House that

Work from home felt like a major change in the early months of the lockdown last year Slowly monotony set in and people started missing their coffee breaks canteen banter and having a boss in the next cubicle to help meet deadlines But there is also another side to it Take inspiration from four Mumbaikars who are using the extra time to put their creative side to workCoining a tableChef Ambar Samtani had a bag full of coins lying around at home ldquoBeing in the hospitality industry we are often short of change I always have a coin collection handyrdquo says the corporate chef at Mumbai International Airport and chef at The Village Shop cafeacute in Bandra In the lockdown he stuck them along with a mix of vintage coins from his grandfatherrsquos collection onto the top of a side table with a glue gun He placed a glass top on it Samtani says ldquoI am always fidgeting with things in the house This one was easy to execute and adds a pretty corner to a roomrdquoPlanting an ideaCement tray by NarulaSonia Narula a 26yearold interior designer took to creating terrarium plants after following DIY videos on YouTube ldquoSchezwan sauce bottles and a little moss from our garden were all it took to start It lifts the energy of my work deskrdquo says Narula who also revisited her interiordesigning skills and created a tray using cement ldquoI mixed cement with water and used a steel plate as a base I kept it out to dry for 48 hours and then painted itrdquo But her favourite project has been painting doors and walls using chalk paint acrylic and oil paints ldquoThese changes give my home a cafeacutelike viberdquo she saysOld is goldInamdar used a comb with chalk paints to give her cardboard table a wooden effectMedha Inamdar a professional baker learnt the importance of upcycling early on in life ldquoMy mother always encouraged me to make things out of wasterdquo says Inamdar who collected cardboard boxes that came with deliveries to create a small table for her motherrsquos birthday last year ldquoI used newspapers clippings and stacked the cardboards into layers to create a usable decorative itemrdquo says the Nerul resident who also reimagined a few other things in the house including upcycling a teapackaging box into a key box and painting an old shoe rack and adding some accents to itCurrently she is reviving her godmotherrsquos photo frames to give them a modern ethnic look ldquoMy family was convinced it was a new buyrdquo she adds Offering a few tips she says that she prefers to beautify her home using existing items and craft material lying around in the house You donrsquot really need to buy expensive material for craftwork she says Pick a mithai box or goodquality cardboard jewellery boxes and convert them into something that has utility and looks good too ldquoAs for craft material I find that airdry clay cardboard and chalk paints are enough to make a lot of items One just needs a creative mindrdquoJuggling carpentryShoe rack by KhanWhen a bed needed refurbishment and its edges smoothened marketing and hospitality professional Zamir Khan stepped up to the plate ldquoAt any other time my life would have been too busy but with the lockdown I decided to put my carpentry skills to work Being an army kid we studied carpentry at schoolrdquo says Khan who cordoned off the bedroom area put up plastic sheets to keep the dust under control and got to workKhan and his daughter Amaraah paint a door with chalk paintIt took 12 days to give the bed a Victorian skyblue finish ldquoThis phase is teaching us to value the small joys of life and taking this up as a project felt greatrdquo says Khan who also polished and repainted a shoe rack which he turned into a project to engage his fouryearold daughter Amaraah along with giving a wall in her room a chalkpaint finish to unleash her artistic streak ldquoIrsquom just refurbishing another cabinet in emerald green and am in the process of repainting the entire master bedroom It seems like we wonrsquot need to hire a carpenter anymorerdquo he laughs