Style your interiors the eco-friendly way

Freelance home stylist and consultant, Amrita Deol is passionate about “Do it yourself” (DIY) crafts, painting, designing clothes, along with dancing, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family. In fact, it would be interesting to know how beautiful designer houses with plush well-maintained lawns and artistic interiors always fascinated this alumna from Apeejay College of Fine Arts (ACFA). Initially, she dreamt of becoming an Architect, but then Graphic Designing and Applied Art caught her interest. And that led her to join ACFA. Subsequently, a trip to National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad sealed her fate, wherein she  chose lifestyle accessory design discipline for her post graduation. In this interview, the styling expert shares DIY home decorating tips and how to do it in an eco-friendly way.

Did you always aspire to become a home décor expert?

Earlier on, I was inspired by my aunt,  who had visited various Scandinavian countries. She too was very fond of decorating. She discussed with me ideas about minimalistic style using a blend of textures and soft hues to make sleek, modern décor feel warm and inviting. We were decorating and designing our new house interiors, kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, and so, I had the opportunity to explore and experiment. Playing with colours and textures was great fun! 

Eventually, my passion for interior décor grew when I started working with Triburg, a buying house, where I got the opportunity to work with international brands and understand their sense of styling and aesthetics. However, lockdown was the game changer. It gave me the time to explore new ways to showcase my talent. I started my own Instagram page and began styling my home to make it look instagram worthy and since then there is no looking back. Currently, I am collaborating with a lot of brands like Amazon, Nykaa, LBB, Moj App, etc.

Four DIY tips for decorating a new home for working professionals

Set the tone right: Paint wall colors light and neutral. Stick to colors like beige or gray, especially on the first floor, where flow is important. Neutral walls give you the greatest decorating flexibility, allowing you to easily enhance your accessories.

Plants are really helpful: Adding some green space to your living area and bedrooms really brings joy and positivity. It’s a good DIY hobby to adopt and is super therapeutic after a hectic day at work. Plus, added clean air is never bad.

Never throw glass bottles: Wine bottles and other bottles like those of shakes and juices can be used to make great lighting accessories. You can simply add some ferry lights to the bottles and you will have a pretty looking lamp ready, instantly. You can also use them to propagate and train your greens indoors. Moreover, a great base for your kids DIY painting activities.

Organise your home: The easiest DIY tip to spruce up your space is having bins and labels as your friends. Organisation is the best DIY tip to any person if they are looking to redecorate. Decluttering is another good way to let go of old and unused items and make place for the new.

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“My design philosophy is a juxtaposition of two or three different design ideologies and it keeps on varying with time and season. Living in India, it becomes super difficult to go minimalistic all the way coz of the beautiful prints, textures, materials etc., that are available. I would like to describe my design philosophy as Eclectic, which has some bit of a catch-all category to describe interiors that don’t fit neatly into just one style.” 

–Amrita Deol