TrumatterLiving: Little, Big Home Transformations

Little changes, Big transformations! Think afresh with these real home transformations as inspirations, as we step into Spring-Summer! Plus 3 classic spring-summer home palettes.

Beautiful can be very intimidating sometimes. And that is probably what has happened to most of our magazines. The homes are so stunning that we often close the glossy pages and stack it atop a coffee table because frankly, it’s not happening. None of that. The mirrored wall, indoor swimming pool, five thousand crystal chandelier and imported marble hallways- they are not happening. For most of us, on most days! And sadly enough, for most people the idea of transforming one’s space means pulling the walls down and uprooting those tiles.

Truth is, it doesn’t have to be like that.

Money power? Nah! Muscle Power

Little changes, in and around the house, both temporary and permanent can bring about a mammoth shift in the way your space looks- the trick is to keep those glossy pages open and note down your takeaways. Plus, Instagram and Pinterest is choc full of ideas as to how to get things done for cheap and chic. Use the platforms wisely to create that dream home of yours.

Like we did, in these projects below.

A common Indian rental kitchen, transformed to farmhouse gorgeousness

And that ladies and gentlemen will be my kitchen. Tiled walls that cannot be drilled, a black granite counter top, open storage below with no racks and most importantly- a rental space that cannot be subjected to anything permanent. Take a look at the before, before we get into the nittygritty?

Before

After

Contact paper, functional storage, good looking utensils and a curtain rod!

These were my armor and I did it over a period of one year. I will be honest here because I wanted to see how things pan. Again, one important thing about revamping your space is always take your time. On paper and on site are two complete different things. So start with the essential bit.

I started with curtain rod because displaying utensils in a kitchen that faces my living room is a total no go for me. We drilled the granite on either ends and mounted short projection curtain brackets.

Next, added a rod and curtains that I got made locally (Cheaper and better). If you want to see the kind of curtain brackets we used, you can find it here.

Now there are better alternatives too where you can just clip the holder on to the rod and the base sits on your counter with command hook. Found one here

Next, was adding contact paper to both the tiles and the counter

We chose a white brick, removable wallpaper for the kitchen walls and a Carrara marble inspired removable, heat resistant contact paper for our kitchen counter. I asked my man Friday to fix these for me because I am extremely impatient.

Next, I added lots of storage below with baskets and also organized the counter top with utensil holders. Added command hooks in a line to hang a kitchen rail for bits and bobs!

However, the counter happened the last! But all in all, every bit cornered under 5000 rupees! Swell right?

A stunning entryway makeover by Garima from MetroMom

“We recently moved into our own apartment. It has a fair sized entryway but unfortunately the area was too dark to shine. I picked up a faux shiplap from Amazon. It was a peel and stick wallpaper so just took 2 days to finish the entire thing. I also created a family photo wall in the upper half of the wall and in the lower section of the wall I added peg hooks for hanging our bags, coats etc. I initially added a piece of wood on the wall and then screwed the wooden hooks on it.”

Here’s her entryway before

The Ink Bucket’s Vidhi Khandelwal’s Scandi-cool workstation was just white walls!

It is impossible that in this world of social media prominence you have not heard about Vidhi Khandelwal, the artist- a most amazing person and a dear pal- behind one of India’s leading stationery and lifestyle brand- The Ink Bucket. And while the world knows her as a brilliant illustrator, author and entrepreneur, I have had the good fortune of knowing her as a girl with great taste in homedecor.

Just with the use of art, exposed light toned tone, plants of varying heights and subtle pop of colors, Vidhi turned her workplace into a Scandi-boho-dream-workdesk that literally beckons one to work!

Here’s the before

Spring-Summer Palettes we adore and are almost classic

Time to fluff the cushions, clear the clutter, open the windows and add some cheer. After all it’s spring and the good days are almost here. Take a look at 3 spring summer palettes we adore and a guide to make your own color palette.

Don’t like these palettes? Why by all means make your own!

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Love, Rukmini