I am at that age in life, where I can say I am a house-owner. It makes me feel all grown-up and not 20 anymore. I know the loan is still on. But I have enough experience, to feel like I have to share it. To be able to say all the previous sentences with confidence, I heavily relied on 3 members of my family. I actually hitch-hiked on their back, all these years.
Everything we learnt in the process, we share it with others. We pushed many to buy their own. And then there are some leftovers, which I feel I can pen down. It doesn't sound impressive while telling any of the acquaintances. But can be written without embarrassment. Some of it is wishlist, because no construction company or side industry supports it, even if it is common sense. The aim is only to increase productivity and efficiency by reducing the back-breaking effort that is maintaining a clean and neat home. Some of these are for built houses and some for apartment flats.
My pet peeve is a
curtain rod, where the curtain gets stuck. Nope. I want things where one swipe and the curtain are shut. Swipe again and they are open. No strings or pulls to get entangled in. Steel rings are a blessing. This I learnt after living a few years with those nice showy curtain with stitched-in cloth ring. You just string it through curtain rod. And leave it as is. You got to stretch your body, every time for long time, to move the curtain in any direction. The one in this picture would torture me - and those living with me.
Crates for stuff
storage - buy them in bulk, in same design. All clutter that escapes and cause eye-sores and break your back while putting them away, can be locked away neatly. Stuff like socks, exercise clothes, winter storage, swim supplies, drawing supplies, office supplies and more.
Always buy a
towel holder with a large distance between the wall and the rod. And always fix them on a wall with tiles or other washable surface. With larger gap, its easier to hang or remove the towel.
And with a washable wall, you can rest easy no matter how wet or dirty the towel is. A painted wall will get stained and will stare at you, till the next repainting job. Which is practically ... I don't know when.
There should be a dedicated space for Folding & ironing table in
Laundry room and cupboard storage space for laundry bins. Some tips on Buzzfeed article "
31 Ingenious Ways To Make Doing Laundry Easier".
First time we setup a home, we were very aspirational and went overboard with mirrors on every cupboard in the house, glass shelves and glass side tables and many other glass-works. Most of our elders advised against it; but without explaining the reason. Things were in motion, so we couldn't change design now, without cost. And this was before kids, so we had no way to guess why having so much
Glass in the house was dangerous. Now we know - it's DANGERous. It breaks, causes a mess for cleanup and of course dangerous.
Rains are so romantic in movies. That's because there is a background song or music playing. When you have to endure the unceasing downpour all night, sleep is the first thing to run away. Folks living in monsoon places would know. Add to that, the water gushing down the
pipes and just pouring away few stories below. Those on ground-floor wont get any sleep. Solution is simple. Make the pipes on terrace go all the way to the floor. House building budget won't stretch too much for these pipes. Plus the floor (whether clay or cement) would be saved of being dug-up by that continuous pour over a period of time.
Rain water harvesting is another important thing to incorporate while building a house. Its pretty simple and now-a-days many vendor do this at a nominal fee. No sweat, no inventing the solution. They will tailor it to your site. This way your garden, outdoor cleanups and other activities water source can be rainwater.
Same goes for
solar lights. Today many vendors do this. It's a saviour, in places with many power cuts. the difference in quality of life is immediate.
Home Decor ideas:
