Happy to be Published! :)

Its so nice to be published on a another blog which is a huge treasure by itself!  I received a wonderful surprise from Lakshmi Nagarajan last evening! She is a writer of the blog "Dress Your Home" (http://www.dressyourhome.in/). She comes across to be very versatile since she writes financial articles, and has also written for Times of India, The Hindu and lots more!

She wrote a wonderful article on Lively-wood on her blog "Dress Your Home" (http://www.dressyourhome.in/) which features home improvement tips, house tours, DIY projects, and many pretty interesting things.....Check it out! 

Thank you so much Lakshmi!! 

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!

Beat The Heat!

No matter what you do, summers, in most parts of India ain't fun! It’s hot, dry and a never ending thirst for coolness is a bit annoying! Anyway...the heat being unavoidable, we can beat it through other ways. Sometimes, even the perception of coolness helps. This post I will talk less and share ideas with you 'visually'! :) We can all do very simple basic things to keep our homes airy, breezy and open. Little things like arranging flowers or changing upholstery can help. Indulge in little changes, I promise your home will beat the  heat!!

Changing Upholstery Helps!

Summers need to have shades of white & blue! I think it gives a breezier and cooler feel! I dug out my pillow shams and redid my upholstery! Believe me, it feels so fresh

Green has been my favourite! I don't think I can ever go without it! So this summer, blue, green and white is what I chose on my other seating area!

Add the Sheerness to Your Windows

Light curtains retain light and make your space look airy. They not only block excess light but allow just the right amount into your room. Here are some simple ways in arranging colours and curtains. 

The shades of greens and whites in the picture soothes through the scorching heat.

At Meghna's residence, we added a splash of fresh florals and blues which makes the place look happy and summery!

Never Forget the Cool Summer Mornings

Heat starts building in a little later in the day. The sun still rises in the coolness of the due in our gardens. Don't miss being out at this time. Pluck some lilies or wild flowers and arrange them at home. My friend Shilpa who owns a flower business shared some wonderful pictures of her flower arrangement she made everyday. 

Imagine how beautiful morning cups of coffee can be? :)

How beautifully summery can this lunch table be? Check out her beautiful flower collection....The Stalk Market - for Plush Poises! 

In this above picture, Shilpa arranged roses compliment the rustic desi "burtan" or vessels. This one was taken just before dinner at her place when all of us decided to cook one evening! Summers do get exciting as well!

The Actual Greens

Adding greens at home makes the ambiance cool and pleasant. Pot some pretty indoor plants or arrange for bamboo shoots or just a simple money plant. Unused vases and glasses can also be used for them.

So many people so so many different things. My sister arranged her music area with a beautiful Zerbera plant. She says she feel fresh to practice her violin in this corner of her home...

And I, at home decided to not only have some bamboo shoots in my unused vase but also change my decor and have my fresh bold green colour book shelf. Wow...it does make my room look fresh and cool!

I hope these pictures have given you ideas about what can be done to beat the heat! I promise, it won't be a scorching summer with all the little changes you make! :)

Kutchchy Ethos

The charms of Kutch are embedded into its art. Against the backdrop of the white crystal deserts and the yellow grasslands, the Kutchchy people stride in grace with their bold colourful embroideries. We can see this in their clothes, over their walls, on their beds...almost any place around. Overall a fantastic mishmash!

There are two distinct forms of art which are typically seen in the interiors of Kutch - Lippan Art and Kutchy 'Bharat' meaning embroidery.

A Gleaming Amalgamation!

Among the many Jat communities in India, Kutchchy Jats are nomadic, separated from their fellow families in Pakistan. They rear cattle, breed camels and indulge in exceptional artwork. Through some family connections, we had a good chance to meet a Jat family deep into the Dhodro village. When we entered their courtyard, we noticed a cluster of round mud houses painted white with bright carved doors. They had thatched roofs and looked like the ones in fairy tales. We later learnt that all mud houses, commonly known as 'Bhungas' belonged to one extended family and each sub family had its own 'Bhunga'. Wow...we were impressed because as soon as we entered one, it felt cool as if entering an air conditioning room. Not only that, it glistened with magnificent patterns and murals with mirrors embedded in them. The whole feeling of a warm welcome, the unruffled ambiance, freshness and the gorgeousness of these homes touched my heart. I couldn't help writing about it.

While trying to apprehend so much about how beautiful the 'Bhungas' are, I noticed how neatly everything was aligned and arranged. Looking at my baffled face the 'sarpanch' or the village head explained that murals on the wall are called Lippan. They make simple patterns with a generous use of mirrors and earthy colours. Usually mixture of donkey or camel dung and clay is used to make Lippan murals. It is hard to believe that donkey or camel dung can create such alluring work.

Thread and Countless Mirrors All over Kutch, we saw a spectrum of colours. Locals wear bright colours so that they can be spotted easily in the wide deserts. They have several types of embroideries like Kambari, Niran, Kherk belonging to different tribes in the region, etc. These patterns are known to be the most advanced and intricate. A lot of them indulge in skirt work and coverlets.

Typically, men set out with cattle while women embroider. These ladies prepare for tocher for their little girls. One such exclusive style of needlework that caught my eye was distinct from the rest. Apparently, it is known to be from Sind in Pakistan. There were rugs folded neatly which had small triangular pieces of coloured cloth stitched on the outer side with the actual embroidery being at the centre. This resulted in small and detached design from the interlaced woven fabric that stretched above the surface of the base cloth. I know it may be difficult to visualize what I just wrote but perhaps a picture might do some justice to my explanation.

I wondered how it must feel to have your entire life revolving around art. Its almost like you live, breathe, create and worship such a gift. I observed how women gossiped, took care of their children who chased goats while their hands moved swiftly over their needlework. Such incredible and perfected work was a boon! Hail to Kutch...inspiration unlimited!

Home of Eternal Triangles

High ceiling, open terrace and airy was how I would call this home. As much as fresh it was, it needed to be spiced up. Breaking walls, opening windows and refurbishing furniture is what I thought about when I saw it first. A long stretch of space had to accommodate living and dining area. The living area opened into the dining and then the terrace. At one glance, it seemed like a room which didn't quite end soon! The trio that lives here demanded openness and simplicity. A room full of furniture was not their style. I wondered how and where I should get started. The kitchen and dining area needed to be attended to first by breaking the mid-section wall. This would make more space and make the kitchen more accessible to the dining area. So there went down the 10” thick wall and the house looked bigger already.

Now I had a long wide space to work with. The family wanted a low seating in their dining area since they like sitting low and enjoy their meals. At the same time, they wanted a flexible dining table which could accommodate 10 people and yet be stored away only when 3 of them had their meals. So, we decided to make a huge dining table which could be detached into 6 different pieces. So for everyday meals, the family uses 2 tables and stacks the remaining. All 6 are used when they have company. So the 6 piece dining table yet needed tinge of unusual grace. Using browns didn't seem like fun. So we picked up the theme of eternal triangles and painted them on 2 tables. Duplicated the same on the opening of the kitchen entrance. This area looked charming as ever!

The dining had a futile cabinet pushed into the wall. We carved out a notch as per our requirement and sealed the rest. I wondered what I could do here since I wanted this place to look unique. This family had abundant old copper and brass urns and tins. They were keen on getting rid of them since storage was becoming difficult. I was increasingly happy to see them and asked if I could use them which meant drilling holes and converting them into lamps. So the urns became lights which hung gracefully with copper chains and got adorned by traditional brass bells. A mellow light inside them looked dazzling and romantic.

The dining area was not yet done. In the excitement of all these beautiful embellishments, I pleaded them to dig out more things which they didn't remember they had. Then slowly more and more antiques surfaced. They had forgotten most of it and almost did not believe what they inherited. So the junk according to them became a huge part of their décor. I arranged shelves abstractly and set all the antiques perfectly on these platforms completing the look of the dining area. We also converted a water container and a traditional water heater into side tables which became a part of this room. As far as I think, this is the best part in the house!

I could not neglect the living space which of course was the first place when you entered the house. Again, the family was ready to replace their bulky sofa with something trendier. It took me a while to convince them about retaining this piece because it was made with the finest teak wood which is impossible to procure today. I promised them to refurbish it so that they don’t get bored with it anymore. Later after some work was done on it, we realized we have saved a lot of wood from the remains on the sofa. The best part was, this wood was used in every bit of the furniture that was made new, like the coffee table and divider. Let me explain, this part of the living space needed the motifs of the eternal triangles to balance the dining area since it was the same extended room. We built a pretty coffee table with the wood salvaged from the hand rest of the sofas. The piece turned out to be remarkably pretty and took the attention of the living space.

The rest of the living room got converted into a simple space. An old wall cabinet became new where we displayed a beautiful sculpture of Buddha. We made a settee to make the place look cozy and keeping in mind that the family enjoys sitting low. A slider was made into the settee so that 2 people could sleep there if need be. The sofas got compact and prettier. We also converted the 2 chairs of the sofa set into stools with lower back support. This really changed the look of the living room. Two warm table lamps were placed on each side of the television set. The whole place looked cozy and welcoming.

The family wanted segregation between the dining and living space yet I had to maintain the openness. So I decided to make a floating divider between the two. We cut rounded quadrangles and squares and secured them into each other which hung from the ceiling. Even the bar on which we hung the divider was salvaged from the sofa! Every bit of the remains of the sofa made its way through various things in the house.

Lastly, I had to give my last bit of finishing touches. These came in by attending to the walls of the living space. So, with our remaining wood we decided to glue it, paint it and make it into something cool and special which would suit this space perfectly. Keeping the theme of triangles and quadrangles with fresh blue and tomato red toning it down with whites and browns, we completed this work just in time for the arrival of the Ganesh festival.