From The Portfolio Of

Hitanshu Bhatt!

This is one of those posts. In which I go overboard. Which take me an entire day to put together because I can't decide what to leave out. For everything is so striking. Achingly beautiful. The possibilities are endless. I start feeling like a pseudo artist just by the virtue of playing around with the visual boards. It is work that inspires me. Work that makes me feel good that there are such immensely talented and creative folks around us. Welcome to snapshots from the portfolio of Hitanshu Bhatt.

Hitanshu is an artist based out of Bombay, India. I chanced upon his work on Instagram and saw that he was the creative photographer behind the gorgeous product shoots and mood boards for Gaatha, one of my favorite boutiques. He has done some superb work as a visual designer, a graphic designer and an art director apart from his growing portfolio as a photographer. Hitanshu showcases his work on Behance and on Instagram, and I must warn you - both his accounts are a visual explosion - in a good way! Make sure you have time to spare when you click above links as it would be hard to tear yourself away from the gorgeous images.

In Hitanshu's words:

 Design is an endless passion for me. Whether it's visual art, photography, graphic design or art direction. I love to explore different creative areas on a different platform. Music is a source of my creative energy. I get inspired from everything around me - nature, movies, music, people, impression etc. I am creating a beautiful story, which reflects Indian roots merging in to beautiful abstract form. 

 And more here:

ArtAndFound | Elephant Dreamz | Gaatha 

Get in touch with Hitanshu: Email

[Credits | Images: Hitanshu Bhatt, Styling for Gaatha Images: Shivani Dhar, Visual Boards and Story: An Indian Summer]

No-Mad On My Mind

It's a gorgeous summer day here in Stockholm, and after traveling around Europe last few weeks, I am resting my nomadic feet in a cozy garden cafe. Sitting here, as I check into my home on the world wide web, my little blog, it's but apt that I write about another nomad, a nomad that's my favorite home luxury lifestyle brand! A brand that is quintessentially Indian at heart yet enjoys & celebrates global influence when it comes to design and aesthetics. A brand that was like a breath of fresh air when it launched in 2014 and continues to be unique and refreshingly creative with not only it's collections but also in the way that it communicates with us.

[A beautiful space styled by Couleur Locale using No-Mad's furnishing]

Yes, I am talking about No-Mad, the brand that's 97% Indian and 3% Global. As I look around this lovely Scandinavian city, I can see No-Mad fitting in as seamlessly as I have seen No-Mad beautifying spaces in cities across India. It is this seemingly effortless 'citizen of the world' personality of No-Mad that resonates with me and it's many fans, who eagerly await each new launch. And how fabulously creative all the launches have been! From the time when I first shared No-Mad on An Indian Summer, No-Mad has consistently dazzled us with collections themed around colors or innovative product function or a traditional Indian artisan/craft skill. 

A significant part of this global Indian personality comes from the multi-cultural background and exposure that No-Mad's founders bring to the table. Anuj Kothari and Valerie Barkowski are passionate about good design and quality, and have the knack of elevating everyday use items to the next level by enhancing it's form, function and beauty. The latest range from their Table collection is a testimony to Valerie's incredible design aesthetics and Anuj's innate understanding of the environment and the market. And all this goodness is available, to be delivered to your home, across the world, via No-Mad's lovely online store.

And it's not only us, the design enthusiasts and customers who love No-Mad. Since the time of it's launch, No-Mad has received many accolades from the industry for it's products. The Isayu fabric, muddah stool and the thali trays have been awarded by EDIDA and GoodHomes has recognized No-Mad for it's range of Sahaj ceramics. All of No-Mad products are meticulously crafted by hand thereby encouraging the revival of the some key Indian craft skills and providing employment to artisans and craft workers.

I could go on and on about No-Mad...I did tell you that it is a dear favorite of mine! As I wrap up this post, I do have to talk about just how brilliantly No-Mad communicates with the rest of the world. The visuals shared by No-Mad via Instagram and Facebook are stunning and the stories these images tell make me feel as if I have been part of the creative cycle of a product and feel a warm connection to the brand. An innovative medium used by No-Mad is No-Mad Times that's a delight to hold and read. The great news is that you can request for a copy of the newsletter any time that you want! Just send across an email with your shipping address and No-Mad will be very happy to send one across [right now, to mailing addresses in India only]  

A special note for retailers, design professionals and No-Mad customers in the US and UK 

No-Mad will be participating in upcoming trade fairs and you can get a chance to see the products and interact with the team. Click on the posters below for more details:

[All Images: No-Mad. Creative Story Boarding: An Indian Summer]

The sun is still shining bright here in Stockholm. Talking about No-Mad has reminded me of home and India, and I can not wait to get back this weekend. I am bringing with me stories, pictures and some amazing experiences from my travels and the design event I attended. Will see you next week, sharing it all, alive and kickin' from India!

Celebrating With Gulmohar Lane!

There are some gifts that keep on giving. An Indian Summer is one of them. Ahem. Yes, the blog and I eschew all modesty for today. For good reasons, my dear folks, for very good reasons. One, we hit the 15,000 mark on facebook. Two, An Indian Summer and our instagram account got a sweet mention on Apartment Therapy. And Three, one of our favorite brands & friend Gulmohar Lane, is hosting a merry giveaway party right here!

Tis be the season of celebrations and Gulmohar Lane has put together the most glorious giveaway hamper for An Indian Summer readers! Since the last time I blogged about them, Gulmohar Lane has expanded it's repertoire of  beautiful & elegant products to now also include lighting, cushions and more handcrafted furniture pieces. I love the classic, vintage aesthetic of their product range! And not only can you buy their products online, but this weekend, you also have the opportunity to win this generous gift, lovingly put together by the good folks at Gulmohar Lane. 

 

The giveaway, open for readers from any where in the world, includes:

Gulmohar Lane Cushions  .  Gulmohar Lane Vintage Edison Bulbs  .  Gulmohar Lane Linen Bag with Leather Handles  .  Tea Kettle  .  Cups & Saucer  .  Chocolates! 

Yes, all this, to one fabulous reader, from any where in the world!

~ How to Enter ~

1. Tap into your hidden (or not so hidden) poet/lyricist/wordsmith, and pen a little ditty or a verse or a haiku or a paen or a poem, with the words 'Gulmohar Lane' in it.

  

[For my readers who don't understand Hindi, "Gulmohar" is the name of a flowering tree: Delonix Regia]

2. Leave your creative creation as a comment here on facebook and/or as a comment to this post.

3. To gain that extra edge, share the giveaway on facebook, instagram and twitter and tag 'An Indian Summer' & 'Gulmohar Lane'.

4. That's it! The winner will be announced on facebook on the 2nd of December.

See you again, on the other side of the weekend!

Gulmohar Lane: On Facebook, On Instagram, On Twitter

An Indian Summer: On Facebook, On Instagram, On Twitter

 

Oh India!

I have a thing for maps. The thing being that I love them. Political maps, physical maps, road maps, city maps, tourist maps, hand sketched ones, vintage ones - I love them all. And you do know that I have a thing for India. I adore this colorful, eclectic, passionate, maddening country of mine. Today, inspired by both my loves, I put together some visual boards, celebrating maps, colors, India and all her eccentricities. Take a look! 

Putting this post together has put me in the mood for road trips across the length and breadth of the country! I am glad that I have some coming up in the next few weeks to take care of the itchy feet. Make sure you are following me on Instagram as I share tidbits from my travels and life in Goa.
And You, my lovelies, let me know what is it that's inspiring you these days :)

[Credits: Visual Mood Boards by An Indian Summer. Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]

For The Love Of Handloom

The feel of handwoven fabric. The texture. The weft and the warp. The intricacy of design. The symmetry and also the idiosyncrasies of made-by-hand. The centuries old craft traditions that are reverently passed on from one generation of artisans to the next. The story behind each gorgeous yard of a sari.  The wonder at the skill, the passion & the sheer hard work that goes in to create something so beautiful. 

Oh, the love for hand woven Indian textiles - you and I, we know what that feels like!

And because we love our textiles so much, we need to do what we can to save them. 

The What

You might or might not have yet heard about the powerful emerging lobby in India that wants to repeal the Handloom Reservation Act, that has been in place since 1985 to protect traditional handloom weaves and the interests of marginalized weavers. This influential lobby is in favor of bringing in power looms which will flood the market with cheap, low quality, machine made replicas of textiles (especially saris) and take away the livelihood of thousands of weavers and their families. And of course, if this does happen, the loss of invaluable textile traditions, skill and knowledge will be inevitable and irreversible.

What You Can Do

We need to lobby against the repeal of The Handloom Act. Dastkar has started an online petition and we need to sign it and share it with as many like minded people as we can. For now, this is what we must do and support the weavers. 

Please do pause, and sign the petition right now. It takes less than 10 seconds. And you are very welcome to take more time and also share your views and opinions on the petition if you like.

For more information, you can take a look at The Handloom Act and read this, and this, very well written articles.

You and I
We will help preserve & protect what we love

A request to all An Indian Summer readers
From India and everywhere else
Anyone who has been inspired by the beauty of handwoven textiles 
Do Sign the petition
And share this post far and wide


I will see you again in a couple of days. Be good, my munchkins!


[Image credits mentioned on images. Creative storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

The House Of Things

The House of Things. What an evocative name! Conjures up visuals of a lovely rambling home, filled with treasures, finds and surprises. And that is exactly what this gorgeous new boutique store, creates for us, online. With an ever growing curated collection, The House Of Things is the new destination for eclectic & luxurious objet d'art. Housing one-off rare finds to limited edition collections from global designers and artisans, The House Of Things values the increasingly rare notion of individuality and uniqueness when it comes to the objects we bring in to add beauty and character to our homes.

The House Of Things is the creative brainchild of Astha Khetan. Astha started her work life at a London based digital media agency, and then returned to India to manage Unilever's special projects. Her spirited love for handicrafts and penchant for travel inspired her to launch The House Of Things. The key team also includes Sabina Chopra, who brings in decades of experience as a mentor and brand consultant to India's fashion & design industry, and, Manisha Prakash, who, after studying at Instituto Europeo di Design at Milan, has worked with numerous premier apparel & product designers in India. The team is passionate about quality, design and showcasing under-the-radar products and talents. Their combined efforts are very well reflected not just in the gallery of products they have put together but also the seamless experience of browsing & shopping online at The House Of Things.

What I also love about The House Of Things is the diverse & global nature of their collection. From fine furniture and resplendent paintings to exceptional curios, precious jewels, sculptures, antiquities, rugs, textiles and accessories - the curated marketplace brings under one roof select products from designers and brands like Jay Strongwater, Noelle Kadar, Taherally's, Paul Bhosle, JewelCraftz, Andraab, Airdiem, Sunita Shekhwat, with many more in the pipeline.

 

Another unique offering from The House Of Things is personalized and individual attention to your needs by way of their Concierge service. Offering custom designing & production and curated sourcing , the concierge team at The House Of Things, also assists with the entire process of shipping, insurance and payments. They ship worldwide and pride themselves with impeccable attention to detail and efficiency when it comes to fulfilling a customer's desire. 

The gorgeous products showcased in this post are but just a glimpse of the array that The House Of Things offers. Make sure to keep checking the following links to get updated with the latest in their treasure trunk:

 Shop  |  Facebook  | Instagram  |  Pintrest

 Happy shopping!

[All Images: The House Of Things. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]