Ideas for a home worth living in.
What we learn designing homes in Bengaluru, written up as we go.
Hiring a designer, budgets and finishes, in plain words
Straight answers to the questions that come up when you are doing up a home, with real Bengaluru numbers.
Interior design agreement: what it should contain
Every clause of an interior design agreement from the client's side, with what each should say and what to watch for, which binds, the quotation or the agreement, and seven things to check before you sign.
Hiring a designerMoney and feesRead the guide Article · 8 min readHiring a freelance interior designer in Bengaluru
What a freelance interior designer charges in Bengaluru and what you get for it, how a freelancer compares with a firm or a chain, and what to check before you hire.
Hiring a designerMoney and feesComparisonsRead the guide Article · 10 min readWhat 3, 5 and 10 lakh buys in interiors
What ₹1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 lakh buys in a Bengaluru 2BHK or 3BHK, in tables, with a 3BHK done for 10 lakh room by room and kitchens under 1 and 2 lakh.
Money and feesKitchensWardrobes and bedroomsRead the guide Article · 9 min readBest plywood brands in India, and which grade
CenturyPly, Greenply and Action TESA to start with, and the grade matters more than the brand: BWP where water reaches, BWR or MR elsewhere. Prices by grade and how to check a sheet.
KitchensFinishes and materialsComparisonsRead the guide Article · 10 min readGypsum vs POP false ceiling: which goes where
Gypsum board for most rooms, POP for curves and detail, PVC or moisture-resistant board for bathrooms. Room by room, with Bengaluru rates per sq ft and what to write into the quote.
Money and feesFinishes and materialsComparisonsRead the guide Article · 10 min readHDHMR vs plywood: which is better, and where
HDHMR matches plywood for most of the home and costs less than BWP; in the wet zone only with every edge sealed. Bengaluru prices per sheet and the checks before you sign.
KitchensFinishes and materialsComparisonsRead the guide Article · 10 min readHettich vs Hafele vs Blum: which hardware where
Hettich and Hafele work much the same at the same grade, Blum for drawers and lift-ups, Ebco for value. Bengaluru prices per fitting and what to write into the quotation.
KitchensFinishes and materialsComparisonsRead the guide Article · 9 min readMDF vs plywood: which board goes where
Plywood for kitchen and wardrobe boxes and anything near water, MDF for painted shutters and dry furniture, HDHMR in between. Bengaluru prices by grade and the checks before you sign.
KitchensFinishes and materialsComparisonsRead the guide Article · 8 min readFalse ceiling cost in Bangalore, by room
A gypsum false ceiling costs ₹75 to 150 per sq ft in Bengaluru, plus wiring and light points. Rates by material, worked totals for 10x10 to 12x20 rooms, and where to save.
Money and feesFinishes and materialsRead the guide Article · 7 min readInterior designer charges per sq ft, and which sq ft
Designers in Bengaluru charge ₹50 to 250 per sq ft for the design, and the rate should be on carpet area. The four ways they charge, the fee by home size, and what the build costs on top.
Hiring a designerMoney and feesRead the guide Article · 5 min readIs an interior designer worth it?
Usually yes for a full home you will live in for ten years, no for a rental or a single room. The two ways a designer gets paid, what the extra buys, and typical Bengaluru figures.
Hiring a designerMoney and feesRead the guide Article · 10 min readDo I need an interior designer?
Usually yes for a full home you will keep for years, usually no for a rental or one room. What a designer must give you at the start, and three Bengaluru homes where one missing decision cost weeks or months.
Hiring a designerMoney and feesRead the guide Article · 9 min readInterior designers in Bangalore, compared
Bengaluru's designers come in three kinds: the national chains, the luxury studios and the small design-led studios. What a 2BHK and a 3BHK cost with each, who each suits and what to check before signing.
Hiring a designerMoney and feesComparisonsRead the guide Article · 6 min readLaminate vs acrylic vs PU: which shutter finish where
Laminate, acrylic or PU for kitchen and wardrobe shutters: a verdict per use, Bengaluru prices per sq ft, and how each ages in a kitchen. Why the sample on the table cannot show you the finish you are buying.
KitchensFinishes and materialsComparisonsRead the guide Article · 6 min readLaminate vs veneer: which finish, where
Laminate is a printed sheet pressed under heat; veneer is a thin slice of real wood, polished after fitting. Which belongs on which shutter, what each costs in Bengaluru, and the check that matters more.
Finishes and materialsComparisonsRead the guideCommon home interior mistakes, and what each one costs
Real ones, from homes in Bengaluru: what the mistake was, what it cost the family in rupees and in days, and the point where it could still have been fixed for free.
The two-inch swatch, and ten years of a colour
Approved on a chip, regretted on a wall. Why a small sample fools you, and the ₹300 way to see it properly first.
Finishes and materialsMistakes we seeRead what happened Mistake #2 · 4 min readSix inches short, and a griha pravesh moved
Every appliance size was given to the chain in advance. The fridge slot still came six inches narrow. Where it got lost, and what to ask for.
KitchensMistakes we seeRead what happened Mistake #1 · 4 min readThe pillar was right there, the wardrobe ignored it
Everybody had seen the pillar. The wardrobe still came with a flat back. What it cost Arun and Kavya, and the two questions that would have caught it.
Wardrobes and bedroomsMistakes we seeRead what happened