It’s Friday and I’m making plans for the weekend. How about you? With no signs of monsoon, how does the idea of spending Sunday afternoon under a big banyan tree, listening to some live soulful music, treating your visual senses to great art and letting your kids play with mud and plant some greens sound? It sounds like a perfect happy Sunday to me. There’s food, pottery, plants, beer, and bbq – in that order for me :) How’s it for you? Image courtesy: Kitsch Mandi Noetic Nirvana by artist “Gautam Nair” Mesmerised by the painting by Gautam Nair. Why not meet the creative minds behind such many more fascinating creations in person? Kitsch Mandi is happening at Palace Grounds this Sunday after 1 p.m. All your favorite green stores will be there like Indo Greens and Green Essence. Renowned artist Shilo Shiv Suleman is conducting a workshop on how…
Wouldn’t it be a nice to live in a house designed to use all forms of energy (heat, water, light) in a optimal way? Ironically, nature’s free resources are the ones becoming scarce soon. Water is a precious commodity in Bangalore, not only during summer, but through out the year. Where else do you see tankers hog half the roads all day?
A few months back, we dropped by at the Zed Earth property on the outskirts of Bangalore, and all of us instantly fell in love with it. I happened to see the pictures again and wanted to share. Zed Earth is developed by BCIL who are well known for their eco-friendly homes. The model villa is so aesthetically designed that it is brimming with ideas to enhance storage and functionality. What I loved about the interiors was it was neither contemporary nor modern but adopted the best of both the worlds.
I will tell you the truth: what appealed the most in this house even before we entered were a dozen pots with healthy vegetables: brinjal was in the flowering stage and yet another had a bunch of okra. You don’t see them here..maybe these pictures were staged for the shoot.
What’s the age of the oldest plant in your garden? There’s a saying that the more fondly you look at your plants every morning and tend to them, the better they grow – the love permeates. The oldest in my garden is a ivy that we planted four years ago when we moved back to Bangalore. But, Reema Saravanan of Bangalore, says some of the plants in her garden have been with her for almost 8 years now. WOW!
And you’ll know how true that is when you look at her garden. The plants are in good hands :) Thanks Reema for asking to be featured on “dress your home”. It’s a pleasure to showcase your garden.
Today I’m back with another home tour showcasing an apartment in Bangalore. I think it’s amazing when people throw open their doors, and let us take a peek into what lies behind it. It’s real for one with real people living in it; these homes are not staged or styled for a sale, and that I think is remarkable.
My post on paint color evoked a lot of responses; one of them was from Anitha who shared pictures of her home – Prashanthi. Prashanti means “peace” and as we step inside get a glimpse of the drawing room, every corner gives you that calming impact. Maybe it’s the magic of white …so shall we take a tour and see what’s in store? From flashes of light to an Indian version of Martha Stewart, you can see it all.
Living + Dining
I asked Anitha how she manages a white sofa in dust-laden Bangalore and this is what she had to say, “Our living room colour was based on the warmth that the purple would give out when rightly mixed with whites. It took some time to convince my hubby about this colour. But, now he just loves it. These sofas are from Ikea and comes with machine washable covers. I bought two extra covers and it goes for wash fortnightly.”
This is how the conversation goes when my husband and I go to buy anything for our home.
Wife: “The sofa’s too big for our living room.”
Husband: “But it’s soft and comfortable to watch TV. How about the white one – looks and feels good?”
Wife: “High maintenance. Will get dirty. Chalo, let’s check out some place else.” And the weekend saga continues….
Buying furniture is not a life altering decision but don’t most of us act like it is :) And it can take eons to settle on the perfect corner table, often buying the first one we set our eyes on, but only after we’ve scoured a dozen other shops, right?
But here’s a duo who have patiently sat through hundreds of such conversations between couples, waiting to pick up the conversation after the dust settles, and encouraging them make to make the right choice. Welcome to Soulscape. Meet Shweta Gupta and her team.
Located on 12th Main Indira Nagar, not too far from the iconic 100 feet road, is a contemporary lifestyle store called Soulscape. Started four years back, the brand has carved a niche for itself in its segment. When I asked Shweta what the segment was, she had an interesting reply, ” it’s somewhere in between the premium luxury range and the one that caters to masses. “ And, that’s quite a big segment going by the size of the urban middle class with a deep passion to deck up their abodes tastefully.
I visited the store and came back inspired. Here’s a quick low-down on the store, its decor, and offerings.
Siddharth Sreekumar lives with his wife, brother and parents at his parents’ flat in Malleshwaram, Bangalore. We visited his parents one Saturday in January. I did not plan on shooting the interiors but after seeing the elegantly done flat I couldn’t resist asking.
You may wonder why I call it a haveli if it’s only a 3-BHK flat. Well, because that’s the feeling I got and I’m sure you’ll agree as you scroll down. They live in perhaps the most busiest part of Bangalore where it becomes impossible to step out of the apartment building in the weekends. But the house more than makes up for lack of outside entertainment. The pleasant interiors exudes a sense of warmth and the perfect atmosphere for the family to spend their weekends together after a hectic week.
It’s not a exaggeration when I tell you it took aunty over an hour to show me through the 3-bedroom flat and still it was far from over. Every piece of artifact and furniture has either been hand-picked or has been passed down generations. It was like a story unfolding in front of me with a tale behind every vase and chest in the house. For instance, can you believe the vase in the picture below is a artillery shell? Siddharth’s father used to serve in the defence forces before retiring. Hats off to aunty for carefully preserving memories and putting them to good use decades later in settings where one would least expect.
There is no room for modern in this house. The place oozes antiquity from every corner.
The view from the main door of the foyer and the drawing room. The aroma of fresh Rajnigandha was mesmerising. The drawing room has a royal yet homely and cosy feeling.
The wooden oonjal is supported by intricately designed brass chains on four ends. It is flanked by equally majestic antique furniture set from Nosttaligia.Facing the oonjal by the side of the french window is a silk upholstered diwan.
Isn’t it so much better to be used than be stashed away in the lofts and forgotten forever? This laundry basket definitely looks stylish than the store-bought plastic or jute baskets. So on your next trip to your granny’s if it’s not being used, you know what to ask for :)
Have you been to the Craft Corner store in Indiranagar? It’s hard to miss the signs if you are a regular at Barbecue Nation and a fan of eco-friendly products. I think colorful jewelery boxes made of handmade paper with detailed paisley design can make for good gifts. What do you think? Apart from the looks, if they are handy, compact and score good on storage, what more can one ask for? The pens and notebooks are my personal favorite. Do you have any such corner stores in your neighborhood? If yes, write about them with a link in the comments section. Image courtesy: Craft Corner
Is there anyone here who lives in Indira Nagar? There’s a reason I love the place : it’s a powerhouse of creative people who make lovely pottery and murals that makes you stop and take notice. Madhu Chandrika, an alumnus of Chitra Kala Parishath, is one such artistic lady – the person behind Earthen Symphony.
Earthen Symphony is hidden away from the much-happening 100 ft. road, though not quite far from it. It’s another sad story that beautiful bungalows and single shops on 100 ft. road have given way to swanky global retail brands like Guess.
The store stocks a impressive collection of pottery, lamps, storage boxes, Ganeshas, shades, mirrors, furniture and glass top stools. Prices range from Rs.350 for small pots and go all the way up to 40,000 for large mural installations. The wall pieces are available from Rs.1,100.
What impresses me in such stores is that the owner has an interesting story behind every piece. And it’s hard to miss the positive energy and passion of the person flowing through. All pieces are handmade at her workshop in Banaswadi.
I kept staring at every pot, clicking pictures from different angles and felt it over and over for its texture. Images of Confluence keep flashing in my mind when I see these murals. Shades or orange, brown and red are favorites among potters. But what sets Earthen Symphony apart is a whole range of things you can gift someone or deck up your home with. I didn’t see any nameplates in particular but I’m sure you can get it custom made.
Did you notice the Ganesha mural and the black and white pot?
If you live in Bangalore, have you heard of Grasshopper? The stylish boutique-cum-restaurant has received some rave reviews for housing art, food, and fashion under one roof. I’m told the delicacies are made from hand-picked vegetables and it’s a haven for non-vegetarians. But, the one thing that caught my eye was a gallery on the mezzanine floor of Grasshopper that exhibits handmade paper lamps by Jenny Pinto. I’m a sucker for all things eco-friendly; never ceases to fascinate me. How about some window shopping? This conical lamp shade made from handmade paper will look stylish and elegant in any living room. Aren’t you dumbfounded by the creative use of materials – stone, copper and banana fiber? Interesting shape this one, though I have to admit it’s a little spooky for my taste. This chandelier would make for good conversation. Quite unlike the glass pieces our eyes are trained to seeing.…
Good Morning! Hope you had a lovely weekend. I had a wonderful one that took me to the interiors of Shivaji Nagar on Saturday and to the picturesque vineyards off Yelahanka on Sunday. I came back from Shivaji Nagar with stems of my favorite flower – the fragrant Rajnigandha and a huge basket of black grapes from Rajanakunte.
I’m kicking off this week with the second edition in the 3-part Apartment Hunt series. Today I’ll take you to Spectra Cypress, Veracious Landsdale and Gopalan Splendour.
Spectra Cypress on Varthur Road
This building under construction is hard to miss on the Varthur main road. Located on the main road next to Food Zone after you cross the Kundahalli signal on the left, it’s close to the school zone and other conveniences such as grocery, bus stop, libraries, malls and hospitals. I have to admit that this is the first property where I was floored by the model apartment. A well laid out floor plan with a cosy living room, a dining room that opens into a kitchen with an attached utility area and living quarters for your staff, spacious bed rooms, a detached guest bed room – there’s little to complain about. Ofcourse, except the price.
The 88 L + registration charges baffled me. Nearly 16 lakhs goes towards the extras, which I think is pretty steep. Launched in 2008, the project has taken its own sweet time to come to this stage. It’ll easily take 6 months to an year before all the amenities start functioning and the property is fully occupied.
The builder boasts of a vertical garden wall and rooftop garden among other standard modern amenities. The builder is not a prominent one and has completed just one project prior to this one in Bangalore. The project gets all brownie points for its location, but is a dampener on all other counts (delivery, execution, price).
