Showing posts with label traditional d�cor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label traditional d�cor. Show all posts

Our Darling Ganesha!

With the celebratory occasion...�Ganeshas� are having a moment right now. And just like every year, we too have invited eco-friendly �Bappa� in our home. No corner of our home is untouched with the celebration. Especially our pooja room, which is brimming with his love and presence. The sound of soothing 'Bhajans' and the rising of chanting 'prayers' has left a purifying effect in our temple room which I look forward to enjoy every year.


Festive look this year has been created with the burst of yellow and green colors with some red thrown in. Strings of artificial marigold garlands have been placed on the runner (dupatta) to uplift the aura of the room. Our daughter's Lord Ganesha portraits are adding enough splashes of colors making it a perfect backdrop.
Taking care of the environment while we celebrate the festival, our daughter has been making idols at home since last four years now. You may peek here and here for our last two years' idols.We immerse him in a 'kundi' at home and let him be with us by pouring his left overs in our little garden.
Though one must visit India in order to experience the grandeur and splendor of ten days festivity of �Ganesha Chaturthi�, which is celebrated with much zeal and fervor.

With more festivities lining up to our calendar, I have so much to do, to plan and celebrate the festive joy at this time of the year. Signing out for today, as I head back to tick off the long list of things to tackle for the upcoming days. Stay connected until we meet again friends, toodles!

Moods of my entrance!


Nothing beats the deep sigh of release and the delight of arriving home at the end of a tiring work day. It is a feeling one has to feel and cannot be described. As we step into our sanctuary, our personalized entry way that sets a serene vibe absorbs the lassitude from a long day instantly, offering a comfortable transition to a restful atmosphere. What�s more? A lot! Welcome to our Foyer and allow me to narrate my love story with this humble place :).  

 

I have immense love for my Foyer and am absolutely obsessed with playing around with the decor here, changing up the look constantly. This humble setting at the entry way with its immense potential for myriad creative settings, gives our visitors a first glimpse of our personal style and introduction to our whole house.
In ourhome, the entryway is a �landing stage�, which apart from providing a comfortable place for donning or shedding shoes or Jackets, also extends a warm personal welcome to our guests along with us. Come on in, as I guide you along to showcase the portraits of some personalized (or should I say Pinkified;)) vignettes and kaleidoscope of art work that greets our guests with more than just hello!

 
Whatever may be the physical feature or size of your entryway, the first impressions always matter, and few thoughtful touches here can go a long way in treating one�s eyes as soon as they set the foot into a home. In my own foyer, a pop of color is the top layer on my vignette that can be easily changed. Red always works for me. Purposefully placed minimal brass setting here echoes the overall traditional setting of our home.

I do not really align myself with any particular style and select pieces solely by their jazz that intrigues me. However, I have always been passionate about styling with timeless and classic decor items and hence, my strikingly stylish brass usually accentuates the simplicity of my d�cor that I put together with a minimal effort.
A table is foyer essential and a best surface to accessorize, apart from making an exceptional first impression on the guests. With a narrow entrance, a shelf or a small cabinet can definitely solve the same purpose of a foyer table with some much needed storage. In our foyer, this practical table provides us a much needed �catch-all� spot in its drawer, where all the mail, keys, glasses and every knick knack that we tend to carry in our pockets gets stashed easily.
When it comes to home styling, I am in a constant restless state of re-decorating with a continuous moving, adding and eliminating pieces in a study of the unexpected discoveries. This process goes on until I identify a correct placement of each element with a perfect styling, with a bonus of some exhilarating thrills of new discoveries.
Decorating walls is the quickest way to add a sense of depth to a space, apart from interjecting style and personality to your entrance. Some cleverly placed artwork can always add an instant focus on your entryway. Our artist daughter�s paintings have a pride of place in our foyer, which gives out a clear glimpse of our collective taste, personalities and fondness for Ganesha. These whimsical and lovely art pieces sitting pretty above console table not only lend an added sparkle in our entry way, but also engage our guests with a visible awe apart from being a great conversation starter.
In my quest to bring some calmness at my doorstep, at times a few Zen settings shape up over the foyer table. The serene visuals are sure to ease down our fatigue at the end of a long day. For a bit of whimsy, I experiment with designs and pair some beloved ethnic pieces with modern elements. This kind of old and new pairing often refreshes the look of older items, give a more collected look for the space and often makes both elements stand out.

A place we decorate with artwork and candles would also welcome flowers. Nothing looks more visually stimulating than a vase of fresh flowers, as you walk through the front door. Flowers are always a safe bet and a fabulous plus to any styling in my d�cor. Quite often, I prefer to pick an unconventional vase to attire my flowers as against a standard vase and my dear brass items always offer me a great choice.
 
In few of those �design moments� and creative cravings, the settings at the foyer do not stay the same for very long. While periodically combing through my collections, I tend to discover something more visually pleasing than the existing displays. After few �trial and error� stages of experimenting with their settings, the existing decor promptly gets modified to include the new objects of my interest!

 
Personalization adds a special touch to anything you own.
 
For an instant glamour and to enliven a space, area rugs are great to brighten any floors. Textured and bright coloured rugs every so often offer an added radical change in our foyer.

If you are like me, looking to constantly play around with the art work or vignette over a console, displaying a frame on an easel or placing it informally on the table makes it easy to change the scene. Adding a layer of flickering candle at the evenings always adds the extra oomph illuminating the area, whether or not it is well lit.
Many of us tend to accumulate plentiful souvenirs through our travel or as gifts from friends and family. A thoughtfully put together collection of such story telling pieces on the console also adds an undeniable grace and warmth to the foyer.

In our foyer too, many of our accessories unfold the stories of our many valuable friendships and the places we have travelled. In a refreshing change of pace, I also sometimes keep my omnipresent brass at bay and embrace novelty with a few fanciful pieces, to create a fresh look for the same place.

 

All decor lovers go through a periodical itch of creating a new look time to time. And the normal mistake we all do at such times is to start shopping for newer items. But the trick to minimizing an overload of accumulated stuff is to begin the hunt right at home. You don�t need to look far and out for a design changer but first dig down the existing treasures (or even what you may consider trash) you own.
 
Running a leisure eye on what you already own will sometimes reveal surprising discoveries and offer innovative ideas without breaking any bank. Edit and style your existing collection, including clutter in a way that will empower each item in a greater decorative value.
I am usually good at keeping my promises and even though the post was swaying away for more time than I intended, it has finally been out from my draft box. Hope the saga of different moods of our entry way, in the full glory of its pinkification (can't stop myself from using it ;)) will inspire you enough to spruce up your own. Until we meet again, stay connected! Toodles!

And we welcomed Bappa......

The d�cor demon inside me is hard to tame when the festivity ranks supreme. This year also the spirit of the festivities has created quite a stir in our home, and as a result of that great fervor, a seized corner in our temple room is breathing elegance in the presence of our eco-friendly Ganesha. 
Traditional theme has been injected in every corner anchoring my brass pieces.  My artist daughter�s artwork as a backdrop does not only rivet the attention but also gives a powerful impact on this year�s setting.
The same set of Bandhani dupattas used for d�cor here and here are called in service to imbue more color and draw the eye. Don�t miss the frolicking troupe of �Ganeshas� with brass diyas (that I used freely mixing unexpectedly) adding festive touch on the table.  And the garland adorning on the �bajoth� of �Ganesha� is actually a �toran� (door garland) that adds a decorative tone on the setting.
The tall wooden Ganesha statue is graced in the center as a great impetus. The dark and soft color contrast make both idols stand out. In between the festivity chaos and complete madhouse, the traditional ladoo recipe has been dumped and new (an easy peasy) coconut ladoo recipe (stolen from YouTube) has taken care of his cravings.  

Few traditional, pretty and colorful decorating, relevant to the celebration has surprisingly created a spiritual ambience in our temple room. I love it especially when the lit up candles cast a warm glow in the room throughout our prayers.  From my end, I am leaving no stone unturned to please our darling little �Ganesha� this year :).

 
Up next on the blog is our first giveaway, stay glued on facebook page or Instagram feed so you don't miss out any details on the post or more decorating ventures. Until we meet again, toodles!

Taditional Soiree

I leave no stone unturned when we have to plan an elegant evening at home but on a recent visit to New Jersey at my brother� place, I chanced upon planning a perfect soiree for their house warming. For someone like me who believes in a traditional approach it was just perfect to inject some "desi" touches with blissful colors to support the occasion.
 
With many thoughts in my radar, I grabbed few of the simplest accessories from my home that would blend beautifully and build a scheme. Along with my all-time favorite Indian dangling and bandhani dupattas came along few brass diyas. The cloth frame of �Ganesha� here is a return gift from a dear friend�s wedding, which I had adorned previously in our temple room here.
 
The speciality of �Gujarat�, these bandhani dupattas were about 100 rupees each and on my demand hubs dear got them from Kutchh. He knew I will definitely find a way to use them; hence he picked all possible colors for me. Now they are part of my any cultural d�cor.  You may read all about my Bandhni Craze" here.
 
Rich glows from diyas lend an added sparkle on the table. Since I reside in a country where flow of regular flowers from home garden is not possible due to cold winters, I have supplemented these artificial rose petals from Ikea store in my d�cor so I can use them as and when I want.   
Strong background with inviting palette of traditional accessories made a strikingly beautiful place for all our family pictures for the occasion. The atmosphere of celebration was graced by lovely guests who were greeted by this portrait and probably made their short stay for selfies ;). 
And one last image of this beautifully styled side table with "Pinkz touch" which I shared on my Instagram feed after the ceremony.

Hope this post will broaden your aesthetic sensibilities and bring the best of the simplest ingredients you already own. Until we meet again, have a great week and stay connected on facebook or Instagram, toodles!

Feature at Once Upon a Tea Time!

Social media and blogging has bridged the distance with many like minded people and once such personality is Priya, who blogs at Once Upon a Tea Time blog and circulates a monthly e-magazine. She has also accomplished an online market with global vendors offering variety of different products under her belt.



Her blog OUAT proudly featured our home, highlighting how we have preserved our traditional bone by layering our treasured collection of �Ganesha� while reflecting global appeal.

 

Our home for us is an epitome of our passion and dash of our individuality and similar fervor can be seen throughout our home.
 

 
Head straight to her blog and have a look at the complete tour right here and stay connected on facebook and Instagram, until we meet again, toodles!
 

Lakshman Sagar - A boutique Hotel

As I stay afloat in the midst of spring arrival, one look at Lakshman Sagar is all it takes to be carried away. Get on board with me to tour this quirkiest place bathed in sporadic splashes of color and charmed with old world touches.
 
Feeling of having stepped in another era has been remarkably created using the �ZERO KILOMETRE DESIGN� concept by Sahil and Sarthak Interiors, where all the furniture and accessories are inspired through an understanding of local products and conveniences in this eco-friendly luxury.  Rajasthan, being a craft weighty religion the design inspiration is laid down with an ease. You will be nodding in full agreement with my statement, once you explore this place with me :)
Lakshman Sagar, an environmentally friendly luxury by Sewara group, is excelled by exquisitely ethnic interiors. Scattered on over 32 acres of picturesque village in Raipur, Pali district, Rajasthan Lakshman Sagar is adjacent to Lakshman Sagar lake where centuries old Marwad traditions and eras of time gone by is encapsulated brilliantly.  

Lakshman Sagar�s d�cor approach thrives with an abundance of accessories easily found in the village. The side table here (a �matka�(pot) with few dry hays set on a few wooden branches) is the best example that strikes out the rural living in this mud stamped room.
Psychedelic and bright sitting arrangement is effortlessly mixed by scattering glimpses of local culture and locally found accessories such as terra-cotta pots, brass-copper utensils and hand embroidered cushions.
Zanana (female) and Mardana (male) mahals are detached on this property, which harks back the old times of �Thakurs� where they used to retire and entertain themselves after a busy hunting day in woods. Thakur Lakshman Singh, who possessed the place as a hunting lodge, is now converted into a eco-friendly heritage hotel Lakshman Sagar, which still recaps the know-how of rural life and old world charm. Windy white and blue dining space in Mardana (male) place is dotted with many zarokhas (arches) for overlooking beautiful surroundings of Lakshman Sagar. 
�Farm to fork� principal is applied when you savour yourself in Rajasthani cuisine here in �zanana� (female) dining room which is sprinkled with mild pink theme. Every prepared meal is cooked from freshly home grown spices to home grown vegetables in the village.
Now, who wouldn't want to unwind with a book and a big glass of freshly churned "lassi" to cool down on this beautiful terrace, where the good view is a real plus. 
 
For now, I am going to rain check that thought and wait for actual spring (which is brutally slow) to arrive soon in my part of the world, so we can enjoy heading outdoors again. You stay connected with me as next will be "Holi" post. Until we meet again, toodles!
 
You may read more about this heritage property right here.