planters, artwork, shelves, masks or just paint some art like Warli, Madhubani or anything you like. I chose to put up wall masks and I found king & queen mask at dirt cheap price. You can see the makeover of these broken terracotta masks in my video. 

Now let's move on to next step of arranging the pots. Pots placed next to each other or arranged in a row looks like they are standing in a queue and waiting for something to happen. I always find it boring to arrange the pots in a linear fashion. My tip here is- create levels. How? Well, just choose the pots and planters in different sizes and then club them together. Or you can place an empty pot upside down and make it a pot stand.

Also, make the arrangement of pots standout by choosing the plants that have leaves of different shades and shapes. See the image below for reference. 

In the last, let's accessorise the balcony garden. There are so many garden accessories available these days and you can easily pick the ones of your choice that go well with the theme of your balcony garden. I placed pebbles in the pot, one with Warli painting to add a pop of colour.  Terracotta figurines can never go wrong when it comes to accessorising a balcony garden. 

Below are the two looks I created with some small little changes in arrangement and accessories. In look one below, I used a terracotta camel as an accessory to give this corner an ethnic punch. Plants of all types like creeper, climber, herb and succulents are creating a balanced look. 

In look two below, I created a zen corner by placing Buddha head in the centre and lush green plants all around him. Did you notice how effortlessly I transformed the ethnic Indian look of this corner into a zen corner. Now let me show you how it looks at night. 

Have a look!!!!

Don't you love this. It looks so dreamy and oh so beautiful. 

By  the way, I used my favourite LED string light. It works fine outdoor as well as long as its USB cable is protected from water.  

I am happy with this makeover and will be spending my summer evenings here soaking in the beauty of this lovely zen corner in my balcony. Hope Y'all liked it too. To read more blogs on 'Gardening' click here. 

I'll be on leave for a month. See you all in April. 

Indian Balcony Decor: Preeti Deshmukh

Indian Balcony Decor

In our fast-paced life, all we need is a space in our homes where we can relax and unwind. Tiny or huge, our balconies can serve that purpose very well. Balcony does more than just add to the aesthetics of your home. It gives you the opportunity to maximize your living space, it can be a romantic nook, another dining spot, a place to relax, read or chill with friends. 

I have a guest on my blog today who not only utilized her balcony space wisely but also turned it into a small retreat. Preeti Deshmukh from Nashik is with us today and she'll be telling us how she transformed her balcony into a beautiful relaxing spot and that too on a low budget.

"It was my dream to have a big balcony in my home so when we were planning to buy an apartment, well-ventilated rooms and a space for relaxation was our first priority. We were fortunate that we found a spacious flat with a huge balcony attached to the living room and a separate utility area attached to the kitchen where I can hang clothes to dry."

The first thing that Preeti decided was the theme of her balcony and it was "traditional Indian". Next up was a seating arrangement and Preeti had an astounding idea of putting up a swing. She adds,

"Since the theme was traditional, swing or Chaupala was a perfect addition to my balcony. So I got it custom made and added beautiful cushions to create a  pleasing and comfortable sit out on the balcony."

Next step was to perk up the dull looking walls and keeping the traditional Indian theme in mind, Preeti decided to do Warli painting on the walls. But executing this idea wasn't that easy for her. This is what she shared, 

"The idea of painting Warli art was quite fascinating but I wasn't confident enough to do it myself so I asked my sister-in-law who not only paints well but is a skilled calligrapher too. She liked the idea and was ready to help me."

"We knew nothing about Warli art so we did a lot of research, read about the art form on the internet, visited some places where Warli was done and took photographs for reference. But then we didn't know anything about what kind of paint we should be using. Then my cousin Shweta Deshmukh who is an architect and lives in Pune came to our rescue. She gave us all the technical knowledge which was necessary to start our Warli project and we were good to go now." 

As you must have read my previous blogs on Warli or might have watched my video tutorial on Warli painting, I have mentioned that Warli painting depicts the social life of Warli tribe. So keeping this fact in mind Preeti and her sister-in-law painted day-to-day activities of village people. 

"We painted Sun, Vasudev, Tulsi puja to illustrate morning scene in a typical village on one wall and painted moon, men returning to home from fields, a lady cooking food etc.to portray the dusk hours on another wall."

"As Warli painting also depicts celebrations so we decided to paint a scene of a wedding ceremony on another wall where we showed a groom mounted on a horse and a coy bride sitting in a palanquin and everyone else is dancing and enjoying. Painting Warli on the entire parapet wall and a part of balcony wall was really a tough job but then my family and relatives helped me a lot through out the painting project." 

After the Warli project was done, it was time to add accessories and to make the entire balcony come alive. Preeti shares,
"I bought accessories like masks, lamp, parrot and giraffe planter for my balcony from an exhibition. Hanging bells I bought from Pune."

Preeti is a plant lover and has a big green thumb. She has planted a variety of plants in her balcony. She even created a fairy garden.

She is so creative when it comes to reusing, recycling or up-cycling a stuff. Using her son's broken study desk and some pebbles, she created a beautiful piece of art that you see in below picture. Now you know you just need to look around with your keen eyes to unearth the hidden treasure that you already have in your home.

With a proper plan and careful execution of it, Preeti was successful in creating the most relaxing and dreamy balcony space for herself that she had dreamed of once upon a time. 

Transformation of a dull and stark balcony space into an irresistible outdoor retreat was not an easy task for Preeti. She tells it took nearly a year to turn her balcony into a lush looking sanctuary. Now she feels proud of herself every time she gets compliments from guests.

Preeti believes that the process of transforming a house into a home takes a long time and you should try to enjoy every step along the way.

This was all about decorating a balcony space in a traditional Indian way. I hope Preeti's balcony inspired you to create your own calming retreat. Thanks Preeti for sharing the lovely images and the balcony transformation story with us. Wish you and your family love, luck & sunshine.

Dear readers, if you are looking for some more Balcony Decorating Ideas .

I'm shooting one more video this week so stay tuned!

Home Tour: Kapila & Sonal Banerjee Part-I

Home Tour: Kapila & Sonal Banerjee Part-I

It's been quite a long that I posted here on my blog and you all probably know why! Because I'm focusing more on my Youtube channel as people prefer to watch the videos rather than reading a complete blog and I too found this medium more powerful to convey a message and it also presents quick and rich content. But that doesn't mean I'll discontinue blogging. Well, that isn't gonna happen:) and that's why here I am with a lovely post!! 

Today once again I bring to you the home tour of Kapila Banerjee that you must have seen earlier on my blog and on my YT channel  but since a lot of you wanted to pin the images so here it is, the Part-I of Kapila & Sonal Banerjee's home. Happy pinning!! Also, now you can shop the home decor products that you see in this post, I have added the link below every image.
Let's start from the entrance to her home which is as impressive as the rest of the home. Kapila has created a space to keep some decor accents by putting up a beautiful wall shelf. On the shelf are cute tiny pots that add dimension to an otherwise plain and dull wall. I just love how decor accessories in different geometric shapes are complimenting each other and all the colors making the entrance so full of energy.

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Beautifully carved huge wooden vases offsetting the shimmer of brass planter and creating such a pleasant setting. 

What you see in below picture is a beautiful collection of tiny cute planters displayed beautifully at the entrance that sure will steal your heart. 

The moment you enter the home you can feel the warmth and the positivity that envelops you and you find yourself soaking in the beauty of Kapila's home. Accent wall in tangerine color sets the perfect backdrop for all the carved wooden pieces in dark tone. Wooden masks are from Kenya, Africa where Kapila has lived for four years. Antique wooden pillars are restored from an eighty-year-old home and only a keen eye like Kapila's can give such pieces their righteous place. Next to these pillars are quite an unusual pair of candlestands flanking the console. Console is adorned with brass knick-knacks to add Indianness. You should watch the video to see all the minute details on these carved wooden pieces. Ornate mirror above the console completes the setup and makes the foyer a warm and welcoming space. 

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Here is another picture of the same space from a different angle to show you the intricacy of the carving on wooden pillars and mirror frame.

Step into the living room and you are greeted with this view. An angel picked from their travels and a beautiful brass hanging diya above it make an eye-pleasing display. If you notice the lamp behind Ganesha idol carefully then you will realize how unusual it is. The lamp is actually a unique find made of brass and the lampshade is brass and stained glass. I never saw such lamp before. Kapila's home is full of treasures around the world so your eyes keep wandering and admiring the beauty of every piece. For an instance, the brass chariot right next to the angel is what I really liked a lot. 

Keeping the accent color in mind Kapila has beautifully infused tangerine in her living room. Look at the sofa and the painting above it and you know what I am talking about. That's how an accent color helps in pulling the room together. Kapila told me that she keeps changing the cushions according to the season and ocassion. 

Here is a wider view of the living room. 

I clicked so many pictures and there are so many beautiful pieces in Kapila's home that my words wouldn't be adequate to describe the beauty of her home. So I am leaving you with the images. 

All the beautiful craved wooden furniture pieces and decor accessories are from Kenya, Africa. Teal Buddha on leaf is again a souvenir her husband picked from his travels. Intricately carved wooden piece that looks like a capsized boat is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. 

Rather than choosing contemporary style sofa for her living room, Kapila has opted for tradition Indian seating. Rajasthani Chowkies are a work of artistic craftmanship. Fuchsia cushions complement tangerine in living room beautifully. 

Below is an extremely beautiful vintage temple that has been converted into a shelf to display the collection of curios.

Here is a closer look and you can see all the lovely tealights, Rajasthani musicians and various lanterns enhancing the beauty of this temple.

This brings me to the end of this home tour. Hope you enoyed this blog and if you are craving for more then click here to check out other home tours. I am receiving lots of queries asking when I'll be publishing the second part of Kapila & Sonal's video home tour, I'm working on it folks and you'll see it next week probably on Monday.