Meera Dabir is a decorative painter and a colour specialist. We love that her superpower is mixing colours. We are inspired by her techniques, which she has adopted to magically transform any product or space she works on. You too can use her techniques to liven up an old wall or piece of furniture.

Discern Tip: Take a small section of a wall you want to transform and create a mosaic stencil and fill it with colours. Old chairs, drawers, coffee tables, headboards can be spruced up with a coat of paint. Add a few patterns and even a free-hand drawing of your favorite motifs.

Aztec patterned wall and Gold accents on Aztec prints

Hand-painted table with an Ikat print, and a hand-painted set of drawers

Essential tools for art and crafts at home; Pop artwork on wooden furniture; Geometrical wall pattern We asked Meera Dabir a few questions on her design process and what Discern living means to her. Here is an excerpt from our conversation.



Meera: Design or rather good design at its core is about problem solving or providing solutions that marry aesthetics and ergonomics in the service of usability. The concept of quality or luxury obviously comes into play, but as a side effect of good design, not its raison d'etre.

Did you know that Meera Dabir is a self-taught artist and in 1998 on a whim, volunteered to paint the first Juice hair salon in Worli for the original owners, Adhuna Akthar and Osh Bhabhani.



What does Discern Living mean to you? Meera: That point in the evolution of design and aesthetics in this country where we can start celebrating discernment - i.e. the ability to ascribe value to a creation based on its aesthetic and elemental authenticity or originality rather than simply because the name of the brand it's stamped with demands we do.



Textured walls painted by Meera Dabir.

Discern Tip: Paint an old chair or console table in white whites, creamy whites, and muted lavender. Upholster it with bright linens and accessorize with pop coloured accessories.

Use lacquer and varnish on a drab old cupboard or chest of drawers for any finish, from ultra matte to high gloss.

Paint the handles of dressers, night stands, and drawers in contrasting colours to immediately brighten up an old piece of furniture in an inexpensive way.

Make sure you paint your furniture in a well-ventilated space.

We love the art from the Akanksha Foundation. Get inspired by the children and paint your own wooden trays, table lamps, coasters, and photo frames. You could even buy their art here.





Hand painted products by the children at Art for Akanksha

If you get inspired to paint a space or object at home, send us a picture. Don't forget to tag #discernliving on our Instagram page.