Before & After: An India Apartment Gets a Modern Refresh After 10 Years of ‘Ready-to-Use’ Furniture

Name: Urvashi Sathaye and sister
Location: Mumbai — Maharashtra, India
Type of home: Apartment
Size: 750 square feet
Years lived in: 10 years, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: The house was furnished with some ready-to-use cane furniture for the longest time. After almost a decade of living like that, I planned for a refresh about two years ago. And since I am an interior designer myself, I wanted to make the house into a personalized home with a bit of character and fun vibe.

I also wanted to add in a home office area, for work efficiency. And my biggest problem was the lack of adequate storage space. So the furniture planning majorly focused on providing sufficient storage for the house. I targeted the living/dining area and the main bedroom for the renovation. Also created a cozy balcony with my ever-growing plant family.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: The home has a relaxed, laid-back vibe, but still feels fun and lively. I wanted a beachy cottage kind of vibe, with some fun pops of color.

What is your favorite room and why? The living/dining room, since the makeover for this room has changed the way I use the space. All my things are now neatly stored away and everything has a dedicated space. It’s very fresh and bright through the day. Even my friends occasionally come by and work from home since they like the vibe of the house. And by night it’s definitely a favorite space for a fun catch-up with the friends.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? After months of trying to source a budget-friendly side table for the living room, I finally went ahead and ordered one from IKEA. It’s perfectly suitable to my needs and works well in the whole space.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Definitely make sure that you correctly identify how you’d like to use the space, and what are the requirements that need to be planned and provided for. Once you have a space that’s user friendly, you can have a lot more fun infusing it with some personality and character that’s unique to you. I like spaces that are unique to the person occupying them and lend some personality to the house.

This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.