Hi Divya, The best initial steps are to talk to a few designers to see who feels right for you. From experience its hard to establish everything you may need help with before you meet. An initial consultation to get a better understanding of the brief and also give you an idea of the designer is a great idea. After the first meeting we try to establish exactly what areas to focus on. We sometimes call this a reverse brief. The designer can then quote on an hourly basis or by the work that is specified. Let me know if you require any further assistance Leigh

haha you have a great problem! refer to the attached sketch plan,roughly 12'x6'10" will be your kitchen and utility you can accommodate a fridge, a washing machine, sink for washing utensils. keep it combined kitchen + utility. for guest bedroom, bathroom will be 4'x6'10" exactly, comfortable and as per standards. and my suggestion would be keep the living as living as by going the changes to kichen area you will get a wall where you can mount a TV . and placing a small dining table will serve as breakfast table, and also use your dining room as a study our your own personal leisure space. and about the costing part, there will be a lot of civil work involved , demolition, water proofing of new bathroom, plumbing for bathroom, new accessories new tiles. consider a range amount of 10 lakhs to 20 lakhs depending upon finish, chosen contractor rates and specifications. these are very rough figures.

Hi Ankur, Since you have specifically mentioned low cost, will point out the major things that need to change. A big reason it all looks cluttered is because things don't match each other. That dice table and the sofa dont match each other nor the divan. Stick to a set of colours or theme. RnD has given you good suggestions already. If you are going to keep the sofa - the cover on throw pillows don't match the print on the sofa. Anoth option is to do upholstry and change the colour. How about pink ? Here is an example: If you want to stick to black its still fine, but when you add throw pillow, do ensure that not only do the colours match but the prints - they need to make sense too. The coffee table doesn't look that nice. If you could use tinted glass it would have been better. The wooden base of the divan is boring and doesn't match the other items.If not anything, atleast paint it. The dice ottoman doesn't match the present sofa nor divan. The show pieces - update them! Bring more interesting things. The pink table near the sofa- again doesn't match anything. change the sheets of the divan. Change the tablecloth on the table near the partition. These are some of the things. If you present choices we can try to help you choose but else its best to go for professional help. Hiring interior designers isn't just that they know to decorate well, they will be able ensure the space is planned for best productivity, the overall decor is pleasing to the family and also help adjust lighting requirements. Do keep us posted! atom INTERIORS, Bangalore

Furniture and interior decor stores have standard furniture which do not adapt to all places as you may visualize. Going with them would require meticulous planning as to their placement and use which I have seen even 'good' stores mess up. If the spaces in your house are crammed, custom fixtures would go a long way. They however require good design and craftsmanship. That however does not necessarily mean expensive. I would be able to assist you better if I knew more about your home and your budget. You could email me your plans if you like.