Is there a particular kind of carpet that you’d like to cover your flooring with? Or an art work or installation you like but doesn’t quite fit into your home? Do you sometimes wonder if a particular colour would suit your walls? Here are a couple of websites that can help solve all your interior design issues.
S.V. Lakshmi and her team of experts at Golden Section have come up with a query section on their website packed with useful tips and solutions for home woes. “There are so many new products coming up everyday and a house-owner might want to have a say on what goes into their home. Getting the opinion of a qualified person helps to see if the product fits into their environment, climate and so on,” says the interior designer and project manager.
Just type in your query or send them an image of the product you like and Golden Section’s panel of experts will help you make your decision. “We have architects, plumbing consultants, electricians, interior designers, furnishers and structural architects who will answer each query. This is the team that works on all our design projects. People can ask us anything they like; what exterior paint is good, what colour would suit a home and so on,” she explains.
The firm answers mainly architecture and interior-oriented questions. “We do help with construction, getting approvals, planning the costing, the number of floors and suchlike. But that is if they go beyond just the query and approach us for our services,” she adds. “We give our customers an indicative costing and help them with interiors once the structure is up.”
Golden Section’s facebook page is www.facebook.com/GoldenSectionInteriorSolutions. Or you can visit them at www.goldensection.in.
King’s Chest, a lifestyle and home décor shopping site, has another kind of app that helps you choose what you need for your home. Their visual design app allows you to design a room and choose exactly what you want in it and even share it with your friends.
‘Virtual Home Designer’ is like a dress-up game that you would find your child playing with, only this time you get to choose the walls, ceilings, skirting, exteriors, interiors and home accessories. In a few quick steps, it not only lets you explore various options in the market, but also mix-and-match to your taste.
“It’s a free app for anyone redoing or building a home,” says Jasraj Sohal, associate manager, “It usually takes so much time to go to each vendor and look at the different things you’d like. This application is a one-stop shop for anything that you would like to see. We’ve entered into a tie-up with an American company that specialises in rendering engines to bring this software to India.” The app runs with a demo palette now but Jasraj promises total customisation soon, “We’ll make it in such a way that you can upload a picture of your room and try on different elements to see how it looks.”
Users of this app can try out various ceiling, floors, tiles, paints on different rooms (bedrooms, offices, living rooms and so on). “The idea is to make sure no one is trying to push their products on the customer. We will feature products from a few companies and make sure that there’s healthy competition,” he says.
The website also allows you to save an image after you’re satisfied and share or email it. “It’s a flexible app and can be used on a tablet, phone, desktop or a laptop,” says Jasraj. “It’s free but if they want a sample, we may post a nominal charge. It’s only been a couple of months since we launched the portal and the response has been encouraging so far.” Check it out at www.kingschest.com.
