I am so happy to see you here! I will have to go back and see if i can retrieve my posts... thought I would make them into a little book for my daughter, with photos. Quick run-down on the bathroom (not travels, no time) - The kitchen has a rather elegant sliding door with beveled glass panels. Painted white, since this was the original colour. GD's new bathroom has the doors I had picked earlier; i thought of polishing them but decided sprayed automobile paint (on a resin primer) would wear better. Especially since it is such a small bathroom, and she is so splashy. I have this finish in my kitchen and it has lasted 15 years now. A tad chipped here and there, but only needs a wipe down once a week. Same finish for the balcony doors, also split like the bathroom. We have a new wardrobe, a study table with built-in shelves, and a small chest of drawers for her odds and ends. I want to re-tile the tiny balcony, more as a little statement. Currently we are looking at Portuguese tiles, though I did think a mosaic with a funky cat might be nice. Let me see the costing. The room will be painted a neutral adobe, with bright white woodwork and an off-white ceiling. This means she can go wild with cushions and covers. Other changes in the flat; We have changed the glass in the master bedroom and living room from small cramped panes to a single pane for each section with a 1" bevel all round. Doubles the cost of the glass, but looks so elegant! The air-conditioning is being re-located. The compressors were all mounted in the bedroom and living room balconies, which looked terrible and meant the balconies (very narrow, only 30" deep) couldn't be used for anything. Not even plants. So they are being moved so that the compressors can be mounted at the rear of the building. two down, one to go. Now we can put in some nice plants, fishtail palms etc. The kitchen counter on one side came out intact and will be reused elsewhere. I am planning overhead storage, cupboards, and a draining cupboard for plates and glasses. Right now there is no dish washer, though a place is earmarked, but for now I will put in a cupboard with steel racks for cups, glasses and plates, all hidden behind pressed glass doors. This is all in the planning stage.... Pictures in a little while, they are mostly on my ipad and don't transfer well to the mac. They come without numbers... so I have to rename the or something. Somebody tell me how to do this!

Tsilanko, I would always recommend professional installation where needed. But what I am doing here is suggesting that WHEN you are planning to build or renovate, to consider how your plans will affect you in 20 or 30 years time. Split levels are very hep when you are young. A kitchen 3 steps down at 30 is rarely a problem, but might be a hazard at 60, or, as Marjie1059 suggested, if you break a leg. ... All my parents' homes were terrible for old people. They were forced to move to a bungalow in extreme old sge because the location and design of their home was more suitable for an active young couple with a large family than for an elderly couple with stroke disabilities. I would not want to move again, so my present home has features built in that make ageing in place simpler. Mostly small changes, like grab rails, and lever handles on doors and faucets. A major disability suddenly suffered requires major changes if permanent. I did look at this because it came up in the discussion, but if you look at the heading, Planning for Disability, it means just that. Plan ahead so you don't have to make expensive changes later on. But thank you for your advice, yes, major changes are not in the DIY domain.

Hi Cornerstone, I read your feedback 1. Profile handles I was late as the doors were already ready and it was too much of re-work. Regarding putting handles 2. Sharp edge can cause problem thats why the handles I have put are rounded on the edge not to hurt. 3. Where I did make a mistake was Did not put fillers. If I had put fillers on the sides the door issues could be resolved The upper cabinet handles. This is actually not my fault I had told them to put the handles in the center but they thought these are not drawers but rather cabinets so they should be put in the location where we put the vertical handles. By the time I came to check it was too late and now I am stuck. I am thinking of putting maybe 8inch handles instead of current 5inch but not sure if that would help to improve the look. Old kitchen pictures attached they also had handles but smaller

Hi Julie, Today there are a number of custom made multipurpose furniture pieces that are available in the market on the one hand whereas on the other certain regular pieces if used innovatively don't hurt your pocket yet solve the purpose. .Here are a few ideas to choose from - 1] Sofa cum bed Either go in for the ready made and built in sofa cum bed as shown below - or make two different pieces - a sofa with backrest and a backless settee and join them to form a bed when necessary - 2] Trunk cum coffee table An old trunk serves as an excellent coffee table and also doubles up as a storage for your extra cushions, magazines etc. 3] Bench cum dining seat Go for a basic bench or an upholstered one, its still a cheap buy. You may use it by the dining table for seating or move it to the living or even the bedroom. 4] Settee cum storage A small ledge with drawers or a free standing box storage, all it needs is a cushioning on top and it serves as a reading nook with place to store you books or as a place to sit and wear you footwear that's stored inside. 5] Nest tables These are a blessing in disguise. They can be easily moved around and can be used as end tables for living room or side tables for bedroom or can remain stacked in a corner when not needed. Go for simple designs or ornate ones depending on you budget. 6] Cabinet cum TV Console An old cabinet can be put to use by mounting a TV on top of it while the cabinet can be used to store media accessories. Tip: Do visit Chor Bazaar in Mumbai and Lajpat Nagar in Delhi where you can find old reclaimed furniture or cheap replicas. These are open for bargain and are a good buy as far as the pricing and aesthetic is concerned. You can also find furniture online these days. Just be wary of what you are buying and from where. Hope this helps. All the best! Regards, RnD Atelier Nagpur