Hello There!

Hello peeps! Thought I'd say a quick hello at the start of the week. We are having some lovely weather here in Gurgaon, well lovely only if you are indoors, not so lovely if you're commuting and having to face the chaos of the roads here in NCR :)

So I got a nice little surprise a few days ago, when Seema shared a picture of a lovely reading nook she has created in her home. She calls it her little sunshine corner and it's the place she enjoys her morning cup of tea or a nice long read. 

Isn't it just so warm and cosy looking? 

Seema, thanks for writing in and for sharing this beautiful space with us! 

Have a great week ahead guys!

Kanak's Whimsical Garden Oasis

Another addition of MY Space, My Style! This time we are taking you outdoors! For the last two years, I've been seeing my friend Kanak's garden transform into this magical little oasis of green. And if I were to be honest, everytime I see pictures of her garden, I turn a little green with envy :) 

Kanak & Anuj's home is in the heart of LA and their garden is just such a gorgeous, gorgeous escape! What is even more admirable is that it's been a D.I.Y project that they have undertaken together, and there is absolutely no doubt that it's been a complete labour of love! 

Prepare to be awed, inspired, and if you are like me, just the tiniest bit jealous! Each time I see her garden, I feel like going out onto my tiny little balcony and trying, rather unsuccessfully to make it a little prettier :) 

Enjoy my lovelies!

And this gorgeous girl is Izzy!

Just to give you an idea of context... here are a few 'before' pics

Don't Enid Blyton's stories come to mind? I can easily imagine elves and pixies up to magical mischief and playful pranks in the colorful, green nooks of this happy garden :) 

Hope you enjoyed this edition of My Space, My Style. Stay tuned to the blog for more this week. You can see more of Kanak & Anuj's home here. I have some interesting stories to share and a few BIG, BIG surprises are in store! 

[All images- courtesy Kanak Patel]

A Home seen through Instagram Vignettes

Happy New Year peeps! It's a brand new year, and I'm sure we have all made a whole bunch of resolutions! Me, I have made just two.... Do less with more Focus, and get better at Photoshop:) (Do you like my efforts above?)

Somewhere towards the end of last year I kinda lost focus on what the blog was about... and it became more of a task than a labour of love. After some amazing feedback from a few fellow blogger friends I did some introspecting and realised this was true. So I have gone back to my core area of interests... design and decor, food - mostly my food, with a few (very few) restaurant reviews thrown in and travel. This what gets me excited and this is why I blog!

And this is my New Years present to all you guys, a little visual treat for the senses. My Space, My Style is back! An old, familiar friend seen in a slightly different light:)  My good friend Kunal Shah, of Kunal Shah Designs, has the most fabulous home. And I have been nagging and nagging and nagging him to send me images of his place. I finally wore him down (I never give up and rarely take no for an answer) and he sent me a few awesome vignettes of his home captured through instagram. (Kunal... so sorry for filling your inbox with nagging reminders)

I love Kunal's home. It's so understated and stylish. A beautifully thought out, minimally styled space with Indian accents as well as some very hip international flair. It's a home that lovingly showcases beautiful pieces of art and craft as well has items of furniture that Kunal has collected on his travels, both in India and abroad. 

Through these images, captured by Kunal, you get a sense of his keen eye in picking out things. His choices reflect his sense of style and personality. There is tongue-in-cheek humour, wit, an appreciation for Indian art and craft and a love affair with international style- all juxtaposed over a muted, neutral palette (Kunal has an aversion to wall color). But there is also, surprisingly, the odd splash of color... in the form of books, sculpture and artwork.

So enjoy the eye candy my lovelies... do write in with your thoughts! Feedback is always welcome! And stay tuned for more eye- candy, some healthy recipes and lots more in 2015. Enjoy!

Those three doll heads on the antique cabinet are not a favourite of 

Kunal's friends, but he gets a huge laugh from creeping friends 

out with them :)

A collection of glass vases Kunal has picked up from flea markets 

in Ahmedabad, Delhi and other cities

Gandhi's Three Monkeys in a hot pink, velvety avatar 

An antique picked up from Jew Town in Cochin

A cane chair with a mid- century look that is one of my favorites

Some more antiques

A sculpture Kunal picked up from the Crafts Museum in Pragati Maidan

And still we are still in the festive spirit for a few more 

days... I couldn't resist this one 

Hope you enjoyed this installment of My Space, My Style. If you think you have a fabulous home and would like to share please do write in. Oh and I almost forgot... do you like the new look of the blog?

[All images courtesy Kunal Shah- please do not re-use without prior written permission]

My Space, My Style- Aradhana's Gorgeous Space

My Space, My Style is back after a bit of a break and I'm really excited to be sharing this amazing space with you. Aradhana wrote in to to me last month asking if I'd feature her room and I was just blown away by the space she has created.

After dividing the last twelve years of her life between between Delhi, Dubai and finally Singapore, Aradhana has returned to Delhi temporarily, and here's how she describes her desire for her own space- "I've always wanted a space, any space, a room, an entire apartment, a house, to be like a reflection of myself. A place I come back to after a long day; home. " 

I definitely think she has succeeded! Her room is a beautiful amalgamation of the exotic Orient and Indian chic; what an incredible place to escape to at the end of the day !

Aradhana has always been obsessed by dark colors and after a lot of experiments, finally settled on a beautiful charcoal black for the walls of her room. The choice of color for the walls was also important because  the walls would be playing host to all the art work, knick knacks and memories that she has collected on her travels.

I love the way Aradhana has mixed and matched different styles of furniture, as well as introducing a pop of color here and there to brighten up the dark walls and add interest. 

I don't think you could grow bored or tired of looking at and experiencing this space. There are so many things to captivate and interest you... It's a space that tells you so much about its owner... 

Thank you Aradhana for sharing your gorgeous bedroom with us. I'm sure you've inspired a lot of folks, me included:) 

To read more about Aradhana's room story, drop into her lovely blog.

[All Images courtesy Aradhana Anand]

From Singapore with Love- Madhu's Contemporary Indian Home

Its been quite a while since I've done an installment of My Space, My Style, so it really made my day when Madhu, the brains behind the blog Turquoise Decor, wrote me with pictures of her lovely home! 

Madhu's home is in Singapore and decor wise, Madhu loves all things modern. She describes her design sensibilities as, "I like modern interiors with a heart. A lot of texture and memorabilia but clean lines. My OCD dictates everything is square or rectangle- no circles :p". 

I'm featuring two spaces in her home... one is her living area that's really contemporary but has an understated Indian flair. There are subtle Indian touches that you will notice if you look carefully.  The other space is her lovely quaint and calm terrace, which was completely a family DIY job from start to finish.

"The white panels you see covering the skylights were put up by my husband using cut work bed sheets we bought on our trip to Jaipur. I love bright rooms but the skylight was giving us more than we had bargained for !"

"I like to doodle. I also like to think I can paint ;) Some of my art work is on the walls."

"We enjoy our morning coffee and evening conversations on the swing."

If you love Madhu's home, and you want more, then you can check out more images on her blog here and here. Thanks Madhu for sharing your lovely home with us!

And if you happen to have missed the earlier installments of My Space, My Style catch up with all the eye candy you've missed right here. Also, if you want to see your home featured on All Things Nice, write me at allthingsnice.shalinipereira@gmail.com with images of your home. 

And guys don't forget to stay tuned to All Things Nice. Up next is a brand New installment of Design Bloggers Fab 5 with the super Anu Varma of My Dream Canvas. If you've missed the earlier installments, you can catch up here. 

[All Images - Madhu Palaparthi]

  

Jane & Vivek's Quaint 'n' Cozy Living Room

Yes folks, My Space, My Style is back! I'm thrilled to be sharing with all of you, a few images of my friend Jane's home... well living room actually. 

I've known Jane since I was in my early 20's. We were all part of a closely knit group of friends in my hometown of Baroda. She shifted to Mumbai after she married and we sort of lost touch, but reconnected a while back thanks to Facebook. Isn't Facebook amazing?! 

Jane lives in Mumbai, in a 1000 sq ft apartment, and when she posted a picture of her living room on Facebook some time ago, I nagged and nagged her to send me more images so I could share it with all of you! 

In Jane's own words, "My growing up years have always instilled in me that a "house is built by hands, but a home is built by hearts". And this is absolutely true because Jane's place is a warm, quaint mix of modern and country style that is incredibly welcoming and cozy, filled with curios and artwork that she cherishes dearly. 

A wonderfully bright living room bathed in filtered sunlight

Their tiny balcony filled with greenery

Some of the artwork Jane has collected over the years

The living room awash with the warm glow of light from a custom made lamp

P.s

Jane has also recently launched her own brand of jewelry Elizabeth Creations. Here are a few of her creations & you can see more of here creations here.

[All images - Jane Sridharan]

Kanak & Anuj's Lovely Living Room

I'm really excited to bring you the 2nd installment of The All Things Nice - 'My Space, My Style' section. In this feature, we are looking at Kanak and Anuj's bright and beautiful living room. 

Kanak describes her style as, "A little modern, a little urban, a little farmhouse, a little Indian, a lot eclectic, very colorful and mostly cozy."

Kanak loves color and is not afraid to experiment with it. She believes that its all about the details- those little things that catch your eye and bring a smile to your face. 

I am so taken with the casual, laid back style of this space. Its so unpretentious. And I adore Kanak's collection of knickknacks, which she has lovingly added to over the years. This room has a wonderful homey atmosphere - its so welcoming but at the same time manages to be very contemporary and youthful.

Take a look & Enjoy!

My picks...

The green distressed dining table with the colorful metal chairs... love it!

The vintage looking lamp in the living room is another one of my favorites. 

Thanks Kanak for sharing!

[All Images courtesy Kanak Patel]

Shalini Ganguli's Fabulous Lounge Area

So here goes guys, as promised, the first of many more to come in the brand new My Space, My Style Section of All Things Nice. I can't tell you how excited I am about this!

This amazing space belongs to fellow blogger Shalini Ganguli of Done The Shalini Way. The main feature of this lounge area is the wall of frames or as Shalini likes to call it, her "wall of fame". Totally dig the way these simple and elegant white frames, having black and white images of iconic figures in entertainment, complement the grey sofa and those black and white striped cushions. Really cool idea!

[Images courtesy - Shalini Ganguli]

My Picks

The black and white striped rug... I think it adds a great Art Deco feel that really lends a sense of class and style to the room.

The extra large floor cushions.

The touches of pastel pinks in the cushions- they are a brilliant foil to all the black and white and shades of grey.

So that's a wrap of the first installment of My Space, My Style. Would love to know that you think of Shalini's space and I hope you will check out her cool blog Done The Shalini Way.

Please keep mailing in images of your spaces to allthingsnice.shalinipereira@gmail.com  and remember, they need to be fabulous! That's the only condition :)