Reminiscing

As I write my first post of this brand new year, I reminisce a bit about the bygone and dream a little of the times to come. With a million thoughts and plans in my mind about the whole year ahead of me, I take the liberty of editing and quoting lines from a poem by T.S. Elliot to suit the occasion...

"In the year gone by I found words I never thought to speak, in streets I never thought I would visit. For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice..."

True that 11th of the first month of the year is not exactly a typical date for new beginnings, but then there are all sorts of people in the world and some of them aren't called late bloomers for nothing. 

Last year brought a couple of important 'firsts' in my life. It started with the first big interiors exhibit I got to attend with my best friend and I still remember how excited we were to be there, like little kids left alone in Disneyland. Following this was the mesmerizing trip to beautiful Prague. As it is it felt like a dream to be there , but then there was Designblok! the design festival of Prague that happened to fall just at the right time. 

Today I'd like to take you on a tour...think of it as a gallery display of designs that I picked out for you while I was in Prague. Enjoy!

Enter: Designblok - Living

Enter: Designblok - Lights

                                                                  

Enter: Designblok - Kids

    

    

A cute little shop the I fell in love with...

Do not miss the quirky lamp and the pretty ceramics

Would it be appropriate to say that I might have virtually 'curated' this collection? Well who's the judge here when 'To Curate' seems to be the most liberally used term of this era! 

I'll leave you with this picture of Prague city in all it's beauty at dusk, until I see you next...

   

The Artsy Post!

Someone once said "Because Art is never an extravagance." 

Now whoever said that was probably rich and was just trying to justify his profuse spending at that time. But let us give this guy some benefit of doubt and think that maybe what he was trying to put across was that art is not just for the higher circles, maybe he wanted to tell us that normal people like you and me can understand, appreciate and collect art too. You just need to have the hunger for beauty, for that something extra beyond what is visible through the naked eye.

GoodHomes magazine took a great step last month by hosting a week long celebration of Art in Mumbai with a motive to bring it out to the public in order to break the barriers of classes that we generally associate with art. Not only this, they have gone a step further and dedicated their December issue to art and this time instead of 1 there are 3 different cover pages to it, each designed & hand painted by 3 great artists - Aarohi Singh, Nilofer Suleman and Viveek Sharma who have done a fabulous job to commemorate the movement.

The magazine were kind enough to email me these exclusive cover pages for you all to see, so here, take a peek...

The hand painted look of the covers gives you another perspective, it reminds me of the pages in fairy tale books that we use to read as kids. I'm sure it means something different to each one of us.  Everyone likes to imagine, it allows us to see and be in a place that's not real or is a better expression of something that is real. Same is with art, the extraordinary expression of the ordinary draws you towards it. 

So a crazy coincidence happened with me or call it the law of attraction. Ever since I have got back from my holiday in Prague this October (fyi - the place is a hub of Art & Design), the bug had bitten me too and I've been reading and looking up stuff on artists, forms etc. This is something very new for me and at every step I go "whoaa...I don't know anything about this stuff" and then I learn a little more every day. And while I was at it, this email popped in my inbox from GoodHome Magazine asking me to write about their December issue, which is all about ART! As they say it, 'Like attracts Like'.

And for those of you inspired by all this talk about art, GoodHomes is holding a contest based on DIY entries which could earn you some great goodies. So get your creativity flowing and check out the details here.  Also, grab a copy of this exclusive December Art issue to get that extra dose of inspiration. 

Do share your thoughts via the comments box below because as you know it, I always love to hear from you. Cya soon!

Birdie love

There are days when I keep looking and nothing strikes me enough that is worth sharing with you all and then there are days like this when something so gorgeous walks right up to me via my inbox!

Image source

Yes its this birdie wallpaper! So pretty that it makes me wanna put it all over my house, ok! maybe not all over but don't you think it's a must have? As great as it looks in this powder room, I think it could go very well in a kids room too. Not that it is kiddie or something, because it would pretty much make any room call out to you, but it being a neutral design could fit well for kids any age ie. from lil ones to teenagers. Also, if you have a home decorated in a mix of styles it could even look good in a passage or a hallway or even on the facing wall of the foyer. I guess I am just penning my thoughts as they flow, but my point is that these lil birdies would look great chirping away in any part of your house, you just got to use you imagination and as they say it...make it POP!

Also, for those of you wanting to know the source of the wallpaper - fschumacher

Spacey...

U know those times when you see some place and it looks a little unreal, it makes you wonder what it must feel like to live in a place like that? That's how I felt when I lay my eyes on these pristine babies, check them out...

Images: T.B.H.Co

The decorating trick here seems to be that single focal point in each room. This focal point could be a pop of color or the shape or size of an accessory, but it has to shout out to you when you enter the room. 

Now go back up and notice the black chandelier(very boho!) - Room1, the over sized mirror - Room2, the tan leather chair - Room3, the larger than life map in a frame - Room4 and the unmissable barn door - Room5. Each one of these items add that 'wow' factor to the rooms while the heavenly white backdrops create the perception of space. 

# Lesson: Going subtle and single shaded (pastels if not white) in those tight areas in the house will help add the space effect and in order to liven it up, go fetch a showstopper. 

Melbourne...U beauty!

What if someone told you 'It's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!'? What's your first reaction?

Well for someone who digs beauty, art & design in all its forms it's only natural to get over the top excited and want to jump off her third floor balcony forgetting the fact that she is missing wings. Yea..so I hope someone is there to stop me from the madness if the above mentioned statement pops in my inbox a month from now. 

A few years ago my cousins were staying in Melbourne and my Massi (Mom's sister) must have invited us over a million times. But owing to several things that were going on in our lives like school holidays would clash with Papa's work at times and something or the other would keep coming up at other occasions, so we never got to go. And then they moved!

That was then and now things are different. I have full control over my life (well almost!) and say I get a chance to visit the place, what is it that I would do you ask? Picture this...

Take 1

It's a beautiful spring morning, my husband(B) and I are sipping delicious coffee at a cozy cafe. We finish with our yummy parfait and sandwiches and head straight to the Johnston Collection (museum) - belonging to Late William Robert Johnston, an antique dealer and collector. As our day is dedicated to museums and architecture this had to be an obvious choice for me to start. Housing a collection of 16th to 19th century decorative items, this place is remarkable and notably an inspiration for futuristic designs. While taking in every bit of the display breath by breath and daydreaming about  how i'd re-dress the place if given a chance one day (which by the way was a tradition started by Johnston himself), I try not to catch up with B who is already on the other end of the room. 

The Johnston Collection

The next stop is the National Sports museum where B and I seem to have interchanged our enthusiasm & pace. We follow this up with visits to Old Melbourne Gaol, Old treasury building, Melbourne museum, St. Patrick's & St. Paul's Cathedrals, Flemington Heritage centre and some click-click with frequent stops at some cafes & restaurants on the Brunswick Street. 

Take 2

We are at the federation square and a street artist accompanied by a couple of more people meet us here.  What are we in for? Today we check out the Melbourne Street Art scene.

As we move from alleys to arcades in the city, our guide who is a local street artist explains the relevance of art forms drawn on the streets. This avant-garde art is an expression of various artists and not frivolous graffiti. Be it an opinion on a political issue or an environmental issue, it's all there. At the end of 2 hours we reach The Blender Studio. It is a massive structure where we watch artists at work. We chat up some of them while sipping good wine and this great journey comes to an end. 

My mind feels like a white wall which has been sprayed on with thoughts of different artists as I leave the studio, I know I'll apply them somewhere someday.  

Blender Studio Wall 

It's late in the evening, I have my party shoes on and we are ready to hit a hip club in the city. Time to experience the night life at Melbourne.

Take 3

Its the day I had dreamt of many a times while doing the daily round of my favorite blogs. 

9 am, seated in a comfy spot at a studio, Abigail Ahern is about to begin her Master Class at Melbourne. I am ecstatic and can hardly contain myself. As I listen to the inspiring ideas that she shares I am even more intrigued than the first time I read her blog. The way she talks about the use of colors and objects , it makes me feel like I'm in a different world and never had I imagined things in this way. She finally spares a few minutes to have a quick word with me personally, I tell her how I love reading her blog everyday and try to ask as many questions possible. 

I think of the nights ahead which I'll spend dreaming about this day. 

Abigail Ahern

Take 4

The day is about to break out, B & I can hardly feel our heads with excitement. Its our first hot air balloon flight ever and we cant wait for it to take off. My heart is pounding as my phobia of heights takes over but I also know B will somehow make it go away as always. We can now see the Yarra valley and the vineyards beneath us as we sip champagne. This is going to be one of the most memorable breakfasts of our lives. 

Hot Air Balloon ride over Yarra valley

Wow! I'd like to believe I painted a pretty picture here from pieces of my imagination without actually ever visiting the place. What about y'all? Do write in to tell me about your experiences and for those of you wondering what got me so crazed out about this...goto www.visitmelbourne.com/in 

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