Glimpses from the abode of Veena Murali

I have always maintained that every home gives out the personality of the home owner. When you enter a home for the first time, the feel and appeal of the place says a lot about the people residing in there.A warm and welcoming space can give you positive vibes like none other! To soak in that energy a complete house tour is not necessary. A certain peek here and a glimpse there can do the needful.And that's what precisely we are about to do today.

This home that we are about to enter belongs to Veena Murali and her lovely family!

This is her take on Home and interiors...

Home is where we all feel comfortable. According to me, it shouldn't be considered just as the place you sleep at night", but should have a theme and  neatly arranged irrespective of  whether the home is big or small. Design your home on your own to make sure it caters to your needs. For example I like lot of natural light in the rooms and also try to keep it simple in terms of the way I organize my rooms. I always strive to keep my house neat and clean (this is not easy when you have a toddler in the house) rather than stocking expensive artifacts and showpieces. A neat and well organized home spreads a lot of positive energy. 

So, so true isn't it?

Veena loves the traditional Indian style of decor which can be very much seen in every corner that she has designed.We are going to see her home in bits and pieces but at the end you will have a clear picture of the beautiful home she has created for herself and her family!

My heart swings along with the brass hanging!

Intricate jaali work on the seater...

Get a close look...

Appreciation for all things Indian is so so evident. Another aspect that I wanted to stress upon is, this is Veena's rented place and you know rented places can come with a lot of limitation.But as it is said rightly there can be no limitation to one's own creativity and ideas!

Have a look at the arrangements on her coffee table and consoles...

She encourages you to bring nature inside.In her words,"Do keep lot of greens, make it Eco friendly. There are some indoor plants available in the market which can give a very natural feel to the whole set-up. Be a keen observer where ever you go. Observations and creativity results in new ideas and designs."

The presence of  wood in her decor is ubiquitous. The dining table, the cot in her bedroom, the furniture in the living room are enriched with  Indian craftsmanship.

Once again the work on the chairs has me enthralled!

I loved the coziness that fills her space, that comes only when you put your heart and soul, while you design your home.I am glad she opened her home for me and the readers of sajavat.Hope you loved her home too!

Veena worked as a telecom engineer and resigned when her son was born. But now that he is 3 years old, she is lucky to find some time to work as a freelance interior designer, share ideas on to her blog on her travel experiences and all about decor & art. You can find more of her work on her Blog and Facebook Page  

A guest post and a DIY by Shivangi Nagrajan

Shivangi Nagrajan of the lifestyle blog kadak chai talks wants to share with the readers of sajavat a DIY on the popular Russian Matryoshka dolls. A matryoshka doll, also known as a Russian nesting doll, or Russian doll, is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another.

Over to Shivangi for now...

Hello everyone! My name is Shivangi Nagarajan and I run a lifestyle blog, Kadak Chai Talks, where I love to discuss and discover all things fun! Many thanks to the lovely Sangitha for giving me the opportunity to share this mini DIY project her on blog. Go make yourself a cup of adrak chai and let’s get going…!

I have always been fascinated by the intricate art work seen on traditional Matryoshka/Nesting dolls. The attention to detail and the intricate patterns that remain identical in all the different sizes always enthralled the amateur artist in me. When I came across the blank set of dolls on amazon, I immediately placed an order!

The dolls are made of wood and are sturdy, but smooth. Being a bharathanatyam dancer, I was inspired to recreate these dolls into graceful and charming figurines. I first sketched the design onto the dolls with a pencil so that I had proper guidelines. After I was happy with the general appearance, I began painting in the details.

For the outfit, skin, hair and eyes, I used acrylic paints to draw in the details. For the jewelry and other ornaments, I used “Fevicryl” by the Fevicol brand and drew in the various pieces of jewelry adorning the dainty dancers.

I then let them dry for about 24 hours and they were ready to be displayed!

The front and back...

A varnish could be applied to give a glossy finish, but I was pleased with the result and chose not to apply the clear coat.

Hope you try out this fun DIY project as well! I am by no means a professional, and that’s clearly seen by the flaws and inconsistencies amongst the dolls, but I think the mishaps and mistakes add personality to them.

I’d love to see any recreations or different versions of your own Matryoshka dolls! Please share your work using #kadakchaitalks and it would be my absolute pleasure to see your take on this lovely art form.

You can contact me here

https://www.kadakchaitalks.com

https://www.instagram.com/kadakchaitalks

https://in.pinterest.com/shivanginagaraj/

So, wasn't that a super cool DIY to try? Thanks Shivangi for joining us and hope to see more of such ideas on your blog as well!

Well folks, keep tuned in for another home tour that will be up on the blog soon!

Wall decor with Oasis tiles

On Sajavat's Facebook page, sometime back I had shared some wall inspirations for you. Did you get a chance to go through that? No, then do view it here

Walls are an important aspect when it comes to dressing up your home. There is no denying that fact because it is where your gaze falls as you enter a room.We can have various ways to highlight the walls in a given space

Some of them are:

1.Creating a highlight wall by using paints and textures, murals, wall papers or wall decal
2. Another much sought after way is by creating a gallery wall through your photographs, prints and souvenirs
3.Showcasing a wall with jharokas, mirrors and masks

Now, apart from these, does anything else come to mind while decorating your walls?

That is what we are going to discuss now.Something that can really lift the mood and feel of a space.
These are wall tiles,  folks! Tiles come in various sizes and forms and are an ideal way to increase the decor quotient of walls.

Let us have a look at how we can achieve the same.

Create an element of interest through  back splashes

Kitchen and rest rooms are the places for you to introduce attractive back splashes on walls and create  drama in your decor. These are spaces where one just carries out  monotonous and routine activity. Just imagine, how wonderful it would be to look forward to doing these jobs in an interesting environment.Yes, tiles can help you achieve this with ease.Waterproofing, durability, colour and appeal all met in a single Go!

The mariposa range of ceramic tiles from Oasis tiles India have designs that are modern yet classy and are the perfect answers to your decor needs.

Tiles as framed art

Have you ever thought of framing your favourite tiles. It is a brilliant idea that can lift the entire mood of a room.Still confused? Have a look here.

Again, here what one should keep in mind is to have a plain wall and try creating a feature wall by framing a patterned tile.Contrast in colour and design works well in such cases.

Now, another point to be noted is, you can either frame one large tile or go for framing many  smaller tiles and then try grouping them. This can add a dash of colour thereby highlighting the walls and the surrounding space.This is another way to bring all the attention to your walls.

Not only at homes but this is a sure winner even while doing up cafes, office spaces and design studios.Oasis tiles have an impressive range to suit these needs.  I can see some very elegant looking tiles on their website with coffee beans, mugs and other kitchen cookware related tiles for cafes and other subtle designs for other commercial spaces as well!


Patterned art on walls

Composing a wall by working with patterns is yet another way to give an element of desire and appeal. Here, what one can do is to cover only a portion of the wall with  designer tiles.

Create a vertical panel with designer tiles from Oasis Tiles India and when intermixed with neutral colour palette creates a stunning display that is no less than an artwork!

When working towards a patterned display, what you should keep in mind are the accessories, furniture and fixtures in the room. If you are bringing colour into the room through tiled wall art, better to keep the other design elements in neutral colour and vice versa, to suit the overall decor of the area.

Tiled mirrors

Now, this is a sure stealer. Am eyeing certain tiles to put up as borders for my mirror. Such tiles double up as a border and also add a touch of glamour.Place these mirrors strategically in your living room to enhance the overall appeal.

I have a large balcony where am thinking of putting up these mirrors in such a manner that they reflect the mural, I painted on the opposite wall. Don't you feel that this will be a double dose of attraction?

Well, these were some ideas from my side to pep up your wall style with an exquisite range of designer tiles available at Oasis Tiles India. Do check there range at Facebook, twitter, Instagram and Youtube

DIY on cushion covers from Tuni interiors

Hey folks am back with a simple DIY that can change the look of your cushion covers/ pillow covers.But before that, you all are aware of Tuni Interiors right ? I had featured them last year on sajavat.If you want to have a look again at their amazing work head straight here

Now, it was very sweet of them to send me a pair of cushion covers. The frills on the sides are a brilliant addition I feel! This cushion cover comes from their Bouganvillea collection.

Beautiful isn't it? So, I received similar pair like these with a cute additional pocket.
I just  gave a small DIY twist to these covers using pom-poms.Yes, so the post is on making these cute little  Pom-poms and getting them sewed to the cushion cover.Here you go with the DIY.

 Materials required: yarn in different colours, a plain cushion cover, needle, embroidery floss

Step 1: Take the yarn and start wrapping it around two of your fingers. To make a nice fluffy ball of pom pom you need to rotate the yarn around your fingers at least 100 times.

Step 2: Once the yarn has been wrapped 100 or more times around your finger, slowly insert another small string of yarn between the two fingers. Now, slowly slide the yarn ball off your hand.

Step 3: Tie the yarn strand tightly around the center of the bundle. We have a ball now with the loops of the bundle on both ends and the knot in the middle.

Step 4: Cut through all the loops on both ends of the bundle.

Step 5: This ball of yarn has to take the shape of a pom-pom so, trim all around until it’s neat, compact and a perfect ball. Make such pretty pom-poms in different colours.

Step 6: Choose your cushion cover. Stitch the pom pom balls as flowers on the cushion. You can either paint the stems or do a stem-stitch. You can add more pom-poms of smaller dimension around the edges or four corners as well.

How do you find these? You just have to know how to make pom-poms, then use your imagination. Make them in smaller size and create a bunch of pretty flowers in vibrant colours. All up to you.

Hope you will try these.Happy DIY-ing...