The Colors of the Monsoon

I have been very irregular with my posts lately. I have a good reason, but I need to get back to blogging regularly. I miss it so! Today I've managed to squeeze out some time- Adhi is napping, all is quiet and I can hear myself think! Today I post on decor. Much, much over due, I know! What can I say. Time is now a precious commodity that is in very short supply for me now that my dd is on the scene and blogging has become near impossible. Just the other day I was trying to get some drawings done for a deadline I had the next day. The dd just had to climb up on my lap and 'supervise' what I was doing. I turned my head for like two seconds and she had somehow managed to delete an entire cadd drawing!

Having a toddler who seems quite determined to 'understand the workings of a camera', figure out death defying ways to climb onto the couch when no one is looking and, one who waits for a chance for the fridge door to open so she can pull stuff out, means our house looks very different to what it did a few months ago. And working on nice little vignettes of the apartment is practically impossible! I have a term for it- Life before Adhi :) Don't get me wrong, I love my dd, but an angel she is NOT! But I do miss being able to create cute little corners of prettiness and then spend a few hours taking pictures. Most of all, I miss sharing my ideas with you guys!

But, as luck would have it, I was looking through old pictures and realised I have a stash of images which I had shot for a magazine a few months ago. It was supposed to be for a Spring issue, got delayed to a Monsoon issue, and then never really happened for some reason or the other. So now I can just share these images with you. I hope you like! I do think this set is so in keeping with the weather we've been having the last few days. I hope they remind you of the rain and the cool breeze that comes with it, and the smell of wet earth that is heavenly and sweet. Enjoy!

More soon, I hope :)

[All images by Shalini Pereira. Please do not use without prior written permission] 

Our Little Green Wall of Frames- Part II

A while back I had done a post about our tiny entrance foyer which I had livened up with a splash of crisp apple green and some art work. It was, if you remember, a work in progress. There have been a few additions since then, a few colorful wooden masks that I picked up from Sri Lanka and a nice modern looking wooden ledge that I picked up from Pepperfry. 

The ledge is something that I've always wanted, mainly so I could keep a bowl there to deposit my keys (I'm always losing them, much to the exasperation of the hubs). I came across exactly what I was looking for on the Pepperfry website, was happy to see it was within my budget, and placed the order just before Diwali. It arrived after a little wait, and I excitedly got my carpenter to fix it up. 

What I like about Pepperfry is that they have quite a variety of choice in terms of styles ranging from modern and funky to colonial as well as traditional. The one I decided on was a simple, clean-lined design that seemed ideal for our rather cramped entrance. I also didn't want something too traditional looking because of those traditional brass lamps. I didn't want things becoming too ethnic. 

The ledge is the perfect addition to our green wall of frames. Finally I have a place for those keys! Ever since it was fixed up, I've been playing around with different combinations and arrangements... of course the hubs looks on, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in amusement, but even he admits that it's so much better than before:) 

Still a little more art to be added, but it's getting there :)

There's my cute little Fijian Kava or yaqona bowl in which 

I keep my keys

A wooden toy rickshaw I picked up in Sri Lanka

Tea lights and flowers add a nice welcoming touch to the entrance, 

which earlier was very unwelcoming :)

[All images by Shalini Pereira. Please do not use without prior written permission]

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]

When it Rains, it Pours... and I'm Drowning!

So the last few weeks I've been very sporadic when it comes to posting on the blog. Everything's good at my end, but I've been drowning in a pile of work! Don't get me wrong, work is always welcome, but the last 10 days were especially tough. 

It's always tough when a new project comes along, there is a sense of excitement about the conceptualising, but most clients are interested in getting the site started, which means slogging over boring old electrical, false ceiling and civil drawings :(  before the good stuff starts. 

Been doing a lot of this lately... not fun at all!

But in between all that boring drafting and checking and numbering switch boards, I've been doodling and coming up with ideas for different spaces... as a break from the mind numbing monotony of making electrical drawings. 

A welcome break... sketching out concepts

A point was reached a few days ago when I noticed I had started gorging on nutella slathered toast and coffee... chocolate and coffee means I'm stressed and overworked! Lol. Today though, things have eased up, and I got in some time to clean the house and re-arrange a few things. And I decided to relax and click a few pics. Feels good to hold onto a camera instead of a mouse :)

Hopefully the weekend should be quiet and relaxed with no crazy running around. X'mas is coming and I need to get organised :) 

[All images by Shalini Pereira- Please do not use without prior written permission]

A Bohemian Look for the Festive Season

I recently contributed some Diwali decor ideas towards the GoodHomes Magazine Diwali issue, and I promised I would share more images with you, so here they are! My theme was Diwali on a budget and I wanted to sort of demonstrate that we can create pretty spaces from bits and bobs that we have in our homes... So the theme was simple, elegant and bohemian with a little dash of India here and there. I think it represents us as a family quite well... our quirks and all :) It was great fun setting this up and I hope you like it. 

[All images clicked my Shalini Pereira- Please do not use without prior written permission]

Home Sweet Home

One of my favorite blogs, Aalayam, recently completed 100 posts. And to celebrate this milestone the two fabulous ladies behind this blog, Deepa and Supriya, came up with a truly unique and incredibly generous way to celebrate with their achievement... by featuring the homes of fellow decor and lifestyle bloggers. I was absolutely thrilled when Deepa wrote and asked me to contribute to this post with an image that captured the essence of what home was to me. 

Thank you Deepa and Supriya for including me ... I'm so honored to be a part of the amazing bunch of bloggers you featured in your 100th post! More importantly, a very big congrats to the both of you.  I wish you lots of success and I know you guys will have loads more inspiring stuff for us to drool over in the future. To see the entire post and the contributions of all the other super talented decor bloggers, hop over to Aalayam for more...

Here are a few images I clicked of our place that I think capture what home represents to me.

"Home to me is a retreat. It’s a place you can escape to at the end of the day and a place you can be yourself. More than current trends, it should reflect who you are, where you’ve come from and where you hope to be. So for me, my home is an amalgamation of the ethnic, the modern and the quirky, but most importantly it’s a place both my husband and I can just be comfortable and be ourselves."

Enjoy your Sunday guys and have a great week!

[All images clicked by me. Please do not 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]

Our Little Green Wall of Frames

My mind always seems to be churning with ideas about our home. When I'm taking a breather from work, I always find my mind wandering to this. I usually start thinking to myself, 'How can I make our place better?' When I share these ideas with the hubby I'm usually met with amused smiles and eye rolls but I never let that deter me :) Do you?

We are lucky that our rented apartment has a small foyer space just before the hall, which the hubby & I had painted green during our 'making our rented apartment into a home' phase. Lately, I've found myself fixated on our entry wall, which I've always felt was boring and dull. So I decided to sort of fill it up with as many frames as it can take.   

Some time ago my in-laws gifted me two lovely brass hanging lamps from Kerala and I've put them up here too. This tiny area is still a work in progress, and I've been adding frames one at a time, but I'm quite pleased with how it's shaping up. 

Notice the empty frame... I have a plan for that... will share soon... promise :)

[All images by Shalini Pereira]

Please do not use without prior written permission

Here Comes the Weekend!

It's Friday again... that time of the week that everyone's been waiting for. After all the driving we did last weekend, both the hubby and I are looking forward to a quiet weekend at home lazing around in our PJs :) But before that we're breaking out the beers and getting set to cheer India as they take on South Africa in the T20 World Cup tonight! Go India!

I also wanted to let you know that I'm extending the deadline for the Fab1 giveaway to 10th April so if you haven't sent in your pictures, you still have a couple of days to more.  

More travel posts next week, images from our visit to Alwar and the incredible Chand Baoli, a step well in Abhaneri. I'm currently completely fascinated with step wells and have declared to the hubby that visiting every major step well in Indian is on top of my bucket list :) Of course he rolled his eyes at this and nodded his head with mock seriousness. 

Well have a great weekend guys. If you're in NCR and looking for something interesting to do this Saturday evening, head out to Bakheda, Said Ul Ajaib for an evening of Stand Up Comedy. Details here. 

With that I'm signing off for the weekend and leaving you with a few images I clicked as part of my #practicemakesperfect series. This is a vignette of a paper mache elephant from Bihar. I picked this cutie up at Dili Haat. I have a collection of tiny elephants and this one is my favorite. I captured these images in some lovely morning light and then tried my hand at editing on Photoshop. I was quite pleased with the results :) 

Happy Weekend guys! And I'll see you on Monday.

[All Images- Shalini Pereira]

All images have been clicked by me. Please do not use without prior written permission

Where Would We Be Without Flowers?

Hi there folks! Just checking in to say a quick hello. How has the week been so far? The last few days have been really exciting. I was invited for my first food bloggers meet on Sunday and I'm going to be sharing that experience with you very soon! There are also a few interesting things in the pipeline. 

I had a great day yesterday... the hubby surprised me with flowers (beautiful pink carnations) and cake... really made my day... well probably my week! What a difference a few days make. On Friday we were all joking that it looked like the world was coming to an end, the way the weather gods were misbehaving. Thunder, lightening, rain... in March? The weather matched my mood. It was a difficult day for me... had to make a few difficult decisions and come to terms with a few hard realities. But that's life I guess... Things never go they way you plan :)

I bought a whole bunch of flowers and chocolate (of course) to cheer myself up... its strange how something as simple as flowers can soothe the spirit and brighten your day. I put them in some vases and old jam jars and kept them all over the place. Nothing like some color to cheer you up. 

Finally the sun came out on Saturday, as did my camera and I started clicking away. I'm sharing the ones that came out decently well- well the ones I liked anyway :)

Have a great day guys! 

[All Images- Shalini Pereira]

Design Bloggers Fab 5- Installment V

I'm sure this post is going to brighten up everyone's day... Today the very talented Sruthi Singh of The East Coast Desi shares her Fab 5 list with us. Sruthi has shared some lovely images of her home with us and I'm sure we are all going to be inspired by her vision, as well as her thought process when styling her home. Hope you enjoy!

ACCESSORIES THAT TALK: Accessorizing a home should be more than just selecting a piece from the gamut of common catalog offerings. Personally an accessory to be able to make the cut, has to either talk TO ME or talk ABOUT ME. Every piece I own is surrounded by a veritable tale of passion, travel or cherished memories. One look at my place and you'll know I'm proud of my Indian roots, love travelling and simply adore the heirloom pieces that I've been lucky enough to inherit and make it a part of my daily life. 

TEXTURAL DIALOGUE: The tactile quality of textures tend to bring with them a sense of depth and dimension to a space. Incorporating tarnished and burnished surfaces of aged metals, patina of weathered wood or the replicating pattern of woven textiles and rugs only work together to create a refuge that's warm and inviting. 

VIBRANT PATTERN PLAY: Patterns in bold and vibrant colors are a must have. Coming from India there are so many textiles and patterns to experiment with. I prefer to have bigger pieces of furniture in neutral shades and spruce them up with pillows, throws or bedding in bright hues. It's the quickest and an inexpensive way to give a room a fresh look for every season.

 NATURAL ELEMENTS: Bringing in natural elements to play is important to me. From tucking in the branches of yellow ocher leaves or stalks of flowers in a vase, arranging fruits in a woven basket or adding a potted plant to a vignette, it's all about making an effort to bring the organic and natural quality indoors too. 

  

FOLLOW YOUR HEART, NOT THE TRENDS: Your home is your haven where you retire every single day with the assurance that you are nurtured, rejuvenated and discover and reflect on what’s really important. To be able to possess this quality, comfort and function is priority. But remember to integrate your individual style and sprinkle it with generous doses of your personality even if it does not fit a style or a trend. Let your heart dictate your home and not the trends for, “Home is where the heart is."

I want to thank Sruthi for her contribution to Fab 5. Loved these images and love the calming quality of her home. I particularly like the way she has created a home that is contemporary, but still maintains a very Indian feel. Her juxtaposition of Indian craft and artifacts with modern elements is so inspiring.

Images:Clicked by Sruthi Singh. Please do not use without prior written permission. Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright.