An elephant on your kitchen counter, a doggy bum on your wall
15 quirky decor pieces to showcase your weirdly wonderful personality
Home is where the heart is. For a lot of people, it’s also the only place they can truly let loose and be themselves. Whether that means proudly letting your freak flag fly and turning one room into a Beyoncé shrine. Or being a lazy Lata and only filling your home with multitasking products that make life easier with minimum effort. Even just picking decor and accessories that cater specifically to your clumsy nature and refuse to break.
When we move into our first apartment, we go through a couple of phases when it comes to interiors. First comes the broke, fresh-on-the-job-market period phase — hand-me-downs, secondhand furniture, utensils nicked from your mother’s kitchen, bare walls and a single gadda on the bedroom floor.
As soon as we get some savings, we enter into the world of affordable IKEA purchases. But after a point, your home starts to look more like a catalogue than a space you live in. It can get a bit bland.
We believe your home should reflect who you are. Splash your personality across the walls with quirky decor to bring some fun back into your space instead of sticking to cookie-cutter accessories.
You can get weirdly wonderful with designs and upgrade your boring daily utensils and walls. One piece of quirky decor or whimsical accessory can liven up a room with minimal effort. By design itself, they become works of art and statement pieces, so they really serve a dual purpose of functional and aesthetic. Quirky decor also makes us very, very happy. You’re saying a pink duck-shaped water can named Duck Norris doesn’t put a smile on your face?
Given that interior design can influence our mood with the right colours in the right places, sunlight, textures and textiles, if you have some money to spend, why not invest it in the space we’re occupying the most right now?
Quirky decor to make you smile
Chess-inspired tray The Queen’s Gambit may have inspired you to line up your own chess pieces, but mastering the game takes some time. Fret not, you can still show off your newfound love for the game with this fun chessboard inspired tray. Your mum will also be thrilled when you return the trays you thought you sneakily stuffed into your bags when you were moving out of your parents’ house. They have their eyes on everything. ₹1,200 Modern art plates Bicycling through an enchanted forest, running through fields of greens, frolicking with flamingos — modern art plates from The Plated Project don’t just liven up your walls, they tantalising invite you to jump into their world. If nature isn’t your thing, you can choose from a range of abstract-meets-modern art. Get your hands on the work of some of the country’s most talented artists whose work is digitally printed onto a ceramic plate. It comes with a display stand and a pre-fixed hook to hang it up. Add these to your shopping list to not just score some quirky decor for your home, but for every plate purchased, they donate 10 meals to a charity. ₹2,199 onwards Metal cycle magazine rack If you’re tired of your spouse or housemate using the prized editions of your favourite magazines as coasters for their hot cups of chai, then you need a magazine rack. Sure, you could always go for a standard basket, but why not bring some personality into your space? This handmade metal bicycle rack is a lovely pastel colour that you mount on the wall. It works as a basket for all your favourites and a showpiece for the living room as well. Just imagine what a pretty planter it would make. ₹3,500 Forest Fetish copper water dispenser We’ve gone through the cycle. From copper to glass bottles, then the handy plastic until our excessive use showed its effects on the planet. We woke up again to copper as more bottles and water dispensers started showing up in the market. Some believe it has the ability to naturally aid the water purification process, be antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antifungal. As per Ayurveda, water stored in copper can also balance all your doshas. India Circus’ range of copper dispensers is particularly pretty. A water dispenser is going to take up space in the kitchen, might as well invest in one that looks good and adds to elements of quirky decor.₹5,099 Cheeky Tweak x The Faraway Tree candles Have you laid eyes on our luscious hand-poured candle from The Faraway Tree yet? The Cheeky bum candle is a celebration of the female form for its every fold and curve. When life starts going back to normal and you can safely have people over to your home again, this is definitely going to be a conversation starter. The tea lights you add to it come in a lovely cedarscent, but can be replaced by whatever tea light scent catches your fancy.₹3,875 Elephant utensil holder We have a soft spot for elephants. Their big, flappy ears, little tails and ability to crush people in a matter of seconds. So when we spotted this on the Nurture India website, it was an instant ‘add to cart’. It’s made of mango wood and isn’t just adorable to look at but has a really cute feature as well. The elephant trunk doubles up as a sort of drainpipe so any excess water on the utensils after you wash them can safely seep out.₹800 (on sale) Duck Norris watering can The name, the design, the colour – we love everything about the metal Duck Norris watering can. It’s pretty ingenious and a whimsical update to the more traditional watering cans. Unless you’re like us, get lazy and use a mug with repeated trips to the refill. You can then put it aside to show off as a piece of quirky decor too. It’ll fit right in with the foliage. This also makes a great gift for gardening enthusiasts in your circle.₹3,280 Eye See You mirror Perfect for that final look to check that your winged eyeliner is matching and the nose clip of your face mask is properly fastened before you head out of the house. Rattan seems to be the new craze in the decor and design world. We’re not complaining, we love this comeback. The eye design gives it a more modern aesthetic while the woven rattan adds some boho, old-school appeal to this piece.₹1,436 (on sale) Facet Lamp Who needs expensive table lamps and fancy lamp shades anyway. Give us this Objectry lamp for our bedside table and we’ll be happy. It feels super old-school, almost like it’s right off Thomas Edison’s workstation but in the best way possible. It comes with a bulb and has a toggle switch to flip on and off. If you’re into the minimalist aesthetic then you’re going to love this. ₹1,750
Pig card holder This little ceramic piggie is meant to hold onto all those cards you somehow keep misplacing even though you’re pretty sure you tucked them into the zip pocket of your wallet. To be honest, you could use this for pretty much anything. It’s super cute and unique. Fill it up with peanuts for guests, aloo bhujjia for a portion-controlled snack or plop it on your dresser to store trinkets.₹1,090 Star & Moon Toran Fairy lights are great and all, but it’s time for an upgrade. If you’re looking to add a twinkle to your apartment then we suggest you opt for the star and moon toran by Nicobar. Made of brass, you can hang these up at your door or any wall in the house that you want to give some zhuzh and jazz up. They also have another option that has strung together hearts and anar ₹1,650 (set of 2) Royal pet portrait Sure, frame and hang up family portraits and shots with friends. But if you want to put on display your four-legged ball of unconditional love, then make it a royal portrait. You’re going to fall in love with these hilarious, and artistic Elizabethan-style canvas portraits. Pick and choose what style of costume you want and Zulu Pets will transform a picture of your pet into a regal canvas portrait. Make the star of your life into the new star attraction of your living room wall with this quirky decor piece.₹1,999 – ₹2,999 depending on size ‘Sashay Away’ floor mat A line immortalised by the queen of Queens. We’re not talking about colonisers, but RuPaul, of course. Mama Ru’s proclamation to bid farewell to the losing contestants in RuPaul’s Drag Race made its way into our vocabulary and can now be on your door mat. A witty adieu to unwanted guests knocking on your door, with a side of sass. Or maybe even your bedroom door for when you need some personal space and alone time. ₹299 (on sale) Faces flower pot Put away the boring earthen planters and crystal vases that we all seem to be gifted (or gift others) at housewarming parties or wedding receptions. Instead, pick one of these face flower pots as quirky decor, ripe with colour and personality. They kind of remind us of moʻai, or ‘Easter Island heads’ as they’re popularly known, given a facelift with a change of colour and a pop of gold. Cut the stems of your flowers or even pop in a creeper that’ll look like the hair sprouting out of the top. ₹1,750 – ₹2,790 Dog bum wall hooks There’s a moment in every dog parent’s life when they’re watching their pet run at the speed of light around the room, fearing that any second they’re going to ram straight into and through the wall. These adorable wall hooks from IKEA is that fear come to life, in the best way. We know what you’re thinking. Be assured that there will be no scratches or rips in your sleeve if it gets caught on these hooks because they’re made of soft rubber. ₹89 |
