A home in Bombay

Anavila Sindhu Misra and I have been exchanging creative notes since the time I blogged about her work. We met when she came to Delhi to exhibit her exquisite sarees and fabrics, where she very graciously gifted two handcrafted fabric art works from her studio to me. It was such a pleasure to meet Anavila in person, and as we chatted about our creative likes and dislikes, the blogger in me instinctively knew that her home would be as lovely as her. I pestered her for a home tour, and here we are - the beautiful and distinctive space that Anavila, her husband and their son call home! Anavila also shares her personal style and aesthetics below...

My home style is very India inspired. From the wall art to the textiles, all are craft based, with some occasional picks from travels which I couldn't resist - like the antique gong and bird cage which I bought at an exhibition from a Thai/ Indonesian old couple, who were putting up there lifelong collections for sale.

 

 

Most of the things you see around my house are my own designs and products collected over the last seven years ever since my association with crafts. I go with colors like green, beige, whites for home with little accents of brighter shades. For me, plants are a must and most of my decorations are botanical. 

Home for me is putting together familiar and inspiring things that make you comfortable and happy ! :)

Many thanks Anavila for the lovely home tour!

Looking forward to seeing you and your pretteh textiles in Delhi again soon :)

[All images copyright: Anavila Sindhu Misra and An Indian Summer] 

A home in New Delhi

Aneela Zeb Babar and I have known each other's virtual presence for a couple of years now. I love what and how she writes, and she enjoys the doses of pretty from An Indian Summer. Aneela moved to India recently, and one hot summer afternoon, we met at her new home in New Delhi. Over refreshing cups of Aneela's special chai, we had endless conversations, laughter, and a tour of her lovely home. I loved the fact that each little thing in her home has a story, a history, or a memory attached. And I won't even attempt to retell these stories to you, for I have the utterly charming and fabulously witty Aneela right here! Over to Aneela:

When you ask me about style and inspiration I guess for a long, long time it has been my mum, and my earlier houses were kind of an 'inspired tribute' to how she had done up her home but some time last year I think I finally grew more comfortable with who I was and now that I look back at the photographs over the year, I recognize how the blues and reds and a sense of eclectic are replacing the creams and beige and tapestries of before!

Ours is a family of Baba, Begum and a 3 year old. Sometime in September 2009, we packed up 'The House With The White Picket Fence' in Melbourne to live a life ‘unsettled’. Which meant that most of the paraphernalia of what constitutes as home was packed up in a garage and only the 'portable memories' made the cut in the boxes. The past three years has seen a lot of travel and homes combined with aspirations that my child grows up with some objects around him that have remained consistent and that we don’t exactly kill his sense of the aesthetic living in rented houses at times with someone else's furniture.

I think our home in Delhi now reflects the design demands of living out of a suitcase and combining a bit about who the father and me are and our journey so far....the 3 year old has quite an opinion about what makes it across the threshold too so the rooms combine some of his stories as well.

I thought that most of our purchases were random or something that the three of us could finally agree on…but I realize now that there is quite a method to our mad buying. Most of the artwork has a strong woman's voice. I know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but with our house rules of no TV…everything from the paintings, the bed spreads, the lamps, and of course the book shelves have to tell a hundred tales. I have quite a design crush on the art of kantha, also the Bengali jatra...so the three year old has spent many a summer afternoon poring over the bedspreads tracing stories with his finger about the embroidered ghouls, and camels,  parrots,  fish,  birds and butterflies.

I am guilty of being like many South Asians who dream in English but like to live the subaltern...so I give good business to Barefoot in Colombo especially their lovely painted ceramic pottery and the metal craft workers of Bangladesh who introduced me to their reading of Ganesha and Saraswati. Some things have not changed, I still cannot kick my family's addiction to carpets so there are a lot red carpets lying around the house bought in  Afghanistan and from Rawalpindi and Quetta in Pakistan! My husband is getting help for his penchant for lamps around the house.

We indulge in our penchant for nostalgia with wing back chairs, collecting faux antique writing desks, the odd gramophone , antique wall clock. My favorite child remains the Chicago Phone which amazingly still works.

  

When it comes to portable memories ...some things like my grandfather's war medals, my grand mum's trays, a grand aunt's milk jug, and father's books will always find a place in my suitcase. And there will always be a wall to accommodate my collection of political cartoons.

Aneela, shukriya (thank you) for sharing your lovely warm home with us!

You and I need to have another round of your fragrant chai soon :)

[All images copyright: An Indian Summer and Aneela Zeb Babar]

 

El Meu Coixi

I stumbled upon this quaint little store called El Meu Coixi during my web wanderings. El Meu Coixi means On My Pillow, and is filled with homely cuddly pillows and blankets. I love their feel good product portfolio and shots. Well, it was really the cat that clinched it for me! Look at the last pic in this post :). They have a store in Barcelona and also retail from an online shop. Looking at these images, I am already thinking autumn, folks :). How about you?

[All images: El Meu Coixi]

New and Happening!

Syed Ali Arif

Syed shared his striking art work and the heartwarming story of his journey into the world of art with me recently. An artist at heart, Syed went through the cycle of conventional education and 'regular' jobs, before he gave in to his passion of creating art. Self taught, with an artist friend as a mentor, Syed is now sought out by independent galleries and art lovers from across the world. Using various paint techniques and mediums, his work covers subjects like Indian mythology, religion, sexuality, performing arts, individuality and self identity. 

Take a look at Syed's art portfolio on his site and on his facebook page.

Urban Yogi brings Good Earth to Dubai!

 

Nisha Varman Shetty, the brainchild behind Urban Yogi, had reached out to me sometime back and shared her dreams and ideas of creating a luxury sustainable brand in Dubai. So with much delight, I announce the launch of Urban Yogi, and it's first project - a collaboration with the iconic Good Earth. Urban Yogi brings to Good Earth to Dubai via the 12th Women Exhibition currently happening at Dubai Ladies Club in Jumeirah. Click on the pic above for more details. 

And, a fabulous offer for all my readers in Dubai - Just mention that you are a reader of 'An Indian Summer' at Urban Yogi's stall, and get a 10% discount on all products! Happy Shopping!

 61c

A shared love for stationary and a passion for design is what led Supriya Kejriwal and Prashish More to join forces and create the paper brand 61c. Turning the mundane everyday paper products into magical, collectible items, the duo has launched an eclectic range of notepads, cards, gift packaging, wall art and other exciting paper accessories. I am love with their Panchatantra range of products featuring quintessential Indian motifs and design. 

Connect with 61c on facebook here and shop for their exquisite products right here. For a week, An Indian Summer readers can avail a special discount of INR 200 off on every purchase above INR 610 by using the code AIS61C when you shop. And if you 'like' their page on facebook, you can get an additional 6.1% discount! Just leave a note on their page to get the additional discount code. 

Urban Ladder

For Ashish and Rajiv, the inspiration to create a store that provided easy access to great furniture, came when they were building their own homes. They had a first hand experience of what a consumer would like for in furniture and what was missing in this area in the online retail segment. After months of research into design and manufacturing techniques, and sourcing unique quality products, the duo has set up UrbanLadder.com. With a range of well designed furniture and decor pieces, UrbanLadder.com promises to provide a seamless online retail experience. 

Check out the collection at UrbanLadder.com and connect with them on facebook right here.

[Al images copyright An Indian Summer and respective owners]

Scattered

...is how these images are, and scattered is how my head is right now! There are things to do, calls to make, lists to be ticked off, but what to do, I left my heart in Ladakh. Sigh. I know, I know - the vacation is done and over with and the mountains are sadly some thousand miles away - yet they call out to me, the pesky giants! While I conspire on how to head back as soon as I can, I still think of you, my favorite peeps. And these images, though scattered, with no well thought of theme, are the ones that made me smile, and for a second, made me forget the call of the Himalayas. Good thing that pretty rooms can do such, and much more, for peeps like you and me :)  

[Images from various including tumblr, pinterest and here]

Red Earth Design Mela

Good times are here folks!

I love the last six months of the year. Not that I don't like the first six months; just that the second half of year brings in it's wake various festivals, fairs, celebrations, shopping, cultural events and such, all that makes me, and is sure to make you too, happy!

So, it's with much happiness that I announce the Red Earth Design Mela for Monsoon 2012! Conceptualized and run by the immensely creative Himanshu Verma of Red Earth Design, this mela is part of the annual Monsoon festival.

  

Happening in Delhi, the mela (fair) promises to bring beautiful products from a range of select designers. And if you are a designer, there's more good news! There are a few stalls available and you can get the opportunity of showcasing your products to a design savvy audience at an excellent location. Write to Himanshu for more details asap!

See you here!

Date / Time:

July 28 - 29th; 11:00a - 08:00p

Venue:

Alliance Francaise de Delhi (Galerie Romain Roland)

72, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi

On Facebook

Designers/Products in this post (from top, clockwise):

 No Man's Land, Gayatri Chopra Bags, No Man's Land, Studio Mora, Eka, Locopopo, House of Wandering Silk

Speechless

And stunned

By the beauty and immenseness

Of the Ladakh landscape

By the unforgettable moments and experiences

On this trip to the Land of Lamas

 

I'll be back with you

Very soon

For I did miss you

And wished

That you were there with me

To watch the sun rise

To listen to the music in the breeze

To feel the chill in the wind

To chant with the monks

In the mighty Himalayas

I'll be back

Just a couple days more

Pretty please?

[Listen to a new favorite Buddhist prayer]

Hope you peeps have been happy, shiny and chirpy all these days? I have a bunch of exciting stuff lined up - home tours, new designs and designers, a couple giveaways and of course, pretteh rooms! Come back soon, ya all - good times ahead on the blog!

~

  

Where do you...

Where do you

Go

My lovely

I wanna know

My lovely

I wanna know

Where do you go

Oh Alright!

I'll tell you

Just stop singing the song, will ya? ;)

(But you can continue to call me your 'My Lovely')

I am off to Ladakh, my peeps!

With a friend

A camera

And a spring in my step

I'll miss you my lovelies

Do miss me back, Ok?

 

I'll be back on the 15th

With fresh inspired posts

And fables from Ladakh

Be good

And

Take care!

XOXO

[Illustrations from a book a I love to gaze at: Tibetan Pilgrimage - Architecture of the Sacred Land by Michel Peissel]

 

Of beautiful things

From my inbox

Soham Dave

The name Soham is a combination of complete consciousness and creative energy in Sanskrit, and the recital of the name “Soham” in Sanskrit and Buddhist philosophies, is one of the most powerful universal mantras of meditation. This mantra is unconsciously repeated each time one takes a breath - inhaling "So", and exhaling "ham". It translates to I am that – suggesting the possibilities beyond the limitations of mind and body, at being at one with the absolute.

This powerful ideology is ingrained in Soham Dave's designs and collections. Soham, who is an electrical engineer by education, followed his passion of creative fashion design and honed his skills at NIFT and FIT, New York. Soham's clothes are a beautiful harmony between the old and the new, the urban silhouettes and traditional Indian textile skills of hand embroidery, block printing and weaving. His focus on eco-friendly processes and biodegradable fabrics has earned him an unique reputation in the global fashion industry.  

Browse through rest of Soham Dave's exquisite collection on his website and Look books.

Swati Kalsi

Swati Kalsi, a passionate textile and fashion designer, from NIFT, has been working with handcrafted textiles for about a decade now. Her work has been globally lauded by collectors, connoisseurs and also feted by museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Swati believes in creating distinct pieces of work, treading on the edge of design, art and craft. To this end, she engages with artisans in interactive creative processes and creates pieces that are timeless and very unique, with interesting quirks and anomalies arising out of the very process of creating a piece of collaborative art.

View more of Swati's ethereal designs right here.

  

 Tarini Nirula

 

Tarini Nirula, an alumnus from NIFT, is a young designer already making waves as an accessory designer. Tarini's signature handbags and clutches use edgy shapes and forms with an interesting mix of textiles and materials. Tarini has collaborated with designers like Jenjum Gadi and Bina Rao, and her collections have been showcased on the ramp in the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2012. 

Grab a Tarini Nirula handbag of your own! View the rest of the collection, and get in touch with Tarini right here.

And now some generous discounts from these lovely stores!

KOZA

KOZA offers travel accessories for those seeking global style and an individual aesthetic. Catering to the desire of being stylish as well as practical when it comes to luggage and travel accessories, KOZA has put together a collection that you would love to flaunt. Found exclusively in some of the best luxury resorts, KOZA is now also available through its online store. 

Creatively inspired by Indian epic, the Mahabharata, KOZA's interpretation translates into signature prints created from the finest silk jacquards and embroidered linen.

KOZA would love to offer An Indian Summer readers an exclusive discount! Use to code 06252012 to get 35% discount on the entire collection. Hurry and pick your favorites for the discount code is applicable till the end of this week. 

Maya's Arc

Maya's Arc is a dream venture for friends, Uma and Priya. After years of corporate work, they both decided to follow their heart and got together to design one-of-a-kind jewelry. Sourcing beads and trinkets from all over the world, each piece is designed and crafted by hand. Maya's Arc retails through a convenient e-store and ships worldwide. 

If you would like to own one of the many beautiful pieces in Maya's Arc collection, do make use of the exclusive offer they have for An Indian Summer readers! The first 25 readers who decide to buy from Maya's Arc can make use of the code scais31712 and get a 20% discount on all purchases. The code is valid till July 31st, 2012. Hurry and be one among the first 25 to shop right here! 

[All images copyright: An Indian Summer and respective owners]

Hope you enjoyed today's collection of beautiful things! And you know what...the winner of the Free People giveaway has been announced! Click right here, scroll to the end of the post and find out if it's you!