By Interior Designer Punam Kalra, Creative Director of I’m The Centre for Applied Arts.
Monsoon homes are one of a kind. The interior’s character can be as temperamental as the weather—there’s a need for daylight and open windows at one point of the day, while there’s a rush to shut the drenched doors at the other. The whole of the space calls for a new, effervescent outlook that brings a tasteful mix of sensible layouts, gratifying experiences and mindful choice of décor articulating the very core of the monsoon prep in a contemporary home.
The saturated climate is a breeding ground for termites or other décor predators that are waiting to devour those wooden consoles and metal seaters handpicked by you. A generous load of enduring polishes on the furniture is the ideal escape route for your beloved pieces. Laminated paints, varnishes and lacquered coats give a second skin for the furniture and keep the pests at bay. Textured wood tables, handwoven wicker seaters or antiquated wrought iron accessories get a new look with paints, made better in cheerful colour palettes that make all the noise about lively corals, modest peaches, bold neons and a dash of the eternal red. Prudently cleaned surfaces of these assorted layers radiate a healthy glow indoors amidst a reassuring resilience.
Indian monsoons are seen as beauty and rage, all in one frame. This is the time when the windows call for all those outdoor shades, indoor blinds, multi-layered curtains and sheer shutters designed to watch over your space. The cloudburst and drizzles are cloaked in all different forms—intricate finespun drapery, clean-lined bamboo louvres, woven jute rollers and quilted curtains have a unique take on the interior persona. The sheer choices befit the spaces overlooking good vistas and lighter showers, while opaque alternatives become the first choice for a rougher microclimate. With an aesthetic overlay of motifs, botanical prints or chintz patterns, these shades are everything we need on a rainy day.
Go dry and clutter-free
The palettes are easy to get muddled with the still air of the season. Ward off the damp patches with drier, spruced up finishes that comfort you inside-out, amidst the stubborn gloom from the outdoors. Mattified textures, dainty brush strokes and uniform palettes signal the counterpoise of austerity in the space. Furniture pairs break up to accommodate a decluttered layout and there is more room for standalone bespoke pieces, esthetically spaced-out for an airy ambience. Humidifiers further promise a dry vent while rugs and carpets vow to guard the floors. More air and less drear make a stunning monsoon home.
The once-in-a-year experience can be overwhelming and indulgent at the same time. It is the time for introducing an artisanal coffee table along with the balconies, relaxing reading nooks along the window bays and a close-knit furniture setup staged in the living. Share the cheer with your plants that love the overdose of moisture, bring them closer to your seats and give a whiff of rejuvenating scent from the flowering, aromatic houseplants. Snake plants, Boston Ferns, jade, palm and other hydrophilic greens soak up the excess moisture, leaving ambient indoors. More of interior indulgence comes from a dose of nostalgia reflecting along the souvenirs lining the shelves, lore hidden in the artistic centrepieces and everything bespoke. Listen to the mood and go with a free flow of choices that rewrite all the thumb rules in design. The sensorial connection with the outdoors tops the list.
