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!!

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/ 

My philosophy of a home...

... has been stated perfectly by Nicole Paulus here! She says "I think your home should be constantly evolving with you. Decorating should never be over."
I want my home to reflect me, my likes, my loves, my comfort. I want it to become my haven and feel more comfortable and warm every time I add something to it. 

You could use a designer, carpenter or DIY, what matters, at the end, is - when you step in, stay, settle down, does it make you happy? If it does, then everything is worth it!!

Since the last few months I have been drooling over home websites, furniture, decor, soft furnishings, fixtures, whatever-else-home-related-you-can-think-of. Came across some lovely inspirations, incorporated a few into my design. Today I will share some of my favourites with you :) 
Here we go - 

Love this swing. Pic and design courtesy Bluekrit

Yes! I am getting a swing in my living room. I have wanted one for ages and this was my chance to get it. More on that when the swing is ready :)

Picture courtesy Houzz.com

I love how calming and serene this master bedroom is! I like this picture for the overall look and effect than any individual element. The white trim and the pastel wall and ceiling colour is beautiful. Designing our master bedroom on similar lines with the space for the two chairs. Will keep you posted.

Traditional Paisley Settee by Horchow

I love love love this settee! Traditional yet packs a punch. I have a weakness for paisleys and the yellow is bright, uplifting yet doesn't overwhelm. This could be put in a room with neutral furniture and wall colours. *Note to self - Look out for fabric like this or the one below. 

Another favourite is this Ikat slipper chair!

Indigo Ikat Slipper chair sold by Urban Outfitters

Leaving you with this one - which appeals to the organized (OCD as some call it, but it is not) part of my brain. How cute is this. Need to source this and make a place for something like this. Enthucutlets are you listening?? 

By Pottery Barn Kids. Pic courtesy Houzz.com

Next post, next week - Electrical and Plumbing and what I learnt about them. Sounds boring? Let's make it fun shall we :) 
Feel free to send in queries, bounce off ideas, share thoughts, inspirations and ideas!! 

Would you like some tea?

Like Patty in her Weekend Wrap up, I had some tea on one fine Saturday morning. I usually don't have tea or coffee on a daily basis. Neither does S. Tea is made in our house only when guests, who drink tea, come over or it is a rainy or very cold day. This Saturday was a nice, pleasant and calm day (N wasn't up yet). I decided to do something to make myself feel special and here is how I spent my Saturday morning -

With a warm cuppa of tea and some good books! 

I love the print on the tea cups and the tea pot.

The chairs are my latest acquisition, courtesy my parents. They had these lovely Assam cane beauties and they gladly passed them on to me :)

The seating pair is comfortable and durable at the same time.

The rug was also sent by mom. It is a traditional hand woven rug from Punjab, more like a durrie than a rug I would say.

Linking this to Patty's Weekend Wrap Up. Hope That you guys had an awesome weekend and wil have an even better week ahead!!

A story of a table, 2 chairs and a re-org!

This weekend was action packed and fun-filled.
S and I had been thinking of getting a table and chair for N's room. He's growing up and needs a place to sit and do his stuff. You might ask "What stuff?" Ahem!! Things like playing with Lego blocks, action figures, draw doodles and the likes!
I did not want one of those heavier-than-you metal-coated-with-vinyl desk sets with an attached chair. They don't leave any room for changing the seating style. I am also not a very big fan of cartoon characters drawn over everything. I was looking for something plain and simple, something which blends with the room and is child friendly.
There are these tables and chairs in N's playschool that I love - simple, practical and child safe. I took the address from N's teacher and off we went table hunting. And we found this - 

In order to make room for the new furniture I ended up re-organizing N's room. This is how it looks. The desk and chairs blend into his room perfectly.
 

N loves it and started using it as soon as we were done with the place.

 

Another thing that I love in N's room is this bed sheet and cushion from Peek-A-Boo Patterns by Garima Agarwal.
Check her stuff out. Its awesome, unique and so so lovable!

N loves this auto bed sheet and cushion.

Hope all of you had a lovely weekend!!

I am linking to Patty's Weekend Wrap up 26.



The latest addition to my home...

... is this beautiful console table and a mirror.

You can see a glimpse of my mask wall in the mirror on the right edge. The mask wall in a separate post!

I think this console looks very similar to the 2nd one in this post. I love the colour, and the clean simple lines. I also love the fact that the console table has a mirror in the bottom half too.

I am still experimenting with the decor on the table so consider it work-in-progress for now.

And another favourite addition is this lovely YELLOW pot!! I wanted something bright that brings a pop of colour into the room. At the same time it should complement the room decor and colours.
Add a few gerberas and voila!!! I absolutely love this look. Bright peppy and cheerful :)

I set this up over the weekend and I am linking this to the Weekend Wrap Up 19 over at Patty's.





Happy Monday!!

Console Tables - wish list!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have started the hunt for a console table. I had this vision in my head since ages about having a console table in the entry way in my house. And finally in our current apartment (even though its not ours - but is a rental) there is the kind of space where a console table would look great.

So S and I did go out and look at a few tables last weekend. Liked a few and it got me thinking - If I had the choice what sort of console table would I really really want to have? Here are a few that got me drooling!

I want a console table with a mirror, absolutely! Mirrors make the room bigger and brighter and pretty too! So this one was an easy favourite -

via

I also have this bias towards semi circular or half consoles like the one below. I like the little bit of detailing on this and the fact that it has a lower slab - more opportunity to keep and show stuff!

via 

This one is simple, clean and the colour is deep and choclaty - love that!

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This one is from Pottery Barn. It is elegant and restrained. Love the green plant in the white holder. Isn't that so fresh and beautiful?

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This one has got some storage too but what I love most about it is the small lamps on the console. The right lighting can do so much to your room and mood.

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Well lets see what I finally end up with. I hope I find what I like or like what I find :)
Happy Thursday - Friday is almost here!!