Make Peace with Whites & Then, Cool Off with Blues!

White it is.... always my favourite! Clean, sleek and chic! And can you say anything about blue? Blue can be smart, sophisticated and sexy and above all pairs up perfectly with whites! 

A Backyard to Envy

The blue of the bicycle, the old fashion golden lamp shade and the white washed walls... Doesn't that offer a major curb appeal?

Hearty Whites

Did you catch the bunch of hearts pouring their love out against the solid white wardrobe and royal blue wall?

Can it also be bold?

The true blues in the pillows matched with the bold red are what really makes this bedroom, well, pop. And yes, it can be bold!

White Kitchen

They are officially making a comeback!

Baby Blue meets Persian Bedroom

While we were holidaying in Turkey, our little room in Cappadocia looked all cozy and warm. I am sorry for not such a good picture but couldn't help sharing this with you. 

Flowy White Drapes!

If you can tie a knot, then these flowy cafe curtains will make your space look big. Just throw some patterned pillows and make the room summery and bright!

A Space full of Romance!

I love this bed and colours and everything else about this room! It was dreamy and just right outside was the expanse of the blue of the Atlantic Sea! 

Tall White Columns!

The soothing effect of the blue lantern & white columns made this front yard look lovely. 

Whites are calming, elegant, restful and above all versatile while blues make you relax and freshens up any space. I always embrace hues of whites and never forget to incorporate blues as well! 

Heritage Home in the Himalayas

I just came back from a wonderful vacation from the Himalayas. I have visited different places in these glorious mountains so many times but every time I reach out to them, I bring back wonderful memories and a sense of serenity. This time, I brought back peace and a little treasure built by my friends Dipti & Partha Roy.

Bipin and I decided to visit Partha & Dipti in Dalhousie this summer. We needed to cool off a bit. What could be as exciting as travelling into the Himalayas and spending time with your best ol' pals? We both were really looking forward to see them and their little girls. I was also looking forward to see how both my friends had put their creative levels into various things they do. Let me tell ya, being innovative is in their genes and I was sure I would see a lot of it here.

So let me start with who these dear friends of mine are. Partha is the most fun loving friend I have ever had. He is a dedicated army officer or rather he is called Partha Roy, an artist who makes the best caricatures in the world and a very devoted father. He is one person who strives hard to learn new things and loves to explore everything. You can see it in his eyes, his work, his home which is so splendidly put together.

 Dipti is my college buddy and I guess we have been friends for almost 17 years. She is a pass out from NIFT and graduates in accessory designing. She has an eye to create beautiful things from the smallest of objects. A talent which comes out when I see her fabricate things around her home, a talent when I see her bring up her children or a talent when I read her prose and poems! Splendid!

I knew when I would be back, I would carry something home with me, I knew they would give me a whole bunch of ideas to write and share things with you. I brought back some beautiful pictures of their home. I couldn't have not written about it and shared it here on my blog.

So Partha and his wife are posted in this little town of Dalhousie deep in into the Himachali mountains. They have a home with 12 rooms which is recorded to be a 100 years old. It is a white washed angelic home sown into the Himalayan terrain with a pretty backyard charmed by their 3 dogs.

What made us love it the moment we entered was the porch or the lobby area of their home. Dipti created a beautiful partition with embroidery rings and lit them brightly. It spread a warmth at the entrance and partially hid the view of the long lingering porch which eventually became her dinning area. When I asked her why she used embroidery rings, she said she had heaps of them from her college days. She wasn't making much use of them and what could be better than making them a part of her home?

I decided to walk through this lobby, first into a very comfortable seating space which led into the the dining area. This leeway had a comfy bench covered with a pretty bedcover. Me being inquisitive, I tucked under the it and saw how creatively she had arranged her enormous army trunks and made it in to a long seat. She explained that they leave stations every 2 years and have so many of them to pack their stuff in. Instead of  dumping these trunks, she thought it would be wise to use them around the house with her little clever touch! Indeed...it was smart! :)

Slowly, as we walked into the room, we realized that this place was a labyrinth of rooms and doors all connected to each other. It took us a while to figure out that almost every room leads into another. Then...I walked into an area of high indulgence....an area which Partha could be at ease! As soon as Bipin saw this space, a huge smile occurred on his face. A smile that brought instant comfort to him and our hosts. Well guess what, it had a lovely drum set, a guitar and a synthesizer. To add to the excitement, it also had a lovely bar. Just like our home, the Roys made their "Leisure Lounge' as well. I named this room the "Musical Indulgence"!

Yet another room that I loved was their living room. This room was a little bigger and had a lot of artwork done by Partha. The walls were beautifully decorated with some lovely portraits he made. The ceiling of the entertainment centre was garnished with hand-made bamboo lamps made by Ditpi.

Coffee table and runners were adorned by little artifacts collected from their travels all over the country. Paper lamps trimmed the corners of this room making it cozy. What caught my eye was an exquisite red fireplace which was lit with a radiant bamboo lamp which made it look like a lit fireplace. All was so well kept and thought out.

A lot other things I cherished from my travel to this place besides this delightful home. I loved their clumsy dogs, their little angels who helped their mother maintain such a lovely home, the lovely barbecue that was made one night in the courtyard and above all, the love, warmth and the happiness my friends showered upon us!

Travel, Inspiration & Art

A lot of times, I go clicking pictures of different things like fruits, a scene at a bus stand, or a shoe display...etc. Its incredible how many pictures I have of things which seem irrelevant and pointless! But for me, they are a constant source of inspiration. I have over 1000 pictures just randomly clicked, all intending to flood me with ideas. My post this month is about these photos and its implementation into my work, so far.

Persia comes to my Door Step

From the Land of the Turks came my little inspiration of a beautiful dresser I made for my friend. Most mosques in Turkey had these ornate taps in their courtyards which encourage people to wash their feet and then enter this religious place, clean and pure.



This old and ancient tap inspired me to make her dresser. If you notice, you will see the similarity in the shape and the ornateness in the design. The rich golden yellows and deep blues reminds me of my wonderful trip to the land of the Sultans.

A midst the Himalayas

A midst the Himalayas is this little state of Sikkim, heavily influenced by the Tibetan culture. I call it the spiritual, lost little paradise. Its simply gorgeous! I was so touched by how beautiful it is that I decided to use it in one of the most popular items I make, yes, a mirror!



The script on the mirror says "Tashi Delek" meaning May Good Luck come to You in Bhutia language. One of the most beautiful prayer rollers in the Rumtek monastery inspired me to make this piece!

The Zanzibar Islands in Africa

I was shocked to see the overwhelming intricate doors on all the houses in Zanzibar! I had to use it...the idea, the design! It came popping in into another deep green mirror I made, I call it Peacock Plumage!



Balloons of Cappadocia



Going back to central Turkey, I had this wonderful experience of sailing through morning skies in a hot air balloon. The view from the top was like a wonderland. A wonderland which I tried creating for a children's room and on multi-functional trunk I call the Balloooooni Balloon Trunk, made to store toys and use it as a chair while studying.

Jaatt Riksy after Whisky!



You might be wondering whats wrong with my title??!! Well the core of our country, the everyday scene which we hardly notice was brought on to my work. I have seen so many varieties of trucks, lorries or semi as they call in the USA but I have never seen one as decorated, colourful and funny, anywhere else in the world besides India. I always wanted to use all the gaudy designs and funny wordings! Hence Jaatt Riksy after Whisky!

Its all about Lights!



Going back to my Turkey trip, all over, everywhere were these dazzling lights hung from the ceiling. There were times when some of us has to duck down to avoid bumping against them. The warmth created by them was so kindling and cozy. I used it in one of my projects. It made the room look, warm and inviting.

The Fall Colours!



When I look at the trees during fall, a strange feeling of content and peace comes over me. The colours look so bright, warm that the rising cold feels so insignificant. During my stay in the USA, this beautiful patchwork was done by a very dear family member of mine. Its took effort, love and a lot of imagination to create it!

The Turkish Cat Story



I am still not sure about cats from Turkey. They are all over, everywhere, on the roof, in the meadows....on the chair!! I wanted to pet them all, cuddle them all!! I saw a beautiful, fluffy one sitting on a chair...that concluded it all. I recycled a used paint drum with pretty little cats on it and converted it into a stool.

Well...I think I can go on...and I know I have to stop! I would love to hear stories from you...little things that inspired you to create something. Please write to me about anything that motivated you, and made you build something...very close to your heart!

Doctors Office gets a Makeover - Ballooooonni Balloon Library & Children's Work Space!

My doctor client now has a consulting room, a waiting area, a small reception and a pretty little library with loads of goodies and space for toddlers to teenagers. When I met her, she was in great dilemma, she has a lot of books, little therapy sessions for kids and young patients, so how could she accommodate all this in her spare area? The room needed to look cute, bright, cheerful on one hand and on the other, demanded space for her books and work area for children. So here it goes.....



A central view of the room, a wash basin, a nice display of children's work on a push pin board and a study on the side.



I thought of displaying children's inspirational handy-work on the central wall of the room. It made the room very warm and welcoming.



Making the room comfortable to sit and work was also important. In case of sessions, a spare examination bed was essential. Hence we gave it enough storage for books underneath and threw pillows to make it warm and inviting.

So far, the view of the library has been hidden. Ardent readers often have problems, they can't resist buying books and then, there is no place to stack them. Small open & closed shelving was made to display some interesting books and the stack the other reference books below them.



However, a desk, toy trunk and toys were important ingredients of this space. Yet everything needed to be compact and comfortable.



A Ballooooonni Trunk was made with a fluffy foam seating, with ample space which serves well as a bench for the table and fits perfectly under it, saving space and making it compact. A lot of people asked me if the cushion came off the trunk while opening it. The answer to this is no, it is completely removable with a removable cover as well and yet attached well to the trunk top.



The biggest highlight of the room were the Balloooonnni balloons on the wall. The light blue wall with a variety of air balloons painted on it made the room look colourful and alluring for not only kids but even adults.

I even thought of making a frilly light curtain to cover a small window. It did wonders to the wall and to the face of the entire room.

Home - Colour, Art & Tradition Inspired!

View of the farms, feel of the winds and openness of the large windows inspired me to take up this project. A small splash of colour was the only thing required to make it look cosy and inviting.





The living room is large with its king size windows and a terrace which opens to a farmland so vast that it is unbelievable to conceive that it is a part of Pune. The owners had some sturdy Sagwan sofas with orange jute upholstery which became my focal point and helped me design the rest of the home. The dark brown furniture helped me to tone down the blues of the walls, orange of the sofas and the yellow of the lamps. We made the room look retro with its retro sofas and a mix and match of wall decor.




To accentuate its retro look, we designed a corner shelf and a little magazine table to balance out the spaces and to help them store things. Instead of using veneers and laminates, I decided to give it an old rugged look to match the rest of the living space.




I also wanted to use some original artwork in this area. It had to be something that nobody would have in their homes. We got some paintings done for less and from the scrap we had.




A corner of the room was also made to store CDs, music system and their TV with a little bar and glass cabinet.




A dance studio became one of the other important themes of this home. The room belongs to an upcoming dancer who according to me should wake up every morning feeling inspired. Hence the ‘dance studio room’!




I could not forget the hallway and the entrance. They had to be classy and inviting. They provided storage for shoes, helmets, tools, newspaper, and inverter.






Lastly the master bedroom, done traditional with so much sunshine and freshness and a mixture of art from various parts of India.