Show your House Interiors

[kippu]

OT .... kneo i think the seepage and dampness is more of a water seepage occuring somewhere more than the salt content in the sand ... this is why people are advised to not paint for 6 months and just go for a putty finish and then rectify these problems then go for paint ....of crse this is for newly built places and not the lived in ....

somemore points if i can add

think of concealed lighting .... there are many cost effective ways to hide tubes and other lights and still look great without buying the fancy lights

accent colors .... one dark color or whichever you prefer on one wall in a room and keep the others muted / white to bring that space up

and personally i prefer minimalism (costs less for me ) dont know about your taste though

 

[blr_p]

I've gone through this exercise about 2 yrs back. Here's my feedback/comments

1. Fix a budget - keep a 15% margin - STICK TO IT. Trust me there'd be so many temptations along the way which would end up doubling or even tripling your budget. Do not fall in for those temptations. The 15% margin is only for emergencies/contingencies - something doesn't fit and you'd have to get some other component, etc. kind of situations

2. The easiest thought for increasing the budget which you have to constantly avoid is - 'I am doing interiors for the first time and may not change it for a long time to come, let me just do this one extra thing'. Avoid taking this line of thought.

3. Tell your interior designer a budget which is 25% less than your actual budget. Trust me on this one !!!!

4. Focus on functionality and your comfort first. The looks of the whole thing would end up in the 'common' category sooner than you'd imagine.

5. Spend more on better quality than looks. It should last you 15 yrs - majority at least, unless you are someone who changes the interiors every 5 yrs !!

6. When you spend on lights - think real hard on how and when you are going to use them. The fancy lights looks superb but their usage depends on your comfort level. For example, I require a lot of white light in the house and am not comfortable with just a fancy lamp or two.

7. Spend most on kitchen - it is the most used place in the house and requires sturdy, waterproof materials.

8. Think of future expandability and have provisions for plug points, cable laying, etc. You may buy a lot of components in the future - plan for those (LCDs, home theatres, bigger fridge, bigger washing machine, etc.). More is better.

9. If its a new house, DO NOT put wood paneling on a complete wall without checking for leakages. In most of the new construction you'd find salt corrosion on walls show up after 4-5 months !!! Wood paneling these walls is a nightmare.

10. If you are going to have small kids around a lot, avoid sharp edges despite the fact that they look good and contemporary

11. The more you see the more confused you'll get. Have some kind of designs on you and ask your interior chap to work with those ideas. You don't want to copy something but create something unique.

12. Think of an 'Indian' house when you see concepts on websites and magazines before you plan to implement those ideas.

Very good

Reps due!

 

[Kneo]

OT .... kneo i think the seepage and dampness is more of a water seepage occuring somewhere more than the salt content in the sand ... this is why people are advised to not paint for 6 months and just go for a putty finish and then rectify these problems then go for paint ....of crse this is for newly built places and not the lived in ....

Oh - I just quoted something that was told by a good friend into interiors and construction (who had no commercial interests in the situation). But yes, he did mention the Birla putty thing though. BTW, to circumvent this problem many of my relatives have done the paneling and shelving inside the wardrobe using marble instead of wood !! Solves a lot of problems and saves cost too. Just the outside frame and the doors are of wood to give that elegant look.

As far as concealed lighting is concerned - I am not a big fan of it for everyday use. But they work great when viewing movies. I have installed the regular lights which are encased in plastic and wrapped around the trees outside a fancy restaurants I have a false ceiling and have put these light ropes between the ceiling and the POP.

I agree with @kippu for colors. There are good options of color available now. Make sure that most of the room colors are light though. It is extremely tempting to choose bright colors (yellows/reds/blues) but once painted they DO NOT look good on ALL the walls. Just have an accent wall where you can go crazy with colors or textures (another interesting thing). Go to an Asian Paints showroom. These guys are not very costly nowadays and would charge just a tad more than the local paintwalla whose work is not guaranteed. At least with Asian Paints you're ensured of good craftsmanship. Painting is NOT an easy job.

For paints and mica sheets - do not rely on just the small 'thumbnails' they show you. They'd look entirely different once you see them on a large surface area. For sheets, if possible, ask the shopkeeper to show you a complete sheet - so that you can see the grains. For color, if possible, visit someone's house who have similar shade.

Tip: For veneers or mica sheets, stick to the wooden colors and don't go with steel/colorful look. Wooden shades looks elegant for years to come.

 

[kippu]

for mica sheets .. go to their warehouse and ask for bigger size sheets ...and for paints , you get sample boxes which they mix for 75 rs (Asian paints) and you could paint a bit and see how it goes ...

when i meant concealed lights .... its not the false ceiling kinds ... you can project a bit of the beam with some plywood and have the lights facing up or get hold of some antique pieces and carve it out and put a light there ...all depends on your taste and your budget ... why dont you post something that you like and maybe we can help you reach there

 

[thebanik]

where is the rep button??? great post kneo, infact me in the same boat, but I am thinking going a bit hi-fi......storm or some1 if can confirm, can a completely modular kitchen + bathroom + 1 small room of 15 x 15 feet be done in around 10-15 lakhs. Rest of the rooms I wont bother changing....

Also google doesnt help much here, me thinking of going the interior designer way too but how do they work??? Do they provide labor and the hardware as well, or they just give the idea and we have to source the rest???

 

[HailStonE]

For paints and mica sheets - do not rely on just the small 'thumbnails' they show you. They'd look entirely different once you see them on a large surface area. For sheets, if possible, ask the shopkeeper to show you a complete sheet - so that you can see the grains. For color, if possible, visit someone's house who have similar shade.

Totally agree to this point.. I choose a shade of mica from this catalog & when it was installed on the kitchen cabinet it was completely different.. Apparently the pattern/shade was such that a small piece on the catalog didn't gave the full picture...

So never buy mica after looking at just the catalog book... Try to look at the whole sheet... :cool2:

 

[Kneo]

@thebanik

Your budget is more than adequate. You'd be able to do the interiors and even buy the house appliances for kitchen in that budget. But then it depends on what kind of decor you are looking for. I've seen tiles made from precious stone costing around upwards of 8-10K per piece !!! So if you go with something like that - your budget would just be enough for a bathroom - LOL

If you tell the budget to your interior designer - trust me, he'll make sure that you spend more than that on your interiors. Interior designers work on different models. Some charge based on sq.ft. and take care of everything. Very few would charge only for ideas - ideally they should do the execution too otherwise you'd end up wtih something that doesnt work and each party (designer and the contractor) would be blaming each other.

Get someone who can do end to end work for you. Most of them have margins with teh hardware suppliers too - so they'd have some commissions if they source stuff from there.

FYI - A custom built module kitchen would last you longer than ready made ones imported from overseas. We can get very high quality panels in India and then it depends on the carpentery, wood and the kind of finishing applied by the designer.

OT: I managed to do the basic interiors of my 2BHK house (minus one room which i did not touch) in around 3L. So there is nothing much to write about, but I've seen expensive and good interior work done by the same designer that I worked with. My brief to him was simple. I have this budget and this is my requirement. Do what you can do to the best of your ability.

 

[Roxtin]

can a completely modular kitchen + bathroom + 1 small room of 15 x 15 feet be done in around 10-15 lakhs.

Easily. I can build a complete 1bhk in this amount (if I have the plot/land already)

within 15L you can do a nice interiors for your kitchen, bath and the room

 

[thebanik]

@thebanik

Your budget is more than adequate. You'd be able to do the interiors and even buy the house appliances for kitchen in that budget. But then it depends on what kind of decor you are looking for. I've seen tiles made from precious stone costing around upwards of 8-10K per piece !!! So if you go with something like that - your budget would just be enough for a bathroom - LOL

If you tell the budget to your interior designer - trust me, he'll make sure that you spend more than that on your interiors. Interior designers work on different models. Some charge based on sq.ft. and take care of everything. Very few would charge only for ideas - ideally they should do the execution too otherwise you'd end up wtih something that doesnt work and each party (designer and the contractor) would be blaming each other.

Get someone who can do end to end work for you. Most of them have margins with teh hardware suppliers too - so they'd have some commissions if they source stuff from there.

FYI - A custom built module kitchen would last you longer than ready made ones imported from overseas. We can get very high quality panels in India and then it depends on the carpentery, wood and the kind of finishing applied by the designer.

OT: I managed to do the basic interiors of my 2BHK house (minus one room which i did not touch) in around 3L. So there is nothing much to write about, but I've seen expensive and good interior work done by the same designer that I worked with. My brief to him was simple. I have this budget and this is my requirement. Do what you can do to the best of your ability.

OMG!!! that budget of yours looks sweet, I would not mind spending only that much, lol, I do not want to spend as such on tiles worth 10-12k, , though would need something like a good bath-tub, standing glass shower cabin and the likes in the bathroom. In kitchen, wont need the appliances as such.
Mostly I would be concentrating on My room, which will feel like heaven once I enter it, lol(just thoughts as of now, :tongue, which will have a LCD, computers, 2 seater Lazyboy, and maybe a bed if it can be accomodated in the small space(ofcourse, I havent included the devices in my budget). Basically live with my parents and was thinking of buying a house and moving out but then the thought of renovating the existing rooms came into my mind and ofcourse renovating would be so much cheaper than buying a house.....

 

[Party Monger]

Hey thanks a lot guys, I have one problem:-

1) We have a common wall with our neighbours both our buildings are under construction ie outer stuff is done. Our goes higher..

The walls are seeping like anything right now even though the plaster is almost finished..

Wat can be done to stop this seepage and water proof the wall?

As for those worrying abt flooring, you get good vitrified tiles in abt 100-150rs per sqft.. or you can try local marble at abt 150..Both would be good quality..

@Banik:- Depending on the size, each room would cost abt 2lacs for excellent furnishing and all..Also get pop done its abt 27-30rs sqft along with materials in nagpur. While you're at it, make sure you get concealed wiring done..looks much neater..

One warning though, before purchasing anything check the rates at atleast 3-4 places and with those who have got the same things done..You wont believe how insanely these guys overquote..Our architect slashed abt 40% off the bill of a material supplier when i showed him the bill..

 

[TECH HUNTER]

i liked these cupboards.

looks simple and dignified.

what are ur comments?

 

[kippu]

partymonger ...get some pics of the wall ...or better yet show it your architect ...

there would be these chemicals which have to mixed along with cement and then plastered , but it would really depend on how much it is seepage , and how well the plastering has been done, if it is recent done plaster then you have to wait and watch for a while ...sometimes the seepage might stop after a while

@techhunter ... dont ask our comments on your likings ...rooms are supposed to be for your stay not how we want it ...

i personally like straight lines and no borders and carvings ...but thats me , you might not like it .......on a practical side ...all those carvings will catch a lot of dust

 

[thetoxicmind]

Is there any free software to create designs at home ? I am not sure how good this idea is but I think this will help me to try my ideas and will give me better views how it will look like.

Nothing for free !

And do you mean you want to express your creative ideas with the help of the software ?

@ TECH HUNTER

Suggest you spend some time to find the best interior decorator you can afford and discuss your ideas (even ones you gather from this thread) with him.

i liked these cupboards.

looks simple and dignified.

what are ur comments?

I agree with Kippu.

Too much of something (carvings in this case) doesn't always work.

A good design is one that will remain appealing and require least maintenance(cleaning) !

 

[TECH HUNTER]

@ TECH HUNTER

Suggest you spend some time to find the best interior decorator you can afford and discuss your ideas (even ones you gather from this thread) with him.

OFC i will take advice of interior designer.
The problem is i doesn't have the idea,once i get some idea and imagination i will let my interior designer know.so i am making some trails here.but unsuccessful.
none has posted any pics of their sweat home

 

[blr_p]

@techhunter ... dont ask our comments on your likings ...rooms are supposed to be for your stay not how we want it ...
i personally like straight lines and no borders and carvings ...but thats me , you might not like it .......on a practical side ...all those carvings will catch a lot of dust

Agreed, its not simple and those types of designs age badly with time.

Those carvings seem to publicise more what the seller can do than is practical. They are a distraction and would visually clash i think more than complement the remaining areas.

So lose the carivings and have them plain, there are many ways to have it look as seamless as a wall. Try to start with a plain canvas and then see if any design will improve it or not.

 

[thetoxicmind]

OFC i will take advice of interior designer.
The problem is i doesn't have the idea,once i get some idea and imagination i will let my interior designer know.so i am making some trails here.but unsuccessful.
none has posted any pics of their sweat home

Find the best one possible is what I meant...
So you need not worry !

 

[Kneo]

Check this out - An Indian Summer. Try and link-hop from this.

 

[Party Monger]

partymonger ...get some pics of the wall ...or better yet show it your architect ...

Yeah i know of those Dr. Fixit and all..
I mean do you have any idea of waterproofing and cost and all?

 

[MAGNeT]

why dont u try try godrej interior showroom..just make a visit....ull see something..u ll say this was like this or that..i would had liked it...than call your contractor and explain that way

http://www.godrej.com/GodrejNew/God...erProducts/Furniture/Products/InterioHome.htm

 

[Party Monger]

Interio isnt available everywhere and its atrociously priced..