Curtains & Soft Furnishings.... Info on my favourite books

As soon as I wake up every morning, I do not think of what to make for breakfast.......but start thinking on what to update my blog with. As I was having my cup of coffee and looking at my wall of books.......I spotted 2 very interesting and easy to use books. As a designer, I feel that when books are more pictorial, it is very easy to visualise the outcome of your design. It is also very easy to communicate our design ideas to our vendors and convince the customer of the design outcome. Two such books are my top of the mind recall in the area of Curtains & Soft Furnishings....

The first book is "Making Soft Furnishings" created and produced for Parragon by The Bridgewater Book Company Limited. The editor is Sarah Yelling. (Photographs: re-taken from this book)

This book focuses on different types of fabrics, choosing them to suit your style, different trimmings, patterns, basic techniques, window treatments, making curtains, shower curtains, recycled curtains, shutters and blinds, lambrequins, tie-backs, seating fabrics, footstools and the list simply goes on. The editor discusses storage solutions, bed covers, table covers and runners and simply adding finishing touches using soft furnishings to the whole decor. I loved this book because everything is elaborately illustrated and explained whereever needed. It also features some diagrams and step by step procedures. A few pictures below are from this book for your view.

Choosing Bed FabricsMaking a child wall tidy accessoryTented WardrobesShelving HideawaysCutlery rollSeat Cover with SkirtAnother book that I would like to share with you is Heather Luke's CURTAINS. A little about the author....Heather Luke is an Interior Designer of International repute and has worked with clients in the UK, Europe and The USA. She also runs the Calluna School of Soft Furnishings in Taunton, Somerset. She has authored many such book on textiles and interior design. (All photographs re-taken from the book) In this book, she discusses the various styles of windows, the curtain designs and different ways to handle issues relating to curtains. It is all well explained and illustrated in the form of sketches. I have personally designed some curtains for my projects from this book. Below are some pictures from the book. As these are re-photographed from the book, the quality of the pictures suffers slightly.

Effective uses of wall or cupboard space

A regular visitor to my blog krutika, recently sent me a mail requesting for some effective uses of wall space. This collage is for you krutika. In this board, i have highlighted a few ways of using both the wall and cupboards surfaces effectively. Some of it include;

● An open shelf (in bright colours) from one corner to another corner with partitions in varying sizes and designs fitted on the wall of the room or kitchen directly. This will act both as a storage unit and also a decor by itself with some accessories on it. Another idea could be to get this particular wall done with some textures using texture cement or some bright wall finishes.

● A textured and a patterned wall paper with plain furniture will reduce the cost of designing as the wall itself is ornamental. The wall will be the focal point here due to its textured wallpaper.

● The trend today is moving towards using cupboard surfaces effectively by painting them in the design of our choice or collaging them with fabric or paper. This will not only serve the purpose of a cupboard but also be a part of the decoration (especially if its a theme) and is very cost effective.

● One can notice that a plain black cot is placed in front of a black cupboard with oriental prints on them. The cupboard surface is the focal point of this decor.

● In the top picture, one can notice a collage of patterns in various colours on the cupboard surface.

It would be great if each one of you reading this post share some of your ideas of using wall or cupboard space effectively....we could make a database of the ideas and circulate them among bloggers.

Some Freiling Zinn Collectibles from Germany.....

Zinn in German language means TIN in English. In olden days, tin as a metal was used abundantly. Tin is corrosion resistant and also has low-toxicity. As a result of this, tin-plated metal is used for storing oil, food pakaging (canned food) and snacks. Source: Wikipedia

Freiling Zinn is a company in Germany famous for its tin mugs, mugs with lids and flutes.

I picked up these marvellous pieces at an antique market in Stuttgart and paid quite a bit. But no regrets, I just love them. Look at the wonderful depictions that shows the mastery of the craftsmen at work. They depict some traditional scenes and inscriptions.

BATHROOMS and more.....

I am in the mode of designing some bathrooms for my friend. I thought that the best way to convince her or understand her ideas better would be by making these boards. Please take a look.

OCEAN FEEL BATHROOM

Tiles : NITCO (The Aqua Collection, Midnight Blue & Ocean Blue)

RUSTIC FEEL CONTEMPORARY BATHROOM

Tiles : Oak Cherry and Oak Natural

THE ROYAL EN-SUITE

Although this bathroom is not designed for her, I thought I should put this on my blog.

I was browsing through the pictures of http://www.jumeirah.com/en/Hotels-and-Resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Burj-Al-Arab/ and was highly inspired by this beautiful luxurious gold cladded bathroom. Something more than stunning would still be a lighter adjective here. I am so entralled by the pictures I saw here that I almost forgot my world. Inspired by this bathroom, I would design something simpler here.....

Do write to me and let me know what would be your most desired and aspired for bathroom? How practical and easy to use would it be?

TAGGED BY Patricia Torres....

This is the first time I am tagged and I must admit it is great fun and exciting to do something like this. It helps me re-discover myself and leaves me pondering in a lot of thoughts. Thanks a lot patricia for tagging me.....So, now for the answers to these questions.....

1. What is your current obsession?

Blogging, photography, Do-IT-Yourself home accessories....very obsessed with these right now....

2. What is your weirdest obsession?

Sorry patricia...seems like i am copying your answers....but the truth is that i love travelling tooo...

3. What are you wearing today?

relaxing at home....so in my white T-shirt and tracks.

4. What’s for dinner?

I cook only once in the morning...so my dinner is done....it is methi parata with beans fry and ridgegourd dhal....

5. What’s the last thing you bought?

2 salwar suits from Delhi.

6. What are you listening to right now?

song from ghajini...sutrum vizhi ...tamil version

7. What do you think about the person who tagged you?

very active....cheerful....totally into vibrant colours....lives life to the fullest...I hope I am right patricia...

8. If you could have a house totally paid for,fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

It would be Stuttgart, Germany for sure....my second home always...

9. What are your must-have pieces for summer?

My capris....traditional Indian tops...and lovely slippers to match it....my bag ofcourse...

10. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour,where would you go?

To my previous home in Stuttgart... I want to listen to my fav music on the ipod and walk in the fields behind my previous home ....enjoying nature at its best

11. Which language do you want to learn?

I am halfway through German language...I want to finish this fully...

12. What’s your favourite quote?

Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows me to survive, and better than that, to thrive with passion, compassion, and style. By Maya Angelou

13. Who do you want to meet right now?

My Sister...she is in the US and is due anytime now...I wish she were with me....

14. What is your favourite colour?

Green....Black.....mostly all colours....

15. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?

I love traditional Indian Salwars...

16. What is your dream job?

Yet to visualise one.....

17. What’s your favourite magazine?

BBC good homes, Good housekeeping...

18. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?

Buy a beautifully carved corner stand to display my brass artefacts...I am looking for a nic eone for a long time and still have not found one

19. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?

????????

20. Who are your style icons?

Neeta Lulla, Rajesh Pratap Singh....I admire their styles...

21. Describe your personal style.?

Vibrant, colourful....with the right accessories most of the time....

22. What are you going to do after this?

Drink a cuppa.....

23. What are your favourite movies?

Fire Ice Dynamite, Titanic, A beautiful mind, Dasavathaaram(tamil), Cleopatra, The Pianist, Casablanca, Gone with the wind, Amrutha Varshini (kannada)

24. What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without?

My Lipstick/lipgloss, kajal, perfume/deo

25. What inspires you?

Creativity...and being humble and friendly...

26. Give us three styling tips that always work for you:

1. Choose the right colours for morning and evening.

2. Always visualise what most of them will be wearing in the place that you are visiting and wear accordingly to avoid feeling out of place.

3. Accessorising makes me feel very good... so I would love to do it....

27. What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?

MIX and MATCH....create my own costume.....or clothing to be precise...

28. Coffee or tea?

Either or both...no issues

29. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?

I listen to various kinds of music, watch movies that are fun oriented and try to get out of the feeling that i am in...

**The rules are: Respond and rework – answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, and add one more question of your own. Then tag eight or ten other people.

I would request anybody reading this post and would like to be tagged to consider themselves tagged by me.....Please update this on your blogs and let me know when you do it...so that I can get to know you more....

Designing concepts ..... influenced by artwork

Recently, I was asked by someone to design a concept idea for their living room. They had bought some paintings from Egypt and wanted to try a different look for their home. I made this moodboard for them.

I have borrowed pictures for this board from various sources like magazines, flyers, travelogues etc., Kindly write to me if any of these are pictured by you and I would love to credit you for the same.

Service Apartment designed in 2006

Interestingly, I found some pictures of my work which I did for my sister's apartment in 2006. I was not a certified Interior designer back then. But the sheer passion for designing homes of people made me do this. This was to be designed as a service apartment for a company. They gave me a very low budget and I had to stick to this. So, I decided to work on the walls. During that time, dark coloured walls were the in-thing.....Although I could not get many pictures....here are a few for a glimpse.....

After I was trained to be an interior designer.....I realiséd the pluses and minuses of my design....Although I would opt for the blue bedroom and vouch for the bouganvilla coloured living room, I would definitely not go in for the bright orange bedroom. It seems too harsh for me now....But would you believe...when I said that a french guy who resides there loves this orange bedroom and he even called me up to appreciate it.......tastes obviously differ.....