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No matter what size is your home, you will always face the space crunch at some point of time Clutter and too many things crowd your space making your living space uncomfortable and claustrophobic. With little imagination and innovation, you can create more space in your home.

Some simple tips to create and use your space better

1. Drawers and sliding shelves create more storage space.
2. Increase leg space in your home, by keeping the floor space as empty as possible.
3. Light pastel colored paint on the walls and ceilings creates an illusion of space.
4. Mirror on one wall increases the effect of space dramatically. .
5. Lot of wall space can be put to good use. Pots and pans can be hung on the wall, books; CDs can be placed on the shelves. Going vertical depending on your needs.
6. A small sized chest of drawers can be used as coffee table too. While buying furniture, make sure that it is flexible and has other uses too.
7. If your window has a ledge, use the space beneath it to create storage space. It will hold huge number of things leaving your living room free for use.
8. If you stay in a studio apartment, delineate your kitchen area, dining, living and bedroom areas by using different colored flooring or decorative screens and proper lighting.
9. Have sliding doors as it will save space or hang curtains or Venetian blinds to mark an entrance to any room.
10. Keep the seating low, closer to the floor in a small room rather than huge sofa sets.
11. A long, horizontal cabinet instead of thin tall bookcase can be used to serve a lavish spread during buffet.

Some thought and a bit of planning is all that is required to make your little haven a space of your dreams.

I recently shifted to one room apartment to be closer to my work place. Having stayed in big house always, I was finding difficult to adjust in small space. Decorating an one-room apartment where one entertains, eats, bathes and sleeps within feet of each other definitely has its challenges.

I realized that key to single room living is organization. Do away with unwanted furniture or accessory. Instead buy a piece of furniture that contributes to your small room and has multiple functions.

Divide for more space. Half heighten shelves, racks or moveable cabinets act as good dividers. Create partitions using transparent decorative screens. They work great for separating the bedroom area from everything else.

Built in cabinet, drawers create more storage space. Use the area behind the doors to keep shoes or coats. Wicker table or trunks can store blankets, linens or so. Cover it with a nice tablecloth and use it as a coffee table. Baskets with lids are another way to keep things out of sight.

If you love having your friends staying the night over, you will need to change your room layout to make sleeping space for them. Furniture that offers flexibility like cots, trundle beds or low seat couch or sofa cum bed is good options. Having your furniture on wheels is good idea as it can be moved to make space.

Use a continuous color palette for the room. Too much of colors, texture or style will make the room look crowded. Manipulate the ceilings and walls using colors that create a feeling of more space in a minimalist style.

Correct lighting enhances the overall ambience of the house. If couch is in the living room and you use it to sleep on it, consider flexible lighting suitable to both, reading in bed and entertaining guests. Use mirrors and sparkling surfaces to reflect more light.

These changes have got me more space in my one room apartment.

My friend shifted to her new place last month. They had to do up the place keeping in mind the budget. They were thinking of painting the walls, when I suggested that they could try wallpapers instead. They liked my idea and went wallpaper shopping.

Wallpaper is a simple inexpensive way to add color, texture, and style to any room. The rich palette of designs and colors allows you to experiment with the decor. Vinyl wallpapers are easier to hang than others. Vinyl is a durable DIY friendly paper for first timers to work with. Wallpapers, being slightly less durable require a little more care.

To know how much wallpaper will be required, add the lengths of all the walls, multiply by a single height, subtract the doors, windows and 15% extra for emergencies.

Check the rolls of paper against each other for matching colors, design by unrolling a length of each. Check the papers in natural daylight.

Tools you will need - paperhanging Table, paint roller and tray, water tray, seam roller, smoothing brush, a plumb bob (a metal weight attached to a string to determine the vertical alignment), measuring tape, scissors, broad knife, razor knife, sponge and bucketful of water.

Before you start, make sure that the walls are sound, clean and dry. Fill any holes, cracks and smooth it down.

Start in not easily seen corner like behind the door. Find the mid point and draw a straight plumb line from the ceiling to the base. Cut strips of wallpaper to the height of your walls with another 4 - 6″ extra.

Put the paper face down on the pasting table. Brush the paste evenly from the middle towards the edges. Fold the pasted section with pasted sides facing inwards. Do not flatten. This process is called booking, it allows the adhesive to penetrate the paper and keep it wet until needed.

Unfold the paper, align with plumb lines, ceiling and leaving a couple of inches for trimming. Try being precise as possible with the first sheet. Just pull the paper off the wall without sliding it if the first sheet is not put on straight. Wipe excess paste with a damp sponge.

Smooth the seams between the two strips with the seam roller. Smooth the air bubbles or wrinkles with a smoothing brush. Start from the top, moving towards the centre and then the edges. Hang the following strips in the same manner, aligning the edges with the previous strips to match the design and pattern.

When done, use a broad knife to crease the lines at the ceiling and the base. Using the utility knife trim the excess paper.

For tough spots like windows, cut the overlapping paper along the sills. Press the paper against the left and right casings, trimming the excess. Paste matching paper, with half an inch overhang, over the top and bottom casings and tuck the overlap underneath the corners of the facing walls

There now stand back and enjoy your handiwork!!!

Bathrooms are usually the smallest room in the house. It is one of the most private spaces that address many needs. After sprucing up the ordinary looking room with durable flooring, elegant fixtures and good lighting creating an illusion of space, you will definitely want to keep it sparkling clean. So how do you go about having sparkling clean bathrooms? Let me tell you.

Scrub the ceilings, wall with mild all purpose cleaner and a sponge or rag. Do you see fungus in the corners; clean it with mild non-chlorinated or hydrogen peroxide based bleach solution. Clean the grout with a brush dipped in solution of water and hydrogen peroxide or heavy duty cleaner. To avoid soapy water build up, clean the flooring with T shaped rubber brush.

Porcelain enamel bathtubs or shower areas can be scrubbed with a solution of hot water and few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent. It will give a shiny finish with no scratches. If your bathtub is of plastic, fiberglass or acrylic, use mild non-abrasive cleaner.

Cleaning the most used toilet seat seems to be an awful chore. Cleaning it regularly with home made toilet cleaner (mixture of baking soda, liquid detergent and warm water) will not make it awful any more. Pour the cleaner, scrub with a toilet brush and flush it down. You can let the cleaner stand overnight and clean it the next day. To remove grime or clogs, scour using lime scale remover and flush it.

To clean the marble flooring, use non-abrasive, non-acidic cleaner, while non-glazed floor tiles can be dealt with good scrubbing with abrasive cleaner. A T-shaped rubber brush can be used to wipe off any soapy build-ups on the floor.

Wash the sink or basin with water, baking soda or all-purpose cleaner, rinse and pat dry with a towel. Regular wiping will keep it clean. A sponge under the bar of soap will keep it from melting. The same sponge can also be used to clean the inside and outside the basin or sink.

Use all purpose cleanser or mirror cleanser on the mirror. Wipe off with paper towels for spotless mirror. To clean the cabinet, empty it; wash it thoroughly inside out with water and gentle cleaner. The shelves if removable can also be cleaned in the same manner. A little of lemon oil rubbed over metal frame will make it shine. Glass doors, if wiped weekly with a sponge dipped in white vinegar will sparkle.

Neutral spray cleaner is the best cleaner for chrome, brass and enamel bathroom fixtures. To remove a ring of dirt around the base of the faucet, use a damp toothbrush dipped in a soft cleanser. Just scrub around and wipe clean.

A lemon dipped in salt works well as a cleaner for brass faucets or shower heads. Buff with mineral oil when done. Liquid dish washing soap and water will remove small marks from chrome. Rub stained enamel fixtures with a cut lemon.

Clogged shower heads can be cleaned in the following manner. Remove the head from the downspout. Working from the insides, poke out any debris out of the holes with a toothpick or needle and rinse the shower head well with water. If the holes are jammed with hard water scales, soak the shower head overnight in white vinegar. Dry and reassemble the next morning.

There is an ongoing stream of guests in form of relatives, friends, staying over at our home any time of the year. I make sure that my guest bedroom is always geared up with basic amenities that any guests would need. Nothing gives me more pleasure than those heart-warming smiles that come my way during their stay with us. No wonder, my relatives and friends visit us again and again. Here are few tips you could consider to keep your guests coming over to your place time and again!

Make sure that the guest bedroom is well furnished with basic furniture like double bed, study/side-table and a closet. Keep the furniture to minimum.

Reversible fabrics for pillow covers, curtains and comforters for a fresh ageless feel and save your self from spending on that extra pair.

Leave a night-lamp, alarm clock and one or two latest magazines on the side-table besides the bed to add to the relaxation.

Bring some greenery into the room by placing some inexpensive plants grown without soil in hand-painted pots.

Keep the décor of the room to minimum. You can hang creative handicrafts like framing your favorite or your grandmother’s treasured needlework. Avoid hanging large expensive wall hangings or pictures.

Make sure that there are enough hangers to enable your guests to leave their jackets, clothes.

Place some extra towels, soaps, shampoos, body lotions and slippers for their use in the bathroom.

If your guests bring along kids, arrange for some kid friendly games like board games, coloring books and crayons to keep them engaged.

Leave small letter-pads or stick it notes on the study / side table, in case your guests need to do any writing.

Lastly you can give pat on your back for decorating the guest bedroom keeping in mind smallest of all things.

Don’t we all want to keep our home in the best possible conditions either by painting it, wallpapering it or having the best furnishings etc? Scrapping of paint, leakage in the bathroom, wallpapers coming off can spoil the setting of any home.

Many of us undertake renovation like changing the existing or adding some new structure to our home to accommodate more people and their needs. The stress of creating or renovating can bring lot of chaos and mess. High expectations, inflating budgets, things that go crash and boom, myriad of workers coming and going and limited access to accustomed amenities, one’s patience will be more than frazzled. My advice to lessen the stress during renovation.

If you do not want to hire an interior designer, rely on the ideas from your local contractor and blend them with your thoughts. For ideas, flip through books, interior designer magazines. Have realistic and practical ideas.

Before you start work, have a projected budget ready for the entire renovation work. Add at least 15% more for unplanned expenses if any.

Hire a good contractor. Ask your friends, relatives, colleagues or so to refer one. Speak to references provided about the quality of work and the contractor’s reliability. After hiring, make an agreement in writing, clarifying the payment schedules, responsibilities for materials, laborers, and permits, et al.

Ask your contractor for estimated time of complete work. If you have ordered for any custom made furniture, follow up with the contractor or supplier. Do remember to be polite when you are asking for accountability of work.

If your kitchen is being renovated, set up a temporary kitchen elsewhere in the house. If you are renovating your hall or bedroom, it is best to move to some place else till work is not over.

Do not sweat of small or not-so-small stuff. Many contractors do take care of the basic cleanup activities like waste disposal, general vacuum or mop down. If you have the money you can hire a cleanup crew for a really thorough job or do it your self.

I am sure with these tips; you will be stress free next time while renovating and will look forward to enjoy your new kitchen, living room, bedroom or bathroom.

Wood has always been the last word in interior design since time immemorial. Why not consider doing up the interiors in something different like glass?

Glass creates much needed illusion of space. It is available in variants right from thin glass, frosted glass, etched glass to toughened glass.

For the front and safety doors, toughened glass is the best choice. They are tough enough to be drilled, so a locking system can be installed. If incorporated with wood, it lends a classic touch to the door. Another unusual combination for the door is of wrought iron and glass.

Windows offer lot of scope to play around with glass. French windows, ceiling to floor windows or large sliding windows let you experiment with wide variety of glass. Imagine a beautiful design frosted glass French windows for a dreamy look.

False glass ceilings housing soft mellow lights can emphasize a specific area e.g., entertainment area of your living room. Opt for low seating glass dining table surrounded by large comfy cushions or stools instead of chairs. You can arrange colorful knick-knacks on the glass table by placing them in small nooks of your home.

Replace wooden cabinet doors with translucent or frosted glass and give your kitchen a classy look. Glass allows reflected light to travel through that prevents breeding of pests or termites in the cabinets.

Wooden wardrobe doors can be replaced with full-length mirror or frosted glass to create more depth. Walk in closets can have sliding mirror doors; light blue or green translucent display shelves add vibrant touch to your bedroom. Side table can have similar looking glass top for extended look.

Glass partition instead of the plastic shower curtains, cabinets with glass doors, funky mirror with display shelf and a translucent washbasin with brass fittings will change the overall appearance of your bathroom by giving it a stately look.

The other day, my friend and I were discussing the interiors of her newly renovated kitchen. She thinks that kitchen is the most colorful room of all in house as there are several colors present as in food, jars, utensils, sauces and condiments.

Since kitchen is the most integral part of the home, the overall ambience determines whether your kitchen is a homely, warm and inviting or vice versa. Being a designer herself, she believes that colors can adjust the visual perception of an overall space and the perceived size of a room. She tells me that cool, light colors expand the room’s proportion to make it look bigger, while warm dark colors can shrink the space in the mind’s eye to which I full agree.

She advised me on colors that can make one’s kitchen look attractive.

White is the safest color to go on walls and ceilings. Most kitchen appliances are available in white or in subtle hues of ivory, broken white, pearl, off white, etc. White adds an aesthetic touch and can be complemented or contrasted with any shade.

Yellow color makes one full cheerful and sunny. A dash of bright yellow all over the kitchen brightens the room. If merged with soft green or hues of browns, it makes the kitchen blend with exterior environment. Yellow in large quantity can be over-stimulating.

Green, linked with nature, is relaxing and reassuring. Color like apple green brings warm-heartedness feelings all over the place.

Blue takes away any blues :). A happy uplifting color that blue is, arouses feelings of freshness, coolness and relaxation. Blue flooring or tiles is a common feature in many kitchens. Coupled with bright colors, it can create a cool ambience.

A deep color, purple, it can be flowery and refreshing in pale violet. It has a great affect as an accent color.

If you want to attract attention to minute details, orange color is ideal. Pumpkin orange hue or terracotta and peach version of orange are stimulating as well.

Red makes people feel well about the food they eat. Red is best used in tablemats, serviettes, even ladle handles as they add a zing to the decor.

Black blends elegance, excitement with feelings of fright. Like white, it can be paired with any other colors for getting that extra affect. Best seen on the stem of your glassware, border of pearl white crockery or cutlery handles.

Early this year, we removed the wall separating the balcony and living room to make it look more spacious. We wanted a different look altogether as the usual sliding windows would look dull.

Our designer suggested a window seat as it is practical and adds a new facet to the living room. This element of décor brings warmth and feelings of coziness to the room irrespective of style as it could be added to any room of your home, be it living room, bedroom, bathroom or even your kitchen. It enhances the seating area and creates more storage space.

We settled on a stone base topped with best quality wood panel as cabinets were built under it. Since we wanted to place cushions all over, the height of the window seat was 18”. The 3” to 4” space was left above till the sill to place cushions.

We got the insides of the seat tiled to avoid leakage issues. The stone base was topped with marble on the sides and wooden panel on top. We chose wood on the top, as it is much lighter than the marble while lifting it to store things inside the cabinets.

With the basic design in place, there was no end to the any other decorative elements need to beautify the seat.

We jazzed up the seat with lot of color and texture. The valances to conceal the curtain fixtures at the top of a window casing, bright colored curtains with tiebacks enhanced the window seat.

Cushions were inviting and colors contrasting the décor made an immediate impact of coziness. Interesting knick-knacks were hung on the wall next to the seat to blend the window seat to the rest of the décor in a natural manner.

This window seat has become the most romantic nook for my husband and me as we find ourselves sitting there, practically every night with our coffee mugs and conversations.

I plan to renovate my bathroom soon and might a window seat so I can enjoy my pedicures and manicures. My imagination has no limits.