Paintings from the artist in our Real Homes series

A lot of you readers had asked about the artist or source for this Radha Krishna painting, which was featured in our Real Homes series, on our Facebook page.

The artist who does these paintings is Shivram and he is based out of Chennai. 

To buy his paintings in Bangalore, you can reach Nutan at 99163 29280. Some of the paintings available (check current status with Nutan) are shown below. They are all 3ft x 4ft in size and the cost is Rs 4000 per sq ft. They are not framed. 

Kambala

KolaAata

RadhaKrishna

Yakshagana

Happy mid week! Enjoy the long weekend :) 

Lessons learnt and apartment update!

The first and most important rule is that Things do go wrong and they WILL. No matter how well the project was planned. Execution is a totally different ball game.

A few things I have learnt during the new apartment interiors process -

* Everything that you want to change, fix, break, restructure is mostly possible. If your contractor/designer/carpenter says otherwise, it could be because he doesn't want the additional headache, too much risk involved, lack of expertise, it costs too much money (which should be a headache for you not your designer or contractor). Only a very small number of exceptions exist to this almost-fact.

* Double check everything before it gets executed. The design does go through changes while it passes from the designer's table to the supervisor to the carpenter who works on it! So make sure you tell the carpenter or handyman to show a rough draft of what he has understood or show the assembled piece before fixing it finally. Trust me this will go a long way to help avoid major blunders.

* We Indians as a generic trait have a tendency to nod our heads and say yes to everything. Then later on we actually ponder over whether the task can be done or not. And we also have a tendency to hide things from the client till the end. The husband says, If something goes wrong, then a project coordinator should either fix it OR if it cannot be fixed and will cause a delay then the client should be informed. Most of the contractors/carpenter teams don't do either. They let the project linger on and complete it on its own pace. Keep an eye out for this. And if possible make your own schedule with dates of starting and completion and track the work as per that, raising a red flag when needed.

* Electrical points - If you have the option of changing electrical points and choosing where you want them then do it. Do it before you start the actual wood work - cupboards, bookshelves etc. Think of where would you want reading lights to be fixed, lamps to be kept with respect to beds and bedside tables. I personally like to have switches and a plug point next to the bed on both sides. The getting out-of-bed to switch the light off is one thing I don't like. Charging mobile phones or laptops is also convenient when you have a plug point next to your bed.

* Don't forget the geyser in the kitchen for those oh-so-cold winter days. Your house help is going to be thankful!

* Thinking of buying a Home theater system at some point of time in the future? Get the points for speakers and the system in place. The points can be done and left and used later.

* Have a terrace or balcony - make sure you have enough light and plug points for all those barbecue and late night parties.

Updates from the new apartment -
We are at a stage where the electricals in the new apartment have mostly been completed. The carpentry for the wood work - wardrobes, bookshelf, study desk, bar unit and a few other storage shelves in the kid's room are mostly done. Now the surface finishing work shall start - duco, veneer polishing, laminate fixing etc. Another 15 to 20 days to go.

Sneak peek into the home! Tada till the next time :)

One of my favourites (already) in the house - the bookshelf 

One of the corners in the living room - waiting to see it come together with the lights

Decor - Eye Candy

I was looking for inspiration for bookshelves and upholstery fabric, online. As usual digressed and chanced upon something beautiful. There are some lovely lovely ideas out there and I fell in love with these. Have been day dreaming and drooling ever since. Sigh!

There is something beautiful and zen like about this room. Elegant. Peaceful. Love the neutral effect, the layout, the decor. 

Oh! I love love love this one. For the bookshelf, the colour coordinated arrangement of books, the reading chair, the Ikat cushion, the footstool, the blue pottery scattered throughout the room, the whites, creams and the rug. 

And this one for the pink dining chairs and the white kitchen. I love white to the point I am getting a white kitchen, yes in spite of all those concerns of "Indian kitchen and cooking. Are you sure you want white?" Now, if only I was gutsy enough to get chairs in such a colour. Love the elegant look of this one. 

All images - Windsor Smith, Room in a Box Do check out her work. It is lovely and inspiring! 

Indya Kaleidoscope - a treasure chest!

Indya Kaleidoscope is a treasure cove tucked away in a corner. You won't spot it unless you are looking for it and once you do you won't want to leave :) 
It is a cozy little store with walls painted in bright colours, some peacock blue, some red. They showcase and sell, like they say on their FB page, good quality traditional arts and crafts. Be it in their original form or with a contemporary twist. 

They have on display Channapatna Laquerware, Banaras wood crafts, Brass artefacts, Terracotta products, Manipur Longpi pottery (also called Black pottery), Blue pottery, Plam wood crafts, Pondicherry stone pottery, Kantha work soft furnishing amongst a whole lot of other stuff. 

What welcomes you as you walk in to the store on the 1st floor, is a bright yet warm red wall and a whole room full of collectibles, home decor items and treasures to die for!

The brass idols collection against this red wall looks stunning. We saw a whole range of Ganesha idols, from classic to contemporary forms. Go find your own! 

There are beautiful paintings, like this one below, from Banaras. 

Collectibles, mini vases, pots, all hand-painted. Beautiful! 

Fabric clutches in all colours and shapes.

Colourful painted wooden dolls and boxes.

Krishna in all his glory.

                             

Madhubani work lampshades. Hand-painted wooden boxes for storing your jewelry, nick knacks and small trinkets.

Brass and copper minis. Kitchen utensils, pots, miniature equipment. They look so so cute!

And one of my favorites - pottery from Pondicherry! 

Kantha work cushion covers.  They look beautiful, don't they? We are going to place our custom orders once the new place is ready.

The owner Preethi writes a blog too and does a lot of DIY-ers. You can check them out here.  
She also sources furniture and antiques on request. So contact her if you are looking for that antique wooden mirror for your bedroom wall or chains for the swing in your living room. 

She has recently created a space in the store where artists, craft makers, writers, bloggers, decorators, designers or just book readers can come, sit surrounded by some exquisite crafts and do their creative thing. They promise to keep the coffee flowing!! What more can you ask for? :) 

Drop in and find your treasure. They keep adding new stuff every now and then so worth scheduling a regular visit :) 

Store details
The IK store in Bangalore is at - 
BNRK Towers, 891/A, 1st Floor, 
7th A Cross, Koramangala 1st Block, 
Bangalore - 560034

Tel - +91 80 40981536
Email: indyakaleidoscope@gmail.com
FB page - https://www.facebook.com/Indyakaleidoscope 
Website - http://indyakaleidoscope.com/ 

Launch of TULIPS store in Bangalore

This past Friday, I was invited to the store opening party of Tulips - a premiere soft furnishing store.
Tulips is a high end soft furnishings retail store with 2 branches in India. Their flagship store is in Pune and this new store in Bangalore is the 2nd in the country.

It offers
a range of plush linen - bath and bed, in classic soothing colours
a fun range for kids which includes duvet covers and cute cushions 
fabrics
wallpapers
frescoes, artifacts and home accessories
exquisite drapery
window dressings
curtains
cushions
rugs, throws
sophisticated upholstery
All this can be customized with monograms, initials and your personal design requirements

Tulips sources the finest decor wares from across the globe. They have a lovely collection of scented candles from Belgium, one of which we got in the lovely goody bag given to the guests.

They also have an assortment of glamorous artifacts, some as tall as a person, in solid colours, monochromatic tones and metal tints, from Italy, Germany and Netherlands. There is bed and bath linen from Turkey, fine cashmere blankets and Merino wool throws from Germany, throws from South Africa. If you are looking for accessories like curtain ties and hold backs, they have a pretty collection for that too. 

One thing that I would like to mention is their sample curtain corner where they have displayed all sorts of curtain pleats. Very helpful for people to see and choose which style they would like for the curtains and window treatments. 

They provide a Design Service too which is a 5 step service. They start with a survey to understand your requirements where they visit your place and get the right picture of your architecture. Then their designers put together fabrics and palettes for your space, keeping in mind your requirements and budget. Then they create a folder for you with swatches of your design. The design is presented with the help of visuals which are a representation of the finished product. The next step is creating the products from the designs. And the last step is installation in your space at your convenience. 

The launch party was in the store and was hosted together by Tulips and Good homes Magazine India. It was a well planned affair - delicious hors d'oeuvres, drinks and lovely goody bags too. Enjoyed meeting so many talented and lovely people and seeing the luxurious collection first hand! Do visit this place if you are redoing your house or planning to change/add to your soft furnishing collection. 

Store details 

The Tulips store in Bangalore is at 

No 7, Shilton Heights,

Papanna Street, Off St Marks Road,

Bangalore - 560001

Tel - +91 80 22211113/4

Email: store.blr@tulipsindia.com