home decor

Creating lasting first impressions

Styled by Om Sweet Home

Styled by Om Sweet Home

How often do we judge a book by its cover? It’s only fair to assume that in most cases a home will be judged by its foyer. Nowadays many people realise this home truth and are including the foyer in their renovation or decorating plans. The foyer is not just a spot to physically dust off the world’s worries before you ensconce yourself in the comforting embrace of your home, it is also the space that will create the first impression your guests will have of your abode.

The foyer or entryway, as it’s sometimes called, is the first sight that greets visitors to your home and gives them an inkling of what’s waiting for them inside. Besides that, you and your family will pass your foyer several times a day, so make it’s up to you to make it an interesting route.

 Allow me to give you some pointers on how to make your foyer welcoming and  create a great first impression.

When your main door opens directly into the living area, a decorative room divider provides a minimal and elegant solution of creating a demarkation between the entryway and the sitting area.

When your main door opens directly into the living area, a decorative room divider provides a minimal and elegant solution of creating a demarkation between the entryway and the sitting area.

In the case of small or no foyer: Firstly, not every apartment or house comes with a spacious foyer…in fact quite a few have no foyers. In that case, you can create an illusion of a foyer through a few simple tricks.

1.    Contrast: Starting from the main door itself, contrasting wall colour/treatment or flooring immediately creates a visual boundary between the foyer and the living room.

The teal blue door and a graphic print carpet coverts this small foyer into a  striking entryway.

The teal blue door and a graphic print carpet coverts this small foyer into a striking entryway.

2.    A room divider: To give your visitors a clear idea as to where the entrance ends and the living area begins, another technique is to use a minimal decorative room divider or a shelving unit to clearly demarcate the two spaces.

This clever shelving unit doubles up as a classy room divider.

This clever shelving unit doubles up as a classy room divider.

Lighting: Some foyers have compact and narrow spaces with no natural light. There’s a way to fix this. Bounce light into this space by using mirrors. This helps in making the room look bigger and brighter. Lighting can be used effectively to make an dramatic impact – nowadays there are several beautiful pendant lighting fixtures available in the market that are perfect for foyers.

Furniture and Decor: Utilize the foyer to add elegant décor details that will help to elevate the overall ambience of your home. The foyer is the ideal spot for a sleek console table, a striking mirror, a bold painting or sculpture. And if you have ample space in your foyer, you can include other refined accents such a statement couch, lamps and an eye catching carpet runner, all of which spell sophistication and class.

This sleek console, coupled with a bold painting , table lamps and indoor plants creates an inviting atmosphere. Styled by Om Sweet Home.

This sleek console, coupled with a bold painting , table lamps and indoor plants creates an inviting atmosphere. Styled by Om Sweet Home.

Accent wall: An accent wall can beautifully offset an art installation,

Add colour to your foyer without having to paint the entire space. Alternatively, you can choose to paint a mural on this wall or play with textures such as stone or wood. Another idea is to create a collage of family photos – an instant conversation starter.

Simple tricks such as  painting one wall a different colour and off-setting it with an antique console and striking carpet  immediately elevates an otherwise boring entrance.

Simple tricks such as painting one wall a different colour and off-setting it with an antique console and striking carpet immediately elevates an otherwise boring entrance.

Storage: Last, but not the least, when your guests enter your home, you wouldn’t want them to trip or dodge carelessly scattered footwear. Ample shoe storage is key to a clutter free entrance. The foyer can also be used to store shoes or sports gear with thoughtfully built in storage that integrates with the design of the rest of the house. Placing a beautiful bench by the door will make it easier to remove or put on strappy sandals or lace up shoes and also give the space an inviting touch.

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 All photographs are for representational purposes only.

Pic credits: Om Sweet Home, Aliexpress.com,, Recommend.my, Decoist, Hotpads, Lazada Sg, Pinterest.





















 






Some home truths in the times of COVID 19

This is my favourite to-do home project - creating a collage of my fondest memories. I call it  Wonderwall.

This is my favourite to-do home project - creating a collage of my fondest memories. I call it Wonderwall.

Now, more than ever, our homes have become the most important and over-utilized space in our day to day lives. It’s June and most of us are still working from home and will continue to do so for at least a few months more if not a year. Our children have been schooling online for the last few months, and soon with the summer holidays, they will continue to spend more time indoors until and if normalcy returns. Tempers are frayed and morale is at an all-time low.

Today I am going to address a few key concerns that we all have.

1) How do we strike the right balance between work and personal spaces?

2) Considering the whole family is together and  indoors most of the time, how do we prevent our home from becoming a war zone and instead turn it into a calm sanctuary? How do we ensure that we retain our sanity, and insulate ourselves from this global atmosphere of uncertainty?

1.Striking the right balance between work and personal spaces:

Eroding boundaries between work and relaxation can give rise to exhaustion. So make sure that you do not work on your laptop from your dining table or from your couch or the patio. Instead, assign each family member a room or a section of a room and keep it separate throughout the work day. Most importantly, make sure that your family occupies these work spaces only during your work times. Treat each other’s working spaces as if they were offices or schools. Let each member create a desk space for themselves in their favourite corner. Make sure that these work stations have a good amount of natural light, sockets for electronics, and most importantly earphones. Simple touches like a vase of flowers can add a dash of colour and cheer.  If you have two or more kids using the same room, separate their work spaces with a make shift curtain, a book shelf, or any other visual divider. This visual divider will give them privacy. Another great idea is to have the children’s desks facing outdoors through different windows. “In” and “out” trays or boxes will help maximise efficiency and help keep the work space neat. You can also use small kitchen jars to store small items like pens and paper clips.

Do not eat lunch or have your mid-morning coffee at your work desk. If you want your coffee fix or your kids are feeling snacky, put out some bar stools in your kitchen and use your kitchen as an office/school cafeteria. Insist on having your lunch together as a family at the dining table. It’s a good way to break the day’s monotony, to connect and recharge.

A two-in-one work station like this one is an ideal space-saving solution. It provides each kid with privacy within the same room.

A two-in-one work station like this one is an ideal space-saving solution. It provides each kid with privacy within the same room.

2. Making your home an oasis of calm:

REFRESH AND RECYCLE: Accommodating the entire family 24/7 is not an easy task. But an easy and cost effective way to refresh your living space and also gain some added space is to rearrange your furniture.  Involve your family in this project. And while you are at it, use this opportunity to declutter your home. Clearing the physical clutter in your home, also declutters the mind and opens up spaces that you never knew you had. In the process, you might find some stuff that can be efficiently recycled and repurposed. At the end of this exercise, you will be surprised at the shift in energy – in your mind as well as your home.

 

MAKE A WONDERWALL: This is my favourite and once again you can involve the whole family in the do-it-yourself project. Begin by painting one wall in the house, preferably a corridor wall or a staircase wall. Next identify your fondest memories. We all have special photographs on our Instagram. How about printing them out, putting them in frames (the frames don’t have to be uniform) and creating a wall collage of people and places that you love the most? Intersperse these frames with hand-painted sayings, palm prints of every family member, prized art works or curios that you bought on your travels.

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BRING THE OUTDOORS IN DOORS: Natural light is an instant way to perk up any room. Maximise natural light in every room, by first dismantling your heavy curtains. Instead use only your sheer day curtains.

Incorporate plants and flowers into your living spaces. Other than adding colour and cheer to any room, plants are also proven stress busters. If you are lucky to have a balcony or a garden, use this downtime to nurture a herb garden.

 Another fun way to get the outdoorsy feel is to unpack your Christmas lights and install them along your window ledge or wrap them around a shelf in any room. Soft lighting that resembles a starry night brings instant coziness to the room.

 

So that’s it from me! See you soon on the other side. Until then #hanginthere #takecare #staysafe

Convert your balcony into a sanctuary.

Convert your balcony into a sanctuary.

All photographs are for representational purposes only.

Pic credits: Om Sweet Home, Decor It Yourself, Better Homes And Gardens, Pinterest

 

Art for Heart's sake.

Painting by Ines Longevial

Painting by Ines Longevial

Here I am, on the cusp of making my debut as a bonafide artist with my first art show just around the corner. Apart from it being a culmination of over 2 years of hard work and self introspection, this has been a creative journey and an exercise in finding myself. My art works are a reflection of what I see in my mind’s eye and in the colours that speak to me. It has been an intensely personal and empowering experience for me, resulting in 15 works of art . I love each one of them dearly as though they were my kids. In a way, they are. But now as I’m putting them out there in the world, I wonder how I will feel when one piece gets picked over the others. Will I feel elated for the artwork that finds a home, or will my heart break for the one that gets left behind?

 

Clearly there will be favourites. There will be pieces that attract the “oohs” and the “aahs”, but there might be some which don’t get a second look. This set me thinking. What is it that we look for when we buy art for our homes? Are there any universal rules? More importantly SHOULD there be any rules?

 

I know that there are many people who look upon art as an investment. I’m not one of them. I buy art only because it makes my heart sing and my spirits soar. It is a highly personal and emotional choice. Somehow I just cannot look at a painting in terms of current and possible future value.

 

Unless you are an art curator, buying art does not come naturally. Galleries might seem intimidating and you can get drowned in decisions concerning the right size and the right colour of art for your home. In reality, choosing art is a far more intuitive process than you think.

Check out the local art scene for upcoming artists and talent. Mixed media art by Prabha Saha. Part of “The Face In The Mirror “ series.

Check out the local art scene for upcoming artists and talent. Mixed media art by Prabha Saha. Part of “The Face In The Mirror “ series.

Here are my few simple rules that might help you when you buy art.

 

1)      CHOOSE ART AT A HEART LEVEL: Art speaks to us in different ways. I would say, buy art that you love and can’t stop thinking about. If you come across a beautiful art piece, but you don’t feel anything about it, move on. It is better to stare at a blank wall, than buy art that you don’t give you goose bumps. Remember, when you buy art for your home, you will be seeing it every day and it will become an integral part of your life and your living space. It will make a statement about you. So choose well and choose with your heart, not your mind.

 

2)      MEASUREMENTS ARE IMPORTANT: Trust your instinct. If you like something, buy it. You will always find space for something you adore Having said that, if you have limited space, please carry the measurements of your space along. Scale is important. There is nothing more tragic than an art piece not getting it’s due.

 

3)      BE BOLD: Choosing wall colours, furniture, drapes and home décor can follow rules like using a neutral palette as I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, but where art is concerned, I urge you to go bold, go eclectic. Be unafraid of colours and textures. It should be capable of starting a conversation, set the feel and vibe of a space. Depending on the room, you can choose to either go in for one stunning large art piece or a collage wall of several smaller art pieces.

4)      KNOW YOUR ARTIST: Make it a point to read up about the artist , follow them on social media. It will give you a deeper insight to the art work you possess.

 

If you don’t have the budget for an original painting, check out Uprise Art or Etsy for some interesting, original yet affordable art. Pic courtesy Pinterest.

If you don’t have the budget for an original painting, check out Uprise Art or Etsy for some interesting, original yet affordable art. Pic courtesy Pinterest.

5)      ART DOES NOT ONLY MEAN PAINTINGS: By broadening your outlook, art can encompass many different mediums – be it photography , drawings, illustrations, vintage style posters, old maps, framed carpets etc. You can discover a host of beautiful pieces that could be perfect for your home.

 

6)      BUDGET: If your budget doesn’t stretch too far and you cannot afford an original, don’t be disappointed. Almost all artists offer high quality prints of their work too.

Another $ saving tip: If you are fond of photography, get high resolution prints of some of the photos that you are proud of and have them professionally mounted on a board and framed. These are ideal for narrow spaces like a corridor or along a sta…

Another $ saving tip: If you are fond of photography, get high resolution prints of some of the photos that you are proud of and have them professionally mounted on a board and framed. These are ideal for narrow spaces like a corridor or along a stairway. Photograph by Prabha Saha

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” - Thomas Merton