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!

Keya, glad you decided to take the one reader's idea about moving the armoires in front of windows that you don't need and giving the bed a wall of its own! And, yes, you can have Roman shades on one wall and layered drapes on the other. When I had drapes made for my tall sitting room windows/doors, I had them use the same fabric for the Roman shades for the smaller windows on the other wall. For me personally, in these older Indian homes with all the odd nooks and niches in the walls, perhaps it would be more soothing to have a light/med tone paint on the walls that blends with the drapes/blinds for an 'uninterrupted' look, and I would use the same color on ceiling and beams. (but that is just my thought) I would start the process with a large carpet with your favorite colors, then choose your Bedcover & cushions, then your wall paint and fabric for drapes/blinds ..Not certain what style you like, but if you really like a particular Ethnic bedcover fabric, you can always have them stitched into curtains or Roman shades too. Can't wait to see the "After" pics!

Choosing wall paints for your house can be a very challenging decision. There are many things which you may not generally know before buying wall paints. To help you make an educated decision while purchasing wall paints, here are the most FAQs about paint. What does curing period mean? Why should one follow this process? Curing period is the time taken for the paint to dry. It is done so that the paint does not react with the chemical present in the cement. How long does a painting project take and how long does it last for? The duration of the painting depends on the number of rooms you plan to paint, and how many painters are working. The Interior walls take approximately 10 to 15 days, and the Exteriors usually take approximately 15 days. Good paints applied with the correct number of coats generally last for 5 to 6 years. Can the products be applied during the rainy season? It’s quite risky to paint during the rainy season. If in case, you go ahead with the painting and it rains heavily, not allowing enough time for the paint to dry, you might have to face problems. Hence, we recommend you to observe the weather condition and then go ahead with painting. How quickly does the paint dry? Duration of painting depends on the number of rooms you plan to paint and how many painters are working. Paint drying time for Emulsion is 4 hours minimum, though 6 to 8 hours is preferred. Distemper takes 6 to 8 hours, while Enamel, Primer, Lustre and Matt Finish require 8 to 10 hours. Touchwood takes 6 to 8 hours. How many coats of paint should be applied? Depending on the condition of the walls and the colour of previous paint, 2 to 3 coats should be applied. What is the expiry date of the paints? The general expiry date of the paint is 3 years from the date of manufacture of the Paint. If you have opened the lid of the product, we recommend you use the product within the next 24 hours. What are the do’s and don’ts to remember while painting? Do’s: 1) Save on costs; buy paint in the largest pack possible. 2) Stir and strain the paint thoroughly before application. 3) Rectify existing surface problems like cracks/seepage, etc. before the actual painting process. 4) Check the surface for dampness or water seepage. 5) Always clean spilled/splashed paint with a recommended thinner while it is still wet. Don’ts: 1) Do not use cotton rags for cleaning, use soft synthetic or muslin cloth 2) Do not apply the next coat without the first one drying 3) Do not sandpaper very hard, otherwise, there will be scratches, roughness, and poor gloss. 4) Do not apply very thick coats, otherwise, there will be a thick rough finish, resulting in slow drying. 5) Avoid mixing paints yourself. Buy readymade paints as far as possible, otherwise, there will be patchy and inconsistent columns in the finish.

Many thanks for your valuable comments. 1. My intention of raised cabinets was to clean it daily, as cabinets that touch floor accumulate lot of dust and food particles below. If we rule out steel legs, any inputs on raised floor only of cabinet area and then cabinets?(Just like plinth in modular cabinets- but this will be permanent and of tiles) I have not seen such structure anywhere, so curious if it will work. Otherwise I will go with traditional ones. 2. Moving pooja out of kitchen is very difficult as other rooms are just enough for their function. Currently a small Mandir is attached on wall where Fridge is shown in layout. I thought the new area could be little extra for all pooja related things. Will like to know the reason of your recommendation, is it odd in whole design, or not suitable in area .. or anything else? How about moving it to corner of dining area?