Returning to our Home!

When we decided to return to India, that too, to our own home in Pune....there were constant plans running in my mind about what I want to do...when we get back! With baby girl around, the execution is much slower....but i did get to work! 
I got these gorgeous wall decals in Paris and stored it away to put it up when we get back to our own home....a sense of permanence prevails only in my own home, so I waited with bated breath for the "execution"....and it was definitely worth the wait!

its simply gorgeous and definitely makes my simple walls stand out in our master bedroom! 

They are an easy and effective way to renovate and of course, not too expensive compared to painting it all over again! 

The wall decals are a big plus for us coz Baby Girl loves to stare at all the patterns and colours...so I decided to add one more to the T.V. room....so that we can distract her while she eats...

I have always wanted to add some greens and plants into the decor, but with Baby Girl around, its not a practical option right now coz everything goes into her mouth! So I chose this decal from www.shopo.in and it was pretty easy! 

I had pretty specific things to do, on my mind - when we got back....so I was online shopping for stuff and to be fair, it has all worked out much cheaper and is a great success too! One of them are these storage cabinets with a vintage look and ceramic drawers - they are super cute and very kitschy!

I have stored all my pretty fragrances and put it up in the living room alcove and it has turned the otherwise ignored corner into a lovely turn! :-) I bought three of them at a very reasonable price on www.pepperfry.com ( this is NOT a sponsored post! - just sharing the website for fellow readers if it helps!)

We have lots of things to store away, but alas there is no storage - i bought this lovely chest of drawers that proudly displays all our memories and memoirs! All our mundane stuff is neatly concealed too - win-win? This is from www.pepperfry.com too! 

I bought a table runner in bright colours and added all our pictures from our travels and my favorite Buddha! :-) Its a calm and peaceful alcove with happy memories and loved ones! :-)

Baby Girl, as you all know was born in Paris. S and I, wanted something that is a reminder of the city and something we could show her when she grows up. We do plan to take her there when she is older. So I was eyeing this piece on www.maisonsdumonde.com while in Paris, and got it shipped to India. 

It is like a window with a view of the Eiffel Tower, exactly where our apartment was - in close proximity and with a great view! It makes for an amazing theme in the living room! 

Boy, am I glad we bought this! Baby Girl stares at it and pulls at the window pane - yes it is an actual window pane without a window, of course!

Our guest room is filled with glass paintings and long stitch projects done by yours-truly over the years....

The one with the mama panda and baby panda is so apt and meaningful now that I am blessed with Baby Girl! :-) 

The murals in wood that I mentioned here are a prime focus in the living room!

...my favorite purple pouf and the kitschy mirror! 

I have rearranged our terrace a little bit - here and there! 

...Our new decor is eclectic and kitschy now, Like? :-)

Lust List for the Home!

I recently updated our furniture, decor as you can see here! So of course, I need to be Bill Gates's sister to be able to afford everything all at once or buy it all at once! But there is no harm in "window shopping", in this case - "screen hopping" - so here goes!

All images courtesy, and available at : www.maisonsdumonde.com

I love how elegant and modern wrought iron furniture looks though it has its disadvantages!( tends to creak a lot!)...anyway, coming back to this lovely "cocoon", I love beds with a canopy for the simple reason that it gives me a feeling of being in a cocoon! :) Someday....or maybe one down the years for baby girl? we could both curl up together... ;-)

My love for all things "Buddha" is no secret and its apparent from all my "decor posts" earlier...(click here and here)...I am attracted to a "Buddha" only if the face is right...it should resonate absolute calm and tranquility and some of them really call out to me! Here's an example for you and left to me, I would surround myself with him anyday...

I have always fancied the name "papasan", it sounds damn cute and if you look at a papasan, it shrieks sheer comfort and you can curl up in the balcony, enjoy a lazy afternoon reading a book and some hot chai! :) It sure looks inviting, doesn't it? That is a must-buy on my list! 

While a papasan is probably more affordable, this is another "book-chair" I have been eyeing...a baroque style lounge chair! 

Baroque style furniture is typically characterized by grandeur, drama and is exuberant owing to its Roman origin...

Both S and I loved it, except the cost is as grand as it looks! It costs more than a entire living room sofa set! :P A girl can dream, right? :)

Tea lights are a great way to lend some colour, brightness and romance to a cozy corner - they are economic too! It can also double up as diyas during Diwali...I love this stand with its multi-coloured tea light holders! What are you lusting after?

"Let there be light and cheer..."

We are evolving constantly with time, and this is reflected in our homes as well. I love bold vibrant colours,unique eclectic elements infused into our homes - after all, your home is a reflection of your personality, of who you are...

My passion for home decor began a long time back, and the opportunity to experiment and try new things began when we set up our own home in Pune, India! Unfortunately, I did not blog or take pictures of our home when we were in Bangalore.

I update the accessories and decor at home as much as I update my wardrobe, which evidently is pretty often! :P 

When we moved to our Paris home, I began the change with this and this! Over the last four years or so, we have gone through many subtle changes - here, here, here, here and here! 

This couch has been with us for many years and we have used it a lot since we moved to Paris, so its worn out and though it looks good and is in good condition, it began to sink really low and we had back pains often....so we decided to buy a new one and get rid of this! I never thought we would be so attached to a piece of furniture, but every little thing at home has some memories attached to it.

Isn't life all about looking forward, happiness and creating new memories?  So we moved on with optimism and this time green is our "new black" of sorts! Sunlight, warmth and sunshine is such a rarity in Paris. So I wanted to infuse a lot of light and colour in our home - so I chose green and purple as our colour scheme this time for the living room ( you will notice that we are leaning towards green slowly)! :)

We veered towards a textured olive green-lime green upholstery and moved away from the traditional black or pastel colours that are often chosen!

I love purple and wanted an element of it in the living room - hence the bonus futon! This upholstery would have been too overwhelming for the couch, but adds a pop of colour in small elements to the subtle green!

Both my MIL and Amma have some lovely wood carvings in their homes and I have always loved it! So when I saw this mural on a home decor website here, that too at a bargain, I literally jumped on it! It looks absolutely gorgeous and is an absolute keeper, will remain a constant in our home - wherever we go!

Over a period of time, I have slowly collected and co-ordinated the accessories around the "green" theme, including the mural, taishi, cushions( but, of course!) and the patch work embroidery!

I can't wait for my folks and S's folks to visit us again and enjoy, appreciate and share our lovely home! I have been so excited about every little detail....and S can finally heave a sigh of relief now! :P

Colour pyschology in home design suggests that the colour green fosters peace, calm and a feeling of warmth and security in your home. Green is not only the "in" colour right now, it also leaves us with a feeling of contentment and totally relaxed. Cozy, for sure! :)

Organizing Fetish!

...and a fetish I am glad I developed! I have grown fond of organizing all my stuff and especially how it makes life easier and "sorted"!

After organizing my dressing table here, I tackled the bathroom with its numerous appliances we both use, well mostly I use! ;) The hair dryer, straightener, curler, S's electric shaver and other sundry toiletries that we tend to use on a daily basis and stuff that can be all over the place! So finally, I managed to put it all together like this and "brand" it in my own style!

I bought this online from www.littlewoodseurope.com if anybody is interested...

I have a bunch of artificial creepers that I bought long back, I added that to give the room a touch of "greenery and nature". :) We are pretty sorted and "safe" now that there aren't wires hanging everywhere and its all neatly stowed away after use!

Spring is the time of plans and projects...

...as sunlight peeks into our lives slowly...we are waking up to the warmth and sunshine and are definitely more cheerful! I can never say it enough...I never ever thought I would long for sunshine so much....this year has been pretty busy from the start, yet I have managed to complete tiny projects around our home, which always brings me joy! :)

 

I deliberately chose a pastel coloured frame to offset the blue in the painting and it adds the right "springy" effect to the room...

I bought these 2 prints of Van Gogh that I loved, when we went to Amsterdam to bring in my big 3-0! Finally, I got it framed and it brings a pop of colour to our room, and we wake up with a smile in our little fairy land! I love our bedroom - it totally looks like our very own  little paradise! One of the print is this - of almond branches and another one is the very popular "Cafe de nuit" ( which means cafe at night!). Our home in Paris has this painting in a big frame and I loved it, so I bought one to take back to our own home in India! :)

These white orchids are one of my gifts from S this birthday in March! I loved it coz its going to be around for a while! I get really sad when fresh flowers wilt and don't really last long! S was super thoughtful and got me the plant too! So they adorn my kitchen window and cheer us up in the mornings as we have our cup of java or chai! :D

I feel sLOVEnia!

...this is the slogan for you guessed it right, Slovenia! ....and what a beauty she is! :) S and I, didn't really plan our holiday too well and on a whim decided to head eastwards! While all our friends were very surprised about our choice, we can't imagine why the country is not a popular travel destination! People are very friendly, the country is gorgeous and blessed with tons of natural beauty!

As always, I brought along something to remember the lovely times in Slovenia! I have been eyeing this ceramic drawers on various sites and wondering how to get one, for myself! When I saw this...in a store and fell in love instantly! Its a unique piece, just like I am! :P

Each drawer is very colorful and is BEA-U-TI-FUL! S gets his share too, maybe one draw? :)

I love the ornate wood carvings on top and it holds all my little , pretty bottles of heaven - which by the way - are ALL gifts! I have never bought myself a perfume in a long time! :)

 

I love chimes and the soft clink-clank of it as the wind blows! Its very pleasant and calming. Though, here the weather here does not permit us to open the windows right now - back home in Pune, the balcony with the swing was filled with chimes of all kinds - all around and we were referred to as the house with all kinds of bells! :) I remember S taking a conference call from home once, and everyone asked him where the lovely sounds came from? 

...This is my first post this new year, and I am all excited and filled with wonder and hope, that it is filled with loads of love, happiness, good health, peace and everything warm, bright and motivating as these lovely tea-light candles! :)

DIY Memorabilia

On our holiday to Austria back in 2009, we visited Vienna. We bought this lovely (The Kiss) painting by Gustav Klimt, in the form of a ceramic tile as a memorabilia! We have a huge collection of fridge magnets from all our travels and it is our most prized collection! (that requires another post!)

Anyway, It has been lying around for a long time and I wanted to make sure it is not lost over the years, in some insignificant corner or lost in transit when we move homes! Its a small piece and to get it framed was such a pain AND when we did find someone, it cost 10 times more than the tile itself! So I set out doing it myself!

1. I bought a standard picture frame and removed the glass.
2. I also bought a plain textured wrapping paper ( I wanted something that looked grand, enhance the painting, not be a distraction!)
3. I wrapped the cardboard in the matte-gold textured wrapping paper.
4. The ceramic tile had a velvet patch on the back and it was convenient to stick it on to the wrapped cardboard.
5. Finally, I put it all into the frame, and voila!...

 

P.S - I have not been very successful in sourcing glass slabs, so I can use the one that came with the picture frame, to work on a glass painting! :D Two birds with a single stone!!!

Itching to be creative...

I miss working on glass painting that I used to freely work on - one after the other, back in India! In Paris, I am not sure where I can get slabs of glass from...Anyway, this weekend, S and I were busy rearranging the furniture, cleaning and clearing all the clutter from the busy weeks we had....when I found a pile of pebbles I collected from NICE, in the south of France!

I coloured each pebble in a vibrant colour and put them together in this clay Uruli, Amma gifted me when she came to Pune! :)

Its difficult to grow plants as its winter, but I don't give up! Actually, the coriander-hoarder in me does not give up....so I built a space on the balcony around the colourful pebbles. I have loads of little coloured pebbles and small knick-knacks that I have collected over the years...and never really get rid of!

...Slowly, I added the Rajasthani men too....along with the christmas pinecones!

....and now I have something to cheer me up....as I look along outside, with a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower and sip coffee, read a book or talk to S!

Wrought Iron Accents!

I love anything in Wrought Iron...I feel it adds a unique charm to any space and has a nice contemporary feel to it too. Some time back, when I scoured through every home store in Paris for a dressing table for a "budget", I came back with this...though it was slightly expensive! :) I never disappoint the shop owner....:P

It gives a nice earthly feel to that corner of my home, and I think it can look nice, wherever we move too! :) I am sort of confined, in terms of space here in Paris as compared to our own spacious home, back "home"! Not that it stops me from working on improvisations!

I saw some lovely wall sculptures and wall hooks, and some amazing ideas - just need another room! :D To give you an example, I am loving this...very unique and "inspirational", yet modern!

(Picture courtesy: www.ironaccents.com)
If you live in the U.S, you should definitely look it up, I was browsing online and found them! They have an amazing collection of everything under the sun in iron! :)...no, I am not being paid to plug this in...I genuinely feel its a great site with some interesting products to offer...

P.S - The wall clock is a lovely gift for S from his team in India, when we came to Paris and the twin tower hanging is ....from Prague, duh! :) Our memorabilia from that lovely mystical place that did not disappoint one bit! We are very blessed to see so much beauty in our lives! Truly!