House Beautiful: My Own Home Tour - I

This is my first post of a series on homes my husband and I have shared over the years. We lived in lovely apartments in beautiful cities. Whatever furniture we had, always worked for us and the space. Throughout our transition, one thing in common was our determination to buy everything pre-loved.

This was our first apartment just after I moved out of my Grad school.  It was a 700 square feet one bedroom apartment with a small patio, and ample light and ventilation. We made a cozy eclectic looking place for ourselves on a shoe string budget :). We, however, did not stop exploring the city for our kind of furniture.

Loved the wonderful morning sun in the apartment 

A Re-purposed Green patch in the small patio

A simple DIY bird feeder very organic and sleek

My first bentwood

I went rocker crazy for a while and bought a Rex Rocker

 First MCM find, a slat bench :)

I bought this patio furniture which moved all the way to India now.

It was in this house that I started my blog. The entryway picture which later became my blog header.

we made some wonderful memories in this apartment before we moved to another one bed one bath

Clean line pencil legged furniture, geometric shapes appealed to me even before I knew the era and design timeline these design styles belonged to. Most homes in India got such furniture custom made by local carpenters and were inspired by what was seen in movies. (Do check out my series on art direction in Movies - Movies, Masti and Magic). It was only a blessing when I moved to Graduate School and was exposed to the whole array of garage sale finds, flea market and charity store treasures. The next few posts would be a peek into my living spaces over the last few years. So stay tuned :)

My Prized Possessions: Ganesha at Home :)

I often get emails and messages for a tour of my house. Loads of motivation from blogger friends and I decided to show case my abode and the curios I have collected over the years. Nothing better than starting the feature with my Ganesha. *

My Love for brass has been there forever now. Vacations with parents in Tamil Nad n kerala (Southern States in India) meant trips to temples and a compulsory detour to old markets laden with beautiful handmade brass and bronze artifacts. I am quite blessed to have found pieces I love. My collection has grown over the years.  Do enjoy the vignettes :)

My love for music prompted me to pick this up. It has been there with me for over a decade. I fondly call the set

Kaccheri pillayar or The Ganeshas in Concert :)

The relaxing ganesha enjoying a quite evening

another vignette of the same idol

And ending this post with my ultra modern singing ganapathy (a.k.a. ganesha) the lord is holds a sitar (musical instrument) and seems to enjoy the outdoors a lot :)

A  few friends tease me about this idol and call it Organic pillayaar Ganesha). The reason behind this is Lord Ganesha is known for his love for food. Its very rare to find an idol with out a belly :). This idol was a gift from a dear friend and is lean and unconventional.

Also read about my handmade Ganeshas for the Ganesh Chathurthi festival. Loved doing the post. Thanks for stopping by :).




PS:  Coming up with a wonderful home tour. So stay tuned

*In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is considered the remover of obstacles :)

Antique Fire blower - Bellow

A dear friend Anpu was fascinated by this vintage find in Dubai and bought it. It is a fireplace bellow blower or the आग धौंकनी. It is used for strong blasts of air and used in the Bedouin households while cooking..the 3 holes at the back of the tool let's the air in.  The tribe used this device for rekindling the kitchen hearth when they settled in the evening.

Beautiful isn't it. She has made it into a neat accessory near the fireplace

Pics: Anpu

Item: Fire blower

Green design: Preethi's Fan blade Lamp ~ DIY

I have already spoken about this amazing lady on the blog here. Preethi is full of surprises. This time around, she made a set of pendant lamps from discarded fan blades.

 And here is the story in her own words.

"Pendant lights can be expensive and yet not unique. Here is a quick DIY pendant lights idea. 

On my last trip to the weekly Bangalore Sunday market, which happens on the BVK Iyengar Road, I chanced upon these table fan blades in different colors. They weren’t pretty when I saw them, I had to look through a load to get the least dented ones, but I think I could see through the dusty blades and I had an instant idea. I picked up four of them and they sat in a corner of the house for a few weeks before the time came for it to see the light of the day."

"So when I was decorating my husbands office meeting room, I visualized the three fan blades hanging from the ceiling above the table. I wanted a retro feel in that space, and the fan blades were best suited there.  I brought them out and shined them with some soap water and wet rag."

What I used for this project?

• 3 meters of wire (White)
• 3 white bulb holders
• One metal wire manager strip ( can find in any lighting shop)
• 3 LED bulbs

How I did it? 

"It was just a matter of cutting the wires to 3 different length, attaching the holder and passing it through the fan blades. The wire manager holds the wire tightly in place and conceals the wires connections. Since the connections to be made to the existing building wiring, it needed an electrician for installation. And it was done! 

I think it turned out pretty cool, and I am quite proud of it. It sort of fit perfectly into the theme and looks very impressive."

Awesome is't it. 

I had to feature this as it works so well and it goes so well with my green design ethos :). Need to see more of her awesome DIYs? Hop over to her space... preethiprabhu.com

Thanks a ton for sharing the DIY with me Preethi. :)

PS:
She is an entrepreneur and deals in Indian handicrafts and exclusive textiles. I hope to do a tour of her awesome office space she did recently... :)

Teak and jute chairs ~ awesomeness!

Off late, a local preloved/used goods buy/sell website has been full of surprises. Many seem to be selling their old furniture. And people like me must be doing a happy dance. 

I come across such amazing teak and jute piece, that I seriously wished for a store room :P. (As if i did not have enough stuff already!!)

The ad mentions them as antique Teak chairs. The moment I saw them I knew they looked so similar to the  iconic Harp chairs.  

Local sale: 
details unknown. The ad only mentions them as antique teak chairs

source: seller

the original

 source: architonic.com

source: 1stdibs

country of origin: Denmark
Year: 1968
Designer: Jorgen Hovelskov
Manufacturer: Christensen & Larsen

Dimensions:  h 127 cm, d 117 cm, w 104 cm, height of seat 40 cm. Details:
machine-age.com: "The curved shapes of the legs are reminiscent of Viking boats. These and the tightened ropes provide this chair with an impressive sculptural quality. "
Architonic.com adds "its flag halyard seat provides a unique optical effect."

Remarks:
I am yet to find out if they are original The pictures do not look like the original though.


PS: As I have always maintained that carpenters and craftsmen in india were great in replicating designs. We get to see many such reproductions of internationally known iconic pieces. I have been toying the idea of documenting such reproductions as and when I come across them 

Vintage Love : Mid mod furniture

I admit, I did not expect my life to turn topsy-turvy after my son was born. Although, I am loving everything about being a mommy. Some days are tougher than the others. When I look back, his baby phase seems easier than his current toddler stage.

However, I miss blogging for sure. 

Vintage Love: 

I bought this bookshelf even before he came into our lives, but its such a pleasure to see him enjoy stacking, messing up and rearranging his books. All of two years and this is how keeps it. I am a super proud mom :)

Open shelves encourage him to pick up books. 

Style and design timeline:

1950-60

Danish modern

Material:

solid wood with a lovely varnish

The design:

The slender pencil legs and the brass tips make it even more drool worthy. What say!

Utility:

Its petite size makes it super easy for use in a child's room or near a busy living nook. I gather that they were meant to be vinyl record holders. (they would have been a snug fit). Though the shelf looks small, its holds quite a number of books and toys. 

This piece has no designer marking or brand name, but we find quite a few of them floating about in the preloved market. Most of them bought it for a super crazy throw away price (happy happy!). Do let me know if you know more

Weekend Wishes

Have a happy and peaceful weekend

Tuesday Treat ~ Dana's Guest Post

Having toured her beautiful home via a previous guest post, I craved for more...So, I brought Dana back to write about her design choices and accessories which make her home, so inviting and homey!!..Now ...over to Dana, of mid2mod.com, and mid2mod, the blog...

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When Sudha asked me to write a guest post, I couldn't decide at first what to write about. My blog is focuses on mid-century modern decor and history, and I know her beautiful blog is somewhat more eclectic. Then I had an idea! I'd take this opportunity to showcase the decorator accessories and art in my house that I love most, even though some of it isn't mid-century modern at all.

Some of it I love for sentimental reasons, like this large vase that my great-grandmother received as a wedding gift over 100 years ago. The piece is quite large, and the detail in the swans' feathers is stunning.

My Mama Dell's vase, circa 1900

My daughter Jennifer is quite an accomplished photographer, although with a couple of sons under two years of age, she doesn't have much time for photography anymore. She did a series of images of doors which were magical, because they left you wondering what was happening...or had happened over the years...behind them. Here are two examples, taken in New Orleans, a city she and I visited often when she was a teenager.

Jenn's photo No. 723

Jenn's photo No. 622

I also really like a few pieces of art that I did myself. One is a grouping of six 6" x 6" canvases on which I layered colors of acrylic paint. I scraped or rubbed off sections before the paint dried. Then I fired silver medallions out of precious metal clay, which I affixed to the pictures and have allowed to oxidize over time. Another grouping of three was inspired by a cover of Elle Decor.

Acrylic with PMC medallions

Inspired by Elle Decor

I also love art by Brian Andreas. I have a pair of his prints in my entry hall, and I have one of his wood sculptures in a bedroom. Andreas's work always speaks to my heart, whether it makes me laugh or cry. The print is particularly meaningful to me, because it is the story of the wonderful life I shared with my late partner Carl, who died in 2006.

I don't think of it as working for world peace, he said. I think of it as trying to get along in a really big strange family.

There was a boy with skin as dark as the earth & a girl with eyes as blue as the deep & they loved each other so well that people could not tell them apart for in their hearts there was no difference between them.

And speaking of Carl...I love this trio of Danish candlesticks and the set of rustic, hand-dipped candles that he bought for me on one of the wonderful trips we made together.

The sleekness of Danish design paired with handcrafted candles

And finally, one of my favorite pieces of pewter is a vintage Castor Cooper vase with a horse motif. It was an eBay find a few years ago.

Castor Cooper pewter vase

Thank you, Sudha, for allowing me to share some of the personal items I treasure most. I hope they do your delightful blog justice.

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A guest post so well done! All I had to do was copy paste her content and hit publish :)..Thank you Dana, for the wonderful write up and lovely images. And thank you for sharing your thoughts and pictures of your treasured items 


I am a Danish and Scandinavian Modern crazy design enthusiast who is influenced by her Indian roots!! Dana and other wonderful bloggers are a serious source of inspiration for my design know-whats!!

Picture source/copyright: Dana