Tips and tricks to convert your rental home into a place of your own

This one is for readers who have or are in the process of renting out a home. The simple tips below should help you get your home to reflect your lifestyle and your style without cashing out your wallet.
This article also appeared on the home page of Deccan Herald - Homes & Interiors this morning...happy reading
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While you may not be able to do much about your nosy landlord, there is lots that can be done to make your rented house reflect your lifestyle and make it feel like “home” without cashing out your credit card.

Each of us has lived in a rented accommodation at some point in our life whether it be due to moving cities, the need for a bigger place or just that it was not yet time to afford a place of one’s own. While a new place comes with its own quota of excitement, doing it up to suit one’s taste and lifestyle is a bit of a tug of war between balancing the costs against the desire. The simple tips below should help you balance this equation.

Before you zero in on your rented home

Make sure that the place you are renting has the right amount of fixed furniture. In the minimum, the place should be fitted with the Kitchen and the Wardrobes in each of the rooms. These are your CORE storage spaces and without these, no matter what you do, your stuff will be found lying around in places where it is not supposed to be, giving your home the typical “rented home” look

Also press upon your landlord to install a decent enough chimney in the Kitchen. Without one, sooner than later you will see black soot accumulating around the cooking area which will be a “no-win” both for you and your landlord.

Just before you move in

There are things that need to be done that need the house to be empty hence a bit of planning may be required for this bit. At least one day before you move in with your truckloads get the floor cleaned – acid washed if it’s too dirty. Additionally get a round of pest control done through a reputed company. Doing this in an empty home is better as you can reach into every crevice and corner, secondly your kids don’t suffer the inconvenience and the poisonous fumes.

You may also want to get the curtains resized according to the window dimensions of the new home in advance so that they are ready to go from day one.

Now that you have moved in

Let’s start with the curtains where we left off. If you already have them ready then they will define the colour theme of the home, else if you are planning on getting new ones and don’t want to spend a bomb then you can look at some of the ready - made ones available in the market. With a broad colour theme in place as defined by the curtains decide on the bed linens. Your existing sets of linen will mostly do, however look at adding small cushions in different finishes and colours to either merge with, or to contrast with the colour theme.  Once you are done start adding other things

The Highlight Wall: Look at highlighting one of the walls of each room, including the living room in line with the colour theme. You can do this by painting, using wall paper or wall hangings & photo frames. Wallpaper and paint may sound difficult but nowadays it takes not more than a few hours to do up a single wall nor is it too expensive. Just this single investment will go a long way in adding a fair degree of the desired warmth to the new home.

Depending on the space available you can look at adding designer shelves for showpieces or books on the other walls. Nowadays there is a wide range of such shelves available to purchase online as well.

A Dash of luxury on the floor: Rugs and mats will add that bit of a luxurious look to the place that you need. Look out for ones that go with your colour theme. With the weather in Bangalore you can have the rugs on 365 days however be careful not to overdo it since rugs everywhere may make the space look smug & small.

Lighting: This is again a small investment that will make a big difference. To most people lighting = having enough light in the room to be able to read which is the equivalent of using a space shuttle to go to Mumbai when it can take you to Mars. Depending on the living space, proper lighting can either make the place feel warm or full of energy and affect the mood of the inhabitants accordingly. In a rented home though you may not be able to do much about the light fittings that your landlord has provided you can definitely enhance the same by changing to warm white LED/ CFL’s and  adding floor as well as table lamps. A dimmer on the lamps can help you adjust the brightness in line with the mood you want to set and the time of the day. Do also remember that yellow lighting, also called warm white, will make the space feel warm and cozy while white light will make it feel more efficient. In well-designed homes you will hence find warm white in the living rooms and white in the study

Greenery: Plants, both indoors and outdoors add colour as well as style to the living space. If you have the luxury of a large balcony or a terrace then take help of the local nursery to identify the right plants that will thrive in the given space based on the direction of the sun and have a combination of flowering, fragrant as well as fruit giving varieties. For interiors there are a number of different plants available including bamboo, parsley & ferns that can be arranged in regular pots as well as in vertical stacks available nowadays. Some of these indoor plants also have air purification properties ensuring good health along with a plush look.

The Doors: If your rented place is passing its middle age then the doors will mostly have a worn down look. One may feel that not much can be done about it - nevertheless there is still hope. First – scrub down the doors with a good cleaner – you will not believe the years of accumulated dirt that will come off them. Now that you have them done and dusted get small trinklets that you can hang from the door knobs. Doors of kids’ rooms can also have some catchy posters. The resulting clean and catchy doors will bring in a substantial change to the overall look of the home.

Once you are through with the above changes you will surely have a place to call your own, hopefully you have a long enough rental contract with your landlord to ensure that you enjoy it for a long time to come.

As always, will welcome your feedback and comments

Signing off

NM

The work of Atelier dnD - a architectural practice in India

This is the work of Atelier dnD - a architectural practice in India. The work names the Dinesh Mil Bungalow apartment which is located in Baroda, India, just outside of Vadodara city.
They used the minimalism current as their guide and created a transparent space with a simple geometry to permit the building to connect with its surroundings. The location is filled with vegetation and this had to be preserved as much as possible while constructing the home, an aspect that caused several changes in the design.

The house also had to provide a home for the family and take care of their needs through the functionality it provided, so the designers placed a white cantilever porch from the main driveway and it leads through an extended corridor to all the other spaces.There are three exterior verandas are each connected to either living room or bedroom and serve as semi-opened extensions of these spaces. The exterior is also defined by the long pool which spreads next to the living spaces and the master bedrooms to provide cool air when needed and the pool also links with the lawn thus being the element which connects the exterior with the interior.

There is also a terrace that can be reached through an external stairway and it includes a Jacuzzi and a wonderful view of the nearby forest thus offering all the functionality that a home needs. 

One of the most impressive apartment design of KMK Architects Ltd

Locate on Pear Street, in the Clerkenwell area of London, this contemporary apartment can be consider as one of the most impressive design of KMK Architects Ltd.
The apartment is spread over three floors with a highly functional design that has terraces towards the south on all the levels. The location also ensures a lot of street parking space and the chic design combines efficiently minimalism with elements of style to ensure a comfortable but not over pretentious interior.

The apartment has high ceilings with floor to ceiling windows to provide abundant natural light inside and the three floors are connected through a steel staircase placed in the middle of the building. The ground floor can be transformed into a separate annex with a double bedroom, an en suite bathroom and a cinema room with its own kitchen area and access to the sunken patio area which also hosts a Jacuzzi.

The first floor includes a reception room with the living area that also leads into a landscaped roof terrace and the top floor has a guest bedroom, a dressing area and its own en suite bathroom along with the master suite with a bedroom, dressing room, double shower room and access to its own roof terrace.

 

Villa / Apartment Interior Readiness & Handover Checklist: Things to check on BEFORE you take the formal handover of your dream Apartment or Villa from the builder.

Lately in a number of my projects I found lacunae left behind by the builder and the customers running around struggling to get these rectified by the builder.

To help avoid this run around I have tried to compile a checklist of things below that folks should run through with their builder and rectify BEFORE they take formal possession of the residence.

If you find anything missing then please feel free to leave a comment and I will add for the benefit of all our readers

Here goes :-

DOORS

• Check for gaps between door frame and wall. Push the frame to see it is anchored firmly
• Check for hinge fitting, ensure there are screws in each of the screw ports.
• Check door catcher/ stopper for proper functioning
• Check door knobs & locks for smooth closure & functioning.

ALUMINUM/ UPVC DOORS & WINDOWS

• Check Lack of alignment if any. Ensure that the doors open and close easily.
• Check rubber beading for hardening, cracks
• Check if the grills are properly painted
• Ensure that the door/ window frame has drain holes
• Check that the shutters lock properly
• Ensure that the glass is fixed properly and the beading is intact and not coming off.

WALLS & CEILING

• Check plastering quality, there should be no uneven-ness. Ensue that there are no cracks
• Check for excessive dampness in the wall (if any)
• Check false ceiling in bathrooms (if there), ensure that it is properly fixed with no cracks.
• Check tiling even-ness & grouting. There should be no cement marks on the tiles

FLOORING

• Check for any cracks or scratches
• For Bathrooms, Utility and Balcony check the floor tilt to ensure correct water flow into the drain and that there is zero water accumulation anywhere.
• Ensure that there is no hollowness in the floor. Tap each tile or bounce a ball on each tile to check for the hollow sound. A hollow sound indicates that the tile is not set properly & needs to be replaced.
• Check for proper grouting of the tiles/ stone slabs especially in bathrooms

ELECTRICALS

• Check for working of light points/switches (carry a zero watt bulb & tester if possible). Especially check the AC points, builders sometimes leave the AC points dummy (with no wiring)
• Check each point has cover plates & there are no cracks.
• Check availability of light, telephone and cable TV points as per plan.
• Check that all the plates are horizontal and not tilted
• Plates should be clean and free of paint marks.
• Check every circuit breaker.Switch off : Should switch off with a slight touch, Switch on: should not switch off while switching on.
• Check each switch for correct contact and springiness. Click should be clearly audible and not muted when switched on and off.
• Insist on getting the wiring diagram pasted on the inside of DB door Also check that the wiring of the home matches with the circuit diagram on the box.
• Check that the smoke sensors work. An agarbatti will help to awaken the sensor :)

SANITARYWARE/ PLUMBING

• Check the sanitaryware (Wash basins, Sink, WC) for any scratches or cracks
• Ensure Kitchen Sink is grouted properly and that there is no leakage.
• Check the chrome fittings - ensure that there is no corrosion. 
• Check whether the towel holders, faucets, toilet paper holders are provided as per plan.
• Check pipes for any leakages
• Ensure there is no blockage in any of the drains - I have personally struggled with flooding of the apartment due to this
• Ensure that the flush works properly

That's it from me for now. Happy CHECKING :)

NM