From house to a personalized home - This is how we do it !

Blog DIY inspiration home decor Sponsored post

Don’t we all love to personalize our living spaces with our signature tastes, and distinctive panache. Some may want to reproduce the prevalent schemes back home in their native (Like the Kerala or Chettinad style). Some may want the décor to be a reflection of their personality (Through colors that represent a certain persona). Some may even employ professional designers to do up their house to their liking. Everyone has their own means of customizing their house. We do it with our DIY and we draw inspiration from exclusive sources like Homify. So much so that we sometimes get asked, “Where did you buy that”, only to be told that we made it, or “Wow ! Did you make it”, only to be told it was bought from somewhere. Either way, it adds that personal touch to our humble abode.

It is time to up our ante and look at things beyond the small items that we have been building here. Time to look at what can get into our DIY checklist to help us add more functionality and glamour to our already DIYed home. And here’s what we came out with.

The best bunk bed in the world

The toddler now sleeps with us. But then when she transitions to having her own room, we want to gift her the best bunk bed in the world. And how? By building it ourselves. Even better, get her involved and have her choose what she wants for her own little world. 

Pic Courtesy : Cuckooland / Homify

Big, bold and beautiful

We live in a small 2 bedroom home and every passing day is adding to our need to increase storage space. There are corners around the home that can accommodate additional storage. But hey ! We don’t want any wardrobe, we want our own handmade chest of drawers. Big, bold and beautiful.

Pic Courtesy : Grainod / Homify

Mini home office

Preethi works from home and I intend to exercise my WFH option on and off. And to be able to cut ourselves off from all the distractions, a dedicated home office space is something we long for, with a small modular work desk that can be folded against the wall when not in use. And yay ! We want to DIY it.

Pic Courtesy : IK-Architects / Homify

Sharp edges to rounded corners

And this one is just to satisfy my ego. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you would know about my love for making square / rectangular shaped lampshades. But then, one day I want to figure out how I can make a wooden frame for a drum shaped DIY lampshade. 

Pic Courtesy : Lomas & Lomas / Homify

These are mere inspirations that have translated into checklists. It is now up to us to find a way to upgrade our skills and tools to be able to execute them one by one. We have the need. We just want to find the time and the will to do it. Whether it turns out good or otherwise, it will remain personal and special which by now has become our signature style.  Now what do you think ? Doable ? Difficult ? Impossible ? Do share your inspiration story with us and let us know HOW YOU LIKE TO PERSONALIZE YOUR SPACE !

P.S. This is a sponsored post. The opinions expressed however are my own

Organizing my carpentry tools and accessories

Blog DIY inspiration DIY tools How tos storing tools tools storage Woodworking tools

The biggest issue for me while working on a DIY is that I keep wasting time looking for things. I would have no clue where I kept my small screw driver or where the 220 grit sand paper is. The other issue is taking them out of their storage cabinet. If I need something, there is every bit possibility that I might have to dig deep into the cabinet, maybe even pull some things out, before I can find what I want. Considering I was not working on any projects for a long time,  thought will use the time to put an end to all these issues.

Does it partially remind you of your spice rack in the kitchen ? :) I had a spare 12 mm plywood which I hung in a non-intrusive space in the service area. May look clumsy, but trust me, very convenient. The reason for putting this up was twofold:

1. Clear up space in the service area cabinet and find more functional uses for it
2. Designate space for every tool and make it easily accessible (for me)

Now I have designated holders and space for:

• My 3 inch screws (notice the upcycled green Vaseline bottle ?)
• Smaller screws
• Headless nails
• Drill bits
• Some of my tools
• And even sand papers

While I have been wanting to do this for a long time, I have to agree that I was inspired by this post of Vinay to get this done really quick. I still have lot of space left on the plywood (as you can see) and will probably spend sometime this week hanging up the rest of the items in my list. Meanwhile, if you can guess what the blue file holder is for, leave me a comment. Leave me a comment otherwise too. :) 

DIY brainwave set off by a bloggers meet

Blog blogger Blogger meet DIY inspiration Indi Blogger ITC Grand Chola

It was indeed an interesting weekend for me. Ever since we had started Woodooz, I have been blogging from the confines of our home and never ventured out to meet fellow bloggers. Blog meets are not new to me and I have made many a friends through this medium – Only, it was through my personal blog which is pretty much dormant now. 

The Chennai bloggers meet organized by Indiblogger and sponsored by ITC Grand Chola was a good start. Though I would love to network more at these meets, I am telling myself now to loosen up a bit from the next time on.

Can you figure where I am ? (Photo courtesy : Indiblogger)

We had a guided tour of the entire ITC Grand Chola property and while there was so much splendor and sumptuousness and opulence everywhere (and I shall talk about that in a different context later), the DIYer in me was inadvertently drawn towards potential DIY inspirations. I have given new projects a break and this was a good opportunity for me to scout for ideas and garner some self-motivation. At the end of the meet, I walked out with 4 photos, and only 4 photos, on what I thought would be good, easy, doable projects to work on in the coming days. 

My love for lampshades drew me naturally to this beautiful one at the entrance of Grand Cholas Italian Restaurant, Ottimo Cucina Italiana. It was a simple cane enclosure placed on a high pedestal and it made up for a beautiful floor lamp. 

DIY Lampshade

The wall above the master bedroom headboard is bare and white and needs some life. We have been discussing an enlarged canvas photo of us together. But now, Preethi wants to give this shelf (Clicked at ITC Grand Chola's Tranquebar) a second thought. An assortment of picture frames with a focus light can certainly be something refreshing. I have to go to Konica for the enlarged canvas photo, but this shelf, I can make. So you certainly know by now what am canvassing for.

Shelf I would love to make

The tree trunk center table was rustic and yet classy and I could not let it pass. If not a center table, this is an idea I can execute to use as a small stool. Maybe something for the balcony. I have to find the source from a nearby lumber and am assuming it will require lot of sanding to smoothen the rough patches. If I ever get around to indulge in this, it would certainly be a very exciting project.

Tree Trunk Center Table

Floating shelves (Clicked at the The Cheroot Malt and Cigar Lounge) are something I want to do for the heck of it. For no rhyme. For no reason. The illusion of being on the wall without any apparent support is something very attention-grabbing. I still don’t know how it can be installed, especially with hardware constraints in Chennai, and that mystery only adds to the excitement value.

DIY Floating Shelves

The range of food was appealing to my sense of smell and taste. The visual extravaganza and the magnificence of the newly inaugurated ITC Grand Chola were alluring to my sense of sight. On the whole, it was a very fulfilling and rewarding experience. Now it is all about putting my action items into actual action.

Do you think these DIY projects are practicable? Have you ever been to a place of importance, but been drawn to accompanying objects of less interest to others, because you are passionate about them? Share your thoughts. Leave your comment.

- Somu 

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• The lampshade that I so loved making
• Reason why am drawn to center tables everywhere
• The perfect DIY gift for house warming
• Another lampshade with shades of black and white

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