Category: Our Voice

Also known by pseudonyms such as the ‘Cultural Center’ of Kerala as well as the ‘Pooram City’, Thrissur is a bustling hub for business, education, banking and so much more. The district is famous for being a spiritual center as it is home to the country’s first church and mosque as well as the famous Hindu pilgrimage center at Guruvayur. Famous for its silk and jewelry showrooms too, Thrissur beckons out to one and all to come settle down in its green and clean beauty. Thrissur is also surrounded by amazing weekend getaway hotspots for its inhabitants. Here’s a look at some that are perfect for a one-day trip:

Athirapally Falls

Also known as the ‘Niagara Falls of India’, this spectacular waterfall cascades down from the Anamudi Mountains – a part of the Western Ghats. Athirapally waterfalls is the largest waterfall in the verdant state of Kerala and falls from a height of 80 ft. and is 330 ft. wide. It meanders through the dense greenery of the Vazhachal Forests and onwards towards the Arabian Ocean. The waterfall creates an outstanding view with its cascading frothy waters amid emerald jungles and surrounded by the majestic green Sholayar Peaks. There is a large natural pool before the waterfall where you can frolic and have fun!
Athirapally is just 60km from Thrissur and makes a great weekend destination.

Palakkad

Known as the ‘Rice Bowl of Kerala’, Palakkad is famous for its endless vistas of green trees, rolling expanses of paddy fields, dense forests and serpentine mountains of the Western Ghats. This visual treat is just 69km from Thrissur and ideal for nature lovers. Places to visit include Palakkad Fort, Malampuzha Dam, Silent Valley national park, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, elephant sanctuary and a fantasy park.

Kochi

Located just 83km from Thrissur, this ancient port city is also known as the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’. With a trading history going around 600 years back, Kochi is a bustling city that is an eclectic mix of the old and the new and well-known as the commercial and financial capital of the state. It is an amalgamation of Dutch, Portuguese, Phoenician, Arab, Chinese as well as British influences, by virtue of its being a trading center for them. The feudal rulers of the Chera Dynasty also left their mark on the city’s culture and cuisine. Some of the places to see around Kochi are the grand Lulu mall, Fort Kochi, Dutch museum, Kerala Kathakali Center, etc.

Nelliyampathy

This cool hill station is located just 75km from Thrissur, along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border and is ideal for eco-tourism and romantic getaways. Teeming with unexplored treasures, this weekend getaway offers picturesque tourist attractions amid its jewel-like green surroundings. Covered with tea, coffee and spice plantations, this area is home to a variety of exotic flora and fauna too. Nelliyampathy is the perfect haven for eco-tourism and is surrounded by majestic peaks ranging from 500m to 1600m! Aside from these places, Nelliyampathy is also known for Nanmara Vellanghy Vela festival, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and the Nelliyampathy Hills.

Ponnani

Also known as the ‘Small Mecca of the South’, it’s dotted with numerous Muslim institutions and a Juma masjid built in 925 AD. Ponnani is a small beach town and is mainly a fishing hub located about 49km from Thrissur. This picturesque town is a paradise for vacationers with its peaceful green scenery rich in colorful flora and fauna. It’s also a birder’s paradise with many migratory and exotic birds being seen during the months of March to May. Some other places to visit include the beautiful Padinharekara beach, Thrikkavu temple and boat racing at the mouth of the Bharathapuzha and Tirur Rivers.

With so much happening in and around Thrissur, you would surely have realized Thrissur and its surround areas are a great place to set up home in. And which better home to buy than a Vishraam villa or apartment home built by the prestigious, award-winning Vishraam builders! Every Vishraam home is built responsibly in tune with Mother Nature and comes with its own waste treatment plant. Customer-centric designs, well-connected locations and a plethora of amenities are some of the other hallmarks of every Vishraam Home. Come have a look and you are sure to fall for them too!

Finding a balance between work and family life requires a fine balance which many are unable to achieve. It is one of the key elements leading to stress in adults with more of them finding it difficult to maintain a work-life balance in this productivity-driven society.

The key to striking a balance between career and balance means creating clear boundaries and prioritizing time and responsibilities. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to finding a work-life balance. While working hard to get ahead in your career is important, don’t belittle the family waiting at home by forgetting their worth in your life either. Inability to maintaining this balance results in inefficiency at the work place, dysfunctional family relationships and poor health. Hence, to keep yourself happy and motivated, both at work and home, you need to find a way to create the perfect balance. Though achieving a work-life balance might appear challenging, here are some tips to help you get there:

Prioritize

Whether you work full-time, part-time or as a freelancer, the path to a work-life balance appears daunting. Making a conscious decision to create visible margins between the two and prioritizing both will help achieve balance and greater harmony in your life. It will also help you to work better and produce quality output, putting your career in the forefront. Likewise, being there for your family at the right times would also create harmony at the home-front, keeping you in a healthier and happier state of mind.

Learn to say ‘NO’

Saying NO to your boss or manager can appear intimidating, but sometimes it’s the only way to maintain a work and family life balance. When your workload is increased, you need to assess your work schedule and see if it will affect your quality of productivity, stress levels and your family time. If you feel it could have a negative effect on your work-life balance, learn to say NO to your boss and thank him for considering you for the task instead!

Create Boundaries

While technology makes it possible to stay connected with work, no matter where you are, it is important to unplug from work when you are with your family. Likewise, you need to create boundaries between your work and the distraction of the family; this will ensure that the quality of your work doesn’t suffer. This also goes on to mean that there should be no work calls taken during mealtimes with the family. Checking work emails should also be minimal during vacations and only the urgent ones need to be given a reply.

Revisit your Schedule

The key to improving your work-family life balance is by carefully assessing your activities. While at work, minimize time spent on browsing through social media, checking personal emails or surfing the net. Time spent on more productive work would ensure that you finish your tasks on time and can get back to spend quality time with your family. By simply limiting nonessential activities, you get to create a positive impact on both your work life and family life!

Home Location

Though the location of your home isn’t given much consideration when talking about work-family life balance, it plays an important role too. If your home is located close to your workplace, you can easily afford to spend some extra quality time at home in the mornings. Likewise, you will get home earlier in the evenings too as the commute back home would be shorter and you wouldn’t spend hours stuck in traffic jams. And you could easily pop home for a quick home-cooked lunch, which would keep your family happy no end!

If you are living in Thrissur, then investing in a Vishraam home is an excellent idea. All Vishraam apartments in Thrissur, Palakkad and Guruvayur are located in key areas offering excellent connectivity and easy accessibility to major junctions and to the Swaraj Roundabout. What’s more, every Vishraam home is constructed responsibly and comes with a green tag, waste treatment plants at source and high-tech security measures to keep your family safe always. Vishraam villas and apartments also come with top-of-their-class amenities that elevate your lifestyles to a whole new level.

Come checkout a Vishraam project today and fall in love again!

It’s been estimated that by 2021, there were 143 million elderly people living alone in India. With the breakdown of the joint family system and the reigning nuclear families in Tier I cities, many of the seniors find themselves in the overwhelming situation of having to lookout for their own needs. By 2050, this elderly population figure is expected to reach 300 million seniors having to live alone – and accounting for about 18% of the total population.

With many young Indians working abroad or away from the family home, the slowly weakening population of seniors are unable to cope up with taking care of their home, maintaining their garden, shopping and other needs. They find themselves in the peculiar situation where they need to give up on their homes and move into smaller, but more easy-to-maintain apartments. Essentially, what these aging individuals need is to downsize their homes to an affordable apartment which is more senior-friendly. For those seniors facing this type of situation where they need to choose a senior-friendly apartment, there are a number of apartments in Guruvayur to look through. And while you are checking through these flats in Guruvayur, here are a few important points to keep in mind:

Independent Living

For those seniors who want to maintain their independence, yet have access to a variety of age-friendly social and recreational activities, senior-friendly apartments are the answer. These unique types of apartments, which are very limited in India, allow elders to live with dignity and respect. The senior-friendly apartments come with special facilities that take care of the needs of seniors for those times when they aren’t feeling so good. Needs that could be fulfilled include laundry services, kitchen services, grooming and housekeeping needs. Basic medical help, medicine deliveries are some of the other facilities available at some senior-friendly apartments.

Age-related

Most senior-friendly apartments are careful about the age group of their homebuyers or renters. To ensure there is maximal use of their facilities, most senior-friendly apartments complexes are particular about all their homebuyers being within the same age bracket. This could be 60+ years and above – in accordance with the builder’s policy. Having homebuyers within a similar age bracket ensures greater harmony, better bonds and better utilization of the senior-friendly amenities and facilities available.

Location

Senior-friendly apartments are usually located in peaceful surroundings without too much noise or air pollution going around. Another facility that is usually found in the close vicinity of senior-friendly apartments are hospitals; this ensures their easy accessibility by seniors. The spiritual needs of senior citizens is also important and places of worship of the main religions should ideally be located nearby too.

Amenities & Facilities

Another feature that sets normal flats apart from senior-friendly flats are the thoughtfully-provided amenities and facilities that come with them. These homes come with grab bars in bathrooms and other crucial spaces, anti-skid flooring, bright lighting in corridors and other important spaces, alternatives to steps, handles instead of door knobs, wide doorways for easy wheelchair access, etc. Other amenities could include CCTV surveillance within the walls of this gated community, age-appropriate fitness rooms and yoga and meditation rooms.

All these allow seniors to live with dignity and with the security that all needful facilities are nearby. For those on the lookout for homes for seniors, checkout the senior-friendly luxury apartments in Guruvayoor. Vishraam builders, one of the top builders in Guruvayoor, have created Vishraam Aanandita, an amazing project that enhances the quality of life so much more! Located close to Mammiyoor temple, these thoughtfully-designed senior-friendly flats in Guruvayoor come in the form of studio flats and 1 & 2 BHK flats.

The 8-storey Aanandita project comes with 70 senior-friendly housing units of various sizes, to suit every need and pocket size. These dream apartments epitomize community lifestyles with all the amenities necessary for the perfect retired lifestyle. With the focus being on freedom, dignity and safety, facilities like group dining services, housekeeping services on demand, banking services, doctors’ on-call, pharmacy and lab facilities, apartment maintenance and CCTV coverage is provided to the inhabitants of these luxury flats in Guruyavoor.

For those interested, come have a look at them yourself!

Living in an independent house of their own one day is a dream many people cherish. While this can be in the form of a stand-alone bungalow or a luxury villa within a gated community, it’s the latter that is gaining huge popularity. With a villa, you get to enjoy independent living along with the perks available to apartment dwellers. When you want to upgrade your lifestyle, villas are the ideal next step ahead. A villa address is something to vie for, a source of pride and a stamp of having made it in life.

However, when it comes to buying a villa, you need to take them time out to do some research on the locality, the neighborhood, the project as well as the builder; after all, a large sum is involved here. For those looking to buy into villa projects there are a number of delightful 3 & 4BHK villas in Thrissur to choose from. Living in villas is vastly different from living in apartments and comes with a host of advantages. Here is a look at some of them:

Location

Villas are always located away from the hustle-and-bustle of the city center; instead they are located in well-connected areas in the suburban parts of the city where there is lower air and noise pollution. The neighborhoods are better and there is greater greenery in such places. As such, you get to breathe fresh air and enjoy nature every day!

Complete Freedom

Unlike apartments, with a villa, you can actually customize your home to fulfill your unique needs. You can break down walls and create larger rooms, or you can build additional rooms on the terrace – it’s all your wish. You can design your garden the way you want and even add a pagoda if you so wish. You have the power to design and decorate your home just the way you want!

Privacy

With a villa home, there are no more worries about sharing walls with neighbors and having to be very careful so as not to disturb the neighbors below or on the sides. You get to enjoy total exclusivity where there is no sharing of space or utilities. No more worries about the water running out either as everything is independently under your control. But the best part is, no more peeping eyes and nosy neighbors – as it is in apartment homes!

Pet-friendly

Another big advantage of villa living is that you can finally keep your four-legged pets with you, without needing to take permission from anyone! There is enough space for them to romp around in and you can even take them for peaceful evening strolls within the paved inner lanes of the gated community – without having to worry about vehicles.

Amenities

Gated villa communities offer high-end amenities and facilities that only amp up your living experiences. Since there is greater space available in villa projects, there are bigger playgrounds for kids to have fun in, and you don’t have to worry about their roaming about on their bikes within the complex as the gates are manned by security 24×7.

Safety & Security

Gated villa communities provide greater emphasis on safety and security of its residents. The entire campus is usually covered by CCTV and the gates are manned by 24×7 security, ensuring kids are safe while playing outdoors and no unauthorized people gain entry.

Investment Value

Villas make great long-term and short-term investment ventures. You can earn rental incomes from them and in the case of a resale, you will make guaranteed profits as villas sit in their own plot, and the cost of land keeps rising year-on-year. So whatever the case, your villa makes an excellent investment.

For those on the lookout for luxury villas in Thrissur, checkout the elite Vishraam Praana project by the prestigious Vishraam builders in Thrissur. Located in Amala Nagar, these 3 & 4 BHK villas in Thrissur come fully-loaded with exciting amenities like an AC unisex gym, AC party hall, AC indoor games area, club house, etc. Known for their eco-friendly designs, Vishraam builders have also included CCTV, 24×7 manned gates, video door phones, intercom system, nature-friendly designs and scientifically-operated waste management systems.

With so much going for them, why not come have a look at Vishraam Praana!

Thrissur is one of the fastest developing cities in Kerala and famous for being the cultural capital of the state. It is one of the oldest planned cities in Kerala and boasts of excellent infrastructure with an impressive network of roads and bridges. This is probably one of the contributing factors towards its booming real estate industry, with numerous villa and apartment projects coming up in key areas of the district and its surroundings.

Thrissur boasts of a rich cultural heritage and offers a cohesive medley of traditional and contemporary living. It is also well-known for being the headquarters of various regional banks and Chit Funds as well as to a number of gold jewelry and silk sari showrooms. Popular as a business hub as well as being home to a number of prestigious educational institutions, Thrissur beckons out to homebuyers to come settle down in this bustling city that has everything. With many developers, including Vishraam builders being part of the real estate scenario in Thrissur, the quality and architectural styles of homes here has only gotten better over time. You can find anything here, ranging from budget to luxury homes, villas to apartments, and everything else in-between!

A common feature amongst all these homes is the great locations of these apartments and villas. Most big-brand builders make a point of choosing locations that are well-connected, have low noise and air pollution, are in safe neighborhoods as well as have easy access to important social infrastructure. Here is a look at some of the popular residential areas in Thrissur:

Swaraj Round

Also known as Thrissur Round, it refers to a huge circular road right in the center of Thrissur city. It is about 2km long and surrounds a 65-acre hillock known as the Thekkinkadu Maidan, which houses the famous Vadakkumnathan temple. It is also where the famous Thrissur Pooram festival takes place. All major roads in the city end up linking with the centrally-located Swaraj Round, the largest roundabout in South Asia. All the localities based around the Swaraj Round are high-end properties due to their easy connectivity to the rest of the city. They are among the top-rated residential areas in Thrissur too.

Punkunnam

This is a bustling commercial and residential area in Thrissur and homes here are always in high demand due to their central location and easy connectivity. Punkunnam is located just around 2km away from the Swaraj Round and boasts of a high-end neighborhoods and enviable residential addresses. Owning a residence in Punkunnam is a matter of great prestige. This locality is well-known for the Sitaram Textiles industry based here since the early 1940s as well as the renowned Punkunnam Shiva temple.

Kottapuram

The meaning behind this word translates to ‘the place around a fort’. The fort referred to here is the Cranganore Fort which is almost in ruins now. It was built by the Portuguese in 1523 and later destroyed by the Zamorins and Tipu Sultan. Modern-day Kottapuram is nothing like its heydays and is a peaceful, predominantly residential area now. It lies near the Kottapuram Bridge and is also where the Kollam-Kottapuram National Waterway III ends.

Amala Nagar

This is probably one of the best residential locations to live in. It is close to the Amala Hospital and Medical College and a number of prestigious educational institutions and places of worship. It is also just around 4km away from Sobha Mall. It runs along State Highway 69 and homeowners here get to enjoy stunning views of the nearby Vilangan Kunnu hills.

Chembukkavu

This is another great residential area situated in Thrissur and home to the Thrissur Zoo and the famous pilgrimage site, Chembukkavu Bhagavathy Temple. This bustling urban area is a popular residential area too.

You couldn’t possibly go wrong in choosing any of the above localities to settle down in, in Thrissur. For those in the market to buy a home, Vishraam builders have a number of prestigious apartment and villa projects located in these premium residential areas.

Along with the state-of-the-art architectural designs, every Vishraam home is an ode to Mother Nature and built responsibly without harming the environment. Come have a look at any Vishraam home today and fall in love!

The centrally-located city of Thrissur in Kerala, is famous for a number of reasons. Not only is it considered the Cultural Capital of Kerala due to its spiritual, cultural and religious leaning throughout history, but it’s also considered a sacred region, being home to the country’s first Church and Mosque and also to Guruvayur, a famous Hindu pilgrimage center. The popular Thrissur Pooram festival, the largest Hindu temple festival in Kerala, also takes place here.

Thrissur is also well-known as the finance capital of Kerala, being the head office of 4 regional banks as well as several Chit Funds. It’s famous for its gold ornaments and silk sari showrooms too. Aside from these, Thrissur has many famous personalities who have contributed in one way or another to Kerala too. Here is a look at some of them:

Chelat Achutha Menon – He was the Chief Minister of Kerala for two terms, serving the state from 1969 till 1977. He left behind a legacy of having initiated a number of institutions and development projects in Kerala. Till recently, he was the only politician to hold the record of being the CM of Kerala for two consecutive terms.

Gopika – Born as Girly Anto to Syro-Malabar Catholic parents in Thrissur, Gopika started off her career as a model before moving on to become a movie star. Though she has acted in more than 35 Telugu, Kannada and Tamil movies, she predominantly acts in Malayalam movies.

Biju Menon – He is a movie actor who made his debut in 1995 and has gone on to star in over 100 Malayalam movies along with a few Tamil and Telugu movies too. He mostly appears in supporting roles, but has taken on the mantle of lead and villain roles in a few movies.

M. Leelavathy – She is a well-known Malayalam writer, educationist and literary critic. During her long illustrious literary career, she has taught at various colleges and has been the recipient of several awards including the Kendra Sahithya Academy Award. She retired as the principal of Government Brennen College, Thalassery. She is a contemporary of luminaries such as K.M. George, N. Krishna Pillai and P.K. Balakrishnan.

Kochouseph Thomas Chittilappilly – He is an Indian business magnate, philanthropist, humanist and a writer too. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of V Guard industries Limited as well as a renowned chain of amusement parks called Wonderla. Chittilappilly is also the founder of the not-for-profit organization, K. Chittilappilly Foundation that is engaged in philanthropic and charitable activities. Government of India has also bestowed the national Rashtriya Samman award to him.

Justice P. Janaki Amma – Though born in a small village in Thrissur in 1920, she went on to conquer the world of law by becoming just the second female High Court judge in India on 30th May 1974. This was a rare achievement in those days. She served in this position till her retirement in 1982. She was a career-oriented woman and remained a spinster till her death in 2005.

Bharathan – A maestro with many hats, he has played many roles in the art world, including being a movie director, art and music director as well as being an artist, a lyricist, a sculptor and a poster designer. One of his major achievements was founding a school of movie making in Malayalam cinema.

Yusuff Ali M.A. – He is an Indian businessman with business interests spread out across the globe. Managing Director of the EMKE Lulu Group of Companies based in Abu Dhabi, he owns the Lulu hypermarket chain comprising of 120 outlets. He is currently the 24th richest Indian and the 737th wealthiest person in the world, according to a recent Forbes publication.

The list of luminaries from Thrissur is much longer than this, and to get to be a part of such an inspiring heritage, maybe it’s time you settled down in Thrissur too! For those on the lookout to buy apartments or villas in Thrissur, look no further than the prime properties offered by the prestigious Vishraam builders.

With over 21 years of excellent experience building over 45 beautifully-architected projects, Vishraam builders are proud to have over 2000 delighted customers. What’s more, every Vishraam project is built responsibly without harming Mother Nature. Come have a look at a Vishraam home today!

Buying your first home is special, but buying your second home is even more special. Investing in a second home means that you found your first home investment to be lucrative and are now fully ready for a second round of investment! It also means that you will now become a proud owner of two homes, ensuring lifelong financial security and a steady source of rental income.

Even though the pandemic has brought in a lot of changes in the country, the housing market remains steady. With developers having a large inventory and banks giving the lowest interest rates, this is the best time to take the plunge and invest in a second home. However, you do need to keep a number of factors in mind before investing in a second home and here is a look at some of them:

Long-term Goals

Don’t go in for impulse buying, but plan out your long-term financial goals in life before committing to buying a new home. Buying your second home on a whim might end up with your not being able to pay the EMIs! You also need to decide whether the second home is for your own use or for giving out as a rental.

Locality

Even if you don’t plan to use the second home for yourself, you need to ensure it’s located in a good neighborhood with easy access to important infrastructure. Facilities such as schools, hospitals, shopping centers, bus stops, career hubs, etc., should be within a short distance. Visit the locality during peak times and off-peak times to know if it’s prone to traffic congestions too.

Type of Home

You will need to decide whether your second home should be a villa home or an apartment. This decision should be based on whether you want the second home for your own use, or for a second income. While it’s easier to get renters for apartment homes, villas may take a little longer to attract tenants.

Hire an Agent

Sometimes, it’s best to go with a knowledgeable local real estate agent, than to trundle around a new locality by yourself. A local agent has better knowledge of the area and can advise you accordingly about the market.

Additional Expenses

Aside from the expense of buying the property and its monthly EMI repayments, you need to factor in other expenses such as stamp duty and registration, and maintenance and home insurance. With ongoing climate changes and its adherent floods and cyclones, home insurance and maintenance amount to a pretty penny too.

Home Loan

Banks offer loans with varying interest rates and processing fees. With home loan interest rates being at a record low, this is the right time to go for a home loan. Choose a repayment plan that best suits your pocket. However, do note that you need to pay off your previous loans and credit card bills to improve your CIBIL score before applying for a new loan. A CIBIL score of at least 750 points needs to be attained.

Secondary Income

You also have the additional option of using your second home as a source of extra income. Till you are ready to use the second home for your own purposes, you can give it out for rent and use the income generated to pay off monthly EMIs.

Tax Benefits

While you have to report income generated from rent collected, do note that you can claim back moneys spent on maintenance. Aside from this, you can also claim back tax on interest paid out on EMIs under Section 24 of the Income Tax Act – you can claim back up to 2 lakhs this way per financial year.

For those on the lookout for buying an apartment or villa in Thrissur, look no further than the premium residential projects by the prestigious Vishraam builders. With over 21 years of excellent experience, 45 projects and over 2000 satisfied customers, Vishraam builders offer both villas and apartments located in prime parts of the city and its surroundings to suit every kind of taste and need.

Vishraam builders believe in protecting Mother Nature and as such, every Vishraam home is built responsibly while conserving natural resources, minimizing waste generation and pollution control. Come visit a Vishraam home today!

Flooring trends don’t change as frequently as other parts of the home, including such features as wall colors or kitchen designs, etc. However, a change in flooring does create the biggest impact possible as it runs through the whole house. And needless to say, changing the flooring of your home means a major makeover that can get overwhelming.

With changing technologies and arrival of new flooring options in the market, homeowners can develop a passion for new styles. And just because a certain type of flooring is all the latest craze, you need not follow the trend unless the flooring suits the local climate. Before opting to follow the latest flooring trends, do ensure they are suitable for your needs – whether you want a spill-proof floor or a soft flooring or you need something that is both functional and stylish.

The latest flooring trends show a penchant for no-fuss floorings like ceramic and vitrified tiles with patterns that mimic natural materials such as marble, wood and granite. These faux flooring cost a fraction of the original material, are long-lasting and give your home a high-end look too. Here is a look at some of the flooring materials trending this year:

Wood Flooring

Carefully treated and stained in rich hues, wooden flooring is gaining traction amongst those who know what good living is all about. In India, wooden flooring is associated with posh living and can be found in luxurious flats and villas. Rich wooden tones enhance the natural graining of the wood, adding an appealing aura to your flooring. For those who can’t afford the expense of wooden flooring, don’t get disheartened as there are many types of faux wooden flooring available too to fulfill your dream.

Patterned Wooden Flooring

Stylish, patterned flooring are part of the new trend in 2022. For those who are looking for unique floor designing, think in terms of patterned wooden floorings. It’s better not to relegate this job to a DIY project as it requires experts to install patterned floors perfectly. Add this eye-catching flooring to your living room, hall and dining areas and wow your visitors. This type of flooring is kind on the feet too.

Black and White

This vintage look has started to trend again, but with a small twist. Though the colors remain the same, the patterns created are bolder, more graphic and more luxurious looking. Invoking the warm nostalgia of decades past, the modern version of this vintage flooring uses smaller tiles and is a perfect blend of old-fashioned and contemporary look.

Nature-inspired Motifs

Ceramic or porcelain tiles with nature-inspired motifs are very popular. Featuring whimsical organic motifs, these floorings are trending as far as bathrooms, kitchens, sun rooms and balconies are concerned. These water and botanical-inspired ceramic floor tiles bring a fresh feel to the room and soften the atmosphere.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is an excellent flooring material as it is soft on the feet, quiet and can withstand heavy traffic, water and doesn’t fade or stain easily. The best part is it comes in a selection of colors and designs that mimic hard wood and tiles. They come in different variants too, including VCT, SVT and LVT.

Porcelain Tiles

Hexagon porcelain tiles are continuing to trend, especially in the kitchen and bathroom areas. This year however, get ready to see larger hexagonal porcelain floor tiles in the living room and bedroom areas too. They create beautiful, eye-catching impact in whichever room they are laid, and are all set to gain in popularity in the coming years too! They come in different colors, sizes and textures to create the perfect design for any room.

For those looking to own inspiring flooring designs, check out the delightful apartments and villas by Vishraam builders. Carefully executed, these masterpieces help fulfill all your dreams of the perfect home, as they are crafted keeping your unique needs in mind!

With over 21 years of experience of executing 45 high-end projects across Thrissur and its nearby areas, Vishraam builders hold the unique privilege of having over 2000 satisfied customers. The best part is that Vishraam builders strongly believe in constructing responsibly, without harming Mother Nature. Come have a look at a Vishraam home today and fall in love!

Just like the ever-changing seasons are a welcome variation, it’s nice to refresh the looks of your living room too. Styles keep changing and creating a fresh look keeps your living room a focus of interest. Contrary to popular opinion, revamping your living room doesn’t have to break the bank either, as there are numerous ways to create a fresh interest in your living room again.

The secret to adding new life to your living room doesn’t necessarily have to do with spending loads of money on outrageously pricey accessories or new furnishing. You can brighten up your living room and add fresh vibes to it in a very affordable way – more than you ever thought possible. Before you know it, your living will blow you away with its new and chic look.

And you don’t have to upgrade everything in a room either to give it a peppy look. Sometimes even just a little rearrangement of the furniture is enough to refresh your living room’s look and make it look interestingly different again. You can make numerous smart and savvy changes to the hum-drum look of your living room by just making minor but impactful changes to it. Making bigger changes could involve getting a whole new set of drapes or even changing your sofa set.

While revamping your living room can appear daunting – more so if you haven’t made any changes to it in a long while – here is a look at some creative tips to help get you started:

De-clutter

It’s normal for a much-used room to eventually get cluttered without your even realizing it. Take a photo of your living room and appraise it for visually-dense areas. Keeping in mind that less is always more, start reducing the clutter from all flat surfaces. In the process, you might even find things that belong to other rooms of the home!

Rearrange

Create fresh vibes in your living room by rearranging the furniture. This is one of the best ways to refresh your living room’s look without dipping into your pocket. It will unlock new flow of energy and add serenity into the room where the family hangs out.

Paint

Sometimes a fresh lick of paint can be used to revamp your living room and add a bright and fresh feel. And it isn’t too heavy on the pocket either. You could completely change the colors of your space, add an accent wall, get creative with paint textures, etc. Color your walls a brand new color, and your living room will become the topic of conversation at the next gathering!

Small Changes

Sometimes the addition of simple features like throw pillows on the sofa are enough to freshen up a room’s appeal. It can add new life to an otherwise dull-looking sofa. In case you already have throw pillows, you can reupholster them in bright contrasting colors that are in the same accent tone of other features in the room. Alternatively, you could reupholster your sofas for a completely new look!

Swap Items

A little thinking out-of-the-box and you could come up with another great way to freshen up your living room’s look – swap items from other parts of the house and relocate them into the living room. This idea works well with features such as wall art, lamps, potted plants, etc. You could even switch the drapes from one room to another – provided the colors blend in with the color palette.

Get Creative

There are so many ways you can get creative and fashion décor items from things available in your surroundings. You could create a unique vase arrangement with interesting-looking twigs, dry flowers and grasses. Or you could create a gallery wall and display a collage of old family photos or framed pictures of your favorite hobby… birds, butterflies, vintage cars, etc.

And if you have made the wise decision of buying an apartment or villa home by Vishraam builders in Thrissur, then you are in luck. Combined with the building experience of over two decades as well as the skills of innovative-minded architects, every Vishraam home is mindfully built keeping the natural environment in mind. These delightfully-designed homes afford you unlimited opportunities to revamp your home and keep you happy for a lifetime!

Since the commencement of commercial plastic production in the early 1950s, it has become a global success and its use is growing exponentially. Due to its easy malleability, it has become the ideal material for packaging and is being used in the production of almost everything these days! However, too much of a good thing and its misuse, have led to major plastic pollution crisis of the environment.

There are huge floating trash islands polluting the Caribbean and Pacific oceans comprising of an estimated 5 trillion plastic materials and weighing around 250,000 tons. Unless we take monumental steps to curb our plastic use and dependence on single-use plastic products, it’s been estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fishes left in the oceans!

Causes of Pollution

It’s been projected that Americans alone throw away 30 million tons of plastic waste every year, with only 8% of this waste actually getting recycled. The remaining goes into landfills or into the waterways from where it eventually ends up in the oceans (according to the Plastic Pollution Coalition). Interestingly, around 80% of this marine plastic litter is generated on land, mainly from improperly disposed household waste. Plastics take hundreds of years to decompose and continue to leak microplastics into the environment and creating havoc on soil and water organisms. Around 700 marine animals and bird species have been affected by this plastic pollution as they unknowingly ingest them or get entangled up in them, leading to a slow, cruel death. Humans are also consuming these microplastics as it has been found in table salt, foods, beverages and human waste. Cancer is postulated to be one of the main results.

Pandemic

The ongoing pandemic hasn’t helped much either as it has led to a further increase in the use of single-use plastics in the form of pre-packaged foods, take-away parcels as well as a huge rise in medical waste in the form of gloves, disposables, PPE kits, etc.

The fight against plastic wastes can start with a single individual. Here is a look at ways you too can contribute from your home to the ongoing war against plastics:

Avoid Plastic Bottles

Avoid buying and drinking water from single-use plastic water bottles. Around 20,000 plastic water bottles are sold every second on a global scale (according to Euromonitor International), with 480 billion bottles having been sold in 2016 alone. Astoundingly, according to the 2019 Plastic Atlas compiled by the Heinrich Boel Foundation, people drinking water from plastic water bottles also end up consuming around 130,000 microplastic plastics annually as compared to just around 4000 microplastic particles in those who drink tap water.

Disposable Plastic Utensils

Though it’s very convenient to use disposable plates, glasses, cutlery and straws, they are proving to be very dangerous to marine life. If the US alone switched to using reusable cutlery, there would be around 100 million less cutlery pieces entering the oceans annually. According to a beach cleanup data in 2018, there are around 7.5 billion plastic straws littering American beaches.

Bulk Shopping

Just by switching from buying smaller pre-packaged foods, to shopping for larger quantities from the bulk bins in your supermarkets, cuts down markedly on plastic packing material usage. Aside from the fact that it also brings down your shopping bill, buying individually packed grocery products is another way of generating excessive single-use plastic waste.

Biodegradable Packaging

Responsible businesses are becoming increasingly aware of their carbon footprint and investing in R&D to change to using innovative biodegradable materials. Several companies have now started packaging their food products such as coffee, tea and chocolates in biodegradable materials – opt for such food products to reduce dependence on plastics.

You should take a pledge as an individual and as a community to adopt anti-plastic policies and reduce your carbon footprint. Take a pledge to Refuse the usage of disposable plastics, Reduce plastic dependence, Reuse single-use plastics and Recycle whatever is possible.

Brilliant builders of apartments and villas like Vishraam Developers in Thrissur are also very aware of reducing their carbon footprint. Likewise, every home built by Vishraam builders isn’t just an architectural wonder, but is also built responsibly, without harming Mother Nature.