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A family of 3, the Sharmas wanted their compact 2BHK in Pune designed and furnished within a budget. With ample storage space as the main criteria, they desired a simple design that allowed their 800 sq. ft. house to look more spacious and bright.
Alternating between traditional and modern designs, the couple had many ideas for their first home. Accordingly, Livspace designer Prerna Jain tried to incorporate the best of both. The result is a contemporary, functional and capacious home (oh, and economical too!).
Without further ado, let’s take a tour of the Sharmas’ cheerful, affordable 2BHK in Pune that has some great budgeting lessons to offer new homeowners.
Who livs here: Taruna Sharma with her husband and son
Location: Pune
Size of home: 2BHK spanning 800 sq. ft.
Design team: Interior Designer Prerna Jain and Project Manager Sushmita Das
Livspace service: Full home design
Budget: ₹₹₹₹₹
#1. A foyer that’s high on functionality
Let’s start with the entryway to the house— the foyer. The key requirements for this area were storage and spacious look, and Prerna did full justice to it. She added a storage unit with cabinets and open shelves. The family stores their footwear in the base unit, while the sports equipment, umbrellas and other miscellaneous items, go into the top units. The floating console table here is for display as well as some extra storage.
The whole unit has different finishes too: high gloss laminate finish for the white parts and laminate finish for the wooden parts.
The foyer was narrow, only 4ft in width. Therefore, Prerna aimed to enhance the space and make it look wider by fitting mirrors to the wall. The chandelier, furthermore, elevates the ambience of the foyer.
#2. Customised but budget-friendly TV unit
The Sharmas wanted a TV unit that screamed practicality and convenience. Accordingly, Prerna went with custom floating shelves in laminate finish.
You can also see some detailing if you notice the wall. It is a honeycomb back panel that adds texture to the area. Made of MDF, the panel seamlessly hides the TV wires, giving a neat minimal look to the living room.
#3. Basic design for clutter-free living area
The budget lesson to take away from this living room is to work with what you have. We say this because the furniture you see here is all refurbished; nothing is new!
The Sharmas were keen on having a clutter-free living room, which meant no accent furniture or add-ons. Hence, Prerna suggested a more detailed wall. As you can see, this suggestion has worked well with the metallic fixture on the wall that adds character to it.
As the sofa in itself is an accentuating element, they went with something subtle for the wall. The pretty light-gold wallpaper with a simple texture was picked after going through numerous options.
#4. Stylish dining area with space-saving crockery unit
Could this dining area be more sophisticated? We think not.
Ad wood was already used for the chairs and crockery unit, the Sharmas didn’t want the usual wooden dining table. To offset the use of wood, Prerna recommended having an Italian marble-top for the dining table.
While all eyes go for the marble, what won our hearts is the customised crockery unit. The mirrors on the lower half of the unit make the area seem spacious. The top half has frosted glass shutters and open cabinets to neutralise the use of white. This unit does more than just hold crockery; it is a pooja mandir too! Furthermore, the open cabinet in the centre houses the digital operating unit for the smart electronics in the house.
#5. Renovated kitchen with new layout but still on a budget
The couple and our design team decided to go all out for a brand new kitchen, which involved several civil changes. Finally, we went from an L-shaped to a U-shaped kitchen for more storage and counter space. We took down the counter, tiles and sink in this process. Initially, the sink was in front of the window. However, Prerna installed it in its current location so that the wet area could be segregated.
The highlight in this kitchen is the high-end membrane finish for the base cabinets. The Sharmas wanted matte finish and a very specific shade of blue that was available only in the membrane range. However, to balance the cost out, the cabinets have MDF shutters and the wall units have high-gloss laminate finish. In addition, Prerna gave the kitchen lofts figuring it would come in handy for stocking up.
Coming to the backsplash, it was customised after going through a number of options. Three different coloured tiles are randomly set on the wall elevating the kitchen’s look.
Livspace did all of this in under 2.5 lakhs! Can you believe it?
#6. Master bedroom high on storage
The one thing that the Sharmas did not want in their 2BHK in Pune is not to have many colours. Therefore, Prerna added just one accent in every room. In the master bedroom, it is the purple modular wardrobe and the lovely floral wallpaper.
This bedroom has two modular wardrobes with a high-gloss laminate finish as the couple wanted ample storage space. The white wardrobe in the corner opposite the bed blends in with the white walls and makes the room appear more spacious.
As in the living room, the couple decided to cut cost by refurbishing their old bed. It was polished, and the colour was changed to suit the room’s theme.
#7. Kid-friendly designs
A quirky vibe and pop colours are what the Sharmas wanted for their little one’s room. Once again, the wardrobe is modular and the bed is refurbished. They decided to retain a double bed rather than having a single or bunk bed because the kid’s room usually doubles as a guest bedroom when their parents visit.
There is also a study unit here. Interestingly, while the cabinets are modular, the table is custom made. The reasons to get the unit partially customised are the area’s dimensions, the desired shape for the table and the extra cabinets for storage.
All in all, the Sharmas are elated with their freshly designed 2BHK in Pune. Here’s what they had to say about the experience:
“It was good to work with Prerna. Her designs were really nice, and she was open to hearing our ideas too. We could easily communicate our queries to the Livspace team as everybody was approachable. Our aim was for the house to look spacious, bright and modern, and we are really happy with how it turned out.”
Taruna Sharma, Livspace Homeowner
Not just the couple, Prerna too enjoyed working on the project. She says:
“The Sharmas were very easy-going. This young working couple had a lot of ideas and communicated them effectively. I was thrilled to work with them. The freehand they gave me helped in achieving their vision.”
Prerna Jain, Interior Designer, Livspace
Does this 2BHK in Pune inspire you? For more great ideas, you must check out: This Stylish Mumbai 2BHK Has Something Unique in Every Corner!
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