I was going through my old pictures and found these ... pictures of the first, apartment my husband and I bought ... after we got married ... budget ... what budget ... the crazy mortgage ... left no such word in our dictionary ... when it came to doing it up ... I had to try all the tricks of the trade to make it look ... well,what you see in the pictures ...
used my own art work on the walls ... a futon ...covered with cream color sheet to ... make up for seating ... oh! my coffee table ... bought three identical pots and a glass top for them ... have to say, it was used more than any other place in the house ... all our friends ... always gathering around the coffee table for some of the best and most memorable moments of my life ...
ignored the mismatched lamps ... my lovely paisley shawls ... doubled up to give a lovely look to a run down old rickety table ... 
the Korean hyacinth chairs and my chandelier ... were my only two splurges ... and ofcourse, the pretty mirror was a house warming gift from my mommy dearest ...
all I did was, kept in mind to match the color of my sofa ... and this peach wall just made me feel nice ...
God bless the previous owner ... he left behind this beautiful plant ... and the old and ignored one ... grew soon into a loveable adorable... greenpatch in my drawing room ... along with the monstera in the other corner ... which ... it declared, captured ...and climbed all over it.
And honestly, ... it was so much fun to design with the challenge of a budget or rather no budget ... it made me love every new piece as it got added to the house ... something that I can't experience with a big budget projects .The challenge definitely gived me a high ... and I have to say you can design lovable places ... with limited resourses and budgets.
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44 comments:
Good sweet lord!! This is AWESOME!!! This is something on the lines of what I have in my mind for my first apartment, only difference will be I'll have hardwood floors. I have a combo of wood and perhaps some glass and tiny bit of chrome on the trims in my mind, off white to creamish texture paint on the walls, the kitchen island doubling up as a bar on the outer side, hidden/defined lighting through the house (including the bathrooms) and things like that...
Gives me something to dream about tonight... AWESOME!!!
what a lovely post.. Rajee!! This is nostalgic and reminds me of our first home… (and the budget!!)
Your home looked lovely… I love the coffee table and all the lovely lamps!
Rajee, that is a very serene and welcoming house!!
well have to proudly declare ... this is like pra ji ...landing on moon moment ... hermano, you are the very first man to join the friends circle on my blog and and now ... the very first to comment ...thanks a ton and its really wonderful.
Sweet dreams and hope your dream apartment comes true real soon and exactly as you dream of it... the first ones are always very special.
Have an eye for detail ... let the eye for things be yours ... call me if you need help ... you sound like your cooking an exciting thing up there in Delhi...I like the sounds of it. All the best.
Hi Patricia,
Yep, I just had a nostalgic moment and bang happened this post :)
And first homes ...well what do I say... we've all been through with that one ... along with the, honey I burnt the dinner memories.
Oh! yeah ... I loved that coffee table a lot.
Hi Aditi,
Thanks ... I think I enjoy it even more now... when I look at the pictures.And you nailed it with the word 'serene' ... thats the word which is the biggest reward if it comes from my client.
And its a pretty difficult going, for an in house designer ... husbands are the worst clients one can dream of ;D ... cheeky fellas sittin' on couch and critiquing :)
Hi Rajee,
It reminds of of some shots from one of my fav books "Peace at Home".. Very serene look !
Hehe I liked the bit about "budget" ..yes, you get most creative when working on a budget, or no budget as you said. The first apartment we lived , we had arranged some very colorful ceramics ( like mugs and bowls) which doubled duty as artwork and tableware :)Miss those times !
If you dont mind me asking , is this house in the US or India ?
Also noticed some of your accent pieces are still around in your recent photos .. Great collection there !
Hi Joe,
Guess... having started our married lives in similar ways... a lot of us bloggers are bound to get nostalgic and have those.... uuuuhhhh it happened to me too moments ...I have soo many of those when I read posts of those of you in the US... smiley smiley moments :) :)
I love the fact that you'd compare it to pictures in that book ... for me thats a big time compliment ... thanks ...I know what you mean about practical and useable artwork...;)
Yep! this was my Belmont,CA home ... and :) I love the pieces I had collected ... never regreted once ... :)... now girlie you are getting me all tearey eyed ... ;D
Lovely post Rajee,home is lovely even if it is within budgets,Style is the same.Looks quite elegant and awesome.The peach makes good for walls.loved the lamps and plants and coffeetable.
Hey Lakshmi,
Thank you for all the nice things you said ... blush...blush ... oh yes and I did forget to add that the beautiful plant by the couch was left abandoned ... by the previous owner ... the fella liked the new colors of the house to I guess ... went beresk growing nice and tall and green ...
I love the idea of the three urns with the glass top.Very innovative and classy. Your blog is a treat to view.
Ohhhh ! ... thanks Anuradha ... thanks for all the compliements ... yes the table was a creation out of despiration ... but it turned out having a lot of fans ... have to say I was really surprised ... and hope the girl who later bought it from me is enjoying it as much ... she did seem sooo much in love with it ...
And it makes me feel encouraged ... that you enjoy the blog so much ... thanks a ton, it means a lot ... really.
Thank you so much!! And I'm really glad I joined your blog.
My first place is where I plan to move in alone, just to have an idea of life on my own, taking charge of everything including gas/electricity/phone bills, property tax and all those things. I need to learn to take real and complete responsibility of myself first before I start thinking of doing anything else ;)
And the details are all set, just need to make enough money to get there. These were just off the top ideas, lots more in much more detail are cooking up in the head all the time. Wine cellar, glassware, ceiling fans, full size french windows and lots more. I've even done my own design for the center table for the drawing room. The whole idea is to make something minimalist and modern with loads of comfort and serenity, my own personal place of zen.
Brother dear ... I have to declare... there is never anything like enough money :)
So if you want your dream home to come true... go get your self a one room apartment ...get those darn glasses and start a wine collection ... have a house warming... make the Hor'devours yourself ... believe me... it starts this way ... all the best and buzz here... when ever you hit a design roadblock ... or if you want to share ... or just about anytime for just about anything :)
Rajee, for a shoestring budget, this decor is really great. You should be given a prize or something. Let's begin with a {{{HUGGG}}}
Wwonderful stuff!
Sharon
I'll take the hug...I'll take the hug .... uuuu uuu.... and can we super size it please :)
i never knew peach looked so good on walls..lovely :)
Thanks Sharanya,
No color actually is a bad color ... its all about what it make you feel and how you handle it in the designing process.So I think peach kinda feels good.And you are in on it too :)
Wow, I am amazed, so simple and so stunning. Very inspiring.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for dropping by... an artists compiments are always amazing ... thanks.
Lovely post Rajee, I am still waiting for that perfect coffee table to arrive, after seeing urs, i am really inspired to create something similar.
Hi Rajee,
This is the second time I am visiting your blog and I am very very inspired by the way you arrange plants. Your tablescapes are very interesting and so are the way you repurpose silverware and crockery for your floral arrangements. I just moved into own new home and I am going to taking in some of this inspiration for decorating my personal space.
I would be very delighted if you can post more of your creative ideas on repurposing elements lying around the house to create beauty. Thanks!
Hi there Rekha,
I feel like you do ... when it comes to coffee table ... theres that right one the heart desires... and you staying down south... wow an enviable collection of choices when it comes to pots.
Hope your inspiration pushes you to do it soon..soon... and I get to see some lovely pictures at the Key Bunch... waiting ... :)
Hi Priya,
Wow,thanks you made me feel so nice.Its a wonderful feeling that you find my ideas inspiring.
Big Congrats for your new home ... I do believe I can help you.
I am infact starting a new segment on the blog about personal consulting and inspiring individually ...more of a ... I'll help you with your DIY thingy. If you are interested do e-mail me.
And have fun with your space.Make sure it reflects you and makes you feel good on the inside.
Thank You Rajee. I will definitely take you up on your offer to help me set up my space. I will email you shortly. Thank you once again and please keep up the great work!
Hey priya,
More than welcome :)and thanks for all the encouragement.
You have a beautiful home...love all the personal touches that you have added, and doing it on a budget always makes it so interesting!
Thanks shalini,
At the time of designing this apartment ... there was so much more the heart desired ... on the retrospective ... I do love it just this way as a first home.
Rajee..wow you are so very creative! we could all learn a thing or two from you! very inspiring makes me want to go through all my stuff and see what i can come up with now!
thanks for sharing :)
by the way you have such a lovely name!
Hi Sandy,
Thanks for all the beautiful cpmpliments ... the best part I like is that you feel inspired. And I guess the inspiration is mutual ... all the encouraging compliments inspire to do more.
Thanks and yes ... I am a Punjabi with a South Indian name ... :)
Hi, Rajee! that's a lovely blog u have going.
Thanks Doodle duck,
Great to hear from you.Hope it keeps you coming back more often.
hey! wrote u an email, please don't junk it away.
Oh wow! you done a great job!
and that coffee table idea is too good.
Hi Paavani,
Thanks ,so glad you enjoyed it... oh yeah... that coffee table ... I enjoyed it for all the years I owned it. :)
Great to have you drop by.
Aren't the first apartments/homes the most memorable ones? Reminded me of three years back when we moved into our first home and had a living room full of rugs and floor cushions since we couldn't our dream couches just then ;-)
Love your pics and creativity!
Hi Bhavna,
Have to say this before anything else ... you've been missed ... where were you... that was like the longest sabatical ... well welcome back.
You are so right ...there's something magical about the memories of the first ones ... and probably the floor cushions and rugs make it all the more special :)
Its great to hear from you.
What lovely rooms, and the peach color looks so serene. I like how you did the rooms, you have some enviable art too.
Hi there Zaara,
I did enjoy the peach for quite some time ... and the lady on the wall ... the first painting I ever did ... I think I can write a whole adventure series about finishing my first painting ;)
That painting of the lady on the wall looks so impressive and it is so large scale - I'd love to take a closer peek ;-)!
O.k Zaara you got it ... stay tuned on to the next post on my blog :)
Hey Rajee, love ur home, its very very warm n cozy.... When i buy my dream home, will surely consult u!
Hi ZDB,
Thankyou for leaving me such a loveable comment ... hope your dreams come true and you are very welcome when ever you decide you need help on the home decor and style front ... :)
Hi Rajee, like I said, I'm late to the party, but this is awesome! Sometimes I feel that no amount of money can buy taste...and your home proves the point!!!! You've either got it or you don't.....:) and you've certainly got it!!! Love this!
Gagan
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