Bedrooms in Aquem are seldom large. In the flats, a headboard hung on the wall saves the depth a full bedstead would take, and can run wider than the bed to carry a shelf on each side. In the old family houses the bed itself is often a carved wooden one worth keeping, and an upholstered panel can be made to sit inside its frame without touching the woodwork. Fabric choice follows the address. On the dry higher ground, linen blends and velvet are fine. In a ground-floor room on the low side, leave a gap behind the board and choose a cover that wipes, and near the railway avoid deep buttoning, which holds dust.
- Small bedrooms in the newer blocks: a slim wall-fixed panelled headboard, the width of the bed or wider, with space left for sockets.
- Carved beds in old houses: a padded insert made to the existing frame, in a cotton or linen blend that can be vacuumed.
- Ground-floor bedrooms in Aquem Baixo: leatherette on a board sealed front and back, mounted slightly clear of the outer wall.
Aquem lies on the eastern side of Margao, around and beyond the Madgaon railway station, and is usually spoken of as Aquem Alto on the higher ground and Aquem Baixo below. It is an old, settled residential area where family houses stand next to newer apartment blocks.
Older Aquem houses are single-storey family homes with a front balcão, wooden windows and tiled roofs. The newer blocks are compact flats. A common request here is to furnish one floor of a family house that has been divided between generations, where each room has a different window size.
Aquem is inland and fairly sheltered. The lower parts hold water after heavy rain, and ground-floor rooms there can be damp, so we check walls before recommending wallpaper. Train and road traffic near the station bring dust.
Apartments and town flats
In a small bedroom, a wall-mounted headboard takes less depth than a bed with its own. It can be made the width of the bed or run wider, with bedside shelves built in.
Old Goan houses
Old carved beds are worth keeping. An upholstered panel can be made to sit within the existing frame, or the cane and padding renewed, without altering the woodwork.