Decorous Corner - Singer machine

I love de-cluttering the house … as this is the time I find treasures which can be used differently … One day during one of my treasure hunt I found an old rusty Singer sewing machine stand … it was lying in the loft all forgotten …

I was ecstatic … I got it painted a lovely cherry red … and placed a discarded piece of marble … then I filled in a glass bottle with water and kept some money plants … BUT it still did not look attractive enough!


My daughter placed her pretty teddy bear family ... and voilà …the scene was complete …

I placed it in my balcony so people can view it from my living room … Don’t the teddies look cute!!!

Inspiration-Partition

Take a look at a DIY partition that was inspired by my mother-in-law’s casual remark…





There is an arch separating our dining room from our very tiny living room … through the arch one can also have a glimpse of our bedroom … sometimes it is awkward when we have unannounced guests while we’re dining … I could not fully cut off the living room as it would become tinier … One day my mother-in-law was talking about the swinging half doors that one finds in western movies … a bulb burst in my head and I further developed on this idea and got my hubby to help me make the partition …






Let’s take a closer look at the partition:

The wood used for the partition is cheap packing wood usually used to make crates … the pieces of wood are held together by a piece of wood and the panels are held together by brass joints … I made the drawings using acrylic paint and after it was completed the partition was sprayed with clear varnish…


Closeup of the colourful warli figures

I love the simple warli drawings … the joy of drawing simple line figures that together ends up in such attractive scenes depicting the simple life of villagers … is simply amazing!!

As the partition is half length it does not suffocate the living room … instead it opens out the living room and makes the whole place cozy and cheerful!!  ….

Welcoming Entrance

All over the world we find people using charms or decorations at the entrance of their homes to ward off the evil eye … In India too we find common sights of lemon and chillies hanging from the door … or masks of frightening demons … however these are mostly found in Hindu homes …


I was inspired by this  … but being a Christian I had to think of another way of having something at the entrance to ward off the evil eye … and voilà … I got the perfect idea …


I found this comforting Biblical verse written on a wooden bird … the verse reads: Teach me thy way O Lord and lead me (Psalm 27:11) …

I learnt to make a hanging planter from the following link: http://www.tattooedmartha.com/2013/05/14/hanging-mason-jar-planters/…

After making the planter I placed the bird with the verse right on top to protect my home …  the painting in the background is of a village scene painted on a broken piece of discarded marble slab …

I used our desi pickle bottles, thick coir rope, and money plants … To cover the ropes I hung some colourful clay bells … and our home was ready to ward off the evil and welcome people …

A Brief Introduction

Welcome to Demure Decor!

Hi! My name is Esther John and I’m a busy mother of two lovely children … I’m also an English language Trainer by profession … I love designing creative interactive child friendly learning materials to help young learners learn English … I also like to do artwork on wood and wall …  in fact it’s my dream to join a professional course and really learn the tricks of the trade …


As the name of my blog suggests … I love simple, ethnic and contemporary decor … something which should be unpretentious  but at the same time attractive enough to kindle my curiosity … lovely corners that beg me to explore … cozy seating that soothes me to curl up and dream … creative walls and colourful outdoor arrangement … the list is endless …  I love visiting other home decor and DIY blogs and try them out …  I also love looking out for lovely homes displayed in serials, ads and movies…


Through this blog I hope to share a few of my DIYs as well as favourite corners from everywhere … I hope that you would also visit and share yours …