Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Small spaces, Big on Function and Style (Home tour)

I truly believe that the most appealing spaces are the ones that incorporate function, comfort and personal style. Adopting a pragmatic approach to decorating, Smita Bhushan  has created a beautiful den for her daughter and herself in their Gurgaon duplex home. I was delighted when Smita reached out to me with the generous offer to throw open her doors for the TECD family. Infusing her home with travel finds, visually stimulating corners and furniture that's practical, she ought to be proud of what she's concocted in a 650 sq. ft. space. Using her home as a template, we can learn about the witty juxtaposition of furniture and forget about the "IF we had the space" concept. 

Quoting Smita,"Sounds cliched but I feel my home represents my journey in life so far, my thoughts and my personality to the T." And that is what a home should be  - truly mirror who you are. One look around and you can tell she's a practical woman, loves the uncluttered organised look and can't resist bringing back treasures from her travels.
Thangka painting and wooden carvings (from Kerala ) add the art factor to the space. 
Smita's ingenious finds and a keen eye for function, has definitely been the reason why this place functions so beautifully despite the limitation of space. Her decor tip for small spaces but being big on style, is to look for furniture that serves a dual purpose. She says,"Instead of going the regular sofa set way, I retained the antique day beds and spruced them up with bright cushions. I’d always wanted a seating arrangement in white, so I covered the day beds in white sheets. They can be easily removed and machine washed, hence are low maintenance. " When Smita has company, the diwan style seating is instantly converted to comfortable guest beds. Isn't that smart ???
Another smart solution that Smita resorted to maximize on space, is her multi-tasking coffee table. " The coffee table has 4 pull out stools and doubles up as a dining table. It’s a relatively new purchase and is in Shesham wood but gels well with the rest of the antique furniture." 

The large french doors leads to the garden and floods the space with natural light. Bright burnt orange upholstery material that Smita had stashed away was finally put to use as curtains. "The bright curtains have been well balanced with white upholstery, white walls, light flooring and pops of green, pink and blue. "
Furniture placement has been a thoughtful process in this home. According to Smita the living room is the hardest working room in the house. It functions as a living room, study, library, entertainment room, dining room and guest bedroom. Now that truly is hard working. An antique Study table in Burma Teak occupies a place of pride and is used by Smita's daughter to store her school books and stationary.  Smita's comprehensive understanding of what she wants from the place has enabled her to create pockets that have their task cut out for them but  do not restrict the movement or overwhelm the space. 
Now who said you can't have it all :) Smita's designer kitchenette is an adorable space with no compromise on form, function or style. Over to Smita, " My kitchenette is also a part of the living room, sort off. It’s the only part I got designed and custom made. Turned out to be pricey but just the way I wanted. The clean, modern lines and cool colors, balance the traditional patterns and warm colors of the living room. I give full credit to the designer for insisting on an open shelf when I wanted a closed one. I love the way the glass bottles reflect the ceiling lighting.

With the kitchenette almost a part of the living room, I use the counter for laying a buffet when guests come over. The small induction cooker is so easy to stash away when required.

Adorning the kitchen ceiling is the ‘people tree’ installation by Mukul Goyal. Bringing in an element of surprise to the space, it is something I liked as soon as I spotted it online."
An avid reader, Smita needed a space to house her book collection. An antique wooden cupboard serves perfectly as a bookcase. Paired with rattan chairs that are light weight (double up for additional seating while entertaining),this space is designated as the library/reading corner. An antique mirror, allows for a quick fix and reflects light and helps open up the space.
Sporting cool shades of blue, the bedroom is  a peaceful retreat with focus on key pieces that Smita absolutely loves. "Our bedroom is spacious and overlooks the garden. I have done it up in shades of turquoise and off white. The dressing table is Tibetan and the mirror is from Fab India. The small boat (from Kerala) serves as a cache to store my daughter’s hair clips. Adding the final touches to the master bedroom is the hanging lamp (from Good Earth), the antique bed and my sketches. Most of them are ghat scenes from my home town Varanasi. And finally the bedspread is my favorite- an expensive purchase from Good Earth that I absolutely love!"

Summing it up beautifully, Smita has this to say about her home ,"Having been passionate about interior decor, I am very happy with the way my pad has shaped up. We love coming back to it every single day. It’s our beautiful cocoon and is our hideaway from the harsh realities of life." 


I'd like to thank Smita for being such a sport and opening up her wonderful pad to us. Wishing her luck and happiness with her warm and homey space. 

As for you my wonderful readers, I'd love to hear from you. So don't forget to drop us a line and make our day.

Until next time take care:)

Images:Clicked by Smita Bhushan. Please do not use without prior written permission. 

20 comments:

  1. Love the tibetan dressing table Smita, and the rug next to it. Your home balances comfort and beauty so well ! Thanks for sharing this Sruthi :-)

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    1. Thank you for stopping by Karishma. I so agree with you that Smita has done a commendable job balancing comfort and style !!!

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  2. Thoroughly enjoyed the home tour of Smita's space! Thanks Shruti and Smita for this! It is indeed a task to do up a small space.It needs so much more planning as compared to a bigger space.And where there is limitation,one's expertise comes into light:-)....

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    1. You put that beautifully Vandana.........Smita definitely knows what she wants from her home and has used her space ingeniously to suit her needs:) Thank you for stopping by!!!

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  3. Beautiful and very well decorated, house is small yet the antique furniture doesn't overwhelm it. Love how it serves many purpose and still is clutter free.

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    1. I'm a huge fan of the clutter free organised look and Smita makes it look so easy to achieve this. Appreciate you taking the time to read Nayana and giving such wonderful feedback !!!

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  4. Beautiful Space. Its well so planed that it looks larger then its actual 650sqf. This post is just in time asI myself am transitioning from a 2500sqf condo to a 1200sqf one.The lesson to be learned is to have only things u really love and need than things u want..

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    1. Hello Archana, welcome to the TECD family !!! Glad the post was resourceful to you.........You're absolutely right when you say "The lesson to be learned is to have only things u really love and need than things u want.." Hope to see you around more often:)

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  5. Very very nicely done, I love the ideas/ thoughts which has gone into making this beautiful home, It is warm & uncluttered, looks much larger than 650sft!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the post Padma !!! It's such a homey space and it functions so beautifully, I had to share it and I'm so happy I did :)

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  6. What a beautiful pad! I loved the idea of the daybed that looks like a great place to sit in the living room. Got me an idea because we plan to shelve our old leather couches. Nice home Smitha!

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    1. So glad the post was resourceful Reshma........would love to see what you come with at your place. Good luck redecorating!!!

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  7. Sruthi,I am loving how your blog is shaping up! You must be proud of this baby(blog) :)
    Smita,you have such a tastefully done home! Those turquoise curtains are breath-taking...
    I wanted to see more of the green patch outside,that brass tree figurine on the floor and get more bytes about the other stuff on walls ;)
    Your home is a poem in 650 sq feet!

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    1. Thank you for your well articulated comment.........appreciate you taking the time to give such wonderful feedback !!!

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  8. Such a lovely home , Smita. Every corner has been so well utilised . Loved everything about your home. Thanks for this lovely home tour Sruthi :)

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    1. Thanks for dropping in Reshma and for your constant encouragement!!!

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  9. I love every single piece of furniture in this home!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the home tour and thank you for stopping by Ambika.

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  10. Smita, I remember how beautiful your Sigra home was....you inherited your good taste...so happy to see your own space here...its gorgeous!

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