In the name of inspiration !

I have to admit that my life has become a bit monotonous that things no longer seem to catch my eye. My life revolves around balancing home, baby, husband and other tonnes of miscellaneous stuff. My writing slowed down to a halt. There are times I wish I could just fly somewhere and get inspired. Finding inspiration for the next blog or story can be a bit difficult.

Let me share what inspires me –

breathtaking scenic beauty

people in love

cool breezes

flower clad trees

ponds

flowers

During my post graduation in Germany, I was able to witness all the above mentioned moments especially the seasons. My favorite season is the Autumn season where the entire foliage was filled with a million shades of orange, yellow and green.

Courtesy – Corbin Mathias Photography

Now in Dubai, we live in a small humble apartment with an unflattering view. Dubai’s climate is generally dusty, dry and hot! Not to forget the humidity. People move from one air conditioned cubical to another.

But now since the weather is beautiful and cool, I decided to take it upon myself to remodel my even smaller balcony. My balcony was filled with dust and was a storage place for cleaning supplies, brooms and shoes. When the drying rack is out, the door is jammed. It had slowly become the forbidden place of the house.

Our floor had a basic tile flooring. We always wanted to go for artificial grass to get a backyard effect. There was a seasonal sale at ACE (229 Aed per metre) and we just jumped for it.

Our exterior walls are painted pale yellow which lacked color, we decided to create a greener foliage by purchasing a leaf mat from ACE (149 Aed) which transformed the balcony almost instantly!

Regarding the lighting, it made more sense to go for solar lamps. I liked these conical shaped solar lamps from ACE (40 Aed each) which were hung on either side of the wall. LED candles (30 Aed/pair from Tchibo) are also kept in case of more softer lighting. I also kept a candle lantern (9 Aed from IKEA) by the air conditioner outlet so that I could light scented tealights.

We constantly have stray cats visitations, I feared they would find the grass comforting and would shred them (out of their habit of course).

So I found this extendable willow fence (25 Aed from ACE)which took things to a whole new level. Not only it kept the cats at bay, it created a cozy pseudo patio look.

Though the balcony is now green and fuller, I couldn’t help but purchase some real potted plants. My intention was to place them away from the prying hands of our 1 and half year old explorer. The small potted seasonal plants from ACE were for 2 Aed each. The hanging plants were 20 Aed each. The purple Chrysanthemum is highly fragrant which costed only 10 Aed. I couldn’t help but purchase one to add a splash of color. Each time I enter the balcony…there is a lingering scent of the flower

The huge drying rack is now discarded and we bought PORTIS wall mounted cloth racks from IKEA for 65 Aed each. This made the balcony more compact.

Hallelujah for space saving furniture !!!

Now,

Laptop – check

Coffee – check

Peace and quiet – check

Inspired – Hell Yea!