Colours and Textures form the magic portion for creating unique and beautiful interiors irrespective of the style. Inspired by these fabulously elegant tiles by Bert and May, which adds a warm and beautiful texture, I created a piece of furniture.
Natural Pigment Tiles are simply sublime. You can dress it up or down use in a Classic Interiors or Bohemian.
 |
| Natural Pigment Plains by Bert & May |
Exotic Coffee table
The base is custom designed to fit and suit my living room. The table is strong and sturdy; made of
Railway sleepers and iron hollow sections. I sourced the maker from
Etsy, a new source for all things quirky and unique. There are a lot of new and upcoming designers and makers out there just waiting to help with your project. If you want something unique,
Etsy is the place to find the ideal maker for your needs.
The base is made so strong and robust to support, a cement tile installation. I created an immovable objet for my coffee table; both pretty and functional; No more water stains and coffee rings, easy to clean and maintain. The cement tiles are installed on top with an insert in the centre. To add a little sparkle to your coffee table with a handmade brass tile from
Fired Earth.
 |
| Custom made base |
 |
| Installation of cement tiles with the central Brass insert from Fired Earth |
 |
My Living room in all its glory
I so enjoyed making this piece that I am made more for my home. Coming soon, TV cabinet, Kitchen Island and more.
|
Did you know you can get more than 10 different types of coffee in your supermarket. I am hooked to coffee by
Whittard of Chelsea. Freshly roasted and ground in store, their coffee is sublime. If you are a coffee addict like me, you have got to try these by Whittard of Chelsea. They are originally known for their teas, but their coffee range is equally fantastic.
The best way to enjoy coffee is with something moreish to accompany a perfect cuppa. Today I am making Mini Spelt Savoury muffins - Perfect bite size healthy accompaniments, simply perfect for breakfast.
 |
| Get all the ingredients ready |
Ingredients
Spelt Flour
250g
Crushed Rock Salt
1tbsp
Black Peppercorns
1tbsp
Red Chillies
1tbsp
Basil
1tbsp
Parsley
1tbsp
Semi-Skimmed Milk
4tbsp
Eggs
3
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
50ml
Ginger
2 pound coin size
Elephant Garlic
2 pound coin size
Scallions
2 small
 |
| Mix and bake |
Preparation
Take 3 bowls; to the biggest bowl add the first batch of ingredients - flour, salt, freshly ground peppercorns, red chillies, finely chopped basil and parsley and milk. Mix until it becomes a thick mixture.
*In my opinion, the best-kept secret ingredient you can purchase in Waitrose are frozen herbs. They are incredible! Click here to find out more. Add this to your pantry, I promise you will not regret it.
In the second bowl beat the eggs and extra virgin olive oil.
To the third bowl add finely chopped ginger, garlic, and onions.
Add the contents of bowl 2 and 3 to bowl one and mix until it all comes together.
 |
| Grease the pan with butter and dust with flour |
Grease with salted butter and dust the muffin tray with plain flour.
Spoon in the mixture and add sprinkle pumpkin seeds on the top. Preheat the oven to 180°C and cook for just 20 mins.
 |
| Spelt Savoury Muffins |
Serve hot or cold with a dash of fresh yogurt! Enjoy the perfect cuppa!
 |
| Just another painting on the wall |
Inspired by this fabulous wallpaper by Ellie Cashman I wanted to create something to use this in my house. I first came across her work in a Living Etc in a House Tour. Her prints, papers, and fabrics are deep, dark and elegantly surreal. I love this one:-
 |
| Summer Squall in midnight blue - close up |
 |
| Summer Squall in midnight blue |
Ellie Cashman creates these beautiful pieces inspired by the Old Dutch masters - Flowers in all their glory isn't it. Her papers are very high-quality prints, hence expensive. But you can buy as much or as little as you need of this precious paper.
Click here to buy.
D.I.Y Bar Cabinet - With this paper as the focus, I created a Bar cabinet for my Living room. It is designed to be a painting on the wall not jsut a cabinet with doors. I designed this custom-made cabinet on a shoe-string budget. The total costs including paints and papers £225. If you need bespoke furniture and are good at assembling then
Jali - is the website for you. They machine cut furniture according to your specs, flat pack it, and ship it to you. They are fabulous - the best-kept secret I say✌
I designed the cabinet, drew a 3d sketch and broke them into pieces on Jali and ordered it. Voila, in 4 weeks I had a cabinet I could assemble. It contains a door and several other smaller pieces that made the shelf.
 |
| Wallpaper is stuck on the door and allowed to dry |
After I assembled the shelf and painted this MDF construction in Aubusson Blue, a beautiful deep shade by
Annie Sloan, waxed it and sealed it with Dead flat eco sealer by
Pure-Original Paints.
I do all my projects with Chalk paints by Annie Sloan,
Bert & May , and Pure and Original. Chalk paints are like oil paints - they create incredible depth and colour that changes with the time of day and light.
 |
| Painting |
After painting and sealing, I hung the cabinet on the wall, stocked up the bar! Anybody for drinks? ✌
If you like this idea and want more tips, feel free to
email me or just share it with other like-minded people.
 |
| The Bar is ready! |
Carbs...I was foolish to think I could avoid eating them, just cold turkey. Do not underestimate the power they have in your daily routine. After a few frustrating days battling the no carb diet, I decided never to do that again. I rather run an extra mile in the gym than have another hunger tantrum. I refuse to be discouraged so I evolved my diet to suit. I am going to avoid all the processed food but not carbs in the traditional sense.
I am going to avoid alcohol, bread(any flour), white rice, cheese and pasta. Instead, I am going to make pancakes from lentils, red and brown rice, quinoa, couscous, semolina, sago and a lot more new discoveries.
Saturday was the first happy diet day! I made a delicious Kale sauté with yellow corn and fresh green peas. It tastes fabulous accompanied with brown rice and mint chutney. After trying this recipe I promise you, you will convert!
Frozen Green Peas 1/2 cup
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Finely chop ginger, garlic, red onions, chilies. In a small Dutch oven add Olive oil and add the ingredients once the oil is just warm. Throughout cooking this recipe keep the Dutch oven only on low heat. This will help avoid over- cooking and charring.
- Add yellow corn and peas and stir and allow to cook for about 5 mins.
- Add the Kale and the almonds stir, add a little bit of water and close the lid. Simer for 10mins. Regularly stir the pot to keep it from burning. Sprinkle salt and pepper and serve hot with brown rice.
Warning this recipe contains a lot of delicate ingredients, please keep a sharp eye on the pot while cooking.
It might not look very good but sure does smell and taste great. Enjoy this guilt free tasty Kale recipe! 😋😋
The first thing in the morning, with my cup of coffee, I simply have to find some new design or interiors or recipe. Today in the morning the silly phone would not allow me to check any messages or blogs or social networks! I screamed 😖 😠😡 When your morning routine is disrupted the whole day does not go so well... 😫
Anyways, after all the tantrums and fights with technology I got it working and had my fix of daily inspirations. Most of my phone storage were photos...just from my morning ritual 😁
I use this as a scrapbook, carefully cataloguing images for reference for future and current projects. I am going to share these inspirations everyday with you all too. Maybe they will spark the inner creative in you too 😊
*Sources - Marie Claire, Homes & Gardens, Vogue, The Kitchn, W Magazine, Ideal home, New York Magazine, Elle Decor, Epicurious, Harper's Bazaar, Bon Appétite Magaine, Mad about the house.
Starting tomorrow, for 1 whole month I shall not eat carbs, meat and processed food. It is going to be very challenging indeed. I was vegetarian for 21 years, so it may not be so bad. I will share many unique recipes some traditional Indian, some my own. I share only savoury dishes because there is simply too much sweet recipes out there. So follow me if you love spicy, aromatic food like me. Many people say that it is difficult to be vegetarian. I hope these entries would help the starved vegetarian and inspire to try these recipes.
Today I feature some Mexican food I made. It took me 1hr 30min to prep and clean after. It is that simple. Mexican dish prepared is Crispy Tacos with homemade fresh Guacamole, Salsa, Mexican Rice, Roasted Vegetables and Chilled whipped Soy yoghurt. It serves 4.
Ripenend Avacado 1 {large}
Roughly chop the onion, jalapeños and coriander. In a granite Pestle and mortar simply add all the ingredients. Crush them, until it forms a rough, gooey mixture. Before you add the jalapeños test them first. Cut the tip and taste it. If too hot please remove the seeds before you add to the rest of the mixture. Yes it is so simple and tasty.
*You can buy this wonderful Pestle and Mortar from Souschef.co.uk - a wonderful source of exotic and mundane ingredients for cooking.
Roughly chop onion, jalapeños, coriander and mint. In a Pestle and mortar simply add all the ingredients. Crush them, until it forms a rough, gooey mixture. Before you add the jalapeños test them first. Cut the tip and taste it. If too hot please remove the seeds before you add to the rest of the mixture.
Chop long and slender slices of onions and peppers. Scrap the yellow corn. On baking trays lay the vegetables roughly separating them. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper to the vegetables. Bake at 180°C in a fan oven until the vegetables are slightly charred.
Mexican Rice + Mixed beans
Alpro Plain Soy yoghurt or Fage Greek yoghurt
In a small pan add 50ml water and bring it a boil. Add the rice, fresh corn, paprika, olive oil, salt, sugar and pepper. Keep stirring until the rice starts cooking. Always cook rice on simmer. In around 20 mins the rice should be ready.
Drain the beans from the can and place in a bowl. Chop some fresh coriander and mint together and keep ready for serving. Whip the soy yoghurt or the greek yoghurt with a pinch of cracked pepper, sweet paprika and lime juice.
Heat the Crispy shells in the oven, layer the ingredients starting with the rice, beans and vegetables, followed by guacamole and salsa. Top it with yoghurt and the coriander and mint mixture.
For all those meat lovers simply shred beef or chicken baked with paprika, sea salt and pepper and top your tacos with it.
Dig into this fabulous, light and spicy dish. Hope you enjoy it as much I do. If you have any questions please feel free to
email me.
 |
| Living space stripped and bare |
We stripped and rendered the ground and top floors bare before the builders came in. The carpets, the skirting boards, the icky lights the house came with and more. Studying about building and construction is extremely different to getting you hands dirty. All those years I spent studying Architecture could not have prepared me for this at all...believe me! Living in the dust and the chaos was a big shock to the system! haha!
 |
| Living space transformations |
We converted our first floor into our makeshift living, bedroom and kitchen - cooking out of a rice cooker and a microwave. It was liking camping but only inside our own home hehe :)
We lived in the chaos for more 6 months! I want to scream now just thinking about it. The only great thing about all the chaos, time passes by like a flash. Working and managing these renovations simultaneously was extremely challenging.
 |
| Before, during and after the renovations |
Here, above you can trace the transformations of the ground floor. We blocked a few doors and created one large opening, making it into double doors leading to an open plan living + dining + kitchen. There are a lot of hoops to jump before you even get to this stage - you need to get planning permission from you local council, get a structural engineer to advice and sign off the changes, get a quote from the builder(s) and more. The most challenging aspect was getting quotes - there seems to be no baseline to measure a construction quote, a truly terrifying discovery. So please be careful and ask around for some advice before you venture.
I owe a huge thanks to my lovely husband, who was bold to jump into this crazy adventure with me. I just cannot say enough - all the crazy discussions, late nights and putting up with bad camping food! For him all this was fairly new - there was a lot of demolishing, removing rubble, scrapping tiles and much more - we did all together :) Yes, like most couple we did not agree with everything, but we sure enjoyed making up after...hehe :)
Our Living room transformed with luscious warm and dark colours, handmade pieces, something old, something new and of course something blue :) I shall add more images as I complete a professional shoot.
My name is Shruthi; a versatile designer, passionate about Advertising, Interiors and Food. I love to make things; that resonates with the story of a dresser, a home or a brand to create compelling dynamic experiences.
