Stainless steel kitchen with wooden shutters and a Quartz countertop

Stainless Steel Kitchen or a Regular Modular Kitchen in Wood? Which Should YOU Choose for Your New Home

Stainless steel kitchens are gaining popularity in Indian homes, known for their durability, hygiene, and modern aesthetic. While traditionally seen in commercial settings, stainless steel is making its way into residential spaces, offering a robust, easy-to-clean option perfect for the demands of Indian cooking. However, it’s not without its drawbacks—higher costs, susceptibility to scratches, and a colder appearance may be factors to consider. For those seeking long-lasting, low-maintenance solutions, stainless steel is a great fit, especially in humid areas, though balancing it with other materials could provide a warmer, homier feel.

Exploring the Interplay: Furniture Design versus Space Design versus Interior Design

“Design Furniture – You create Convenience, Design a Space – You create Comfort, Design a Home – You create Culture.” I often tell home makers that designing furniture for a home is fundamentally different from designing a home for a family.  After the discussion most folks walk away with a […]

Shutter Finishes and Types: Shaker Panel, Raised Panel, Slab, Membrane, Duco, PU, Laminate, Acrylic, MDF, HDHMR or Glass – Which one is right for you?

What most customers do not know is that the type of shutter and the finish you can have on it are related, the finish in turn determines the ruggedness of the shutter and hence its appropriateness for specific spaces for the home. So, while it is great to want to have a certain shutter style in one’s home it is important to understand whether the style can be matched with the finish and the type of use of the shutter & your own lifestyle.

A Home to Redesign, Renovate, Refurbish

Life stage based interior design is a concept that I have discussed on this blog multiple times but it will be good to give it a little more perspective and make it specific to each life-stage when a design intervention may be necessary…hence this blog post today. I trust you will find the thoughts relevant if you are planning to refurbish your home in line with your own life stage

Kitchen Design: B&I Magazine & Siemens India Interview excerpts

Building & Interiors Magazine in conjunction with Siemens India published my interview on the subject of Kitchen Appliances for the Home and how these need to be planned as part of an overall home design project. A soft copy of the interview is available here https://buildingandinteriors.com/appliances-are-an-indispensable-part-of-an-indian-kitchen-design-nandita-manwani/ Happy reading Nandita

Lighting Design for Homes – Interior Design Done Right

Lighting Design fundamentally determines the personality of the space and how people perceive it, feel in it and how they ultimately behave in it.

The interesting part is that Lighting Planning demands the brightness of spaces NOT be distributed evenly – if you evenly distribute the Lux then the space will feel boring, … like a terrace restaurant in daytime, and you don’t want that. Lighting for Ambience is really the art of managing the Darkness.

Interior Design & The Culture of Space

Each space, the way it is designed, built, maintained, kept dirty or kept clean exudes a certain culture, that culture drives the behavior and life of the people occupying the space – be it a family, office staff, visitors or shoppers. This is perhaps the same reason why pan gets spit in spitted corners and not in clean corners and why garbage is dumped on un-maintained land just because the land is anyhow unclean and a bit more garbage will not change its nature.

Let’s take this a step further – if the manner in which a space is built and maintained can determine the way people behave in it then can we not consciously Design spaces to cultivate a certain culture and behavior? The answer to that is an absolute YES

Dark Theme For Interiors – the lure of BLACK

The recent fetish for Dark as well as the younger generation’s desire to try out new and different concepts for their spaces – both homes and offices, is now driving the demand for Dark Themes in Interior Design. While there is demand, the supply for dark themed interiors is constrained by the designers’ or the home maker’s skill to bring it to life. Dark themes can give an extremely classy and contemporary feel to spaces and how to get it right is what we will discuss in this article today

Wainscoting: The Latest Trend in Interior Design in India: Should You Follow?

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A functional lining of the bottom portion of walls that started as a technique for wall protection and retaining heat within homes in 13th Century Europe has now become an Interior Design trend in India. What I am talking about is Wainscoting & every second customer planning Interiors for their Home who I have spoken to in this last 6 months wants it.

The 5 Most Googled Questions on Interior Design

Google sends us a monthly report on what posts on this blog get the most attention and readership. Over the last few months, we have been tracking the report it seems there is a general trend in what customers search for when it comes to the subject of interior design. […]

I AM

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The idea for this post came when, during a design discussion, the lady of the house said “I AM a Home Baker”, so I asked her to send me pictures of her present Kitchen just to get some pointers on how the new kitchen should be. To my surprise I saw very little baking equipment in there.

Interior Design and the Pandemic

The Pandemic has brought profound changes to the way people live – be it the requirement of constant sanitization, the home doubling up as both the office and the school, all the way to higher rates of pet adoption to ward away loneliness. Interior designers in Bangalore and across the […]

The Culture of Space

I have written about designing homes based on lifestyle of the inhabiting family, today I want to turn that concept around and discuss how design helps create a certain culture of space that influences how people live and behave in that space. The Interaction of life and design is something […]

Types of finishes for woodwork – How to choose between Laminate, Veneer, Acrylic, Polymer, Lacquered Glass, PU Coating, Duco Paint etc. etc. etc. for your Home Interiors

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I was browsing over all the old posts on my blog and could not believe that this is a topic that I’ve missed writing on. Choosing the right finish for woodwork is something that puzzles almost all home makers and making the wrong choice compromises the entire design and the […]

Third Edition of my Masterclass on Interior Design Best Practices

November 3 it is — Just in case you missed the earlier two Masterclasses, here is another chance for you to attend this November. For those who are reading this for the first time – these masterclasses are for new home owners and folks planning to have their homes designed […]

Our New Packages for Home Interiors in Bangalore

Earlier this April I had written about our hunt for optimizing cost for Interiors and how that exercise took our teams to parent manufacturers cutting out the middlemen etc. (you can read about that here). The whole objective was to be able to give home-makers a complete an honest home […]

Interior Design Masterclass in Bangalore Jul 27, 2019

Masterclass on Interior Design Best Practices for new Home Owners

Announcing the second edition of our “show and tell” masterclass on Interior Design Best practices for Home Makers The masterclass will be held at the state-of-the-art Residential Interior Design Experience Center situated off Kanakapura Road, Bangalore. Enrolment is restricted home makers expecting possession of their new homes this year. Students, […]

“Save the best for last” … this is not about the song, it has everything to do with Interior Design

Interiors and Interior Design is usually the last item on the home buying list. Once the bank, builder and broker are paid off home makers end up with little for doing up their interiors. With shoestring interior budgets home makers end up compromising on the material, designs and workmanship, falling short of the dream home that they imagined. Planning the budgets for interiors hence needs to be integral to the process of home buying

Our Design Masterclass last week with university students and upcoming interior designers in Bangalore

Had the privilege of hosting the design masterclass for students of the school of Interior Design at Jain University Campus last week. A very positive experience interacting with the young breed of upcoming interior designers and giving them a glimpse of good design practices and expectations from design in the […]

Doing end to end Interiors for your Home? – Here is a work schedule you should follow

A number of readers of this blog have asked questions around what work sequence one needs to follow while doing interiors for their home. We all know how painful it can be in Bangalore just to secure availability of good vendors like electricians, carpenters, plumbers, painters, the false roofing guy […]

Looking for an Interior designer for your new home in Bangalore? Read on to know what you should expect from your interior designer and how you can ensure that the designer engagement delivers the value you seek.

When working with an interior designer, home makers usually expect just good woodwork and carpentry. The Q&A below discusses why customers should expect more from their designers and why that is not only good for the project but also for the Home Maker – Designer engagement.
In addition good interior design can be life changing for the occupants and helps in creating a living culture that stays with the family throughout their life

“The Google of Home Designing” – First ever Masterclass on Best Practices in Residential Interior Design in Bangalore

Finally did it!!! yoo hooo. This Nov the 17th our objective was to go beyond the written word on this blog and do an actual show and tell of Residential Interior Design Best Practices in front of home makers at our experience centre. We spent a month collecting & preparing […]

Our Residential Interior Design Experience Center coming up off Kanakapura Road

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Exited to share the first pics of my Exclusive Residential Interior Design Experience center coming up off Kanakapura Road. The inauguration is planned on Ugadi day – Mar 18th. The center will provide a space to display best practices in residential interior design, different material finishes etc. and will provide […]

The Studio selected as one of the top upcoming Interior Designers in India

Thanks to all your wishes, The Studio was selected among the top upcoming interior designers in the country. The magazine in print will be available in stands next week. Do read about it here https://industry.siliconindiamagazine.com/vendor/the-studio-by-nandita-manwani-a-lifestyle-interior-design-firm-built-on-the-foundation-of-trust-cid-3799.html Glad, encouraged, thankful & deeply humbled. Cheers Nandita

Acrylic Versus Hi Gloss Laminate Versus Duco– Which one to use for that perfect Hi Gloss finish for your Modular Kitchen, Wardrobe and other Furniture

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I have been getting a number of questions around Acrylic versus Laminate finish, where to buy Acrylic Laminates in Bangalore and how to use them for Modular Kitchen & Wardrobe Shutter construction, hence thought of penning this down as a dedicated post. Even before we get into a discussion on […]

Organised furniture retail and the changing role of the Interior Designer

My article on whether to build furniture or to buy it from the market and how organised furniture retail will change the role of the Interior Designer published in the Bangalore edition of Deccan Herald today. Here is the link to the article on Deccanherald.com http://www.deccanherald.com/content/622540/how-do-you-like-your.html

www.thestudiobangalore relaunched: The new destination for Turnkey Home Interiors, Modular Kitchens & Wardrobes in Bangalore

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Exited to announce that after 6 months of work we launched the new website for The Studio. For those of you who are new to this blog The Studio is my own venture offering Customised Turnkey Home Interiors, Modular Kitchens & Wardrobes across Bangalore. The new website consolidates the 3 […]

Furniture for Home Interiors – The Build versus Buy dilemma & the changing role of the Interior Designer.

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With the unorganized furniture retail market in India touching approx. $20 Billion, early bird online furniture retailers like Pepperfry, Urban Ladder as well as organized furniture retailers such as Lifestyle, Hometown, @ Home & Evok etc. have been busy tightening their supply chain, product designs and quality to capture a […]

Some Photographs of my Home Interior Project at Mantri Serenity – Kanakapura Road Bangalore

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This one was keeping me busy over the last 3 months, so apologies for not being too active on the Blog. This was an end to end Interior design & Execution project including Decor, Furnishings and the full nine yards. Here are some pictures, shall welcome your comments and inputs […]

Featured among the top interior designers in Bangalore

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Featured among the top Women Interior Designers in Bangalore by Nearfox Magazine :). THe original article can be found at https://nearfox.com/bangalore/e/female-interior-designers … read on,   Seven Female Interior Designers From Bangalore Who’re At The Top Of Their Game Are you conscious about the aesthetics of your home and do not […]

Additional Home Interior Photographs of interiors done at Concorde Napa Valley Villas in Bangalore

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Additional Pictures of Home Interior Design & Turnkey Interiors at Concorde Napa Valley Bangalore. These have been taken in daylight to reflect the true colours of the home Living Room Design Living Cum Dining Room Living Cum Dining Room – Another view Crockery Unit Dining Area Dining Area – Another […]

The Essential Bangalore Home Buyer Handover Checklist – Things to check on before you take possession of your apartment/ villa from the builder – Version II

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The regular readers of this blog would have come across, in one of the earlier posts, this list of things to check on before taking full and final possession of one’s home from the builder . I was updating this checklist sometime back for my own use and felt that […]

Objects of Art for the Home

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My article above was published in Deccan Herald today. You may read it here http://www.deccanherald.com/content/535128/art-homes-sake.html However…..since, as readers of this blog, you are special – I am posting the unedited, original and the much cooler version of the same article for you below.  As always, will welcome any thoughts, inputs & […]

Tips and tricks to convert your rental home into a place of your own

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Home Interiors and Decorators This one is for readers who have or are in the process of renting out a home. The simple tips below should help you get your home to reflect your lifestyle and your style without cashing out your wallet. This article also appeared on the home […]

“The Studio” – now on Facebook : A photo palate for interiors in the “Indian” context

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Thestudiobangalore Over the last few months, I realized that I have been accumulating a good number of photographs of interior work – both ongoing and finished, on my phone and nearly none had found their way to this blog. The prime culprit – the thought that I will “one day” […]

The Experts you need when making your home – My recent article in Deccan Herald

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My article below was published in Deccan Herald last Friday. The free text is pasted below. Happy reading Cheers Nandita The role of an Interior Designer and tips to get the best out of your Interior designer for your home design project. If you have a house getting ready for […]

Kitchen Design – Best Practices Consolidated in One Single Article

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The article on the left was published in today’s Deccan Herald. It encapsulates and consolidates all the Kitchen Design Best practices mentioned across different posts on this blog. Reproducing it below for my readers … here goes… ————————– It’s that place in your home where you are likely to spend […]

Selecting the “right” sofa for your home. My article in Deccan Herald today

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The subject article was featured in Deccan Herald today. You can also read it at http://www.deccanherald.com/content/445623/selecting-sofas-safe-way.html. The free text is also pasted below Thank You Deccan Herald team for helping spread the light 🙂 Full leather, Half leather, Fabric, Cane, Wooden, Reclining, Sectional, Tuxedo, Chesterfield, Camelback ….whoa, the choice is almost […]

Villa / Apartment Interior Readiness & Handover Checklist: Things to check on BEFORE you take the formal handover of your dream Apartment or Villa from the builder.

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Lately in a number of my projects I found lacunae left behind by the builder and the customers running around struggling to get these rectified by the builder. To help avoid this run around I have tried to compile a checklist of things below that folks should run through with […]

A few photographs of the Eco Package (Budget Interiors) executed recently at Purva Highlands Kanakapura Road, Bangalore

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I wrote about the Eco range of interiors for 2/ 3 BHK apartments sometime back. Here are a few photographs of the Ecopackage executed recently. PS: The photo credit for these go to “yours truly” and to Samsung Cameraphones 🙂 Master Bedroom Wardrobe & Dresser – Purva Highlands  Master Bedroom […]