Shop special

Dreamlands - in vibrant colours

You work hard at decorating your home and putting together a colourful furnished home to be proud of, so why not treat yourself to some new home furnishers. Currently the Dhaka market is filled with posh fabrics for curtains, upholstery for sitting rooms and bedrooms. They offer you fabrics, which let you lie back and drift away on glorious new bed linen available in shades of vibrant oranges, pinks, greens or cool crisp blues and whites. The collection of curtains and other upholstery materials are worth having for your homes. Brighten up your bedroom instantly with chic bed linen designed exclusively for you and offered at great value prices.

There are a few exclusive stores appreciated for their quality in Gulshan, Elephant Road, New Market etc. These are brands synonymous with quality and inspirational design. B. J. Bed in Navana Tower Gulshan, Home Furniture (Gulshan Palladium Road 95, Circle - 2), J. R. Screen Centre (Gulshan Palladium Road 95, Circle - 2), Weavers (Bashati Avenue, House 10, Road 53, Gulshan Circle 2) are the ones with huge stocks and good quality. Apart from these the Elephant Road Markets are also good for such products. The New Market stores also offer you a wide range of similar items. The Gulshan shops are mainly for higher end budgets whereas the Elephant Road and New Market ones mainly cater to middle-class budgets along with higher end items. The prices for curtains start at Taka 140 and go up to Taka 525 at most in all the stores. But for the Sofa fabrics the lowest is Taka 150 and the highest is Taka 1,125. The price range is not all that different as all the stores more or less have the same product line, some with more colours or with more prints.

Bedded Bliss - I mean the bedroom fabrics are good at Dhaka Dyeing, B.J. Bed, New Market, Islampur Market and of course the Elephant Road. There are many sizes available at the stores: single, double, king size. Try the delicious new combination of rich colours in stripes, checks, floral prints and in traditional designs which are found in the stores nowadays.

Decorate your windows with bright colours in hand looms, chic satin, smooth silk or cool lace. Make your sitting room, kitchen and bedrooms look painted in the traditional rich, deep blue, green, yellow or white. Add colours to your cushions and make them invitingly comfortable and scatter them by the side of the sofa that is also covered in locally woven fabrics. They also stock fabrics made in China.

Cool yet colourful interiors are essential for bright lives. Mix the traditional colours cleverly with your contemporary furniture to create a unique ambiance in your home. Bright splashes of colours equalize the cool white scheme of the wall so the interior never becomes unappealing or dull. Give the last touch to the interior designing, put lamps and candles at the corners, to add an extra texture to your colorful home décor.

By Bohemian Soul

Shop talk

Ironing boards
It's a hot summer day and the rooms heat up like an oven in the middle of the Sahara desert. Without an air conditioner everything becomes uncomfortably warm. The beds become like warm toast and the only respite is found by lying down on the floor at the risk of swallowing multi-legged creatures at night. Ironing clothes on the bed just makes it worse but the bed happens to be the best place. However, after a night of having a burnt behind, made me decide to get an ironing board. The hardware stores in New Market sell locally made units at around 450 to 480 taka. These are very light due to the thin aluminum framework. Just don't try sitting on it. Covers are also available for the cloth top.

Mops
While in New Market climb up one floor near the place where they sell posters on the stairs and check out some fancy mops. These are unlike the usual ones used in hospitals that look like a Bangla movie actresses blond wig. You will find plastic handled mops with a foam-like end that soaks up water very neatly. What's cool about these (if mops can be cool) is that they have an attachment that squeezes out the liquid once you have soaked it up. Prices vary from 250-300 taka.

Camouflaged calculators
One upon a time I used to play with walkie-talkies pretending to be on a dangerous mission to save the world from things like man eating mosquitoes. Little did I know that such mosquitoes would become real. It was great fun pretending to communicate with others in code using these devices. Of course, technology has advanced and little children want cell phones now. Most stationery shops sell calculators that look like phones. They cost 40-90 Taka depending on the design. It's perfect for children to play with. They can have fun and at the same time deal with their math.

Dog chain
Some dogs are docile creatures and can be tied down with thin chains. Others are escape artists on par with Houdini with the strength of Schwarzeneggar. Whatever the case it is often necessary to tie them up so they do not go about chewing important papers and jumping on family members. The pet stores along Kataban sell a wide assortment of chains and leashes. There are nylon leashes that are light and cost about 150 taka. You get multiple colors. Fancy chromed chains cost 300-400 taka. These are thick, strong with rounded edges and have spring-loaded clips that allow you to coral your frisky pet in a snap. Hardware stores sell cheaper variants made of steel and cost under 30 taka. Make sure the chain links are rounded or else it may get tangled or even cut the mutt.

Toy skeletons
Those with a ghoulish characteristic would like to have such skeletons hanging from car mirrors or doorways. Purple Haze near Gulshan 2 roundabout sells these plastic bones at 110 taka. They are roughly 6-7 inches in length and come in white and blood red. Let me know if anyone knows of a hanging policeman for my car mirror.

By Ehsanur Raza Ronny

 

 

Essentials

Hear them out
Kids can take a long time to get a story out. It takes time for them to finish a sentence. Most of the time, adults become impatient and do not let them finish. It can be tempting for you to finish their sentences for them. Resist the temptation. By listening patiently, you allow them to think at their own pace. It also lets them know that they are worthy of your time.

Curfew on action movies
Prevent kids from watching violent movies and cartoons. Many movies exhibit extremely violent scenes. Scenes like this are bound to affect your kid's mental development. Some of the kids might try to perform the onscreen actions themselves, which is obviously extremely dangerous. Maintain a strict policy with kids about watching action movies.

House work for kids
Make kids do their own work. Ask them to do their bed, tidy up their room or clean toys by themselves. Invite them to do housework with you, of course only the ones they can handle. Make an impression that housework is just like a game and make housework fun for them. This will help your child become an organised person. He or she will learn to take responsibility. It will make them confident later in a tougher stage of life.

Safety for the little ones
Children do so many things that might harm them. They often play with sharp objects, matches, and electrical gadgets. It is mainly because they have little knowledge about danger. Help them understand what is a toy and what is not. Keep dangerous objects out of their reach.

Introduce the wonders
Life in a city is very congested. Kids grow up confined in apartment buildings, playing on balconies, on rooftops and watching TV for entertainment. They do not get to see the beautiful wonders that surround us. Take them to visit places close to nature. Let them run around and explore. Other wise the congested living arrangement can develop into a congested mentality in your child.

By Shahnaz Parveen