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Home balances neutral elements with touches of ‘glam’

Nirjary Desai uses eye-catching wallpaper and pops of color to create a home with spaces that “speak to each other” while still standing out.

Nirjary Desai relied on the color green to stand as a showpiece in the living room, and then unify the dining and kitchen spaces. In the living room, the emerald green sofa prominently stands out in the mostly black and white space. Then the color seamlessly blends in with the green accent Amazon chairs surrounding the table in the dark dining room, and again with the green Amazon barstools in the kitchen. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

Nirjary Desai and her husband purchased their house in 2018, and Desai explained she’s changed the interiors frequently since. This latest bout of changes came after she had designed and updated one of her other rental properties in Atlanta and her neighbor’s house, approaching both like she would a production project for her event-producing business. Feeling inspired, and also spurred on by her husband saying he wanted the same treatment, Desai decided to take her designing and creative mind to her own home as well. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

Given the very open floor plan, cohesion and a matching, yet neutral color palette were paramount for Nirjary Desai in the living, dining and kitchen spaces. She wanted a clean aesthetic — where everything “told a story and spoke to each other on the floor” — and used blacks, whites, golds, wood tones, and greens to accomplish that. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

While the green bar stools in the kitchen blend with the rest of the green in the downstairs living space, the island extender in the living room also adds some texture and wood-tones as well. This then mixes with the camel-toned armchairs in the living room. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

“I love a big island,” Nirjary Desai said in reference to the custom-made island extender she had done for her kitchen island. She wanted to have more room to entertain and host, so she and her builder bought a slab of butcher’s block to make a moveable extender to add to the island and make it seem larger. It also provided more space to lay out food or for guests to sit. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

Nirjary Desai knew she wanted to design an inclusive dining room table where eight people — of any age — could fit and easily converse, without kids or any others having to sit elsewhere. Her affinity for bold light fixtures also filtered into the dining room with a rustic linear pendant from Wayfair that hangs above the custom-made brown and gold table. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

Nirjary Desai and her husband often have people over and cook fairly often, so having a spacious island and room to host was an important thing to bring with the island extender. Desai also likes the extender for its movability, saying it’s something she can easily take with her or leave should her family ever move. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

When making the changes to the house, Desai knew she wanted to change up the kitchen backsplash without replacing it altogether. Someone on her staff recommended changing the grout color to something darker to make the white tiles pop out and help transform the area. They switched out the cabinet knobs as well to fit along with the black and white theme. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

Originally, the two lights hanging above the kitchen island felt a bit too bright and “in your face” when sitting in the living room. Nirjary Desai decided to replace them with IKEA basket pendants that added a level of boho airiness and filtered some of the brightness. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

Where the color palette for the living area is all emerald jewel tones and cozy browns, blacks, whites, and golds, Nirjary Desai opted for more calming neutrals for the topmost floor where the bedrooms are. She she wanted them to feel like a sanctuary, including this specific guest room. The gray and gold flower-patterned Tempaper wallpaper adds an attention-grabbing albeit still soothing touch. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

Two mirrored nightstands from At Home stand on either side of the American Signature Furniture bed. To make the space even more comfortable, Nirjary Desai also made sure to populate the bed with cozy bedding and pillows from IKEA, Amazon, Target, and Costco. She said her guests say sleeping in it is the best sleep they’ve gotten. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

The main things Nirjary Desai kept in mind when designing her at-home office space were functionality and making it “virtually visually inspiring.” She placed her white IKEA Hack cabinets right behind her desk, wanting storage to stay within arm’s reach. Having a blank space for a background during client meetings also wouldn’t do, so she applied black and white zig-zag Tempaper wallpaper that captured the essence of her creative, frenetic mind to the wall behind her minimal gold Amazon desk and black Wayfair chair. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

A lover of statement wallpaper and bold light fixtures that can both completely transform a space, Nirjary Desai’s sprinkled both design elements throughout her house. The living room in particular features a Sputnik-style light fixture from Amazon and wavy-pattern black and white wallpaper from Tempaper. “[Wallpaper] is so transformative and it’s so cost-effective, but it can really elevate a space from basic to bougie in no time,” Desai said. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

On top of the handmade white TV console is a painting of Nirjary Desai and her husband done by the artist I am KaviKavi. The artist, who Desai states creates “cool abstract, unique art, with Indian elements and touches to it,” also took Desai’s wedding photos. She commissioned Kavi to create the piece as a way to elevate the living room, and sent her pictures and videos of what the space would look like to help inspire Kavi. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

While the green couch stands out in the living room, Nirjary Desai wanted the rest of the furniture to be neutral and support the bold color of sofa. She stuck with mostly whites and blacks — such as the black and white patterned rug and clear topped West Elm coffee table. She also worked in some browns with Wayfair cowhide poufs and camel-toned armchairs, as well as some metallics with gold plant vases. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

While Nirjary Desai kept the rooms of her house fairly neutral, she still added pops of personality, color, and creativity where she could. At the same time, she kept the changes and additions practical and economical, knowing that her tastes might change in a few years and that she needed something that would remain adaptable. Reynolds Rogers/For the AJC

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Nirjary Desai relied on the color green to stand as a showpiece in the living room, and then unify the dining and kitchen spaces. In the living room, the emerald green sofa prominently stands out in the mostly black and white space. Then the color seamlessly blends in with the green accent Amazon chairs surrounding the table in the dark dining room, and again with the green Amazon barstools in the kitchen. Reynolds Rogers/FOR THE AJC

By Megan Wahn – for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Updated Feb 9, 2022

It just began with some repainting. As an event producer and owner of KIS (cubed) Events, Nirjary Desai had to pivot a bit during 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated the possibility of in-person gatherings. She decided to take up styling and interior designing some of her rental properties as well as the homes of friends, and then turned her focus to her own home.

“I was like ‘I’m going to do all-white walls and black trim,’” said Desai. “I knew eventually whatever I did to some of these rooms, it’s probably going to be the first the place where we have our first child, and all of that kind of stuff. So let’s make it what we want it to be.”

Thus began her endeavor to transform her home into a place “glam” and eye-catching enough to suit her style, while also staying relatively neutral to appeal to her husband’s tastes and practical enough to raise a family in. While she stuck with mostly blacks, whites, and wood tones, Desai adding a few style flairs in the form of patterned wallpaper and pops of color.

“[I] really tried [to make] the house more unisex for us, but still glam. Because that’s what I do for a living,” Desai said. “[My house] needs to be artistic, it needs to be fun, it needs to be inspiring. It needs to just like, feel happy when I come home.”

Snapshot

Residents: Nirjary Desai, Amit Vyas, and our puppy Zeus Vyas

Location: Decatur

Size: 3,000 sq ft

Year bought: 2018

Renovations: painting

Architectural style: Single-family three-level Charleston style

Favorite architectural elements: I love high ceilings that allow for beautiful and unique light fixtures and wallpapers/accent walls

Interior design style: Modern and rustic glam with some boho touches

Favorite interior design elements: The windows and light

Resources: Furniture and decor from Article, Wayfair, West Elm, Studio McGee, Amazon, IKEA Hack, American Signature Furniture, Homegoods, and Target.

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If you have a beautifully designed home in the Atlanta area, we’d love to feature you! Email lorikeongwrites@gmail.com for more info.

About the Author

Megan Wahn

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Home balances neutral elements with touches of ‘glam’

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