Simply having a roof over one’s head is cozy but what makes a house a cozier place to live in is a good décor. Two of the residents of Vinayak Colony open their doors to us to show how a perfect décor can easily turn a house into a home.

Malla Residence
Owners: Dipak Malla and Aruna Malla

Located within the serene complex of Vinayak Colony on the outskirts of Kathmandu, the Malla residence looks like any other house in the compound but once you walk into the house, you realize how different it is from the other houses. 

The interior design of the home was a magical mix of minds of Aruna Malla herself, their son Rupesh Malla and Suchita Shrestha (designer). From curtains to the design of the beds, the Mallas seem to have put in a great deal of effort in designing every inch of the place and paid attention to every detail.  Hence they’ve created a warm atmosphere around the entire house and the shades of the walls seem to match the purpose of each room. Since the Malla residence is one of the smallest houses in the complex, the bedrooms have been colored in lighter shades making them look lively and also appear larger than they actually are. A much darker shade has been used in the living room cum dining room. The color combination of the sofas, the shade of the dining table, the fabric and hue of the curtains and the tint of the cupboards compliment the color of the wall perfectly, which has given that area a much warmer feel. Colorful artificial decorations have been put up to compliment the dark shade of the wall to make the room look vivid and radiant. 

While in most homes, people tend to have their furniture pointed towards a big screen TV; at the Malla residence, the sofas face each other allowing space for the family to sit together every once in a while and talk to each other without getting distracted by the TV or fighting over who gets to control the remote. To complete the warm feeling the room exudes, a soft and fuzzy carpet has been laid out to keep one’s leg away from the chilly parquet floor. 

Kalyani Kunj
Owners: Dan Bahadur Tamang and Kalyani Tamang

The “Kalyani Kunj” is another peaceful looking house in the Vinayak Colony complex. And despite the coolness felt in that surrounding, the house itself provides a feeling of warmth to anyone who enters it.

Unlike the Malla residence, the dining and living rooms are separate, allowing for more space in the house. The Kalyani Kunj has two living rooms serving different purposes. The main living space seems more like a place for small gatherings and the one in the lobby above the ground floor, which Kalyani believes to be her favorite place in the house, is more like a family room, where the family can snuggle up and watch a movie in the big screen. Each room has their own shade of color; and Kunal Agrawal from Kunal Furnishing seems to have done a great job matching the shade of the curtain and sofas with the color of the walls. The showcase, designed by Unique Furniture, has been given a subtle yet classy look with the display of some unique showpieces and a few family photos. The designs of the showcase and the sofas have been made to fit perfectly the space of the smaller living room and they even leave out enough space for one to move around easily. The entire house has been colored in a lighter shade giving it a serene look which makes one feel fresh and lively even on a cloudy day. There are no flashy decorative items and the color of the furniture that match the shade of the walls give the interior of the house a subtle and light feel to it. 

 From lighting to the color of the walls to the hue of the curtains, the interior design of the rooms at the Malla residence and Kalyani Kunj represent the perfect example of how good décor can make a person feel welcome at home.