Interior design hacks for a perfect bedroom space.

In the world of home interiors, bedrooms are everyone’s safe-havens, a place where you are likely to retire after a tiresome day and a place that is more a reflection of you than any other space in the home. Whether you have a dynamic personality or are a laid back person, the bedroom is one place that should promote all kinds of activities you are interested in and also impart a sense of calm. However, designing that can be tricky; so here are some basic bedroom design ideas to help you manifest a chic, yet calm space:

1. Colour

Colours are the soul of a space, adding life and mood to it. While bright colours and dark tones seem appealing, bedrooms are supposed to be a personal sanctum to relax and hibernate. Hence, it is wise to use calming and neutral tones like off-white and light grey. Should you wish to use some form of colour, a tint of colour like blue or green would give it a desired soothing look. Going all dark-toned in the bedroom is not a preferred option; however, you could incorporate a single wall in an accent colour and play with contrasts.

2. Ease of circulation

A bedroom with too much furniture is congested and overwhelming. Ensure that your layout leaves you enough space to move around, and you do not have to squeeze your way to your bed. Remember that you will need storage space to store and display your collectables and other items. While open shelves look better, closed storage gives a cleaner and decluttered visual, and therefore a good balance of the two is important.

Create a small nook in the bedroom design for yourself to decompress after a long day. It could just be a cosy chair with a footstool by the window or a rug on the floor with giant pillows.

3. Natural and artificial lighting

Lighting is one of the most critical elements in home interiors, both natural and artificial types. A good bedroom design should have a balanced mix of both. All bedrooms should ideally have at least one window to let the fresh light and air in. Apart from that, use different forms of direct and indirect lights to create different ambiences, as per one’s liking. Home designers usually prefer to layer lights in the rooms by providing indirect lighting from the ceiling, direct sources of lights, bedside lamps, hanging lights and wall sconces. This enables the users to toggle on and off according to the functional requirements while also saving on electricity.

4. Sheer curtains and drapes

With the large window, blocking the light during the day for sound sleep is essential. Here, layering is the key; a sheer curtain in soft translucent material at the back for when you want subtle light pouring in and then a drape in a thicker material to cut out all the light. These drapes add their own visual element to the space, and hence their colour, print, length and style needs to be thought carefully. Home designers and stylists prefer to use printed drapes if the overall theme of the room is solid or if it is a minimalistic theme, then they would opt for solid drapes.

5. Materials

The world of materials is evolving every day and from the wide variety of available materials, use those that require less maintenance in the longer run. Be it for the bed-back, the panelling on the wall or the finish of your bed and side units, prioritise functionality and comfort over aesthetics. Materials like polished veneer and plain laminates are easy to clean, whereas some soft materials absorb dust and are difficult to clean. Be mindful of all these aspects while selecting them for your bedroom as well as all parts of the residential interiors.

6. Accessorise

The decor adds a whole different layer to your home interiors in the form of rugs, art pieces, plants, throws and memorabilia. Home styling is a great way to personalise your space with your books, souvenirs, and other collectables, but keep the overall theme in mind. If you are going for an overall monochromatic look, these decor accessories could be your element of colour, sprucing and livening up your bedroom. If you want to tone down your bright accent walls, you could opt for black and white art pieces to adorn the wall and break the scale of the wall.

Simple tips and tricks to help you refurbish your home interiors.

Refurbishing your home interiors or your office interiors can seem like an overwhelming task; with little details in mind but no clue where to start, there is a lot that you think you might miss. So here are some pro tips on how to begin refurbishing projects:

• Accurate measurements

Measure the space to know the precise dimensions of the available area. Ensure the sizes you noted are accurate by measuring twice. Take inventory of every existing item in the room as well as all that you want to add.

• Sketch it out

Make a room layout. Play around with different permutations and combinations of the furniture you want to place. While deciding the furniture layout, keep in mind that there should be ease of movement and flow.

• Mood boards

Put together different material textures and colours on a mood board to design your space and visualise how the room will come together.

• Visualise

A three-dimensional drawing helps visualise how the space will look better. If possible, work on a perspective view to better perceive your space.

• Lighting design

Light is crucial in any space, and hence special attention should be paid to lighting design. Take inventory of the existing lighting and the amount of natural light the room receives. If there aren't sufficient light points, they should be added during renovations and need to be planned in advance.

• Upcycle and Recycle

Furniture has a long shelf life. So, when you refurbish your space, keep the environment in mind and see if any existing furniture pieces can be upcycled or recycled. You change the finish of the furniture piece, and it will be as good as new.

• Material selection

Select and purchase materials before beginning any execution on site. Sometimes, sourcing takes more time, and other times the delivery might take longer. In order to avoid unnecessary delays in work, plan ahead.

• Wall finish

Select your wall paints. However, paints take a long time to dry; If you are short on time and wish to achieve quicker results, use wallpaper.

• Plan and stay on track.

Renovation and refurbishments can be tedious and lengthy processes. Hence it is crucial to plan all details with the contractor in advance to avoid delays and finish the work in time.

While refurbishment can seem like a tedious process, these simple steps will help you execute it better and play a role in shaping a better design for your home interiors while also saving you a lot of time!

Working from home is a very different situation as compared to working in an office. While the work is the same, the working environment is fundamentally different. The office has a proper routine and schedule to follow, but working from home is relatively fluid, with multiple distractions and disassociated tasks at play. Hence, it becomes all the more important to set up a beautiful and functional workspace to keep oneself motivated and efficient.

Any work, whether a business, a corporate job, or some freelance work, that is to be managed from home will require a dedicated spot. Though it may not require a full-fledged, dedicated office area, one definitely needs a designated workspace to operate from. I like to call this space or spot the ‘Hoffice’- Home Office! Your ‘Hoffice’ needs to fulfil some basic criteria-

1) The location of the workstation is critical to your work; It has to be relatively quiet and should allow for privacy to concentrate and get the job done. Ensure good Wi-Fi connectivity at that spot.
2) Placing your desk against a window or in a room with natural light filtering in, is ideal. Some much-needed vitamin D can be an instant energizer, and daylight is a known mood booster. Thus, it will help one stay focused on the task at hand.
3) In case there is a restriction in finding a well-lit space, install good artificial lights. A work area with good lighting will ensure that the eyes don’t get tired. Plug in a good lamp, and one is set to go.
Along with this, ensure that there are enough electrical points to plug in all devices- laptops, phones etc. If not, one can always use a multi-plug adaptor. Make sure to use a wire management system to hide the wire clutter.
4) Organize your desk- a clean, organised workspace helps one stay focused. Keep your papers and files organised in a drawer or shelving system. Putting stationary in nice trays and holders will not only aesthetically enhance the décor, but also keep the space clutter-free.

5) Choose the right furniture. Since you will be at your desk almost all day, make sure it is ergonomically viable as well as visually appealing to go with your room setting. Invest in a good chair; it must have the correct height, good back support, and comfortable armrests.

6) Add some greens- a small house plant on your desk can add freshness, especially when your eyes need a break from the laptop screen. Go for fragrant candles or essential oils; the right fragrance can help one focus better. These small nuances will make the space look happy and bright.

The advantage of working from home is also the flexibility of sitting at our desk, dining, or sofa. Either way, enhancing the overall space with beautiful pieces, some greenery, fragrant candles, and comfortable furniture will help motivate one to work and focus better.

The beautiful monsoon showers are here. Rains have taken over the heated summer days, but the clouds bring in gloom and a lot of humidity with them. While the no-heat aspect is a relief, the dark evenings make the home dull and boring. It is the perfect time to revamp your spaces with some easy to implement ideas.

The cure to the gloom is a dash of vibrant hue that instantly energises your spaces. Bring in the sunshine yellows and the bright blues in different checks and ikat prints to add a new refreshing dimension to your work and living spaces. These prints and colours can be on your cushions or just as a throw over your couch.

After beating the gloom, a quick, easy solution to the humidity problem is to keep the spaces well-ventilated. Drawback your curtains, open up the windows and let the air in; Enjoy the cool breeze. To remove the added moisture, bring in plants which are a great way to add life and liveliness into every space. You can choose either a Boston Fern, Peace Lily, Areca Palm, English Ivy or a Spider Plant. Or you can bring in multiple and play with the sizes of these plants. For example, your centre table can adorn a pair of bonsais, whereas the corners can host big leafy ones.

If you want to brighten up the corner further, use accent lights to highlight spaces. A bright floor lamp is a creative way to add an eye-catching element to the living room space. This lamp creates a soothing corner in the evening for you to sit and enjoy your evening tea, basking in the sound of the rain.

Decluttering is one of the most important trends that allow a free flow of positive energy in your spaces. Clearing the mess visually lightens up areas that help us de-stress and stay calm. The popular trend of creating shelving corners in the house that displays memorabilia and books is a brilliant way to organise and liven up everyday spaces. Stack up your books and pair them with travel souvenirs and pictures.

Engage with different senses. While the colours are pleasing to the eye, fragrant candles, oil diffusers and floating candles are a creative yet affordable way to make your space more welcoming and enchanting. Bright, beautiful flowers like Lilies, Roses and Tuberoses are another way of engaging with the visual and olfactory senses. Or you could plant herbs like basil, oregano and thyme to add a scintillating aroma and use their leaves in cooking. All these small interventions rejuvenate spaces, adding a refreshing new dynamic.

Want a more evident change? One of the simplest ways is to clear up space by letting go of heavy furniture pieces or simply rearranging existing furniture pieces to change the layout. Arrange it to have clean movement space, which will most certainly give a fresh experience to everyday spaces.

If you want to add extra layers and dimensions to your space, look out for wallpapers and rugs. Although they are a little expensive, they are really easy to install and are available in many options. However, suppose you are working on a tight budget. In that case, you can opt for easy up-cycling and recycling solutions to revamp your existing decor. For example, reupholstering your chairs and sofas in vibrant colours and textures and re-polishing the wood or giving it a distressed look. Uplift rugs with new stitching patterns and lay them with the furniture pieces.

For your bedroom, redo the headboard in fabric for an up-cycled look. Add floor cushions to the opened up area. Dry-clean old dhurries and up-cycle the material for these cushions. Paint your lampshades in complementary or contrasting colours and refresh the overall look of your spaces. These interventions will lease the furniture a new life and give your rooms a brand new look.

Pick up these ideas and experiment on your spaces. Add that colour and bring in the plants. Declutter. Let the breeze and energy in. These ideas won't only revamp your spaces for the monsoon but will last you as long as you are working from your homes. After all, who doesn't love to work from a lively corner with a good vibe and fresh breeze!