One are the days when the interiors of a house were organised by home owners after scouring markets at Panchkuian Road or Karol Bagh in the National Capital. While the former offers everything — furniture, paintings, small fountains and decorative knick-knacks, the latter has fairly sizeable home furnishing showrooms. But today, you can comfortably sit at home, click a picture of the room/ home that needs to be redone and upload it, and then be bombarded by a plethora of options. You can design your space with these virtual filters and finalise the colours of the walls, furniture, colour of the furnishings and the carpets as well. 

Interior designers in vogue
For a more personalised option, you can rope in an interior designer. Again here, you have two options. One, you can completely rely on the professional to take the final call with the decor selection. Or two, you buy most of what you want in a home and get an interior designer to arrange these artistically at the most appropriate spots. “Earlier, people used to design their own home, but now many are seeking professional help. This has resulted in specialisations in interior designing like interior architecture, interior decorator and interior facade development,” says Siddhant Gupta, Founder of Blue Door that specialises in interior designing solutions.

Agreeing with Gupta is Shailendra Kumar, Founder of fanusta.com, a curated marketplace of home decor and furniture. “In the past year-and-a-half, we have seen a change in the way people do their homes. At least 60 per cent of people who shop with us ask for an interior designer to do up their home.” 

Gupta feels interior designing is not just about decoration but about happiness. He says appropriate use of materials and attention to small details are the key aspects of interior designing. “A good interior designer can make someone aesthetically, emotionally, psychologically and visually happy. And it’s not that one has to spend a huge amount of money. A good interior designer can work wonders with the existing products,” he says.

Understated and traditional
Talking about the changing tastes in home décor, Kumar says that earlier people opted for shades of rose gold, bronze and silver. But now, pastels are the norm. “Pastel colours on walls give a lot of freedom to design furnishing items. They can help change the looks frequently and keep the novelty factor alive,” notes Nameeta Vasudev, an independent interiors professional.

Stressing that traditional art and decor products like blue pottery, terracotta and ceramics lend a personal feel to the space, Kumar says these items are much in demand. This, in turn, means people don’t want a Western or European look in their home. They want to feel ‘at home’. “Even for table tops, vases etc., people want motifs from our old traditional art and design,” he says.  

Interior designers are all for having indoor plants. “Plants are very important as they make the interiors look alive. Plus, they bring a lot of positivity to your home,” says Gupta.

Recycle to redesign
Similarly, when it comes to furniture, most interior designers say that one must play with the existing items rather than randomly going ahead with purchasing new ones. “A wooden table that’s been in your home since your grandfather’s time can be redesigned to look aesthetic and contemporary, and still be functional,” explains Gupta. The demand for painted furniture is on the rise says Kumar, which means people don’t throw their old furniture but paint it with traditional designs and turn it into new.

Agrees Vasudev, “There is no need to throw old items that were earlier in use like huge brass vessels as these can add a personal touch to your home.”