What to choose for my bedroom wall colour?

How many shades of blue are you aware of? - Light blue, Dark blue, Sky blue, Navy, Turquoise? Are there more, you ask?
                                                     Well yes there are more. Lots more. There is Azure, Catalina blue, Cyan, Indigo, Light blue, Midnight blue, Navy, Periwinkle (lavender blue), Powder blue, Prussian blue, Sky blue, Teal, Turquoise and still more. See this for the colours and names.

The husband and I love blue and some of its variations - Turquoise being our favourite. We wanted a blue master bedroom. Something like the picture below, but when the colour was actually put on the walls, it did not look that nice. The practical version was a very discomforting, unsettling look with no visual impact or rather weird looking visually.

Pic courtesy: Transitional Bedroom by Minneapolis Interior Designers; Decorators Martha O'Hara Interiors 

So we went all white but somehow the room still looks incomplete. The room hasn't been accessorized yet. So that adds to the bare feeling. But I think the colour on the walls needs to be changed. I am clueless about what to use, so I decided to browse and see what people have done and what might look good.

I wanted a green wall, something like this, somewhere in the house. But will it be too overwhelming or dull if done on all the walls in the bedroom? Thinking out loud - "Maybe I should do it on just one focus wall."  Ever since I saw this picture, the colour has been parked in one corner of my brain.

Pic courtesy: An Indian Summer, Thiru S, Elle Decor India

I also like the idea of a gray. My neighbour has done up one room in a very subtle elegant gray and I liked the look of it. Something like this combined with the right bursts of colour - think yellow, gold, turquoise, pink, green will look warm and lovely, yet not loud.

Pic courtesy: Contemporary Bedroom by San Francisco Interior Designers; Decorators Brian Dittmar Design, Inc.

If I don't change the wall colour but instead add colour through paintings and wall accessories, that might look nice too. How about adding some golden touches to the existing white room? Something like this -

Pic courtesy: Traditional Bedroom by Austin Architects; Building Designers Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

I think we played safe when it came to colours on the walls and now it is pushing me to think more, look around and experiment. I need to go about seeing some real homes with bright splashes of colour. How do you incorporate colour into your house? On the walls? Artifacts? Sofa? Rug? Furniture?

Store Feature - My Artitude

One bright and sunny day I called up Anita Bora who in addition to doing a whole lot of interesting things, markets her sister's pottery through her brand/store My Artitude. A quick chat and a phone call and a day later I was off to meet Anita and see the latest collection at My Artitude. While the store is generally open from Noon to 7 pm, it is recommended to take an appointment before you go to make sure Anita is around in town and not on one of her trips around the world! She is on one right now :)

The store is located in Defence Colony, Indiranagar, behind Max Mueller Bhavan. It is easy to find, just keep the house number in mind. You will need to find street parking which is ok on weekday mornings. You walk up a winding stair case and enter a room. And for all the pottery and ceramic lovers the sight is akin to paradise! And let me just add while you are here, you can also shop for some jewellery from MoodSwings Jewelry by Benaazir. They share the space. Double motivation to shop!!  What else can one ask for??

The pottery is crafted by Ranjita Bora, Anita's sister. Ranjita works out of Pondicherry. The sisters do travel around the country taking part in exhibitions that they like. You can catch up on their Facebook page for the latest info - facebook.com/myartitudeindia. Anita also curates works of other potters to add more variety to the collection. New items are added pretty often. You can keep track of that by following their FB page 

I picked up some lovely ceramic holders. This is how I use one of them - to hold my earrings and my make up accessories. Makes it super easy to hold those long earrings and keep them detangled.

For your kitchen there are onion/garlic storage jars, cups and saucers, mugs, bowls, plates, appetizer servers. They come in different shapes and sizes, beautiful patterns and are multipurpose.

There are some very attractive ceramic door or drawer knobs, these oh-so-cute owl tea lights holders (Know of anyone who loves anything owls? Perfect gift for them!) and jars and holders in lots of shapes and sizes.

There are so many other things. You have to go and see for yourself. She has these tea light and perfumed oil burners in some gorgeous colours. I LOVE that green!

Be warned - since these products are not mass produced, getting exactly same products as in these pictures might not be possible. But I am sure you will get other lovely pieces :)
The prices are reasonable and are in a wide range. The items can be used functionally across the house or for gifting (umm hmm for that next house warming party? Or even to a friend who loves pottery).

Happy Shopping!!

Adding colour into my home!

I like colour! In the right amount and shade it makes a room come alive. An entrance, a foyer,  a dark corner - all of these can be made bright, welcoming and striking using colour. Accessories help in adding that splash of colour too.
We have been incorporating our own dashes of colour into the decor at home. Holi being just around the corner helps in motivating, I guess!
Here are a few glimpses of where we are as of now :)

Turquoise is the husband's favourite. So much so that he wants a full wall in that colour. I don't quite agree with that bit but yes I love turquoise too. So we have been adding that to the living room. The mirror is from The Purple Turtles. The glass bottle is from @Home.
We both love green and so we bought the white planter and the green ferns (I DO NOT have a green thumb) from Oma during their annual sale recently. They don't have the details updated on their website - their Bangalore store is in UB city on Vittal Mallya road.

The sofa and chaise were custom made by Cane Boutique. The grey and purple goes well with our curtains.
Slowly, steadily, introduce one thing at a time is what I am doing with the home and it is working well.

What colour are you going to add into your homes and hearts today? Think of the world as a canvas and yourself as an artist, go splash and fill life with colours!!
Happy Holi!!

New Year! New Beginnings!

Hola people!! How is the New Year treating you?? Fun? Happening? Not so much? Here are a few updates from my end on what's been happening in the New Year!

* I saw this picture on Facebook here and decided to have my jar of "good thing notes"!

So here is my jar with notes about what I am thankful or grateful for or happy about. The jar itself is a happy reminder of a wonderful New Year's eve and day spent with friends and family :) I will keep adding a note to the jar whenever something makes me feel good. 
                        May all of you have plenty of moments to be thankful for, may you have moments that bring you closer to you and your family this year :) 

* I have started writing for another website called Women's Web! With that now I am freelancing for 3 websites - The Portico Fashion@Home blog, the Dottedi blog and Women's Web. 
My latest post on Fashion@home is on "How to make the best of the sale season!" so go on read that and head out for some shopping therapy :) 
The one on Women's Web this month is how to organize your home smartly and decor items related to that. Need a quick refresher for the house? Check this article. 
I am looking for more writing opportunities, not necessarily in the same areas. If you know of someone or something that can help me, do let me know. 

* I have also decided to shake that blanket of laziness and get this blog active and up! So look forward to more homes in the "Real Homes" series, more store features, posts, updates on setting and decorating the new house. #Rubbingmyhands, #Excitedme. 

Have a lovely day and happy week ahead!!

Alien feelings

The feelings are very alien, very weird and mixed! End of day 1 in my "own" house and I can't feel a thing that supports that fact.

I will not pretend that all the feelings are in the neighbourhood of happiness.

There is surprise that a structure of walls, columns, beams and bricks - a blank canvas can convert into something beautiful and a work of art.

There is worry about the sheer amount of work involved to keep a house clean. True for any size, shape, style of a home.

There is disappointment about the way some of us humans behave, the greed we display for money, for more, for anything extra or free. The kharcha-paani that every delivery or installation person wants even though the sales receipt and customer service says delivery and installation are free of cost ma'm!

The shock when a lady who comes to help do a one-time, one-day only, clean up of the place, which has already been properly cleaned once, asks for Rs 600/- to do a round of sweeping and mopping and no other actual cleaning and refuses to budge till that amount is given.

The feeling of being let down by the shoddy work done by some groups of workmen, with the taps leaking at places, the doors coming off at hinges, the paint peeling off (already???). What happened to good work ethics, quality of work and doing one's job properly?

The feeling of slight regret at the thought that maybe I should have gone with a big interior contractor/firm to do get all the work done. Maybe the final quality and look of the work could have been better. The could-have-beens and if-onlys just add to it.

The hope that all these niggles and hiccups will be gone eventually and things will work smoothly.

The pleasure of lovely views, night time city lights, cool breeze, warm hearts and sun drying clothes.

The joy when things like newspaper delivery, laundry collection, milk delivery and car wash are all taken care with one phone call.

The belief that all things that are meant for you shall come to you - in one way or another! So do what you want to and life will gently tread you towards the path meant for you, towards people you are supposed to meet, towards places you are supposed to go to!

Real Homes I - Poorni, KG and Adi's house

This post has been pending for the longest time ever! I know! Without further delay presenting to you *Drumroll please* - the first home in the Real Homes series, which belongs to Poorni, KG and their son Adi.
Lets start with a tour of the house and then I will tell you about the owners :)

For me, these first two pictures sum up their home, they are the essence, the soul of their home.  These pictures are a preview of what the owners love!

Poorni is learning to play a guitar. Music, books, collectibles, eclectic stuff, mixed furniture, it all finds a place in their home and makes it warm and inviting. 

Both Poorni and KG are book lovers and yes they pick up books even if they have lots in the to-be-read list. I do that too, do you?

One of the many things I love about their home is the lived-in, casual feeling one gets as you walk in.

Those are tiny paper lights strung around the bigger hanging lamp and they look oh so pretty when lit up!

The Dhalls are a travel loving family and their trips all over the world have resulted in a lovely collection of artifacts displayed all over the house.

Ladies and Gentlemen presenting to you the Starbucks coffee mug collection :) 

This lamp was picked up from Delhi on a trip to source lights for their current house when the interiors were being done. 

Wall art picked from Purple Turtles, Indiranagar. The art is by Aarti Karwayun Chawda of ispaceart. 

Very soothing and long lasting natural fiber blinds from BlindLove, Indiranagar.

Their house has soothing colours, mostly neutrals or earthy colours like this brick wall here. 

Art and various art forms can be seen throughout the house, like the aboriginal art from Australia above. 

The blend of the traditional with the modern, you think?? Love the antique finish mirror, again from Purple Turtles. The fridge magnets are souvenirs picked from everywhere they have been. 

The love for music has passed on to Adi, who is learning to play the drums. 

Poorni is an ex IT professional. She loves to travel, read, try new things and explore the world, one bit at a time! She is also a photographer and does assignments professionally. Check her photography page here. She is the owner/creator of Beantree, which uses natural and locally sourced ingredients to produce food free from preservatives and additives. Their lovely, finger licking hummus is available in multiple stores. My personal favourite is the lemon coriander hummus. 

KG apart from his corporate world/IT career which takes him around the world more than often, loves to read and run. He is now preparing for his first 50K run. 

Let me know if you would like to know anything about the things featured in the post - what, from where, et all. I shall ask the owners and let you know. 

Happy Friday and hope you all have a lovely weekend!!

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/