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…
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?
A wedding anniversary, a birthday, and the day for professing love world wide – all fall in the month of February. In other words, the house is smelling fresh of flowers and bouquets all round the month. My husband used to be once called a ‘florist’ dearly by friends for the amount of money he spent (umm, invested!) in buying flowers. I’m not fond of red roses, so they never find a place in our flower arrangements. Rajnigandha is a personal favorite. Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and much to my surprise, this year, my husband walked in with a huge bouquet containing a dozen Rajnigandha sticks nestled in pink and white roses held together by lavenders. How do you forgive/forget and bury a argument? Flowers have always done the trick for me; they are also a cheap and instant way of decorating and bringing cheer into a home. As the…
What do you do when you’re feeling low some day? I eat a sinful brownie (a BIG one and don’t you remind me of the calories) and indulge my senses with beautiful pictures (of home accessories of course, what were you thinking?!). FCML came to my rescue today and though it’s been long since I got over the down-and-out mood, I can’t get myself to close the site. So, here’s what I’ll do – share a few pictures that I’ve been enjoying and then hit the sack.
Have you ever seen a clock like this? I have not, which is way this figures on top of my list. It’s a good one for the kitchen or the dining area. But I would have liked a chrome finish and a smooth stem, without the bristles, on the spoons and forks.
I’m itching to make a colorful clock like this for my son’s room. My DIY antennae is already working overtime figuring out the best way to get started on this project. Stylish numericals, different colors, and numbers – what more does one want?
Klove, a Delhi-based design store, has an exquisite collection of vases in a wide array of materials ranging from hand-blown glass and stone to wood, ceramic, and metal. An impressive collection (time-waster alert! May I warn that I didn’t close the window until I was done viewing all the 80 pictures). I have to admit, however, that the stone/wood range didn’t impress me as much as the glass and ceramic ones. Great styling with a good color combination. Worth checking out. Klove’s products are apparently available at select retail outlets in major metros. Image courtesy: Klove
Thank you for all your comments and offline messages asking when posting would resume. I hadn’t planned on being away for so long; I had to leave at a short notice to my parents’ that left me with little time to schedule posts in advance.
This post is a collection of assorted images from this three-week long trip. My parents’ home, just like any other, is a treasure house of memorabilia and collectibles accumulated over the years from their stay in the Middle East. Many of them are over a decade old, but still good enough to be reused and spruce up one’s mood.
This stainless steel vase is a favorite. Place a bouquet of fresh flowers, or plant a needlepoint ivy and imagine the difference it can make to a room.
Want to know a li’l secret on how to uplift your mood instantly? Get a bunch of fresh flowers and place it on your center table or dining table. It almost always works wonders for me. There was a time when three to four sticks of rajnigandha always adorned my treasured glass vase, only to be replaced with a fresh bunch after three days. These flowers smell best at nights so it used to be such a refreshing feeling coming back home every evening after work.
Vases add to the visual appeal that contain these colorful flowers. You can stretch your imagination to use a lot of common objects as vases from old drinking glasses, porcelain to silver/brass ware and earthen pots.
However, if you are looking for something classy, then here they are. My picks:
