A House of Eternal Spring!

I know it has been so long since I wrote on...I missed it! And now....I no more want to wait. I have been wanting to show you this home...our family home which has spring in it all year round. It is also a home full of art and colour...

It all starts with a beautiful lush green garden and a pretty dainty entrance full of knick knacks. Our family is a strange mixture of artists who sing, paint, sew etc...and you shall see that pretty soon. 

From the porch we enter a small entrance which is always decorated differently. Bipin's mother is one of the most creative women I have ever see. Right from the garden into her antiques, she mixes her knick knacks and displays them beautifully.

This house is designed in such a way that everything looks spacious. The living room has two arched entrances, the ceiling is about 22ft high. Even its staircase is as wide as ever! Warm hanging lamps light up the space making the white wall look fresh and serene. It also brings out the colour and beauty of all the artwork displayed in this home.

This wall hanging a patchwork made by the lady of this house. The fall colours inspired her to make such a beautiful work of art. 

A low seating with its upholstery made with the pieces of cloth she salvages from her sewing makes this corner in the living room look lovely. There are fresh flowers and white desi print curtains...just always around here... 

She also painted this little low coffee table and made something so bright and wonderful out of a plain white table!

One other beautiful feature that has been sketched and painted is a wall in a small corner room of this house. This was has been made for all the 3 grandchildren they have. Its a wall where all kids gaze and learn so much.

There is so much more in this home...our home. I won't bother explaining things, just scroll down and take a look!

Some more of her artwork, her hobbies which translates into a wonderful home...

And yes...this is that very half bucket which Bhoole Bisre makes where the milkman put the milk in. Its always safe from stray cats! 

Isn't this home cozy, artistic, lovely and beautiful....we love how every bit of it is worked on...we love how it is green and flowers everyday...and thats why we call it " a house of Eternal Spring...its wonderful!

Its a Twin Thing!

My twins are born on Aug 01, 2013....I know, its quite recent. But before they were born, I had a lot of work which needed to be done at home. Of course, I had no idea about how much I would need to do after they were born....Gosh!!! :O

Anyway,  a part of my twin project was making their room ready. I didn't know if I was going to deliver 2 boys or 2 girls or a boy-girl combo. Hence, wanted to create a space which would cater to any pair that would be born to us.

A lot of my friends suggested I make ample storage. A toy trunk, some drawers for their little clothes, etc. One of my architect friends called Aloka even suggested that I make a diaper changing station. I knew I had to plan this well. I needed enough storage and at the same time make arrangements to have all the above. 

This diaper changing station below is simple. I also use it as an iron board. It is just a simple folded shelf which I pull out and unfold....it gives me a a whole long platform of 4ft. Voila...my babies get a changing space and I get a pain-free back! :)

Just recently, I also got my kitchen done. It had some old baskets which were in good condition. I didn't have the heart to throw them. I wondered what could be done with them....until then, I realized that they could be a part of the wardrobes in the baby room. I was so happy, I could reuse so much!

I believe in hand-made things. After I got the room painted white and blue, I wondered what could go up the wall. I decided to make some wall frames myself. I wanted to use some basic material and have delightful picture frames mounted on the wall. Since the room was going to be shared by twins...similar frames were made. In this whole little craft making session, I did very less while my friends Aditi & Tanu, relished cutting, pasting and organizing these little newspaper hearts cuttings....

The twins being so little, still do not have their own beds. I decided to retain my futon for the time being. This futon is low and ideal for both of them. I turn it up into a sofa during the day and as the day ends, we convert it into a bed.

The kiddie room has long windows which overlook beautiful tall dense trees which is swamped with lovely birds, we decided to make a bench alongside the window. We designed it in a way, that kids can sit and enjoy their meals a little later at age. Since the window was 5ft long, we even decided to make small drawers for slender storage. 

To make the room look happy, bright and cheerful, I decided to decorate with little things. Things like bright bold knobs on the wardrobes, cascading red jute lights and some pillows which would make their tiny room full of life! They say "It's double the giggles and double the grins...And double the trouble if you're blessed with twins." I think I am blessed! :)

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!

The Lively-wood Studio

It has been a four years since I started Lively-wood. Nurturing and flowing with it made these years go by and I thought it was time to gift this endeavor a little something. It was time to progress a little! So a shabby little workshop turned into the Lively-wood Studio. A place to display my work, colour, ideas and every little thing that helps me create something new!!



To start with the mirrors, I needed a place to display each and every one of them so that I keep the artwork intact and at one glance, my customers or visitors have a chance to see them all. It also meant, having all the floor space for other things.



A desk with knick-knacks that motivate me, was an important element. I had preserved these mementos from my college days which had abundant memories yet were packed in boxes. I had to get all of it out along with some recycled clocks and put it up right there. I had a artwork, lying around from a project, that I didn't want to throw and was wondering how best to put it to use. So this leftover work turns into a bright bold red grid with the mementos and all my paper gets a display on the soft board hung over my desk!








Like I mentioned in one of my earlier post, I am going crazy recycling! Yes, I went crazy re-using as much as possible even this time! I started with using two steel cut outs which were lying around from Bipin's Dad's factory in the scrap heap. I coloured them and displayed them at the entrance of my studio. For now, I think they look great there! The next I re-used was a window grid made with very good quality sagwan or teak wood. I decided to paint it deep blue and used it as my little chandelier! The list like that, goes on and on...





Lastly, I wanted to display whatever was left behind. A ceramic bell, paper lights, a bird cage and so many little knick-knacks!







Its so nice when some loved ones visit you. I loved taking them to my studio and also felt good to be appreciated.