Decor on a LOW BUDGET

Ethnic decor can be both affordable and appealing

Ethnic decor can be most affordable and attractive. All you need to do is look for ethnic furniture, accessories and upholstery in the right places. Government emporia are where you can find some good bargains. Watch out for annual discount and clearance sales during which time you can make hay. The local tailor and carpenter can work wonders too. The streets and bylanes of Bangalore city are where you could stumble upon some really unique stuff.
Low stools made from woven jute fibre, divans with cushions and bolsters, carved jharokas for the walls look trendy. Dhurrie mats for the floors come in lovely earthy hues and are affordable. In South India, river grass floor mats are economical and suitable for floor seating too. They can easily last for upto a year and a half because of their high moisture content.
A slab of marble or stone can be placed in between ornamental bricks to create a side table or even a dining table. Odd slabs of stone or marble around 4×4 feet are available at marble cutting factories and workshops. You could get thick mattresses made to order which are five to six inches thick so that they are not too close to ground level.
“The carpenter can add handles to them so that you have a seating arrangement”, says design professional, Aliyeh Rizvi. Add cushions and made to order bolsters in vivid block prints. Commercial Street and its bylanes have carpenters, tailors and upholsterers who can create some nice ethnic stuff.
For table lamps, buy terracotta pots and get holders made. You could get a painter to paint the pot with a primer and you could add mirrors, bits of zari thread or other embellishments. Old-fashioned lanterns can be found in Shivajinagar. Use them to jazz up your evening parties and garden dos.
Wooden blocks which are used for block printing fabrics are very versatile home decorating tools. Paint one wall a vivid colour and then block print it using a block dipped in poster paint or fevicryl.
For your dining table, use runners and colourful table mats. They add colour and spice. Warli and Madhubani art is easily available and affordable. Place them on a deep red wall to get maximum impact. Usually, black and white art is lost on a neutrally painted wall, points out Aliyeh Rizvi.
Old-fashioned drinking water copper jugs make for pretty flower vases. Floating candles and flower petals can be added to terracotta urlis. Cushion covers in block prints in vivid colours with zari borders look eye-catching. You can buy reels of zari from wholesale shops off Commercial Street. Instead of going in for thick, formal curtains which are expensive, need constant vacuuming and dry cleaning, go in for voile or sheer muslin shades which can be replaced often. Block printed curtains made to order by the local darzi work out cheaper too.
Wooden bangles can be joined together by very small gold colored safety pins to create long curtains which can act as see through room dividers. Wicker, bamboo and cane furniture is economical and attractive. Pots can be placed in inexpensive planters made of dried, natural fibers. Bathroom mats and candle stands made from bamboo are pretty too.
For floors, locally available materials should be used. Black Kadappa stone, well polished, or the traditional red oxide flooring looks cool even today.