Today’s Chennai is a beautiful blend of modernity and traditions. A typical Chennaiite – whether young or old – is rooted in traditions while being modern with a progressive outlook. You’ll find the same spirit reflected in Chennai homes as well. Although there is a preference for contemporary interior design and global design, Chennai homeowners love to integrate traditional or vintage elements into the design. Here are the 2021 interior design trends in Chennai, which give your home a traditional twist!
Bring on the Vibrant Colours
Chennai is a city that runs on overdrive, and Chennaiites love bold and beautiful colours. All the hues under the sun, ranging from warm tones to cool shades make their way to their homes as well. Earthy shades of yellow, orange, rust, brown, green and red are used generously even if the basic tones are neutral or light shades. Bold coloured walls, wallpapered walls, or entire walls covered in mural paintings are a common feature in city homes.
Plan Plenty of Comfortable Seating Nooks
Socialization is a way of life in the city. So, are the many festivals that are celebrated with every ritual given its importance. You’ll also find the older generation and the young ones visit each other’s homes often, especially during these festivals. Your home can be made warm and inviting by planning several comfortable seating nooks. It could be a plush sofa set in your living room, armchairs in the balcony, a window seat, a wooden swing in the verandah, or a low seating area in the living room.
Weave in Traditional Fabrics
Think Chennai, and the brightly coloured, luxurious Kanchipuram silks and Madurai Sungudi sarees come to mind! For your home, custom-stitch some of your cushion covers, table covers, or bedspreads using these traditional materials. Frame smaller pieces and mount them on the wall for a unique, traditional touch in your room.
Incorporate Earthy Elements
Earthy elements like terracotta, concrete, wood and cane are very typical of Chennai homes. Here’s how you can get the look:
- Incorporate terracotta in the form of large planter pots, sculptures, and even kitchen backsplash tiles.
- Opt for an exposed brick wall in your entranceway or your living room.
- Use unfinished concrete as flooring in your balcony or patio.
- Carefully curate stylish wooden furniture, and mix it up with fabric upholstered ones.
- Assemble a couple of cane chairs in your balcony or living area to create a casual conversation nook.
Carve out a Space for Your Hobbies
Most Chennaiites indulge in music and the arts. You’ll find experts in Carnatic music, Bharatnatyam, Tanjore painting and traditional woodcraft in almost every nook and corner of the city. So, if you have a hobby (be it dance, painting, music, wood carving, or a sport), carve out space in your home for it. Convert an unused under-the-stairs area into a craft area, a corner of the guest room into a painting nook, or an unused room into a dance studio. Build-in enough custom-designed storage to store everything you need related to your hobbies.
Create a Home Office
The IT culture is big in Chennai, with many of the city’s Iyers and Iyengars having graduated from the prestigious colleges in the city. With the work-from-home culture that has caught up in India’s metros, carving out a dedicated space for a home office is a must.
Set up a comfortable, private home office to support your remote working requirements, and to catch up with work or study during the weekend. Design a work desk with proper storage and slide in an ergonomic chair. You could create the study in a separate room or as a part of your bedroom or living area.
Convert Open Balconies into Useful Zones
Chennai has hot, humid weather for most of the year. What this means is that you might not enjoy much outdoor time in the balconies due to the prohibitive heat. Convert a couple of them into enclosed zones extending your living room, dining room, or bedroom. Make it a kids’ play area, a study or workspace, a small bedroom for kids attached to the master bedroom, or even a walk-in closet. You can also make it a compact yoga studio or an exercise room to keep up with your fitness goals. By filling your balcony with plants, you can filter out Chennai’s ubiquitous dust and cool down the temperatures a bit.
Set up Your Kitchen in Style
Madrasis are foodies who relish every drop of their fragrant sambhar and rasam! To dish out those mouth-watering idlis, dosas and uthappams, a well designed kitchen is a must. Panelled wooden cabinetry, with clearly defined spaces for groceries, utensils and appliances, will bring out the master chef in you.
Decorate Your Pooja Room Elegantly
Throughout the year, Chennai mamis take part in a variety of traditional rituals and festivals. At all these times, the pooja room becomes the centre of activity and is decked up in all its splendour. Decorate your pooja room with an elegantly carved door, carefully planned shelves and storage, and proper lighting. Even if you don’t have a pooja room, you can convert any corner of your home (as per Vastu) into a space for prayer. Just build in a few ledges or a shelf to arrange your idols and photos, and a small storage area for the accessories.
Show off Your Art Collection
In a city where culture and heritage are valued a great deal, intricate artwork and sculptures are highly prized. Mount your framed prints up as a classy gallery wall. Frame up a large original painting and let it take centre stage in your dining room. Frame and hang the colourful fabric you bought from Kutch, or from your global travels.
Play with Various Patterns
Bring in plenty of variety to the décor using patterns. Even if the palette is neutral, use patterned, textured furnishings to add depth to your rooms. Think of patterns in your upholstery, brilliant patterned Athangudi tiles for your floors, patterned tabletops in the dining room, or a fabric printed headboard in your bedroom.
Design the perfect home that blends vintage, ethnic, and modern in your Chennai home. Call HomeLane to speak to one of our expert designers to share your ideas. We’ll help you incorporate all your lifestyle requirements and your tastes to create a beautiful home in Chennai.
Read More:
| Interior Design Trends in Most Popular Cities | |||
| Delhi | Visakhapatnam | Mumbai | Pune |
| Surat | Mysuru | Coimbatore | Bangalore |
| Hyderabad | Indore | Lucknow | Kolkata |
