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 Ruchika, I you are only considering to buy thins flat, I would suggest don't. Here are the reasons why - 1] The entry foyer leads you to a very large unnecessary dining space while on the contrary the family and living areas are too cramped. 2] Entry to two bedrooms through the kitchen is a bad idea. 3] A lot of space has been eaten up by the utility making the maid's room way too small and without any kind of storage. The utility also has very poor ventilation in terms of a small window and the maid's room has one looking into the duct. 4] Way too many service ducts. They could have been minimized by conscious design decisions. Mirroring and pairing bathrooms to share a duct is one way to do it. 5] Creating another bedroom would only mean compromising either on the family room and you will be left with a small living area. 6] Although the plan shows a carpet area of around 1900 sq.ft., the effective usable area is way less thanks to so many small corridors and passages. 7] Bedroom 1 has no wardrobe space at all whereas there is a huge storage in the foyer. The wardrobe space in bedroom 2 cannot be used if a TV unit is provided there. 8] Incorporating civil changes would only increase your expense and not achieve much. It is better you look for a different design altogether. Regards, RnD Atelier Nagpur

Hi Van Dana, If you simply want to work over it, how about: - decorating the walls with fun shelves - the entire space including the beam. How and the choice of shelves will be what would help successfully cover this up - use wall decals. You can even use a big mirror or mirror decals on this portion of the ju tting beam -use patterned wallpapers. You can give a separate one to the beam -decorate with photos/art -for the other beam you can think of light hanging decorations like a sun catcher beads curtain. For you imagination: or use decals Hope that helps? atom INTERIORS, Bangalore

Koel - I'm facing a similar problem. I don't want a false ceiling, even the most simple one, because of the following cons: 1. Decrease in natural ventilation: A false ceiling reduces the ceiling height. Taller ceilings allow more natural light and airflow. Even a 6-inch drop is a bummer. 2. No added aesthetics: The concrete ceiling we have is already super smooth and has a flawless finish. 3. No functional value if you don't need much AC time: I live in Bangalore, and there is hardly a summer. Even though I am on the top floor, the roof has white tiles, and even in summer, the house doesn't get warm. I hate the overuse of ACs because of the environmental concerns too. So, I don't see any functional value in a false ceiling for me. 4. Recessed can light casts terrible shadows: The small lights hidden inside the false ceilings are more like focussed lights because only the bottom is exposed. I hate the coarse light they create. 5. Groove for cove lights is an avenue for dust: A cove light with a groove will provide soft and even lighting, but, living in India, dust is everywhere, I and I prevent any hidden spots for dust collection. This is more of a health concern. However, my builder didn't provide many wire points in the ceiling, and with the fans in place, only one point is left for lights in the living room ceiling. I just need a few more points in the ceiling to add a few pendant lights and directed spotlights to create a calming light with a few highlights on some wall hangings. If you want some nice-looking lighting setup without a false ceiling, there are some fixtures that make the wires visible as a part of their design. These are some Nordic minimal style light fixtures, and they are available in Ikea. You can explore them. I have one more year to go, and I am keen on finding more lighting hacks to avoid a false ceiling.