1428 Pohela Boishakh: Style Your Interiors The Bengali Way
As we welcome the Bengali New Year amidst a tough national lockdown, it has allowed us to reflect upon the state of our families as well as our homes and reignite the Bengali culture within. Instead of sitting bored, why not revamp the look of your home with traditional elements? After all, the Bengali culture is riddled with traditional elements which can make your home appear beautiful and rustic. If you want your home to reek of the Bengali essence this new year, take our advice and see how they work.
What Does A Traditional Bengali Home Look Like?
For a traditional outcome, you should consider the outlook of the home to begin with. Usually, in a typical Bengali setup, you will find spacious verandahs, patterned tiles or stickers for the floor, and landscaped open terraces where you can have a quiet cup of tea in the early mornings or evenings. Many of our homes have swings with decorative pillows. These are just some examples. You can incorporate Bengali influence in every corner of your home space in so many ways!
Up The Furniture Game
Furniture certainly matters. While the Western culture adopts all kinds of materials for furniture, we Bengalis deeply care about furniture made from solid wood. Teak, mahogany, Sil Koroi, and Gomori are just some of the types that are widely used, especially with dark polish. They are durable, extremely tough, and also more expensive, but they certainly give a classy feel to your home.
Swings might be a staple, but so are rocking chairs, easy chairs, and divan! You can decorate these cool furniture pieces with bright-colored pillows and traditional nakshi kanthas and make a little reading room with just these items. Get creative with the cushions. Heavily embellished mirror work, stunning embroidered patterns, or even digital prints on cushions can make the place appear vibrant.
Every Bengali bedroom will have a bed, a dressing table, bookshelf, a wardrobe or a cupboard, a floor rug made of jute, and seating arrangements such as sofas and divan. The beds can have all shapes and sizes of pillows color-matched with intricately designed bed sheets and kanthas. You may find large and beautifully designed mirrors to complete the look. For the Bengali New Year, favorable colors to pick from are red, orange, pink, yellow, white, peach, green, and blue.
Accessorize Your Space
Bengalis love and celebrate books, wood carvings, art pieces, pottery, and all kinds of crafts. This Bengali New Year is a chance to decorate your existing wall cabinets, showcases, and side tables with these fantastic accessories. Handwoven items are very much appreciated by visitors. Hand-painted vases can also catch attention. Anything that speaks of hours of craft and art work leaves Bengali people awestruck. Last but not least, stick some flowers in vases here and there. Tuberoses, marigolds, jasmine, and other flowers will lift the mood of the residents and create wonderful fragrances.
Bengalis also love showing off happy memories. Gallery walls and stands full of family photos are not unheard of. Using them creatively in your space is a great idea. You can also place books here and there. Artistic jute rugs in the living room and family lounge can make the rooms appear more elegant and colorful.
Privacy Matters
We Bengalis love to come together and enjoy having people around. However, in some cases or certain situations, privacy is prioritized. The bedrooms can be separated from the living room with curtains adorned in ornate designs. Instead of curtains you can use partition walls or sliding doors as well. The partition wall can have cutouts so that it looks like a traditional jaali.
For some quiet and peace, the perfect space is the balcony. Decorate this space with indoor plants, books, and all sorts of lights. Bring in a rattan chair or wicker chair with a reading lamp and a bookmark for your reading spree. If you have shelves, place all sorts of books there to ensure variety. Unwind your thoughts here, read a book or two, or marvel in the wind and rain in privacy- the choice is yours.
With all past issues behind, bring a fresh look to your home space with these ideas that can spice up your home just like a Bengali curry! The Bengali style of interiors can change the look of your home to an elegant and lovely space. Take expert suggestions from our team in Square Feet Story who offers consultation regarding interior designing, landscaping, 3D visualization, and architecture. Their suggestions will get you a Bengali-themed home the easiest way!