Entryway-Inspirations.

I have been looking for a way to organize my non-existent entry-way. My apartment has no separate foyer area. The door leads directly into the main living room. On the left, there is an open kitchen with the side of the refrigerator facing the living area, then comes the washing/drying area, and then the bathroom. So, I am left with not a whole lot of options. The only place where I could put my entry-way table is next to the entrance door on the right wall, where I also have the media cabinet and a book-shelf. So, space is an issue. I am thinking of using two baskets, one for storing hats & bags, and the other one for shoes. I would also be installing magnetic hooks on the door (luckily we have a steel door) for hanging coats, umbrellas, keys etc, and a magnetic letter holder.

Here are some of my inspiration pics:

From Zara Home ( my favorite home store). Although, this is a bathroom, I think I can use the same concept of utilizing the basket under a table for my entry-way area. Love the mirror as well. 

 I think I got this image from a DIY magazine ( I am not exactly sure about the source). Love the DIY shoe rack made from Tin crates. 

From Living Etc. 

Here, I don't see any specific storage area for the shoes. I'm not sure in a virtually no separate entry-way, how laying down the shoes on the floor would work.  However, I love the table, the fresh flowers on the table top, the umbrella and the hat holder. 

Have a good weekend. 

Yello!

A big Yello to everyone!  It has been a while since I visited this blog kingdom. I hope I haven't missed out on anything big!    I am in this funky mood right now. I want to post something that is totally random, and doesn't fall under any particular category.

So here are the questions:

1) Anything exciting happening at your end?  

OR 

2) Did anything weird happen this week?

My weird story:

Today, around 6.00PM, I was walking down the street to get to my apartment, and out of no where this guy started screaming and yelling at people. I kept my distance to avoid him. Around 8.00sh, I again went out to grab a chai latte from Starbucks, and the same dude was still walking up and down the aisle, cursing and screaming away. It was kind of scary.  The pedestrians gave him a really weird look. I even noticed, some teenagers were laughing and making fun of him.  At first, like others I thought he was a total weirdo, but then, I felt someone must have pushed him too much. Maybe he was a war-vet or something.  I kept pondering how everything in life happens for a reason. Maybe it was his bad Karma or maybe it was just something else? I don't know. I decided not to think too much and ended up watching a funny movie.  Now, I am ready to hit the sack. 

Shadows : Random Pic of the NIGHT, taken by me.

good night.

Eclectic Interior design -- Japanese and Western Fusion

I have always been drawn by the simple straight lines of Japanese designs. The incorporation of natural materials are highly significant in designing the Interiors. Japanese believe in using less, and emphasize more on the practical use of everyday objects.

I asked myself, apart from the straight lines, what pulls me closer to the Japanese designs?
I came up with this list:

1) Low lying furniture
2) Superior esthetic qualities of the finished product
3) Muted and Neutral color Palettes
4) Remarkable hand crafting and wood working skills (Most furniture don't require screws)
5) Presence of their traditional cultural elements.

I recently moved to a new apartment, and I am planning on going with an eclectic Japanese/western decor for my bedroom.
Here are some Japanese interior settings that are worth looking at:

The Cabinet by Noriko Sawayama.

Noriko's philosophy is to create an unique and creative space by combining the Japanese traditional elements to the western interior setting.

I love this Cabinet. The Lotus floral pattern painted on top of the contrasting black cabinet is stunning. Lighting is provided inside for displaying beautiful objects.

Interior setting by Noriko.

The above cabinet is placed at the front wall. Noriko provides comfortable and simplistic furniture.

Mantra bed by FEG

Adhering to Feng Shui principles, Mauro Bertame created this low lying platform bed. The soft contoured Canopy extending from the back is so elegant.
Available at : Europe By NET


Bora Bora by Mazzali

The four wooden slats make up this bed. The cylindrical piece in the middle can be moved around. It can be used as a headboard for bed or as a backrest for sofa.

Available at Europe by NET


Contemporary bedding by Haiku Designs






Love this as I can see some color.

I am not sure where I found these two images, but I love the simple arrangement of the bedroom furniture.



A touch of green works really nice in this setting.

Sunday Pic

Have a Nice and Warm Sunday

My Apartment Pics

As promised, I am attaching some pics of my Sunny & Airy UWS brownstone apartment. I am going to miss this place.

Enjoy!

View of my living Room.

I love the Bay windows. We have huge south facing windows that let in lots and lots of light.

Living Room: Sofa

I shop a lot from West Elm, CB2, & Pottery Barn. The sofa, glass coffee table and the geometrical neutral rug were purchased from West elm. The Dining bar table in the previous pic is from CB2.

I selected Neutral colors for the furniture and walls. I was not allowed to paint the walls.

I brought in the bright colors (blue and orange) by using decorative pillows. I made these pillow covers from my old saris. I chose the blue and orange accent colors from my painting (shown below).

Painting:

We picked it up from a street fair in the Upper West Side, last summer. We both loved the bold colors.

Some Artifacts & Accessories from around the World.

First and Second: Evil Eye Mini Carpet Wall hanging From Turkey

Third: Cute key holder from Sienna, Italy.

Some More: From my Kitchen Area:

First: Ganesha, "The Indian god for removing obstacles". Nine difference spices are used to create this magnificent art work!

Second: A small display area in my Kitchen. (A square clock is super imposed on top of an Octagonal shaped container that holds various Indian condiments such as Pepper corns & Lentils.

Metallic figurines:

These figurines are made from metals such as silver, copper etc.

The peacock incense holder is my fav.

Serenity Now !

Small water fountain on top of an Asian inspired Table. A peaceful and serene corner decor!

Street View:

These brownstones are beautiful.

Spring is in the Air

Spring is Fresh, Spring is Clean, Spring is Exuberant, Spring is Energizing and Spring is one of the best seasons of all.

Since I will moving out by the end of this month, I have already started looking for inspiration pics. I want to bring in the freshness and liveliness of Spring into my apartment. So, I am thinking about this color combo for my bedroom:

White, Green, and some pink accents along with Neutrals (hues of Brown and Gray)

Here are some of my inspiration pics:

Spring blossoms at Central Park

From Living Etc: Nature inspired bedroom

Living Etc: Indian vibe.

The above two pics are from the Royal Interior Design website

Nuevo estilo

Any comments or suggestions?

Real Estate Prices Finally Dropping in Manhattan??

I just read an article, "Making a Comeback" in NY times. The article talks about how finally the real estate prices have fallen down in the NYC area.

I remember we were looking for a place to buy sometime back in 2007 when the real-estate prices went through the roof. The studios were going for 500K. It was a joke. Seriously, these studios were not even big. They were approximately 400-450 square feet in total. We even decided to buy a really teeny studio apartment in Greenwich Village. Luckily, we didn't have enough money for the 10% down-payment. First the condo board agreed to take 5% down, and later rejected our application, asking us to put 10% down. I even had a loan approved, covering 95% of the Property price.

God was kind to us. If we would have bought that condo, We probably had to go through foreclosure. Sometimes not having a lot of money could be a blessing.

Here are some studios that are going for less or around 250k now. (Yes 250K, I get a feeling in 2 years time, the prices might plummet even further)

$265,000 155 East 49th Street.

Not bad. The kitchen occupies the entire wall on the left. If you are big on cooking, You would definitely need some serious air purifiers and don't forget the candles. Even the non fragrant candles can take away the smells from cooking.

$249,000 235 West 102nd Street

I like the setup of this studio. Looks very spacious although it is small. Not too sunny. That is a drawback.

305 East 83rd Street, left, is on the market for $269,000. 160 East 91st Street, right, is for sale for $199,000.

What do you guys think? What are your predictions of the Real-Estate Prices in Manhattan?

Oh, forgot to mention, I will be moving out of my really sweet and beautiful one bedroom apartment in UWS to Queens due to financial problems. I am going to miss my apartment so much. I will be posting some pics of my apartment soon. It is sunny, centrally located next to the central park, and it is a well maintained brownstone apartment.

I am so sad to leave this place, but hey life takes you on different paths, and you just have to come up with the best solution that would work for you.

If you guys (shout out to all my fellow New-Yorkers) are looking for an apt. in the city, lemme know. I am hosting an open-house starting tomorrow. Available May 1st.