Design palette Goenka- Project: Luharuka House

Design Palette Goenka is a first-of-its-kind material library and interior design studio based in Bangalore. Ameeshi Goenka founded DPG after gaining extensive experience in space design and material specifications, having worked with renowned retail design firm FRDC in Bangalore and residential design firm StudioWB in Kolkata.

Today, let us take a look at project Luharuka designed by them in Kolkata. It is a 3 BHK home designed in boutique style.

Client's brief: To have a simple yet stylish 3BHK home in Alipore Park Place, Kolkata

Duration: The renovation process from designing to execution took a period of five months from April to August in 2021. 

Budget: Their budget of 20lakhs was justified with the materials used and the service provided.

Design Elements: The design language follows that of a boutique hotel wherein the mood setting is neutral, shapes and forms are linear and a splash of colours to highlight certain elements in each space. The lighting is simple and a warm white tone allows the residents to feel relaxed but not lazy. The interior décor of the space is bold and vibrant but kept to a minimum.

Let us visit each portion of the home and take a look at how it has been executed.

Foyer : This home welcomes us with a full length application of bevelled square silver mirrors with comfortable furniture for sitting with a colourful patterned upholstery. A combination of natural and artificial planters gives a warm feeling and is easy to maintain.

Fabric rafters and lighting that suitably enhances it

Living room: The living room directly invites the guests to its cozy seating arrangement and a small decorative coffee table in the center. The bright shades on the cushions and canvas paintings highlight the space, giving it a chic touch. Every member of the Luharuka family is a staunch believer of Sri Sri Ravishankar which made the feature element in their living area as opposed to the TV unit in most households. Along with fabric rafter panels and elegant drop lighting on either side the celebration of The Guruji has come to life! 

Minimalistic pooja corner

Pooja: An open small wall mounted unit is created which is simple, blends with the background and extremely functional in day to day usage. With a glass surface on top, it makes it very easy to clean.

Daughter’s Bedroom: The colour white dominates this bedroom with a splash of beige shade on the bed heard-board and wardrobes. A small corner is perfectly utilized to create a productive study area too. The TV unit is quite simple and convenient and is accented by black rafters next to it.  The full height mirror in the bedroom is perfect for a lady who enjoys dressing up, additionally helps the bedroom look even more spacious than usual. The quiet dead corner between the doors is specially treated with an indoor planter and a decorative hanging light which increases the aesthetic value of the space and adds a sense of freshness and life.

Master Bedroom: The drawing factor of this room is the vintage wallpaper in a modern setting bedroom. The wallpaper is used as a back-splash of the bed with textured glass rafters on either side of the headboard. The full height laminated wardrobes and the full height mirror exaggerates the height of the bedroom. The bedroom lighting in the step false ceiling adds drama to the space while maintaining high luminescence.

Features of this project that impressed me is how well the aesthetic value is maintained while keeping the functional side intact. A no -fuss, easy to maintain space keeping the clients requirement in mind is the strength of this project designed by Design Plaette Goenka.

Certain other elements that I particularly liked is the usage of full length mirror in the foyer that gives a spacious look to the area and the pooja unit. This helps the residents to offer their prayers  but keep it simple and aesthetic at the same time.

Do tell me how you like this home and what are the features you find worth implementing. There is always some take away for all of us from beautiful homes like these!

You can have a look at their website https://dpginteriors.com/ for more details.

You can also contact them on Instagram ,  Facebook & Pinterest 

 Shall come up with yet another design space soon. So, stay tuned.

How to do up your bedroom this summer

Indian summers can be harsh. The bedrooms which are our sanctuaries have to be maintained in summer in special ways to have a peaceful and cool vibe.

Let me tell you, how I prepare my bedroom.

1. Use curtains that are light coloured and prints that are easy on the eyes.
2. Semi sheer, sheers or black out depends on the intensity of light received
3. Have indoor plants. They instantly create a cool ambience
4. Bedsheets decide the mood of the room. Use light coloured and cheerful prints.

Come, let me take you to my bedroom...

Mango yellow with undertones of green in my bedroom these days. It is soothing and creates a calming effect.
Many a afternoons are spent lazily with a travel magazine in hand. Half the fun of vacationing is in deciding the destination! And what better place than your bedroom where you can take a cat's nap in between reading and lazing😀🤪

Anymore ideas that you have to create a cool ambience, let me know too.

Makeover of the guest bedroom with Photowall

Makeovers are great. They not only bring about the much needed change to the given space but also satisfies the creative urge in you.

Our guest bedroom was always kept very basic but the chance to uplift its ambience came when we decided to do a wall makeover and you shall soon see how the whole room is transformed.

We chose to have a wall paper installed by Photowall, a Sweden based company. To tell you about Photowall,  they specialize in wall mural, wallpaper, canvas print and poster. What's more, they also customize  as per your choice!

Now, before I show you the process to go about installing the wallpaper, let me share that photowall has been kind enough to offer a 25% discount coupon with all the readers of Sajavat which will be valid for a whole month. Isn't that great? All you have to do is use the code 'sajavat2021'

When you visit their website, you are spoilt for choices. Make up your mind first on the room or the wall that you want to  use the wallpaper on. Next you can zero in on the theme.

As a family, we love nature. Birds, trees, flowers is our calling. "Birds meeting place" is the wall mural we chose for our bedroom wall.

Next step is to measure the wall, top to bottom, left to right. Allow a little margin and order your wall paper. We chose to get the assistance kit along with the wallpaper. At every step, there is appropriate guidance, so that you don't go wrong. You can adjust the design to suit your requirements. 

After ordering, it took exactly 5 days for the shipment to arrive from Sweden.

This is how the room looked before...

Before...

The wall behind the cot, is the one that is going to be wallpapered. Now before you start on any wall, you have to make sure of the following

The wall should be even, without any cracks and holes. If so take care of that first. We had a lighting on the wall and also holes because of the nails that had been drilled to hang frames.

We filled these with putty and  gave it good time to dry.

The wall you choose for the wall paper should be free of leakage. Ideally don't choose a wall that is common with the restroom.

The first day we only moved the furniture away from the wall. Took care of the drilled holes. 2nd day we were ready to begin work. 

The best part of this makeover project was that my hubby and daughter helped me with it, whenever they could.

This is the kit which includes the following.

The Kit

The glue is very easy to prepare. A suggestion to all of you is to mix the glue in parts. We had decided to do the makeover in parts, taking it slowly, one day at a time and enjoying the whole process. 

Glue

The wall paper arrived in a roll and according to the dimension of our wall there were 8 tiles ( strips), rolled into one.

The first task we did was to separate each tile and keep it ready.

Cut and separate each tile

We only stuck two tiles the first day. Took only a portion of the glue powder and mixed it well with luke warm water.

The next step is to apply the glue on the wall with the help of the brush provided in the kit. Apply the glue properly, covering the entire stretch from top to bottom and covering a little more surface than the width of the tile. 

Applying glue...

Even out the wall paper...

Rolled the first tile and stuck it on the wall as shown. You should use the leveller provided to hang it straight, keep using the brush to even creases, while you keep rolling the tile downwards. There is absolutely no need to hurry as the glue doesn't dry up immediately. If you feel you have stuck wrongly, and there is a bubble showing up, go one step backwards, roll the tile upwards, adjust and paste once again.

The first tile is only so much work. Now, when you work with the second tile or strip, another important thing to keep in mind is that the second one has to seamlessly match with the design on the first.

Readying up for the next tile

Coming to life, slowly...

Since ours was a flower theme, we matched the branches and petals. While working on the second tile, use the seam roller to exactly match the design pattern and to have a seamless flow of design.

I spent a moment after sticking the two tiles, just admiring the work.

The entire wall has to be done in the above mentioned manner, just making sure that you don't hurry, stick each tile properly, remove air bubble on the go, use seam roller wisely. These are the only few points to keep in mind.

Repeat the same process...

How do you find this?

That's my family helping me...

The last tile...

These birds and flowers...

The last tile was a little tricky for us, because of the wardrobe in the adjacent wall. The tile had to be cut to size to a certain dimension till about a certain stretch. Also, finally I had to cut out portions from near the ceiling and the bottom for which I used the knife cutter.

And once you get a knack of it, there is no stopping you. Took me two more days to finish the entire wall.

The final reveal..

If I have left you drooling over the wall and you wish to transform your space too, head over to Photowall and don't  forget to redeem your discount coupon, sajavat2021 at the check out.😊

I loved this makeover. Gives a complete new feel and vibe to this room. If you liked it as well, do reply in the comments section. Waiting to hear from all of you.

Homes that inspire - Gayatri Goswami's cosy abode

Hi lovely folks, posting after a little break but am back with a home tour that you guys are going to enjoy for sure.

It is a home in our country capital and one that reminds me of Ghulam Ali gazals playing in the background.Wondering what I mean by that? Well, imagine a cosy setting with soft lighting and a  relaxed ambience, now aren't you expecting some soul soothing music to go with this?

Gayatri Goswami 's home is all this and more. She has sure won the  hearts of the Instagram community thru her thoughtful and elegant styling.

A quick hello from her side and she says,

'I am a freelance editor, working full time from home, while my husband works in advertising. We’ve been living in a rented apartment that’s roughly 1200 square feet for about four years now, and like all other old rental homes in any city, this flat too, comes with its own quirks and charms. 

Our house was constructed in the eighties, and since then, it has barely undergone any renovations. For us, this has translated into a certain sense of nostalgia which we both cherish, especially in a city like Delhi, where builder flats with a clinical approach towards space utilisation can be found everywhere.'

Extending positive vibes....

Do you see the connect with Ghulam Ali gazals thru this image?

It is a perfect setting for long chai sessions and hot spicy gupshup. Her home re instills the fact that you only need few thoughtful decor accents like some cushions, plants, lamps ,books, candles etc to complete the whole look.

The house has a living room, a dining space, a kitchen, two large bedrooms, each with its own attached balcony, two bathrooms, and a big terrace overlooking a park. In fact, the terrace was what drew them both to the house. She and her husband  have grown up in small-town India, and it was almost impossible for them to visualise a home without open balconies and terraces. 

She says that as silly as it might sound, the fact that they could have their morning cups of tea out on the terrace, amidst the plants and the birds that flock the amaltas tree that stands just beyond their terrace, sealed the deal for both of them.

Evening glow thru lamps and candles

There never can be too much of plants! what say?

Notice the DIY...the plant hanger...Brilliant idea!

Gayatri's sense of design and aesthetics have been inspired by her mother.

Collection of frames creates a focal point

Beautifully assembled ceramic ware

Gayatri further states that,
' My mother taught me that one does not need to spend more and more money in doing up a house. Transforming a rental apartment into a home that you love has very little to do with money, and more to do with you investing your own self into the space.' 

That grey  wall and yet another set of frames

That piece of fabric runner that hangs from the wardrobe...Attention to detail is key in styling spaces

The earthy hue lends warmth to this space

 I can imagine the calmness one can feel in a space like this. Everything just beautifully falls in its place and that gives a  cool, collected vibe to this home.

Moving on to the bedrooms...

Peaceful living...

Use of  various fabrics extends colour and texture to the room

colour co-ordinated look

Yet again...layering of fabrics, a simple trick to add depth

Soothing...

Apart from natural elements like plants, the botanical frames like these gives life to the bedroom

Simple but eye - catchy!

Corners that breathe life!

Cue to take home- layering works well!

Am not sure whether I will be able to work here...Admirable decor!

I have added my views on each image thru captions. Do give a read, it might be helpful to you when you do up your own space. In short, my take away decor tips from Gayatri's home are:

 

• Living elements like plants and flowers breathe life to your space...There can never be too many of them!
• Fabrics in the form of curtains, table runners, mats, rugs, bedspread, runners, cushions and throws no doubt lend colour but also texture and helps to have a collected look through out the space. Layering is fun and looks cool in the whole scheme of things 
• Earthy colours and wooden furniture are always in trend. Investing in sturdy furniture is for a lifetime
• Lighting is a factor that should never be ignored. Apart from basic fixtures, mood lighting thru lamps and candles is always a good idea
• Last but not the least personalize your space. Enjoy doing up your home!

Listen to what Gayatri feels about decorating her space...

 

'Over the years, I have come to believe very strongly in cultivating a sense of peace and calm in our home. Our lives otherwise are so chaotic and stressful that I wanted our home to be like a literal beacon of tranquillity at the end of each day. While I am a maximalist in terms of style, I don’t believe in filling a space up with things bought mindlessly. I put a fair amount of thought and consideration into every purchase that I make for our home, be it big-ticket items like furniture, or smaller ones like linen. Creating a sense of flow is also of great importance to me, which is another reason why I believe in mindful buying. Every little thing contributes to the idea of maintaining peace and not upsetting it in any way.

My house keeps evolving and changing. I keep shuffling things around—lamps, side tables, rugs, accent chairs, linen, art, plants, etc. My palette is almost entirely neutral, but I do add pops of colour, depending on my mood and on the season. Plants form a big part of my décor, peopling almost every single corner my house. It’s quite a task when it comes to watering them, but it’s well worth the effort when you see them thriving and filling your house with the purest form of energy.

A home always serves as an anchor. It’s a place you always circle back to. And that is what I always work towards—creating a home out of a house.'

And it can't be summed up in any other better way!

Thanks so much Gayatri for being a part of Sajavat.