Travel, Inspiration & Art

A lot of times, I go clicking pictures of different things like fruits, a scene at a bus stand, or a shoe display...etc. Its incredible how many pictures I have of things which seem irrelevant and pointless! But for me, they are a constant source of inspiration. I have over 1000 pictures just randomly clicked, all intending to flood me with ideas. My post this month is about these photos and its implementation into my work, so far.

Persia comes to my Door Step

From the Land of the Turks came my little inspiration of a beautiful dresser I made for my friend. Most mosques in Turkey had these ornate taps in their courtyards which encourage people to wash their feet and then enter this religious place, clean and pure.



This old and ancient tap inspired me to make her dresser. If you notice, you will see the similarity in the shape and the ornateness in the design. The rich golden yellows and deep blues reminds me of my wonderful trip to the land of the Sultans.

A midst the Himalayas

A midst the Himalayas is this little state of Sikkim, heavily influenced by the Tibetan culture. I call it the spiritual, lost little paradise. Its simply gorgeous! I was so touched by how beautiful it is that I decided to use it in one of the most popular items I make, yes, a mirror!



The script on the mirror says "Tashi Delek" meaning May Good Luck come to You in Bhutia language. One of the most beautiful prayer rollers in the Rumtek monastery inspired me to make this piece!

The Zanzibar Islands in Africa

I was shocked to see the overwhelming intricate doors on all the houses in Zanzibar! I had to use it...the idea, the design! It came popping in into another deep green mirror I made, I call it Peacock Plumage!



Balloons of Cappadocia



Going back to central Turkey, I had this wonderful experience of sailing through morning skies in a hot air balloon. The view from the top was like a wonderland. A wonderland which I tried creating for a children's room and on multi-functional trunk I call the Balloooooni Balloon Trunk, made to store toys and use it as a chair while studying.

Jaatt Riksy after Whisky!



You might be wondering whats wrong with my title??!! Well the core of our country, the everyday scene which we hardly notice was brought on to my work. I have seen so many varieties of trucks, lorries or semi as they call in the USA but I have never seen one as decorated, colourful and funny, anywhere else in the world besides India. I always wanted to use all the gaudy designs and funny wordings! Hence Jaatt Riksy after Whisky!

Its all about Lights!



Going back to my Turkey trip, all over, everywhere were these dazzling lights hung from the ceiling. There were times when some of us has to duck down to avoid bumping against them. The warmth created by them was so kindling and cozy. I used it in one of my projects. It made the room look, warm and inviting.

The Fall Colours!



When I look at the trees during fall, a strange feeling of content and peace comes over me. The colours look so bright, warm that the rising cold feels so insignificant. During my stay in the USA, this beautiful patchwork was done by a very dear family member of mine. Its took effort, love and a lot of imagination to create it!

The Turkish Cat Story



I am still not sure about cats from Turkey. They are all over, everywhere, on the roof, in the meadows....on the chair!! I wanted to pet them all, cuddle them all!! I saw a beautiful, fluffy one sitting on a chair...that concluded it all. I recycled a used paint drum with pretty little cats on it and converted it into a stool.

Well...I think I can go on...and I know I have to stop! I would love to hear stories from you...little things that inspired you to create something. Please write to me about anything that motivated you, and made you build something...very close to your heart!

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GoodHomes & Fab India Re-Use aftermath....

I am sorry for not really writing about the aftermath of "The Re-use Workshop by Good Homes". Well I thought I should not leave anything incomplete. So here are some pictures and a little note of the happenings that followed...



Event was conducted by GoodHomes editor Ronitaa Italia-Dhanu were in she took the participants through different vignettes where we highlighted the whole ‘recycle and reuse' aspects of decor. The whole point in doing this brand building exercise was to establish GoodHomes as “decor expert” and encourage interaction with readers.



Conducted on Sept 23rd at the Kalaghoda store of Fabindia, 48 walk-ins enjoyed the "REVAMP" theme of the workshop, which meant utilize existing material which are available at homes and recreate things at home without changing the original format.



The workshop also ended with bright ideas and participation from participants. BBC GoodHomes also had a little contest with where 5 best reuse ideas won little gift baskets. Overall I think it is a very cool initiative taken by Good Homes to make all of us realize how waste or unwanted things can make a a whole lot of difference!

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I am going crazy with Re-using!

Yes yes yes...I am going crazy with re-using and re-furbishing!! My carpenters think I have lost my mind because I want to re-use everything! Let me start by showing you all things I re-used and refurbished and yet made them all look pretty and completely usable!

I call it "Colour Recycled"



Well this is one piece of mirror that looked different and was sold off in a jiffy! Every time my carpenter scrapped off wood shavings, I wanted to use them. But of course, I couldn't use it anywhere and everywhere keeping its fragility in mind, hence I decided to use them on this mirror.



Time for my Sunflower Cats & Barrel Chairs



I had some paint barrels lying around in my workshop. I wanted to do something with them desperately since they were sturdy and would take good amount of weight. Voila, they became colourful, vibrant and strong stools!

Old is Gold



Yes...indeed...old is gold....While I was re-modelling my friend Maithily's home, I discovered the treasures she had. They were just lying around and accumulating dust. She was aware but had no idea what to do with it! An old-fashioned chair rested in a corner of her room which was more or less used as an extra seating. Another little piece of treasure, a stationary teak wood trunk was kept under a TV set. I grabbed them both, refurbished every bit, upholstered the chair, and made them a focal point of the remodeled room!



Beady Wines



I have this little wine rack in a corner of my kitchen where I store the never ending supply of my wine bottles. I just love the way they look when they are racked. Since this one was in the corner for a long time and I had started getting bored of it and was wondering how I could make it look a little different and fresh, I decided to bead it! I had a broken junky necklace which came to my help...I beaded the little rack and now it looks gorgeous! I couldn't even let my junk jewelry go!

Tick Tock goes my Clock!



Some extra pieces of well cut round ply sat occupying some space in my workshop....so, I decided to make some clocks....hand-painted and with lots of craft and beads on them. I have chosen the best ones from my collection :).



How can I forget fabric?



My grandmother had a lot of embroidery rings and pieces of patterned fabrics that she salvaged from the pretty little things she made for us. One day, she got her old trunk out and was asking our maid to take or dispose them off. Again..how could I let it go...it came on in the form of wall art and a curtain in 2 of my remodeling projects - Eatmosphere & Balloooooni Balloon Doctors Clinic!



This month the mania of re-using got instigated because of Good Homes who are conducting their workshop called 'Re-Use' this month in Mumbai on Sept 23rd at Fabindia. Lately the fad of re-using is in the air. I not only try to re-use, re-cycle and re-furbish but also, encourage my clients and friends to do their bit.

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The Re-use Workshop by Good Homes

Re-use, Be Green, Recycle....all these terms have been heard of, almost everyday. We have old sarees or some tins and jars or a whole lot of things in our house which goes straight to garbage cans. Have we once thought of what can be done with it? How can it be re-used? Yes, all of it can be!! And if you want to know how, join us at Fab India on Sept 23rd in Mumbai.

Good Homes - my favorite decor magazine in association with Fab India is conducting a workshop on 23rd Sept in Mumbai to unveil various creative techniques to "Re-use".



I strongly believe that "Re-use Materials" should be a part of everyone's lifestyle. How cool would it be to see your old shirt / Saree as a beautiful pillow cover? I think it is a very cool initiative taken by Good Homes to make all of realize how waste or unwanted things can make a difference and be a part of your decor!

I am really looking forward to this workshop, come along and make a small change.....

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Doctors Office gets a Makeover - Ballooooonni Balloon Library & Children's Work Space!

My doctor client now has a consulting room, a waiting area, a small reception and a pretty little library with loads of goodies and space for toddlers to teenagers. When I met her, she was in great dilemma, she has a lot of books, little therapy sessions for kids and young patients, so how could she accommodate all this in her spare area? The room needed to look cute, bright, cheerful on one hand and on the other, demanded space for her books and work area for children. So here it goes.....



A central view of the room, a wash basin, a nice display of children's work on a push pin board and a study on the side.



I thought of displaying children's inspirational handy-work on the central wall of the room. It made the room very warm and welcoming.



Making the room comfortable to sit and work was also important. In case of sessions, a spare examination bed was essential. Hence we gave it enough storage for books underneath and threw pillows to make it warm and inviting.

So far, the view of the library has been hidden. Ardent readers often have problems, they can't resist buying books and then, there is no place to stack them. Small open & closed shelving was made to display some interesting books and the stack the other reference books below them.



However, a desk, toy trunk and toys were important ingredients of this space. Yet everything needed to be compact and comfortable.



A Ballooooonni Trunk was made with a fluffy foam seating, with ample space which serves well as a bench for the table and fits perfectly under it, saving space and making it compact. A lot of people asked me if the cushion came off the trunk while opening it. The answer to this is no, it is completely removable with a removable cover as well and yet attached well to the trunk top.



The biggest highlight of the room were the Balloooonnni balloons on the wall. The light blue wall with a variety of air balloons painted on it made the room look colourful and alluring for not only kids but even adults.

I even thought of making a frilly light curtain to cover a small window. It did wonders to the wall and to the face of the entire room.

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What Media Says...Mumbai Midday Burst!!

A surprise just stepped at my door when Soma Das from Midday Mumbai called me last week to tell me that she intends to feature me! Wow...coverage in Mumbai is something I'd not really thought about! I was happy with The lovely stores of Bliss and Tribal Route who give me publicity and sell my products with love and appreciation! Soma Das did see some of my work at the Carnival at Bliss and decided to write-up about my work. Thank you Soma, thank you very much!!

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This Week in Venture Capital w/ Jim Robinson of RRE Ventures

Still in NYC, Mark Suster is back interviewing another big name in the East Coast Venture Capital world, James Robinson of RRE Ventures. Watch as the two discuss getting into the business, and what exactly the story is behind Jim's nickname and twitter handle, @jdrive.

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