To find botanical inspiration in the chaos of an Indian metropolis can be a challenge but not impossible. It can also be surprisingly satisfying, as some discoveries are  unexpected. These ‘discoveries’, spotted sometimes in the dwellings of people living in the humblest of circumstances– like the cheery pink of Bougainvillea surrounding a school house amid tin shanties in a Mumbai slum or the brilliant green of a beautifully tended garden within a dusty Delhi wholesale market– are the fuel that propels creativity at work. These posts hope to help those struggling to make peace with the synthetic materials they’ve been forced to accept, create spaces that are more natural & organic. They are also our tribute to the victory of colour & beauty won everyday in small pockets of our teeming cities.

Work typically opens and closes with the outdoors. Mornings spent in the garden are followed by a schedule divided between clients, purchasing & site visits. Sometimes, the activity fades into quiet evenings at the studio with collected or photographed flora.

On others, reference books are the replacement. This is what inspires our work and lets colours & textures from the dusty greens of the Delhi ridge to the verdant, green-blues in Bentota, find their way into the spaces we design. Here are 3 easy steps we’ve used in some work, that’ll  help get you closer to a more naturally decorated space.

1) Colours: Choose hues most evocative of the natural world as the main colours in your space.his forms the base on which you can add other colour to. Greens, whites and blues are the most obvious choices.  In the bungalow here we chose tones of green, cream and blue as our main colours– with tints  of purple, red, pinks and maroons as highlights.

 

2) Textures: Choose handmade over machine created, natural over synthetics. This would apply to choices made  in drapery, rugs, upholstery and other furnishings. If it’s durability you’re worried about, consider mixes between natural and synthetic– we try and steer clear of them in work, but it’s not always possible.

 

3) Plants: Choose from easy maintenance succulents like the Jade plant, Aloe, Echeveria, the Zebra or the Money plant if you’re a person on the move. Regular indoor plants like the Peace Lily, Sansevieria and the Areca need a little more care. Place plants in corners, on tables or hang them outside on balconies if you live in an apartment and you’ve made the the quickest transition into a natural space.