Shivani Dogra

I love it when readers share with me what they think I will love and what other readers might love. With so much love in the first sentence of the post itself, you must have gotten an idea of how happy I was when Elise, a long time reader, shared Shivani Dogra's work with me. As I browsed through her portfolio, I marveled at the range of her design aesthetics and the brilliant styling. Her creative use of textiles and colors seem to bring new life to spaces, as is also very evident by some of the before afters showcased on her website. 

Shivani and I connected, and she shared her portfolio of work and her story with me. Over to Shivani now, as she takes us through her journey so far, in the world of beautiful interiors...

I left my first job in the film industry in Mumbai to take a break and stay with family in Delhi hoping to return shortly. That never happened and I soon found myself in a new job in Delhi, and in a small 1 room set with, a large, shady Jamun tree just beyond the window by my bed and masses of vibrant bougainvillea - something I could work with; even it wasn’t in the best shape inside. I worked on these rooms in fits and starts. I’d pick up artifacts from old markets around the country on my travels for work, reuse old bedspreads to upholster chairs, paint the walls and doors in colors I loved, till it became a space that I loved coming back to in the evening after work. It wasn’t till one dull afternoon at work, however, when I decided to start a blog about my room and how you could live quite well on a relatively small budget that a new, unexpected career started to take shape. That amateur blog opened new doors for me and I find myself deeply involved in a career I love..

My biggest influences and inspiration is color, color, color. Present in abundance throughout this country, the creative use of color is a constant source of inspiration for me. The varied shades of a street vendor's saree, a two-tone book jacket in a store window, bright graffiti on a crumbling wall, intricate weaves dipped in natural dyes--the sight of vivid colours uplifts and excites me, even when I'm stuck in traffic.

I find it thrilling to encounter beauty in today's built environment, amidst concrete monotony. Despite the mad rush to grow and develop in India, beauty in our lives and surroundings persists and that encourages me. I see examples of this constantly-- in a charming and quaint old home, with a sprawling veranda, amid Mumbai's high rises, in a uniquely preserved and a colorful old house amid Amritsar’s bustle.

Old homes and gardens have long been a passion. This goes back to my upbringing on the tea plantations of the South. The simple, elegant bungalows  surrounded by flowering gardens and orchards, were my first lesson in style. It was a lifestyle that reflected warmth, simplicity, and a closeness to nature. I work to create those qualities in every project I take on.

 

Whenever I begin a new project, it’s important for me to wander a bit at first, exploring the space’s environs, learning about those who will reside or work in it—their stories, its story. Much like a good novel, the space becomes a world that I inhabit for the length of a project and miss when it’s over. I immerse myself in the design traditions and crafts of the area and source materials locally whenever possible. I also work closely with the client to understand his or her vision and interests. A space should reflect both the personality of its inhabitants and the context in which it exists. I strive to bring these together in my designs. I especially love creatively matching and harmonizing the colors of a space’s interiors with the shades of its natural surroundings.

  

Shivani: Thank you for sharing your work and inspiration with us! Hope we get to see many more of your creative projects on An Indian Summer in the future!

[All images copyright: Shivani Dogra and An Indian Summer]

Like Magic..

..I vanished

And now I am back!

I have been traveling, my dearest peeps. Spent a week at the Neemrana Hill Fort and a week at Jaipur and once again marveled at the heritage, architecture, crafts and textiles of the royal state of Rajasthan. I had a great time, but I did miss you! To make up for time that I was away, I have many lovely posts lined up and some exciting giveaways scheduled for this starting-to-get-chilly month of November.   

Thanks to all those who dropped me an email or a note on facebook. If you haven't heard back from me yet, fret not, for you shall within the next couple of days. I'll be back on Monday, with fresh inspiration and more such things that make us go aah! :)

[All images taken by this person who writes this blog. This person being moi :)]

Fashion Inspiration

For Interiors!

Lately, I have been drawing a lot of inspiration from creatively styled fashion shoots and images, especially the ones that are inspired by or influenced by India. The vivid colors, textures, textiles and jewelry, the locations, the mood, the style - all put together is very evocative of a potential interior space; a room done just so that it pulls together all these varied elements and translates a brilliant fashion photo shoot into a beautiful room. I chanced upon this fabulous blog and have been ooh-aahing over the lovely fashion inspiration. Take a look at these gorgeous India inspired fashion images, close your eyes, and tell me if you can visualize a similarly inspired room too...

The bold madras check and tribal jewelry

 

 The elegance of raw silk in green and dark blue

Bohemian mood with kilims

 Love the pink and shades of blue against the mustard! And the block prints reminiscent of summer days

 Imaging color blocking a room with these shades..

 

Mirror work fabric and crafts from India - I can see a children's room done up similarly!

Burnt orange, gold, beige and plum - reminds of me the rich decor and styling for festivals like Diwali :)

 

The charm of an ethnic antique look  

Dull gold does work so well with almost all primary colors!

 And, here are two superbly put fashion and interior diptych by The City Sage..

Do tell me, my creative readers, does fashion inspire your spaces and rooms as well?

[Images: The Jade Bangle, An Indian Summer Likes, The City Sage]

Did ya

..Ikea?

Love how the tiny colorful rug brings the entire room together

Ikea has been one of my earliest design crushes and source of inspiration. I love how affordable good design (if not the greatest quality) has been made accessible to everyone by Ikea. So, it was with anticipation that I browsed through the Ikea Live site - a website showcasing real homes, ideas and spaces created by people using products from Ikea. I loved these homes - the fact that each had a distinct imprint of the people who lived in them, in spite of using mass produced furniture and products - made it all the more interesting. Here are some spaces that sang to me :)

Rough floors, rugged roof and a pristine white couch - just about perfect!

I am trying not to exclaim oh-how-pretteh!, and am completely failing at the attempt :)

 Have always loved a small desk by a window nook. You got to be able to look out to something while working!

Ooh..this tapestry behind the bed, that chalkboard cupboard and those hardwood floors! 

Prints and more prints!

Reclaim that wood! Now.

 Look at that birdie!

What a nice eclectic mix of varied art and pillows/cushions here

 As lovely as this room is, my little bloggie blog has this wicked temptation to splash some color in it! Put a bright bedspread, bring that rug from the very first image in this post to the bedside, spread a vintage mirror work textile across that bench, and put up one brightly colored hat on the wall! That's it. :) 

[All images: Ikea Live]

I shall see you again tomorrow with an interesting post - I am already ooh aahing over it!

Oh, and do go and see who won the Studio Azzurra giveaway on facebook! Is it you?

 

Catching

My fancy and all

Are these

Vignettes & nooks

From homes and places

There

And further yonder

 

Any that catch your fancy as well?

[All images: Pinterest]

Also, hop on to facebook for a lovely giveaway from Studio Azzurra, in the Joy of Giving Week. Open for anyone with a shipping address in India.

Fresh off the press

I'll let you in on a little secret. I adore receiving packages via courier/shipping! The excitement of seeing a box delivered to my home, and then opening it up and ooh aahing - even though most times I know what is inside since I ordered it! And, if that box contains books, then I am the happiest girl on the block! And very happy I was, when I received two lovely coffee table books from the fabulous Meghan of The Vendome Press for review. Today, I sat down with a warm cup of jasmine tea, and spent a leisurely hour going through both books. As expected, lot of ooh aahing ensued, and once done, I couldn't wait to show you some of my favorite images from the books.

The Vendome Press sent across their two of their August new releases: Mighty Maharajas [Forts and Palaces of India], and At Home In Italy [Under the Summer Sun].

The Mighty Maharaja, by Amita Baig, with opulent photographs by Joginder Singh, covers select forts and palaces across the length and breadth of the country, along with their fascinating history. The sumptuous book also offers an interesting glimpse into the lifestyle of the royalty.

The second book, At Home in Italy, by editor of AD Italia, Nicoletta del Buono, has brilliant photographs of some of Italy's most beautiful homes, taken by Massimo Listri. Covering about thirty homes across various regions in rural Italy, the book is almost like a personal walk through the sun drenched patios, the inviting cool living rooms, and a visual feast of Italian rural design and decor tradition. 

Ah! The pleasure of fabulous new coffee table books! :)

You can grab your copy of the books here and here.

[All images for the post clicked by me, owned by The Vendome Press]