Archive for the ‘House Decoration’ Category

10 Tips For Gardening In Monsoon

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
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Monsoon is the best season for planting, and also for preparing the existing plants for taking in the full pleasure of nourishment. Planting trees at this time reduces much of your labor on their establishment and maintenance. All sizes of trees and shrubs can be planted during the rainy season if you give careful attention to watering. The best way to welcome monsoon is planting tress and preparing the existing plants for nourishment. Following are some important factors to be taken care for your garden at the time of monsoons.

  • Be careful to check your drainage system in the compound and garden. Water shouldn’t be allowed to stagnate in the garden as it can make plants rot easily.

  • Frogs and toads are a gardener’s best friends. They are voracious insect eaters. Encourage them with moving water or with a small stream or pond.

  • The Rain tree, Ficus varieties and Peltophorum are some of the fast growing trees with weak stems. They branch out and form a reasonable amount of shade within a short period of time.

  • Mimusops elengi, Spathodea, Lawsonia, Tabebuia, Cassia and Saraca are some of the slow growing trees with lesser adjacent disturbance. If you are planning a long term project you may plant these trees in sacks and maintain them till the near completion stage of the project. By which time the trees would have reached a reasonable height and planting them at the desired site would help in providing instant greenery.

  • Earthworms are a gardener’s friend. They not only aerate the soil by tunneling down about five feet, they also fertilize it.



  • If your gardenia leaves are turning yellow, mix a cup of rotted manure or cottonseed meal into the top layer of soil and keep moist.

  • Pruning and application of fertilizer are the two important tasks awaiting a gardener soon after summer. Removal of dead growth encourages the plants to throwing fresh shoots, while manure helps in expediting the growth with ample nourishment.

  • Application of pesticide is much needed once fresh shoots appear after pruning. External application of pesticides will kill the sucking pests that prefer fresh leaves.

  • Insects need to be culled manually as they are numerous and proliferate during monsoon. Having the insects attracted to lights, with a bowl of kerosene placed beneath, is one way of eliminating them.

  • Set your indoor plants outside in Monsoon. They will like a bit of rainwater, it is the humidity that they love.
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Vaastu Tips For a Sound Sleep

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Today, Vaastu Shastra is widely used in different aspects of design and building, adhering to physical and cosmic forces by merging sound elements in design and architecture. It is essential that each and every person must have a sound sleep so that he/she will wake up the next morning with a lot of fresh energy. According to the Vaastu Shastra the level of peace and tranquility that prevails in the bedroom can be enhanced by observing some simple principles.

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  • There should not be any beam crossing over the bed. If it exists, proper rectification should be done immediately otherwise the health will be affected.

  • All the electronic gadgets should be placed at a distance from the bed as the Electro- magnetic waves emitted by them interferes with the sleep.

  • Avoid keeping the photo, calendar or idols of any Deities in the bedroom.

  • The master bedroom should always be located in the Southwest part of the house as Southwest represents the element Earth which implies the heaviness, which makes it as the ideal place for the master of the house.

  • The bed placed should be on the South/West walls and if not there, it should be kept at least 4” away from the walls.

  • Use the bedroom only for sleeping, not for working or watching TV and avoid excessive mental stimulation before bedtime.

  • When choosing a mattress for the bed one has to choose a mattress that provides complete support to the body when lying down.

  • Soothing pastel colors and objects and pictures associated with pleasant memories should find a place in the bedroom.

  • One should sleep in his own house with his head facing east or south. If one is staying in someone else’s house, or while traveling, he should sleep with his head facing west.

  • One should never sleep with his head facing north. The North is considered to be a very powerful direction. However, it is ideal only for worship. A bedroom in the north will bring financial losses and unrest.
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10 Things To Know About Vaastu

Thursday, July 29th, 2010
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  1. Vaastu is the science of directions that combines all the five elements (earth, water, air, fire and sky) of nature and balances them with the man and the material to maintain peace and happiness in the life of family residing in that home or apartment.
  2. Vaastu guides you to reduce negative force and helps in your success in all field or areas of life.
  3. According to Vaastu Shastra, fire prevails in south-east direction. So ideally the kitchen should be located in south-east of the home.
  4. According to Vaastu, you can use any direction to sleep but having the head in the north direction should be completely avoided.
  5. Electrical appliances should be kept in south-east of the room. If you place T.V. in bedroom, it should be kept in south-east of bedroom. It should never be placed in front of bed as it works like a mirror.
  6. Vaastu does not recommend placing idols, aquarium and plants in the bedroom.
  7. Vaastu recommends light colors for bedroom.
  8. Light color is recommended for small rooms as these colors make your room seem larger and brighter.
  9. Vaastu recommends proper ventilation as you will get easy sleep if your bedroom has well-ventilation.
  10. A properly located bedroom provides complete relaxation after a weary day and brings good things into life. Avoid placing bed in corners or under the beam.
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Do’s and Don’ts for Renovation of your Apartment or House

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Renovation of your flat without consent of your Housing Society or Apartment Owners Association is illegal. An apartment owners association in any state may be registered under - the Societies Registration Act. Every society has its own set of bye-laws, formulated within the frame work of the Society act, for the state concerned. All members of the association are bound by the bye-laws. No addition or alteration of existing flat in an apartment can be done without consent of Housing society or Apartment owners association. Following are Do’s and Don’ts for renovation of your Flat.

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Do’s

  • Do make application to the Secretary of the society, giving all the required particulars.
  • Do get acknowledgement from the Secretary of society on receipt of application.
  • Do get communication from Secretary of society in writing if your application has been accepted and get No Objection for starting renovation work.
  • Do abide all rules laid down by the society and ensure same are being followed by you in terms of working hours.
  • Do keep all the sanitary pipes, water pipes and its fittings in good conditions by replacing the broken parts promptly
  • Do maintain firefighting installation through qualified agencies.
  • Do dump the debris in an approved plot. For debris lying on the footpaths or roadside, you may be liable to be fined.
  • Do take safety of residents in concern when moving or shifting construction materials in and out of your flat.
  • Do get approval from local authority for respective change or addition in your flat.
  • Do keep your apartment and premises clean after completion of renovation works.


Don’ts

  • Don’t change in horizontal or vertical existing dimensions of the structure.
  • Don’t change locations of bathroom/ WC/ kitchen sink, in a way that can cause leakage to residents below.
  • Don’t replace or removal of any structure members of load bearing walls.
  • Don’t merge tenancies by removal or opening of any walls in between two or more tenancies.
  • Do not allow any unauthorized additions/alterations thereby loading the existing structure.
  • Don’t do any work which would jeopardize the safety of the building.
  • Don’t make any alterations or addition to your flat before getting consent from the society.
  • Do not place trash, boxes, or and other movable personal property in any common area.



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Decorating Your Balcony For This Summer

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

A patio or balcony is a simple feature of the home that requires very little maintenance if kept clean and organized. You can bring freshness and impressive look for your balcony with your creativity and decoration according to season. Your apartment balcony can be a showplace where you can sit, read or relax with your friends and family. You can keep away summer heat and sun from your balcony by decorating for this summer. Choosing different themes adds fresh and impressive look for your balcony.

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Summer decoration tips for your balcony

Your balcony decoration can make your balcony a showplace that changes its look and decor according to season. You can use your creativity and personal preferences or styles to make your balcony impressive space for your family and friends. Following are some tips for you to decorate your balcony.

  • Keep Neat and organized: Treat your balcony as one of rooms in your apartment and keep your balcony neat and well organized. Store all those miscellaneous items somewhere else for the summer. Sweep away dirt and debris before you start decorating or organizing your balcony.


  • Theme for decoration: Choosing different themes for different season can help you to make your apartment balcony a showplace. In the spring and summer, decorate the balcony with beautiful containers of foliage and flowers as well as other items that honor spring. Painting the wall of your balcony in a bright color to match your theme will liven up the space.
  • Shading: Shading can be designed for winter and summer. By taking advantage of winter angle and summer angle of the sun’s light, you can design shading that allows the winter sun in and keeps the summer sun out. The way to do this is to find the sun angle for where you live. You can size shade canopies around your house so that canopies will provide shade in summer, because the summer sun will come from more directly overhead.
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  • Comfortable Seating: With comfortable seating balconies can easily become a great place for entertaining guests. If the balcony is small, choose a couple chairs and a small table. If your balcony has enough space, choose furniture ranging from a porch swing to two or three chairs with a coffee table or a patio table and umbrella for the perfect getaway. If required you can also add a chaise lounge or a bench with a side table. Choose weatherproof furniture for your balcony or patio.
  • Adding Plants: You can try balcony garden that best suits your lifestyle and allows gardening in limited space of your apartment. Planting pots work great for balconies because they are often design elements all on their own. Choose flowers that are appropriate to the amount of sun or shade that hits your balcony. Adding plants and flowers in balcony adds greenery.
  • Adding outdoor lights: Balconies are great for enjoying late evening outdoors. You can add outdoor lights to provide just the right amount of light on dark. If an outlet is not available in your balcony then candles also do the job effectively and inexpensively.

A patio table with umbrella is recommended for your balcony. Create functional seating areas with comfortable furniture that people will want to relax in. Decorate your balcony with original items and it will draw more interest from passersby. Consider all-weather rope lighting to decorate a balcony. This type of decorative lighting is available in many different colors and lengths, and it can be extended or cut to fit any space. Decorating your balcony for this summer helps you to sit back and relax in an outdoor area that is well decorated and uniquely stylish.

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Organized Kitchen Pantry To Save Your Time

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

A well maintained kitchen pantry reflects the person’s passion towards cooking and making good food. An organized kitchen pantry not only makes your cooking simple but also you never miss out your ingredients or taste of your food. Most of them spend their half of the valuable time in searching for ingredients. A well organized Kitchen pantry helps you to enjoy your cooking and saves times when your guests are going to arrive. If your kitchen pantry is unorganized and your planning to de-clutter them, here are some tips for you.

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Organizing Your Kitchen Pantry


  • Get rid of expired products: First thing you need to organize your kitchen pantry is to get rid of expired products. Most of them keeps these things till junk reaches the roof. You can make a list of things you use daily and list of replacements that you need to make. You can donate or have garage sale of appliances you do not use or have more than one. Do a review of your food storage and discard any cans or products that have expired dates.


  • Repair or replace: If appliances are not working, get them repaired. Replace those appliances that are not possible to get repaired. If you have extra wall-space in your pantry, consider hanging up hooks, a broom, a bulletin board or other helpful organizing items.
  • Clean and categories: In order to get organized, you need to have an easily accessible, clean and well stocked pantry. Clean the shelf and store items used for the same purposes together. Make categories in your kitchen pantry for easy reach and to save time. You could label containers to make things easier for you and even for anybody using the kitchen.
  • Lighting: Ensure your kitchen pantry has adequate lighting so you can see what you have.You could also put a flashlight in the closet so you can readily scan what’s in the back of the pantry.You can make your own version of “pull-out” shelves by placing lighter items in shallow cardboard boxes.
  • Storing Kitchen utensils: Frequently-used utensils need to be accessible, while the others can be stored in cabinets for later use. Heavy items need to be placed on lower shelves, to prevent accidents during usage.

It is essential to have your kitchen pantry organized, so that cooking becomes a pleasure and saves your time. Before organizing your kitchen pantry, spend some time pre-planning your storage needs. Try to reorganize when you are alone so you can concentrate more. Remember to throw out old food or items you may never use again and never store cleaning products with food items. A well organized kitchen pantry reflects your passion towards cooking and saves your cooking time.

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Vaastu Recommendations For Kitchen

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Kitchen is one of important rooms in your apartment. Today kitchen is not only a place for preparing food but also a place which welcomes your guest after your living room. There can be no other place in you house or apartment as important as the kitchen. Vaastu for kitchen helps to balance energy in your kitchen and maintain peace and happiness in the life of family residing in that home or apartment. Vaastu shastra or Vaastu is an ancient Indian art that harnesses the energy of natural elements like the heat and light of sun, gravitational force of earth, direction of winds, the intensity of rainfall etc and uses them to balance with the surroundings of mankind. If your home or apartment is constructed without considering vaastu shastra, vaastu recommends remedies in getting relief from the problem.

Vaastu Tips For Kitchen


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There can be no other place in a house that is as important as the kitchen. It is advisable to plan your kitchen according to Vaastu recommendations, as it has the most direct effect on health of members residing in that house or apartment.Following are some of important vaastu tips for your kitchen.

  • Kitchen Location: According to Vastu Shastra, fire prevails in south-east direction. So ideally the kitchen should be located in south-east of the home. The stove should be placed in south-east direction of the kitchen so that the cook may face east direction while cooking.The door of kitchen should not be in any of the corners.The kitchen should not be placed under or above Pooja Room, Toilet or Bed Room. If the kitchen faces the north east direction, it restricts mutual love and peace in the family.
  • Dining table: Today in some apartments and homes kitchen and dining room are designed in one room for family or guest to chit-chat while preparing food. According to Vaastu, dining table should be placed in north-west corner of the room. While taking food one should only face towards east or north for good digestion.
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  • Right place for electrical appliances: Vaastu recommends south-east directions for electrical appliances. The direction of refrigerator should be in south-east, south, west or north direction. Heaters, conventional ovens, micro-waves ovens should be placed in south-east or south side of the kitchen. Exhaust fans in the kitchen should always be fitted on the eastern walls in the southeast corner.
  • Color Scheme for Kitchen: According to Vaastu, color plays vital role in enhancing mood and stimulating minds. White color is recommended for your kitchen as it show off the colors of food, as if it were a blank canvas. The color of floor and walls should be yellow, orange, rose, chocolate or red. Vaastu objects black color as black indicates a Lack of Hope, and it may make us feel “Dark” low and Depressed.

The best direction for kitchen recommended by Vaastu is south-east direction. The second best option is north-west part of the home. East quadrant is considered an excellent location for kitchen because this area brings prosperity. In diagonal plots, avoid north quadrant which has ill effects on female members. According to Vaastu, if the lady faces west while cooking, it may lead to health problems. Ceramic tile flooring is recommended to accommodate Indian conditions as it is stain-free, dust-free and scratch resistant.It’s best to have the kitchen sink in the northeast direction. The other water elements like drinking water should be placed in the northeast. Remember that taps and sinks should not be very close to the cooking range as Fire and water repel against each other.


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Perfect Color Scheme for your Bathroom

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Bath room color plays vital role in serving as refuge from your busy lives and help to relax or even do your creative thinking. Warm colors for bathroom energize and are invigorating. Cool colors have a calming and soothing effect. Bathroom color choices are a part of color therapy that influences your overall experience in the bath. There is no specific rule about the right or wrong colors for bathrooms. You may want to use soothing colors and create a harmonious palette. Or, you may want to make a bold statement with deep hues or vibrant colors.

Top colors for your bathroom

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Color affects mood, so before you settle on a shade, ask yourself how you want to feel in your bathroom. Peach and other warm colors such as yellows, creams and apricots provide comfort. These colors invite a person into the room with warmth and coziness.When using warm colors, be sure to intersperse whites and neutrals to tone down some of their intensity.

The latest in the market are the tinted neutrals that have casts of rose, blue or green, giving them a unique tone. Today greens are available in neutral tones that are understated and can be used as a colorful alternative to more traditional neutrals. Neutrals will always be popular, because it is very hard to go wrong with neutrals. Today’s neutrals can be tinted, as well, in shades of rose, blue and green. When using warm colors, be sure to intersperse whites and neutrals to tone down some of their intensity.

Blue is still the most chosen color for bathrooms. This is because is has a calming effect and makes a person think of water. Blue emphasizes the bath as the room of relaxation and retreat. Blue also has the added bonus of making a small bathroom look larger.

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Color and Lighting for bathroom

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While choosing the color scheme for your bathroom, it is also important to keep in mind the lighting also. The usual fluorescent lighting would not do for your bathroom. Use accent lighting to effectively highlight the various tones that need to be brought out in the color scheme. You can experiment with different color schemes, if yours is a bathroom that gets plenty of daylight and is well illuminated. Proper lighting in your bathroom plays vital role in highlighting the ambience of the bathroom.

The other accessories in the bathroom can be made to compliment or contrast the existing color scheme. Pay close attention to how the mirrors reflect the color too. You can sharply contrast your color scheme with that of your sanitary ware. Painted glass accessory is recommended for bathroom where sunlight enters directly through the windows. The light naturally displays the myriad colors of the glass in the space. You should look to accessorize your bathroom with shower curtains, towels, soaps, cabinets and other miscellaneous items that contribute towards one theme. Choosing complementary colors helps you to give your bathroom a professional touch. Complementary colors are always opposite one another . Choose towels and decorative pieces in a shade lighter or darker than your walls.

When you are choosing bathroom paint color ideas, it is important to remember to keep things simple. Too much design, pattern and color can confuse the eye and lead to decorating disappointment. Choose the colors you are drawn to, not just what is popular. Today’s neutrals can be tinted, as well, in shades of rose, blue and green. Colors like bisque and ivory create a warm ambiance without being overpowering. You can search color scheme in home decor magazines and even in internet.

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Make Your Kitchen Safe Place For Your Children

Friday, February 5th, 2010

The kitchen is central to family life and one of the rooms in your apartment where you and your family members spend plenty of time in. The kitchen can also be a challenging area to make safe for your baby and toddler with plenty of dangers that are obvious, and not so obvious. However, with some common sense and practical safety products you can ensure that accidents are avoidable. Kids love to help in cooking, and it’s a great way to spend time with them while teaching your kids a skill that they will use for life. Not only are you working with hot surfaces, and boiling liquid, but you’re handling sharp knives and utensils that can injure your kids in a second. Follow these safety tips to keep your child out of harm’s way.

Keeping children safe in kitchen

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Discard appliances and gadgets you don’t use any more. Be sure that any appliances are still fully maintained and stored in a safe storage that is out of reach of children. With some common sense and practical safety products you can ensure that accidents are avoidable. Following are some safety tips for keeping your children safe in kitchen.

  • Supervision: Supervise young children and first-time chefs. Never let your child cook alone. Don’t assume your children will know what to do with kitchen products just by watching you in the kitchen. Take the time to explain how each product works.
  • Keep things out of reach: If cooking on the stovetop while kids are nearby, make sure the handles of any pot and pans are turned in, and not facing or sticking out from the stove. This ensures that kids will not be able to grab hold of hot pans and tip them over.
  • Coil or wrap all cords: Watch for hanging appliance cords, as it’s easy for kids to grab hanging electrical cords and pull heavy appliances down on top of them. Coil or wrap all cords, and make sure they don’t hang over the kitchen counters.
  • Shoes and Safe Clothing: Do not allow your kids or children to wear loose clothing or anything flammable, and avoid synthetic clothing, which can melt onto their skin if it catches on fire. Make sure they are wearing Shoes and safe clothes too.
  • Electrical equipments: Never use or keep appliances that have a frayed cord and keep appliances away from water. And never allow your children to use fingers to release something caught in food processor blades or mixers.
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The kitchen represents a dangerous environment for your Children or curious toddler. When you are supervising your child in the kitchen, consider having a cupboard that they can open and explore. Items made of glass or your favorite china dinner set should ideally be stored high up and out of reach. While you are taking boiling water to the sink to drain, ensure your children are seated away from the stove and sink so you do not trip over them. Always keep forks, knives and other sharp utensils out of reach on the counter or in a locked drawer or cabinet. Always put a safety lock on the cabinet containing cleaning products and sharp knives. Serious injuries occur when others slip and fall because of wet floors or foreign objects, so make sure your children understand the importance of cleaning up a spill as it occurs.

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Furniture Arrangement for Perfect Living Room

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

A perfect living room is not only admired by your guests and family but also enjoyed most. Today you can get furniture in various shapes and size that suits best for your living room theme and for your apartment. Furniture arrangement is important and it plays vital role in making your living room cozy and intimate. You can control flow of traffic in your living room by your furniture arrangement. Following are guidelines for furniture arrangement in your apartment.

Guidelines for furniture arrangement

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You need to make a plan before you arrange all your furniture in living room. Begin by drawing an outline of your room to scale on a piece of graph paper. Note all architectural and fixed features. Following are some guidelines for furniture arrangement.

  • Away from wall: It is not recommended to keep your furniture against the wall. You living room furniture are for your family and guests to sit close to talk one another. Step away the furniture from the wall.
  • Focal point: Keep your furniture near focal point or arrange furniture in such a way to get your guests attraction on focal point of your living room. Focal point is where your eye will be drawn and becomes the focus in the room. It can be an architectural detail or even furniture in your living room. Create a circle or a box shape with one open end being the focal point of the room.
  • Conversation area: Creating conversation areas will make your room welcoming. When arranging furniture consider either U-shaped or L-shaped based on the way the room is made. This type of arrangements helps for engaging all guests in conversation and making them welcome.
  • Traffic in room: Arrange furniture in your living room depending on number of members or traffic in room. Guide the traffic around the room’s perimeter to create a less disruptive environment. Leave a minimum of two and a half feet for walkways and avoid movement through a conversational area if possible.
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Other Things to consider


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Furniture arrangement differs from one person to another depending on their lifestyle, available space and creativity.  Following things need to be consider when you planning for furniture arrangement.

  1. Plan before you try to move or shift your furniture. Begin by drawing an outline of your room.
  2. Place Your Largest Piece of Furniture first but do not put all your large pieces together as this will upset the balance of your room.
  3. Have furniture of varying heights to add interest to a room.
  4. When you plan for furniture arrangement, take into consider number of members in your family and always measure the room before you buy or add a new furniture.
  5. The furniture you choose must suit the theme of living room and lead your guest and family attraction towards focal point of room. If your apartment or living room does not have any focal point, you can create one with your furniture.
  6. If you are dealing with a large room that has multiple seating areas, use area rugs to define seating areas.
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