Many bedrooms in Orlim's older houses still hold a carved wooden bed, and the right headboard for one of those is no new headboard at all: renew the cane or padding, or have an upholstered panel made to sit inside the old frame, and leave the woodwork untouched. The air is kinder here than on the coast, so linen blends and velvets are possible, though in the monsoon the damp from the fields argues for a cover that can be vacuumed and a little space behind any wall-fixed board. The bungalows built by returning families have bigger bedrooms, which can take a wide wingback or a full-wall panelled design.
- Carved beds in traditional houses: a padded panel fitted within the existing headboard frame, covered in a linen blend.
- Master bedrooms of new bungalows: a full-wall panelled headboard with reading lights, the wiring agreed with the electrician first.
- Guest rooms kept for visiting family: a simple wooden-framed upholstered board, fixed to the bed so it can be moved later.
Orlim is a small village just inland from Varca, on the road towards Chinchinim. It is a farming village of paddy fields and coconut groves, with old family houses around the church and a few new bungalows.
Homes are mostly traditional family houses, some large and well kept, with long verandas and many windows. Newer bungalows have been built by families returning from abroad.
Orlim is sheltered from the sea by Varca, so salt is slight. The fields around it are flooded in the monsoon, which makes the air humid and brings mosquitoes in the evenings.
Inland homes
Drier inland bedrooms suit fabric headboards in linen blends and velvets. Choose a fabric that can be vacuumed, as it gathers dust like any upholstery.
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.