Design on a budget – One Room Two Budgets!

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on August 19, 2015

One of the most common things I hear from clients is…’I have a tight budget or don’t have much to spend!’
And I say you can still have a chic beautiful space!

So today’s post is dedicated to creating a beautiful living room – on 2 budgets!

Room 1 – Budget Rs.50000
Lets say Rs.50000 is all you have to spend on your living room. What can it get you?

Here’s a living room designed on a budget of Rs.50000. (Pardon me for not accounting for taxes, VAT and sales going away or coupons ending….I never said I’m good at accounting :))

Shopping List (click on item to buy)

Sofa – Rs. 20,719

Chair – Rs. 5600

Rug – Rs. 4000

Nesting Tables – Rs. 5000

Pouf – Rs. 2800

Floor Lamp – Rs. 7600

Wall Art – Rs. 2795

Throw Pillow 1 – Rs. 300

Throw Pillow 2 – Rs. 150

Grand Total – Rs. 48,964

Room 2 – Budget Rs.100,000
A budget of Rs. 100,000 to spend on your living room….Here’s what it can look like!

Shopping List (click on item to buy)

Sofa – Rs. 43,000

Chair – Rs. 14,000

Rug – Rs. 7500

Stools – Rs. 5000 (2)

Coffee Table – Rs. 5000

Shelving unit – Rs.8400

Side Table – Rs. 6000

Table Lamp – Rs. 3800

Mirror – Rs. 2490

Throw Pillow 1 – Rs. 300

Throw Pillow 2 – Rs. 900

Throw Pillow 3 – Rs. 600

Grand Total – Rs. 96,990

It IS possible to design a beautiful space on a tight budget and still make it look chic! We can make it happen☺

What a Wee Makeover can do for your home?

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on August 9, 2015

One of the common myths of interior decor is that it is expensive, involves a whole lot of buying and is just a tedious process! It has also been thought of as something that is necessary only when you buy homes or redesign your entire home.

At Weespaces we want to make the design process more accessible, more relevant and easier for the customer. We want to dispel the myth that it needs to be time and money intensive.

Good design works towards making a space chic, personal and functional keeping within the constraints of budget, function and your personal needs.

Here is an example of what a simple Wee Makeover can do! Our client in this case was a young family with a toddler. We all know how the clutter that comes along with kids can takeover a space and leave very little room for creativity and design.

When we stepped in we realized the need for organization and creating a functional yet welcoming space. We were low on budget and could invest only in a few pieces of soft furnishings like curtains, rugs, a lamp and an ottoman.  Though the changes might seem small you can see the world of difference they have made to the living room!

As we moved along the family fell in love with their home and their living room again 🙂 And then they decided to add some key pieces of furniture like a new sectional and a media cabinet. You can see how the space has transformed with these changes, but all keeping with the budget and constraints of the client.

And when we hear from the family how much they love their new space, its a joy! Get in touch with us if you want to fall in love with your home again 🙂

WeeArt Wednesdays – Todays pick!

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on August 6, 2015

Wednesday came a day late here…..but this weeks WeeArt pick is such a fun modern piece of art! Something to anchor a kids space around…its colorful, modern and with a muted gray background can work with any color scheme!

Get it here.

Before and After Sunday!

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on August 2, 2015

Who doesn’t love looking at before and after pictures on a Sunday!  So here are my favorite before after projects to give you an eyeful…I hope you love it as much I do 🙂

Bright and sunny california condo

We started with a blank state and ended with a beautiful relaxed bright space for this young family. Their love for organic modern clearly comes through in the lighter textures and an oversized wood carved art! Functional and chic 🙂

Fun and Playful little boy’s nursery

We had a pretty small space to play with here and some existing pieces to work with. I love how fun and colorful this room turned out….perfect for a little boy! The bright colors against the black and whites in the walls and larger pieces work so well.

Pillow Talk

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on July 31, 2015

I went pillow shopping yesterday! Next to a cocktail by the beach….it could possibly be one of my favorite things to do 🙂

A textile lovers dream…so many colors, patterns and textures to choose from! But that could also turn out to be overwhelming!

So here’s my visual journey and a few tips to help you navigate through the choices and pick those pillows that work perfectly together.

A walk through and taking it all in!

Now this is where it can get a bit overwhelming. A couple of things to make note of here;

Color – What are the colors you want to go with? Pick at least 2 primary colors and a couple accent colors you want to play around with. In my case I was buying pillows for a gray couch. The other factors I considered were a gray and gold rug and a navy daybed in the same space.

So I picked grays, metallics and blues as my primary colors with accents of gold and hot pink!

Number – Depending on how big your sofa/couch is you may need to choose anywhere between 2 to 6 pillows. I personally prefer an odd number – 3 or 5 or 7! They help break pattern and color.

Pattern Play – Its always easy to pick 2 of a kind and have matchy pillows. But thats neither fun nor does it really add the visual interest you want it to add.

So its important to work with a variety of patterns and textures and colors. Within your colors pick at least one or two larger pillows that are neutral and use texture. You can add interest using 1 large scale pattern and then blend with a few pillows with small scale pattern all staying within the same color family.

Here’s what I worked with. I settled for the neutral gray with metallic accents, a beautiful ikat lumbar pillow and a navy velvet larger pillow. Then I played around with a few patterns in a smaller scale. Oh and never underestimate the power of a solid pillow to tie them all in together!

And the final five 🙂 I love them!

Follow our blog to see how they look once styled and placed on the couch! Thats coming up soon 🙂

WeeArt Wednesdays – Today’s Pick – The Orange Sky

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on July 29, 2015

WeeArt wednesdays is your guide to handpicked affordable and beautiful art for your home! Every wednesday we pick a piece that talks to us and we hope we can help you with some artful picks for your home.

This weeks pick is the Orange Sky wall art by Vinati Bhatt from the Discover India collection available at the Tadpole store. I love black and whites and this one juxtaposed with a vibrant orange makes for a beautiful and striking conversation piece in your home.

Get it here.

A weekend in Fort Kochi!

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on July 23, 2015

I spent a long weekend in beautiful Fort Kochi, Kerala. I’ve visited Kerala a few times in the past…but this trip was special for two reasons!

One it was my first vacation with the kids in India and second it was a design lovers dream! From the art, architecture, colonial and antique furniture, woodcarvings and beautiful artifacts to the sheer beauty of everything around, it was quite an eyeful!

We stayed at the lovely Brunton Boatyard and it does a great job of transporting you to another time. Gorgeous arched hallways, beautiful colonial furniture and fabulous service!

Lots of cafes to visit and enjoy a good book with a cuppa, art galleries and little shops. One of our most memorable meals was a four course tasting menu at the Eight Bastion! Sublime south indian flavors and spices presented in small plates.

An antique market in Jew town made for a beautiful afternoon…..I see myself going back 🙂

I stumbled across wood carvings and figurines, beautiful marble top colonial tables, cane back chairs of various kinds, plantation chairs, brass urlis of various shapes and sizes and much more!

I can see why this place is a design lover’s paradise! I see myself bringing back some of these for my own home:)

Like they say in gods own country there’s beauty everywhere you look!

4 tips to get your curtains right!

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on July 1, 2015

I always get asked if we design only kid’s spaces. And the answer is no.

While we started out with the vision of designing unique spaces for kids and families….we have worked on living rooms, bedrooms and patios. We pride ourselves in being able to design spaces keeping kids in mind, which can be challenging! But we also enjoy the freedom of working on spaces without those constraints, where we can bring in that glam glass top coffee table or the floor length mirror!

I also think that some of the basics of creating a beautiful functional space work across all rooms. One of those is curtains and draperies….the concepts extend through to every space. So here are my 4 favorite tips when you are looking to get curtains for any room!

Hang it right!

If I had to say one thing about curtains then this is it! Most people end up with curtains hung from the wrong height. To make the most of your curtains, you want to hang them closer to your ceiling above the height of your doors/windows. That adds height to the space and visually makes your ceilings appear taller!

Go all the way to the floor!

Curtains that end an inch above the floor are not something you want…they visually cut the height of the space! Imagine wearing an ankle length saree…you get the point!

Long, flowy and gently pooling or breaking on the floor is how you want your curtains to look. Generally a 1-2inch break is a good rule of thumb to go by. While curtains that pool can create a dramatic luxurious effect they may not be practical for everyday living spaces.

Choose the right fabric!

Having thick blackout curtains in a living room where you want the natural light to come through or sheers in a bedroom where you need privacy are no – no’s! It’s important to keep in mind the purpose of the room and pick your curtains accordingly.

Texture is another important parameter….silk and heavier fabrics usually make for a more formal setting while cottons, linens and lighter fabrics are more casual.

Don’t skimp!

Curtains need to gather to create the right effect. You don’t want to skimp and get 2 panels in place of 4 and draw them flat all the way to cover your windows. A general rule of thumb is to halve the width of the curtains for gather. If you have a 48” wide curtain, it will cover 24” with gather.

5 tips to create a fun functional playroom!

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on June 25, 2015

The monsoons are here and Bangalore is seeing some gorgeous weather lately! I like the idea of rains while sitting on my armchair with a cup of hot coffee and a book….being out and about not so much! And if you have little ones like me, then being stuck home isn’t exactly a fun option!

Here are my top 5 tips to create a warm, fun and easy indoor playroom for your little ones. We all know when they’re busy, we are happy ☺

1. A reading nook – This is one of the favorite tips. Its easy to create and offers little ones a much needed ‘my’ space…..a tent indoors, a little canopy over a few pillows, a teepee, a corner seat next to the window….the possibilities are endless. It’s a great spot for kids to wind down!

2. A pretend play/ dress up station – This is such a fun idea when you have preschoolers and kindergarten aged kids. A small coat rack or towel rack for hanging some of their favorite costumes and a mirror is all you need! From a pirate to a princess….your little ones are guaranteed to keep busy ☺

3. An arts and crafts space – Painting, coloring, stringing beads! A little play table or even your coffee table can double up as a kid friendly spot (not to forget an open floor) and some storage for all that little crafty stuff.

4. A soft rug – A cozy soft plush rug is the perfect accessory for a playroom. Make sure you pick something easy to clean and maintain! While wool is easy to maintain and soft….in warmer weather even a soft cotton rug is a great option.

Get them here – Round Pattaya Rug, Chevron Rug, Blue and White Arrow Rug, Yellow Cross Rug, Pink floral rug

5. Storage, Storage, Storage – There is never enough space and its important to have functional, easy to use storage. Think tall shelving units to maximize wall space and leave valuable floor space free, over the door hangers, closet organizers and bins for little things.

Get them here – White ladder bookshelf, Pear wall shelf, Cube shelving unit, Blue house shelving unit, Red wall shelf

Hello from Bangalore!

Created by Vinithra Amarnathan on June 16, 2015

Its been a long hiatus and I’m just so happy to be able to come back to my blog again! A whirlwind 8 months moving from LA to Bangalore with an infant and toddler!

Its been chaotic, beautiful and eventful packed with new sights and sounds, experiences and learnings! The beauty of India is everywhere….in colors, gorgeous fabrics, art, antique british colonial furniture….I could go on. So I’ve been soaking it all in and cant wait to see how it all translates into our designs….california colonial chic anyone?

Here’s a snippet of my experiences in pictures….