Ikea? No Mykea!

I came across this really interesting website called thisismykea. They offer designer adhesives for your Ikea furniture and not only this they take it a step forward by giving you the option of turning into a designer by uploading your fav pics and getting them converted into furniture stickers. 

Want more? You can even download a designer kit from their site and create designs for them! You get a ten percent for every sticker sold!

The site is beautifully designed and categorized, by furniture, by design and by color.

Their story : "After a long and tedious day of shopping in a local Ikea store, we returned to the office. Tired and unwilling to do so we finally unpacked the Ikea furniture and started with the hellish job of putting them together. After we finished and looked at our assembled Ikea furniture, we came to the dire conclusion that our office would consist of three colours, or the lack thereof. White, white and black! Then someone said; wow, this looks kinda naked."

Hence, their slogan: say NO to NAKED Furniture

Read more about them here.

Images :  here

Revisiting student life

Guess what I came across on NY times? These absolutely brilliant ideas executed by students at their apartments. Its amazing how you start thinking of creative options to do up your rooms / dorms when you are a student for the simple reason that you don't have money.

I remember creating lamps out of inverted cane baskets, painting cartons and using them as a dressing unit and a table and making photoframes out of cardboard for my hostel room ( The photoframes i still have ;))

Enjoy these pictures and get inspired to do it " On the Cheap".

A chandelier made by draping plastic bags over 11 watt bulbs

( A wiremesh around each bulb protects the plastic from burning)

Candlestands made out of recycled bulbs

A bed made out of honeycomb corrugated board

Images : NYtimes

My Home, My Space

A dear friend has been waiting very patiently for this post. Thanks P. She recently moved cities and had given away all of her stuff. And then she moved AGAIN! This move is also a stopgap arrangement before they move to their final destination. So there are going to be no furniture shop rounds or any other Expensive and/or big item home shopping.

But who says a home can only come together with all that. All you need is a lot of creativity and your personal stamp on everything inside your home sweet home. This one is for you P. I hope you and of course all my readers enjoy going through it and get tons of ideas to do up your place. (Warning: Long post ;))

Furniture? Furniture What?

When I write furniture I mean the wood-difficult to move- expensive kinds.

Huge Floor Cushions, Mattresses, Cane Murhas (Stools), chowkis… all are great when you are doing up a house on a budget and even otherwise. I love the idea of a floor seating arrangement and have had it when I was living all alone and even now in one of my rooms. Nothing like sitting on the floor! Stock up on loads of colorful bedcovers and cushions and you are done!

Love the neutrals here...and don't miss out the low table

Photo frames on a window sill...aha!

Stack those cushions

Of course I need several tables!

Now tables are one thing that you DO need around the house. Be it to keep your laptop (right P ;)) or to stack up your makeup or for that lovely vase! I completely love the idea of using whats already there in the house to “make” tables. An old carton, an upside down bucket, a stack of books…whatever you like and whatever you can get!

Boxes like these are easily available

Love-love-love the ladder

A bucket and a tray...and you have a table

Show off those books

An old trunk...waiting to get out

A rug beneath my feet

Throw in a big rug/ chatai and the empty room starts looking full and gives a feeling of being lived in. Better still; get several small ones for a different look. Easy to maintain and easy to change when you are bored.

Ok, only for a second but can we please focus on the ballerinas?

These chatais are available everywhere

Oh those drapes!

Old dupattas, Never worn saris (I am the proud owner of several of those ;)), Jute burlap all make interesting curtains. Use more than one color and you are ready to rock. Also it’s so very easy to change the theme of the room according to the season with these unlike the regular curtains that are there to stay.

A simple polka-pink...me wants it

How about hanging several of your pretty dupattas against a sheer? Yummy!!

Jute burlap with a personal stamp, like it?

How I hate those Blank walls!

Walls that don’t have signs of our travels, our family, crafty little somethings are not my walls!

There is absolutely no need to invest in expensive art if you can’t afford it or don’t understand it. A picture gallery on the wall, collections that you have built over years: of absolutely anything plates, stamps, mirrors even Frisbees. Yes you heard it right…someone actually did a Frisbee wall and it looked so whimsical!

What good are those pictures sitting in albums...huh?

Empty frames, anyone?

Love this eclectic collection of platters, colorful and so much fun!

How about a map on the wall, better still...how about marking the places you've been to!

Can’t do without my lamps

Who needs a chandelier!! Paper lanterns, lots of bulbs put together, empty beakers with tea lights all do the trick. You just have to look around!

Have always had a special corner for these babies ;)

Why can't i ever throw empty jars? Cos they are not only good vases but also good lamps ;)

Adore these bulbs, someone take care of my electricity bills

Had to post this pic...LOVE it

And then there are those other things

You have no idea what a little bit of green does to a home…so get in a plant, put those lovelies in a vase and you don’t even need proper vases. Take out that wine bottle, your favorite mug or even a copper kadhai! Bring out those beads and necklaces that you have and add some Bling to your house. Open those cupboards and accessorize your home with whatever you feel will give it an edge!

Get in those lovely stems with the flowers as well

A green plant inside the home is a must for me, even inside my washrooms ;)

Hey Glitter, come right in or out in this case, right?

Remember that slinky we played with, isn't this a cute idea for a kids' room?

Pretty little boxes all in a row...

I know it’s been a long post, but I really hope you had fun going through it, I sure had fun putting it together for all of you! Do write to me if you want me to cover any specific areas related to home/ décor/ DIY/ Parties et al and of course I would love to hear your views on this one!

Images : Too many of them to write about, namely countryliving, apartment therapy, real simple, tumblr, flickr, etc etc

Some more chalkboard

If you recall some days back I did this post, Perfect for décor and function. It had a lot of stuff that was made from chalkboard. Now imagine my joy when I came across this!!!

Yes! you are seeing a Chalkboard dining table. I came across this at design sponge and had to - had to share this with all of you. It has been conceptualized by Kate and her partner. They found a plain looking wooden table and made it into this masterpiece.

This is supercute. I will be honest though, I am way too much in love with my round glass-wood dining table and can’t see myself trading it with the chalkboard one but I can definitely see myself making this for my seven month old daughter. I can imagine her sitting at it with a glass of milk and a sandwich...both marked clearly ;) some years later ofcourse !

Ooooo...i love love love this. The arrows, the boxes et al.

To create this fun table, after sanding and priming, simply add two coats of custom chalkboard paint and let it dry for 2-3 days. After which curing needs to be done and it’s ready.

All images from designsponge

Welcome to sensible shopping

I was at Bangalore last week and my love for home decor and organic stuff took me to Mother Earth. Floors and floors of absolutely lovely stuff. They say "We believe that Nature provides for all, as long as we give back as much as we take." What a beautiful thought and an equally divine store to match it. The store works under three concepts, Earth Fashion, Earth Home and Earth Food.

I spent a wonderful afternoon there and shopped like crazy. For those of you who haven't been to the store, here are some pics of the store to make you green with envy (Yes, i am wicked!!)

Adorable little fishes, interesting cushions, lamps, bling necklaces, colorful dupattas, lovely book shelves and painted pots; they had it all

Awesome furniture and do check out those tall lamps...v v pretty

Yummy!!! What pretty colors...mats, cushions,table runners,storage boxes, chatais and so much more

My favorite...Studio pottery. Also seen here paintings and tiny cushions and table mats

Some more gorgeous stuff...

Mother Earth has its stores here. And you can read more about them here.

Images : From their website

Can "Waste" ever look so gorgeous?

I came across this exceptionally talented designer on one of my favorite sites, Droog. And that led me to his website. Jens Praet. He is a really young designer who has just started out and his work has already been exhibited at Droog, Design, Pantaloon Osaka, Galleria Cardi Milano, Rocca Paolina Perugia, Via Milano Amsterdam, Eat Drink Design Eindhoven, etc.

"Jens’ works range from pure products to graphic related designs with the main goal to create objects that have never been seen before. Jens has a passion for everyday objects and materials and the combination of old and new. He finds inspiration in unexpected details and daily issues which become often the starting-point in his designs".

I fell in love with his Shredded paper collection. He says on his website, "For the last thirty years we have heard about the recycling of waste... Waste is usually strongly linked with pollution and to often the term waste implies things which have been used inefficiently or inappropriately. So how can we make this abstract concept a reality? I was so shocked about the enormous office waste and amount of shredded documents, that I wanted to react to this by reusing those documents and to transform them into a usefull object with a new dignity".

Enjoy his work!

The Designer : Jens Praet

Shredded Paper Storage, created by using shredded confidential documents & black resin

One day paper waste little cabinet with the strength of wood

My favorite, "one day paper waste" little table/ console

Images via his website

Designer : Asli Bohane

This post is the first in the series of designers that I had promised you guys.

Product and Furniture Designer: Asli Bohane
Yesterday’s post carried her Urban Flower Tray. French designer Asli has a very interesting history. She was in the banking industry and was designing purely for self. Soon,she started working on private commissions and before she knew she was designing products and furniture fulltime (In 2000, she left her banking job and studied design at the London Metropolitan University). She designs under the label Empty Me Ltd. at London.

Her Work: She designs tableware and outdoor eating products and merchandise for infants and children. You can see her complete range at www.empty-me.com .What I love about her designs is that she creates great looking products which are extremely functional. It is a quite challenge to combine aesthetics, creativity and convenience.

From the right (Clockwise) : Fridge Magnets, Changing Bags,Picnic Bags, Urban Flower tray

All images are from her website

Her products for children like the Sleepover bag is designed such that the kid can wear it across her shoulder and chest and even have embroidered pockets to help her remember pack everything needed!Other products like the changing bag for mothers and picnic bags are also multipurpose. They can all be unzipped into changing mats/ rugs when required (The Changing Bag received the ‘highly commended Gift of the Year 2005’ in the fashion accessories category by the Gift Association).Tablecloths have weights hanging at the all the four corners to hold the tablecloth down while one is outside. When indoors, the weights can be used as fridge magnets.

What is truly inspiring is her journey from a banking career to designing. Just goes to show that if you are passionate about something, you must follow your heart and put in your best and results will follow;)

Sink into a Beanbag

As I write today’s post I am very well settled on my beanbag or should I say IN my beanbag;)

For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about, A bean bag is a piece of furniture made up of fabric/ faux suede /faux leather and filled with loads of PVC pellets that need to be refilled after every one or two years depending on your usage. These were very popular in the late 1960s and 1970s (Source: Wikipedia). They made their comeback in 1990s and I think they are here to stay ;) They are essentially cylindrical-shaped, tapered at the top end for easy carry. They look like a sack that is half full. Today we have them in many more shapes: cubes, sofas, chairs et al.

I feel beanbags work very well in contemporary as well as conventional set ups especially since mixing styles is hot these days. They are very functional and trendy. With them you can add color & texture to your room very easily. Get multi-colored ones to create drama in your room or a get neutral one to an already colorful room. These days they come in various textures/ patterns too. So take your pick!! Now there are people who have total disregard for them, “they are shapeless & bad for the back”. But I am a total Beanbag enthusiast and in the last three years we have not had any back problems. As for the beanbag being shapeless, I call that its personality ;) Just be sure they are of good quality (Not rexine) and sink in. So, why should you get one??

• You can just throw yourself on it and watch a movie or curl up and read a book
• They are perfect to sink in and have your coffee after a hard day at work
• They fill up a lot of space in the room without causing a huge dent in your pocket ( Priced between Rs.900 to Rs.4000)
• They are a lot easy to move around and serve you well when you have lots of guests and few chairs
• Someone at our home even sleeps on them, by putting two of them in line !!

Where can you pick it from?

• Chains like Lifestyle and The Home store & online from ebay india
• For people in Delhi, cheaper variants can be picked from roadside shops like the ones on the MG Road, Delhi.

There is another variant of the same that I came across, the Buddha Bag. This contains something called memory foam in contrast to the PVC pellets in the Bean Bags. It is like an oversized beanbag that takes the shape of your body and supposedly much more comfortable and easy to get out than a Bean Bag. I haven’t had a chance to sit on one, so people who have please do let me know.

Leaving you with some absolutely amazing products and art pieces by some great designers who have used the humble beanbag for creating the same. Check them out!!!

From the left ( Clockwise)

Dream bag: Designed by Ulrika Enberg & Kasper Medin. This resembles a flower that can be closed into a bud when you want to take it along and blossoms in any place you want to sit. Its modelled on the lotus, seat of divinities.In Hinduism,Vishnu and Ganesh, Lakshmi and Saraswati are all depicted on lotus blossoms.Brahma sits on a super-lotus, its stem growing from Vishnu’s navel.

Beenie Ashtay: The base of the ashtray is made from a bean bag.You can sit the ashtray on your table, knee or sofa armrest without having to worry about the ashtray slipping off.

Beanbag Cell Phone Chair: A perfect accessory for any workstation. A chair for your cell phone! Can even be used to plant you i-pod and blackberry

"Two Bean Bag Chairs": Sculpture Steel, 2006 by Cheryl Ekstrom in the series titled Stable Inhabitants of a Changing World.