Interior Décor Ideas: For Women On The Move

Moving houses often makes home decor a challenge. Here are some easy interior decor ideas for Indian women on the move!

Are you living in a hostel or as a paying guest? Do you travel to different parts of the world? Are you living in a rented place and keep moving houses regularly? Do you find it difficult and expensive to decorate your place because you are always moving houses? Do you envy those living in elaborately done up places? Do you also long to live in one such place?

Moving houses since childhood

As a child I got uprooted from one place to another every three years, courtesy my father’s transferable job. I never realized it then, but now wonder how my mother always found ways to create a home in the various rented places where we lived.

She loves simple home décor ideas and bettered her interior decor ideas through the umpteen transitions. She is also a compulsive gardener and always grows plants in pots or small open spaces if she has any.

I left for higher studies and my moving houses and places continued. With the initial confusion and hesitation over how to convert random places into my world, I started appreciating my mother’s efforts. I started picking up her interior décor ideas and tried to create a home wherever I lived.

Eventually I started enjoying the process of relocations and the opportunity of doing things all over again.

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Interior décor ideas that transfer easily

Instead of heavy and expensive curtains I go for light fabrics with geometric patterns or bright colours and textured handloom weaves. Alternatively wooden blinds, sari drapes, or some personalized pieces (patch work, fabric painted or embroidered) can be your ‘things’.

Bed covers can either match with curtains or can be in a smart contrast. Some soft cushions (of different shapes and sizes) thrown on them using mix and match techniques automatically lifts up the mood of the place.

If you are living in a cold place you get the added advantage of using colourful throws on the sofa or couch. Don’t restrict yourself to Turkish carpets for the floors; rugs with bold motifs also bring character to them.

Let your memories speak

We collect a lot of memories over time and I use them as props for my interior decoration. Photographs always bring a personal touch to the empty walls of a new place.

Wherever I go I prefer to buy small portable souvenirs, and they become my immediate companions for interior decoration. Small idols of Buddha or Ganesha kept me close to home when living in Europe. Now a nut-cracker or an angel sitting beside them on the chest of drawers reminds me of my expat life.

Indian artifacts made up of dokra work, brass, bamboo, wood or seashells can be found easily in any handicraft emporium around India. They are sturdy stuff to be carried when moving houses. I carry some such props wherever I go.

Terracotta pots or sculptures are available in almost all parts of the world. They are vibrant and eco-friendly decoration items for people on the move. I carry the small sculptures with me while relocating and the pots with plants become parting gifts for friends and neighbours or we give them away to our daughter’s school or day care.

Do it yourself interior décor ideas

It doesn’t require much to find some creative ways to turn a glass bottle into a vase or a stone into a paperweight using some paints and creativity. Children create art and craft work on a daily basis. I keep a wall dedicated to my daughter’s art works, in her room. You can do the same with your creations.

Used or unpolished wooden furniture like a chest of drawers or corner shelves can be converted into unique décor items using bright paints or decoupage techniques. They also provide lots of storage space for books, CDs and keys. Papier-mâché is another way to create customized décor items for your home. 

Being seasonal with flowers and plants

Flowers are the best friends of those moving houses often. I like roses, tulips and lilies on special occasions but I am fine with seasonal and wild flowers for my vases. Following the steps of my mother, I try to grow some indoor plants in pots. Sometimes pinecones and dry branches also find their way in.

Use your hobbies: Books and CDs

I love reading and also collecting books. This is a habit which brings roots to my otherwise ‘on the move’ life. I collect books on new places I see, cuisines new to me, on learning a new language, about travels, biographies and fiction. I collect books for my daughter from different countries.

Over the years I have learnt to make books and CDs a part of my interior decorations. Magazines on the coffee table are a must for me and for my guests. I feel books and CDs can be a good starting point of a conversation and then a lifelong relationship with a new neighbour or office colleague visiting us. Rearranging books in my tiny bookshelf is my favourite household chore.I love to keep some knick-knacks along with the books, like the first pair of crayons I bought for my daughter or some post cards and photo-frames.

Cozy corner: Décor to relax

After a tiring day of work and chores or even in the middle of the day, a cozy corner to sit and relax is always welcome. I indulge in my thoughts, reading and freelance writing sitting in the corner.

A cane recliner, a mahogany side table, an antique lamp on its top, some bonsai plants and a magazine holder (or a cane basket), a Turkish carpet and cushions with madhubani print is the cozy corner of my dream. But in reality and through my temporary phases, I have created my cozy corner using a beanbag, a runner, some plants and some books.

I hope you find these interior decor ideas useful. Do you have any such interesting home decor ideas? Do share with me in the comments!

*Featured photo credit: dichohecho (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)
*Rug photo credit: ooh_food (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)
*All other images credit: Chandrima Pal.

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