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!

Hi! I'm so glad I came across your floor plan, got pretty excited and ideas started flooding. Firstly, I'm uploading a draft of a floor plan I made as a rough copy (with a pencil and a paper), so kindly excuse the imperfections. (please refer to the picture I've posted along with this.) Secondly, as you mentioned, you would want to include the balcony in your seating area, I recommend you to break the wall and instead use French windows to allow the light within and it'll also feel very open. Then, about the kitchen, as you said you wouldn't want a large dining area, you could take that space for an open kitchen, where the counter also serves as the dining space from the outside. And since, the kitchen would be made towards the direction of the arrow pointed (refer to the pic) we get ample space to make a Pooja room. And to give an enclosed feel to the living room I chose and L shaped couch for it. I would suggest you to go for a mounted TV on a rotatable stand on the wall so that its accessible from anywhere across the room. Having done that, we are still left with some space (marked with a circle in the pic ) which could be used to put some more seats for the living room OR... (THIS IS MY FAV PART IN A HOUSE!) you could also use that space to mount a swing from the top. There were few more probabilities to do this house, but I genuinely found this one to be the best, coz I'm a huge fan of open spaces, and it's a good layout a lot of things could be done with it. All the best.

Hi Nadia, Using different design styles for interiors has two consequences - 1] You may end up with a poor patchwork reminiscent of a interior design showroom. 2] You may end up with a perfect blend of eclecticism. Avoid giving each room a different look as this will not only break the continuity of the space but will be visually overwhelming. Instead try to blend. This way you will maintain a visual connectivity of different spaces and the entire home would look balanced and cohesive even on being eclectic. You may achieve this by using the following tips: 1] Use a colour palette that suits the theme. You may use neutrals all the way and splash a bit of colour in on a wall or two just to highlight. These walls may be the ones in your foyer or passage or balcony or simply behind the sofa or TV unit etc. Remember that the colour is being used as a highlighter so place it judiciously. 2] Each design style comes with a set structure and rules hence, use an interpretation of design styles and not the styles as they are. This will allow you to make decisions flexibly as there will be lesser restraint. 3] Have a clear control on the aesthetic. Minimize, dont overdo, else the space will look like a museum and not a home. 4] Make judicious use of furniture. Use colonial designs for all your loose furniture like chairs, end tables etc. Keep your beds and sofas clean and contemporary. Add eclectic cushions. 5] Use furnishings wisely - american pleat curtains in pastel hues, damask/textured wallpapers, natural fabrics like linen, silk etc for upholstery. Add a bit of greenery in the form of plants. 6] Use natural stones for flooring (rustic tiles would also do) with motif tiles to highlight spaces like the kitchen, bathroom wall or foyer floor. For further reference, here is an excellent example to suit your taste - https://www.houzz.in/magazine/mumbai-houzz-this-compact-2-bhk-flat-is-a-lesson-in-mix-and-match-stsetivw-vs~108222821 Hopefully, these tips will guide and help you. Regards, RnD Atelier Nagpur

Dear Mr Venugopal, Hope your flooring project has come out elegant. Hope you spend some quality time with your new project. @Ms. Preeti, thank you for your compliments. These comments truly mean a lot to us and this is what keeps the team motivated and going. For your knack of reading, I recommend you check the following ethnic styles. for flooring/ceiling/wall options : 1. Jaipur cobalt blue based porcelain products or blue pigments as wall paint/ceiling paint A lost art, remnant of Persian influence, promoted by ancient Moroccan immigrant artiste. 2. Bishnupur/ Haripur terracotta tiles- mughal art form on indian clay palette. Incredibly beautiful to behold and imparts a timeless elegance to ethnic structures. 3. Odisha terracotta art panels- Remnant of same Mughal dynasty. Artiste carve objects of delight using modern clay kilns. Districts- Kendujhar, Sonepur, Khordha and Balangir. 4. Bidriware ceiling tiles - Metallic panels with heavy inlay work . Remnants of Persian Artefacts. 5. Marble inlay works and marble floor medallions- Mughal architecture, colorful setting often inspired by flora and fauna or geometric islamic patterns. Craftsmen mostly from Rajasthan. 6. Khiching Black chlorite floor medallions/ wall panels/ Stone Bathtub and Sinks- Traditional odia ethnic patterns hand carved on Black Chlorite stone. One of the hardest stone in India. Objects include large format floor tiles and solid stone bathtubs. Imparts a stunningly modern perspective to structures. Exclusive to Mayurbhanj district, Odisha . (We are soon to start an export house on the stone based bathware/wall panels/ floor panels) 7. Stone jaalis of Jaipur -Indo-Persian architectural element- intricately carved geometric/floral jaalis for wall panels and cutouts. 8. Compressed Bamboo tiles from Assam- Traditional material with modern technologies- excellent insulating properties and easy to lay-an alternative to wooden flooring. 9. Mother of pearl inlay/ wall tiles -Iridiscent tiles for ultra-luxury -Persian element- Supposedly interacts with the body to calm the senses. Skilled craftsmen from Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Lucknow. 10. South Indian Oxide flooring in traditional floral motifs and geomtric patterns- Red, Blue and Yellow are primary oxides. Available as Athangudi tiles . 11. Limestone paste , mud and cowdung flooring for sustainable buildings -zero energy flooring , pest repellent and could be used over existing floor slabs with proper sealing. Compatible with mud houses and concrete as well. Incredibly rustic and long lasting element. 12. Odisha stone wall panels/tiles - Made traditionally of sandstone, chlorite or granites . Traditional odia motifs hand carved over stones. Labour intensive process and recommended for contemporary fusion settings. Found in Khordha, Puri and Mayurbhanj districts. 13. Wooden floor/wall motifs - Mughal element of geometric patterns and floral designs. adds definite interest to any wooden flooring/ wall panelling. Skilled craftsmen available in UP- Shahranpur, Agra, Lucknow and throughout Jammu and Kashmir. These are only a few popular elements. For further research, books on traditional temple architecture, Mughal architecture are recommended. Regards, Aurum Ideas and Spaces Bhubaneswar