Art Interior designing

Creating and living with beauty in your home.

It is all about managing to bring beauty into your home.

 

We are surrounded with  art and beauty in nature.  Nature is an artists’ greatest inspiration. It is only natural to want to bring this beauty inside our  homes as well.

I’ve shared some beautiful homes with you, and have lined up some more for you in the future . Have you noticed the beauty in the home belonging to my friend Unzila here? Also the home of my friend Munazza here. I know you must be thinking these must have cost the earth! Probably they did. Yet, I’m sure the beauty part of it, can come with far less expense too.

 

The motto of my College of Home Economics is Beauty is truth and truth is beauty.

It is so true. One of my favorite verses in Urdu is:

Sochiye to husn kaafir kutch nahi,

Daikhiye to daikhtay reh jayiye!

If you think about it, beauty is nothing.

When you look at it, you can’t stop looking!

 

We look for new forms and shapes of beauty in our lives all the time.

Anyone with aesthetics always gets more attention from others. You see the great fashion icons being followed on Instagram due to their aesthetic sense.

Take a step further; beauty can be in thoughts, living styles, poetry, prose and music. You look for it in all the creative works. Sometimes, there is beauty in renditions of music and it is about your individuality.

All this is vital in our lives. Otherwise, life wouldn’t be worth it.

All my life, we used to move house every year or so. Sometimes, when we moved into a place, we knew it was just for a few months. I’m so glad, I’d do up our one-room make-shift apartment with as much beauty as I could. I’d put up paintings, drapes, lamps and furniture to make it a charming home for my husband and children to come home to.

In the end, my husband never got to live in the home that we were building together. It feels good to know, he always lived in a home which felt like a home always. As far as I’m concerned , the house where my husband and children live is our home, (whether it is rented, joint-family or one’s own!)

I’ve known people living in homes like garages. Stark and bare. This is consciously done. It is extremely unpleasant to the eyes. Then often you see them cribbing about everything. It is up to you to make yourself happy within your given or chosen surroundings.

Let me show you how you can do it:

  1. Cleanliness: A dirty place is dirty. It is nauseating and disgusting. So, do regular cleaning on a daily, weekly and seasonal basis.

  2. Tidiness: you must allocate a place for everything and put everything in its place.

  3. Choose a style that reflects your taste: Now, you can surround yourself with anything that you love. There are somethings which are a sure shot way to beauty.

    My style kit:

    1. Pictures of family, paintings, drawings.
    2. Flowers, plants, pine cones, sea shells, plant roots.
    3. Spot lights and lamps.
    4. Books and magazines.
    5. Music.
    6. Scented candles.
    7. Fairy lights.

Once you have set up your place, you need to maintain it by making a daily & weekly plan. Share your vision with your staff and family. So, you all need to be in sync. Believe me, I’ve done this all my married life.

Let me share  the daily plan I’ve prepared yesterday; it is already up on our kitchen fridge for my staff. The other copy is here next to me. You see the work has to be done, whether you do it, or you delegate it.

Staff duties: daily time table: 

Time 8.00 -9.00 am 9.00 -12.00 pm 12.30 -2.00 pm 3.00-5.00 pm 5.00-7.30 pm. 7.30 – 9.00 pm.
Hasnain. Breakfast

Clean car, Gates,

Geysers:

(7 am)

Dusting: Basement, kitchen cleaning.

Porch area

Make shopping list.

Pay bills.  Cleaning/ polish.

M. bed rm

Change bed sheets

Lunch: shopping for Rahim.

 

2.00 – 3.00 Tuition class.

 

Rest and break.

Tea & snack.

 

Check inside garden,

Dinner,

Clean kitchen.

Put dishes back. Nothing on sink.

Remove garbage.

Sabir:

(My parent’s helper, whom I manage too!)

Breakfast: of Porridge, boiled eggs, & Roll or slice.

Change & bathe sahib.

 

 

Put off geysers.

Make beds,

Clean & tidy bedroom & bathroom of sahib.

Dusting:

Dr. rm, tv lounge. Dining rm.

12.00 pm: Give Glass of water.

 

Dusting:

Dr. rm, tv lounge. Dining room.

 

Rest and break.

 

Tea & snack.

Check outside garden. Remove any papers etc.

Make sure garbage bucket area is clean.

Dinner,

Clean kitchen.

Put dishes back. Nothing on sink.

Remove garbage.

Hasnain & Sabir duties between 9.30 – 12.00 pm. Mon:

Khirkiyan aur sheeshay saaf karnay hein.

Baahir ki railing saaf rakhein.

 

Tues:

Furniture ko polish karna hai.

 

Bistar ki chadrein badalni hein.

Wed. Kooray ki balti saaf,

Bahir ki kursian aur maiz saaf karna hai.

 

Thurs: Batiyan aur sheeshay saaf karein,

 

Chaadron ki almari theek karni hai.

 

Fri:

Qaleen dhonay hein, pankhay aur nalkay saaf karnay hein.

 

Sat/sun: Gariyon ki safai, undar say.

 

Apna karma aur kapray saaf rakhein.

 

 

 

Rani Mon:

GF:  cleaning.

 

Dust / clean W’s rm.

M. Bed rm.

Tues

Basement:

bedroom, dr. rm, loung, kitchen,

Outside.

Wed

GF:  cleaning.

M. Bed rm.

Dust / clean w’s rm.

M. Bed rm.

Thurs

GF:  cleaning.

Dust / clean w’s rm.

M. Bed rm.

Fri

Basement:

bedroom, dr. rm, loung, kitchen,

Outside.

Sat/Sun.

GF:  cleaning.

M. Bed rm.

Dust / clean waliya rm.

M. Bed rm.

How to follow this duty chart:

Each staff member is clear what is expected of him or her. You too can check  them, by referring to the chart. (As it is a shared vision, it is easily possible). I make a drawings of the clock of that time, too if needed. I try to educate them in my spare time. Recently, I’ve kept a tutor to have one of them taught.

As you see I’ve written some stuff in Roman Urdu for them.  You can write in Urdu script even, if needed. Also, go over it all with each one, to see if they’ve understood it.

 

What about you?

Do share your thoughts with me. I’d love to know it.

More Links to inspiring bloggers:

I’d love you to follow these inspiring bloggers (if you aren’t already doing so!)

Shahzeen link: http//www.the desiwonderwoman.com

Urdu Mom Link: http//www.urdumom.com

Diary of a PMP Mom: http//www.diaryof apmpmom.com

Vital point:

I know, many of you keep telling  your husband how educated you are,  and deserve to be given your due. Very true.  Show him how educated you are, by the way you  manage your  home. It is wonderful to walk into a home which is well organized, beautiful and in the hands of a capable homemaker. 

 

 

Stay blessed, my wonderful Readers. Remember, I am here, because of you.

Note: Special thanks to Nataliya for her amazing photography,  the rest of the photographs are taken by myself.

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3 Comments

  1. Now I am a firm believer that there is a frequency between people which matches.
    Now I know why out of sooooooooooooooooooo many other reasons I love you.
    I love nature. I love my family and I love my home.
    As Army officer wife i also move around after every two years. Me and my husband always try to keep our home as trendy comfy as possible.
    I always wanted to graduate from home economics college but my father wanted me to be a Dr. So amicably we settled on doing graduation in science.
    We are blessed to buy a beautiful house it’s an old build house
    We are trying to make it our own home.
    It’s in process of renovations now a days
    I would love to call you after it takes some shape and I would love to ask your opinion and suggestions to decor.
    Stay blessed and happy always.

    1. Shireen Gheba Najib says:

      Kiran, love your comment. I’m always there for you. It must be so exciting doing renovations. (I understand, it is quite nerve wracking too!) Do go through this process, keeping your vision of the end product alive. I’m sure you’ll do a great job of it. Yes, I’m seeing how disciplined we all become thanks to our husband’s life in the forces. Also, a lot of things can only be done now. Do pay attention to natural light sources in your home. I’m always just a call away. I’m sure I’d love to help in any way I can. Stay blessed.

      1. Grateful and honoured ❤️

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