Théorie is the brainchild of Unnati Pingle. It is a pop-up exhibition of bespoke pieces of furniture and art, the first of which was held over two days in October last year in Hyderabad. The event was a culmination of sorts of what Unnati had been working on for over a year. What is Théorie all about? When I asked Unnati what was Théorie about, this is what she had to say: Théorie was transpired of the uncharted. It is curating bespoke pieces of furniture and art. What makes the brand special is that each piece is unique and exquisite, with no attempt spared on the immaculate finishes. In simpler words, these are pre-owned pieces of furniture and household items such as tailoring machines and iron boxes that have been given a new lease of life; by painting, or upholstering in traditional fabrics, or inlaying tiles. As simple as it sounds, each piece…
Umm..let’s be honest. Shopping online from the comforts of our couch is a blessing, and bane; it’s a blessing when you don’t have to brave the snaking traffic. And bane, because let’s be honest, it take tremendous self-restraint not to key in the credit card numbers and shop what you just saw on an Instagram account. Gosh! these Instagram accounts are so addictive. According to a recent study, Instagram influences almost 75% of user purchase decisions. So, it’s little wonder that when an Instagrammer with even a few thousand followers tags products, one is tempted to buy. More often than not, you will find these products sold out. Be it a blouse or a sofa. That’s the power of validation. There are over a hundred home decor stores with a zillion products. It can be overwhelming to choose between a walnut-finish versus teak-finish sideboard, or an end table with metal…
We bought this wooden cabinet as a multipurpose storage unit to store footwear, newspaper, and odd hardware tools. This was one of our first purchases after we moved into our first home. To be honest, I had zero understanding of decorating, interior styling, or what to buy for what. If there was a dire need, we bought that piece of furniture so long it fulfilled its function and our not-so-deep pockets. Form had not entered our lexicon. So, yes, our home was a concoction of disparate elements from tan sofa to geometric tiles. But, you hold some things dear, when they are reminiscent of good ole memories of your first home. So, this piece came with us despite our best efforts to sell it on Quikr. Make no mistake, it got sold two times, and both times it was returned and money refunded to the buyer due to a technical…
I swooned when this living room popped up in my Insta feed yesterday, and I couldn’t wait to see the rest of this industrial chic cottage. You see, more often that not, you go weak on the knees by the style of one room when the rest of the home is diametrically opposite in design. But, with this one, as I saw more, I wanted to see more of its metamorphosis over the years. With each passing picture over the timeline, it’s as if you are peeling layer by layer, and it only gets better with every addition of a rug here, a plant there, a DIY up on the wall, or a vintage find re-purposed into something. This beautiful home belongs to Yvonne Kwakkel and her family. They live in Swifterbant town in the Dutch province of Flevoland. It’s a big departure from the aesthetics I’m naturally drawn to time…
A collection of carefully chosen 8 before & after furniture makeover projects from around the world to inspire you before you stash that old cabinet. Go repaint. The genesis of this post is a wooden cabinet/dresser lying outside in my garage. This was among the first purchases for our first home. It goes without saying that the cabinet has withstood several moves across cities. With the best times behind it, I wanted to sell the cabinet when we were moving in to this new place. And I did sell it two times on Quikr. Each time they returned it due to some technical glitch of not being able to deliver to the buyer. I took it as Universe’s way of telling me, this piece was meant to be with me. So I used the cabinet to store auto cleaning supplies in the garage. But, honestly, it is an eyesore at…
I have always been in awe of the gold jeweled products at Home Centre, especially around the festive season. Nothing does as much justice to your home as the golden votives, tea light holders or the blingy placemats. And truth be told, they burn a hole in your pocket if you go shopping during the season. So I like to stock up the prices are half for these products never go out of style. I stopped by Home Centre, Phoenix Marketcity last evening and made a mental note of what I liked. Oh! I’m not an impulsive shopper at all. I survey what’s on offer first, then come home to see what will fit and where. Over the years, I have seen that I tend to pick up the same colors during a season -a habit that totally annoys me. One year, I ended up having 6 hues and shades…
If you had INR 95,000 to set up a guest room, what would you add to your cart to make the room functional and aesthetic? Check out my list. We live in an era where we understand and appreciate the merits of shopping online – be it for our personal wardrobe or taking it as far as setting up a whole home. The convenience of comparing prices, designs, returns if it doesn’t match our preferences or dimensions are unparalleled. I wanted to illustrate how to set up a guest bed room in less than INR 95,000. This is more along the lines of “Shop the look” you may find on many sites, but this is more comprehensive in that products are curated from multiple sites and chosen to fit a budget and a minimalist theme without going over the top. These are bare essentials for a room. Having said that,…
“You really don’t need my expert opinion on this. 4 months? You got to be kidding me,” remarked my otherwise cool husband, literally throwing his hands up in despair. The topic of discussion was which study desk would suit my needs. He was right. How is someone who works on a 16 inch*20 inch space supposed to know what someone who uses a dining table as a workspace would need (that would be me). And during the crazy months of March- June every year, even the dining table is starved of space and I graduate to the queen size bed. But, the sorry state of affairs is for just those couple of months.
I know, I know even you all dear readers have been privy to this study desk discussion when I got the open shelves installed, way back in October. But, the truth is, I haven’t been able to find one that appealed to my design sensibilities, aesthetics, and dimensions. They were either too big or too small. The dimension I wanted was 30 inches in height, 24 inches in width and 36 inches in length to fit in below these shelves.
A quick question: where are you reading this post from – your home office, work or slouching on the couch with your laptop? Would you believe if I told you that I do most of the work from my dining table ? That’s right. Got to get my own reading corner in the house, so I was just thinking of some simple ideas. And, one seemed perfect. There’s a small L shaped corner in the extra bedroom that fits in perfectly for the purpose. But, before I go there, I would like to ask you what’s the one thing you love the most about this picture (sorry folks, the white dishes don’t count for an answer)? I know I know, I too LOVE them – anything white for that matter! I like the floating shelves in natural wood. And I think this will work best above my desk – two…
Are you a green, eco-friendly person? I know, what a dumb question – who is not these days? If you like bamboo, then you’ll love this post for having discovered Rebecca Reubens. Seriously, the moment I discovered Rebecca’s work, I was floored and wondered how on earth could I not have heard of her before.
Rebecca runs a store called Bamboo Canopy in Ahmedabad. The store carries sustainable products designed by Rhizome, which she founded in 2009. So, how did it all began? Not one fine day in a single aha moment. After being associated for 7 years in the international development sector with the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan coordinating projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America, she decided to pursue her PhD to assess the market and feasibility of selling sustainable design in a more organized manner.
Rebecca says the response for bamboo products has been overwhelming so much so that they cannot meet demand with the current infratructure and are in a expansion mode. She is proud to have broke even within six months. Currently, products are primarily retailed through Bamboo Canopy and other outlets such as Dhoop in Mumbai, Good Earth and TRIFED.
It’s time to delve straight into the pictures. So shall we?
Rebecca says the store is housed in a beautiful, spacious bungalow in Ahmedabad. The lovely surroundings definitely shows in the pictures.
Let’s start at the begining – entrance of the store.
A peek inside from the store window. Can you spot those bookends?