Color Pact ( Home Tour)

It brings me so much joy to feature another beautiful home that is a potpourri of vivid colors and an unpredictable mix of furniture pieces and decor styles. Designed by my very talented friend and decor diva, Veshali Visvanaath of Prakalyam Gallery. This Singapore apartment (belonging to Sheetal and Jayesh) was not entirely a tabula rasa project. Reason being the clients wanted many of their furnishings and accessories to be reused as part of the new design plan. Veshali on the other hand admits that it would have been easy to work with a blank canvas but perhaps not as interesting and challenging. She had to decide how to manipulate the shapes, textures and colors of the things that they already had in inventory to get a balanced outcome that depicted the individual personality and style of the home owners and ensured that the design plan delivered a certain lifestyle that they would cherish for a long time to come.

Sheetal was certain that she wanted a happy space that was loaded with color and yet she had her doubts when it came to color being used on the walls of her home. But as we know, she was in great hands. Veshali listened very carefully to the client's briefing about what they had envisioned for their home. She decided that the best way to go about this was to use color in a restrained yet unexpected way. Turquoise, red and yellow were summoned to increase the color quotient in the design plan. She spruced up side boards, benches, cabinets, accent walls and textiles in the selected hues to punch things up. 

Another trick that Veshali had up her sleeve was to use pattern to enliven the space. Especially due to the lack of elements of architectural interest in the home, she thought it would be visually interesting to bring in a stenciled effect. The end result, Mandala designs that have been placed so very aesthetically without creating a busy effect. 

The achromatic backdrop not only brings about a bright and airy feel to the space but it also exaggerates the height of the room and works as the perfect backdrop for the bold and fun furniture pieces.

The beautiful coffee table was sourced from Prakalyam gallery while the ivory tufted couches and planters style chairs were purchased from a different vendor keeping in mind that the clients wanted  a  contemporary-eclectic style living room. The yellow bench was a lucky find from an online marketplace on FB.  There are a few oriental touches like the turquoise cabinet (originally in a walnut stain was given a face lift to sport the turquoise color), Buddha painting and sculpture (belonging to the client). 

There's also a hint of Rajasthani vibe  to reflect Sheetal's roots - the "Jaipur City Palace gate" prints hung above the couch, blue jharokah and the wooden musicians. The jharokas and musicians adorned the balcony of the house earlier. Veshali felt that by moving them indoors, they would bring a lot more to the space. Just the right placement can do so much when it comes to interiors.  

Loving how the space is playfully eclectic yet has a sophisticated mix of design styles! Only Veshali can effortlessly pull off something as challenging as this.              
Another angle of the living room so you can fully appreciate the flow of space and how thoughtfully the placement of furniture has been considered to maximize the square footage while providing ample seating options. 

The turquoise book cabinet was previously used as a prayer alter. Veshali got the doors of the cabinet removed, painted it  in a shade to tie it in with the rest of the color scheme and used it to display the home owner's collection of books and curios. The ornamental doors were too beautiful to be discarded so she gave them a new lease of life as wall decor (can be seen in the vignette below).  

Veshali shares with me that she was pleased that her clients were so trusting of her vision. The home owners' earlier coffee table has been relegated to be a side table to complete this vignette. A few wall plates, half stenciled mandalas and the intricately craved refinished wooden doors (now working full time as wall art) complete this beautiful composition. In her modest tone Veshali says,"I always say that a home is a reflection of the owners. I just help them achieve that reflection."

The client specifications for this project included a designated prayer room. Despite the space constraint, Veshali made this happen. Doors to the pooja room are fitted with little bells for an interesting ethnic touch.   

As for the dining area, Veshali suggested that they go with low seating as the original dining table was taking up a lot of space and made the corner look heavy. Sheetal seemed to like this idea, so they cut the old table to fit into the new setting and got  little stools to create a fun yet chic and functional causal seating.

A close up of the dining with the protagonist color palette, turquoise. The semi-circle mandala design and the suspended lights add such a nice touch to the space!  

The TV/ entertainment room has splashes of yellow to tie it in with the adjoining living room space that's sectioned off by means of a sliding door (perfect solution to make more room when you have people over).

The opposite wall of the entertainment room is in the preferred neutral tone which sets off the bright colors in the room. It also shows off a collection of favorite family photographs, a perfect way to personalize the space.

The master bedroom echoes the simplicity seen in the rest of the home. Custom woodwork was undertaken to create a niche for the bed. The woodwork also hosts the side tables so that the home owners may conveniently place their belongings within arms reach.   The dominant color being red in the room, it brings a deviation from the turquoise making for a bold look in this private retreat.

The daughter's bedroom is done up in shades of soft blue. Custom built shelves flank either side of the bed and provide organised storage. Above the bed, the letters spell "Ananyaa" giving the room the final personal touch.

I absolutely love the fact that this home tour was a departure from the very South Indian Style homes that we've seen Veshali design. It is casual, eclectic and brimming with color! Veshali take a bow for you have done it yet again - another home with a soul. If you too wish to have your home designed by Veshali, you may reach her at (+65) 9008 3979 or write to Veshali at veshali@prakalyamgallery.com for design consultation. Should you wish to visit the gallery, please make sure to book your appointment in advance. You could also connect with them via Facebook and Instagram.

(Photo Credits & Image Copyright: Veshali Visvanaath for Prakalyam Gallery; : The images may not be used for commercial or non-commercial use without the prior written permission of Veshali Visvanaath & TECD.)