This Interior Decorator’s Studio Is Filled With DIY Love And She’s Sharing Her Decor Hacks With You

Located in Gutthalli,  Kamal Antiques has been an old haunt of Prabhu’s. The affable Mr Subramanyam, the owner of the place, has a great eye for finding antiques that are prefect for upcycling. On one of her trips to the store, he brought out two antique chairs whose wooden frames were intact but the weaving was in shreds. Prabhu snapped up the chairs for 1,500 each and worked with a local cane store {there a bunch of them opposite KC General Hospital in Malleswaram but you’ll surely find one in your neighbourhood if you don’t live around here} to get the chairs back in shape. 

Another store Prabhu frequents is 5th Cross Antiques in central Bangalore. Prabhu picked up the chairs from there for a steal. However, to given them a more contemporary feel, Prabhu hit the fabric market at RC Puram. She looked around and found metres of gorgeous ikat for a steal {INR 100 per metre} and used it to reupholster the chairs. Since the chairs didn’t need complicated upholstering, she did it herself armed with nothing more than a staple gun. You can too, she says. But those who can’t be bothered to DIY, you can always get your chairs upholstered by your local carpenters. Almost all of them offer this service.

The trick to finding great pieces, Prabhu says, is to regularly visit and explore markets and stores. You may come back empty handed many times, but when you do spot something, you often strike gold. Case in point, on a trip to Shivajinagar’s Bamboo Bazaar, Prabhu wandered down the street near the petrol bunk {you’ll find plenty of furniture stores here}. At an antiques shop there, Prabhu picked up this piece of metal with some detailing {it was covered in grime and she couldn’t really tell what it was}. And sensing her interest the owner asked her to take it for a mere 50 bucks. When she came home and after a thorough scrubbing, she realised that it was a WWI plaque/medal. It now hangs on a wall in her studio.