Candles, lanterns, herb garden: Lizzie Chapman keeps her den gadget-free & green

Lizzie Chapman, co-founder, ZestMoney, on why her balcony overlooking the park is her favourite room in the house.

A space for inspiration
“I try and sit at my balcony for an hour every morning watching the trees. From it, I have a vantage view of a park right outside and I like to spend some time in gratitude or journaling or just letting the creative juices flow.”

Simple beauty
“There is a very colourful table with a glass and plastic wire surface that I picked up from an Indian e-commerce website and two simple Indian-style metal chairs. I like to sit there every morning with my notebook. I have a few candles and lanterns strewn about for the evenings. And I have a little herb garden that I started, which has now become a family affair. My mother-in-law is fond of adding herbs to it that she thinks we could use, like ajwain.”

No technology allowed
“I try to stay away from all gadgets until after 7 am so my balcony is a gadget-free zone.”

One adjective to describe my den
“Inspiring or creative. I have my best thoughts sitting out there watching the trees. But that could also be because I’m a morning person. My team doesn’t like that about me because I’ll send them a whole list of random ideas at 7 am.”

A place for friends…
“We often have friends over in the evening where we’ll sit outside in the balcony, light some candles open a nice bottle of wine, maybe order a pizza from this really great place down the street.”

Vintage aesthetic
“I have a boutique hotel that I’ve started in Mumbai which is sort of shabby chic. My home (in Bengaluru), including the balcony has a similar aesthetic with old, vintage lanterns and lots of Indian elements. For example, I have Indian pottery and enamel teapots placed about and a vintage railway clock that I lugged back all the way from a Jodhpur railway station.

A signpost for the den
“‘Switch off your mobile phone’ or ‘Enjoy the Journey’. ‘Enjoy the Journey’ is my New Year’s resolution for this year and it’s something I’m trying to live by, so I think that’s what I’ll put up.”

If you could invite anyone…
“My mother. She’s really far away at the moment and I miss her.”