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Thursday, October 6, 2016

Royale Rama Home Tour - Part 3

We are parking ourselves today, at the final juncture of Rama family’s home tour: Part three, covering the kitchen and library. Just as I fell in love, so did hundreds of you lovely readers, who swooned over this stunning home and expressed your open admiration for part one and two. Now you will be glued to part three as well, with equal adoration. If in case you missed part one and part two, you may head here and here to tour this envy-inducing, richly layered home, where every corner is exquisitely adorned.

The Library:

Paddy is a voracious reader from as far back into childhood that she can remember, a quality she says is inspired by her mother. Reminiscing the days of her childhood, she recollects visiting the local library regularly since the age of four with her mother. Regretfully, she had to abandon boxes and boxes of her book collection when she moved to the US, but her love for reading remained. Needless to say, when Rama family bought a home, they needed a designated space for their keepsake books.   A look out area, overlooking the foyer is dedicated as the family’s reading nook. Although Paddy does not get enough time now to read, due to the fact that her kids are too young, it did not stop her from creating this darling little reading space. She creatively curated her ultimate book collection along some knick knacks and décor accessories.

Cozy reading nook in the upper level, overlooks the foyer.
The Antique book shelf came to their home along with the tall mirror that the family have in formal dining. This teak hand carved shelf is made out of architectural salvage from a traditional south Indian door frame. Of course, like rest of the eclectic pieces in the home, there is a story behind this piece too that triggered Paddy to bring it home. “The thing that instantly attracted me to this book shelf was the yellow paint at the bottom, symbolic of most south Indian door frames. Applying turmeric and kum kum as many know, is an ancient Hindu custom and painting thresholds in yellow and red paints in various rangoli patterns, was a modified practice adopted later, reflecting the same symbolism. Growing up, this threshold art was one of my favorite chores that my mom used to give me during major festivals. When I saw this book shelf with a yellow paint retained at the bottom, it flashed very vivid memories from my life back home!"


Apart from books, the shelf is peppered with interesting Knick knacks, toys (kondapalli, marapachi), and other figurines.
Adjacent to the shelf on the wall, are three ornate mini picture frames that are garage sale finds. Take notice how she fixed them to the wall with a mini brass bell inside each frame! The bells again.... now let's whistle! :)

The floor seating channels a wonderful cozy area to laze around with a book or a chai.
The very comfortable, personal and unique “baithak” area is created for practical reasons keeping family’s young children in the mind, who love climbing over furniture and jump around. Canny use of colors via vibrant cushions brightens this dramatic setting. 
A kathakali painting by Paddy peeks from behind the dancing kondapalli toy in the shelf. Tabla set is perched on a vintage trunk here (yet another garage sale find).



Wonderful collection of Buddha in the reading nook

The brass stand seen in the picture (seating the Buddha statue) is originally an antique brass tray, a gift from her aunt to which paddy had gotten a welder fix brass legs to make it a stand. Another brilliant idea!
The lovely space is used frequently by Paddy's husband Vinod, for his tabla practice or meditation
The Kitchen and Family Room:

The kitchen and family, held as the heart of Rama family are done in an interesting contrast to the rooms in the front area of the home. The décor diva, who likes to throw an element of surprise into everything she does, considers the styling of these rooms to be the surprise that eschews the expectation of the décor trend set in the front section of her home.

The styling of the open plan kitchen and family display a perfect balance between pleasing aesthetics and practicality.
As per Paddy, a considerable thought has gone into this design decision: "As much as I like the traditional Indian decor, I also love the fuss free, minimalistic and serene ambience provided by contemporary designs. While the front part of our home is done in a traditional style, where we embraced color, patterns and bling with abandon; the heart of our home i.e. family and kitchen have been done up in contemporary style. The main reason for this decision being we needed a clutter free space for my kids to run around. As such, there is enough mess to cleanup every day (from my kids and kid's dad), so making this choice made my life easy and manageable"

The arresting feature in the family room is a giant crystal chandelier, complimented by a row of  more crystal light fixtures all the way to the kitchen. A Howard miller two sided clock throws an unexpected vintage pop into the otherwise glam room
A Howard Miller double sided clock mounted on a pillar post, midway between family and kitchen lends a practical, yet stylish solution for checking time from any side!
The pops of color come from the floral and fruit display in the room done in neutral palette. The lighting fixtures are like the sparkling ear rings for the beautiful, serene face of the rooms!
Though minimal, the choice of furniture and accessories from the off-white Natuzzi sectional, the Gray leather Nuevo Living bar stools, custom made coffee and dining tables, the radiant light fixtures, all together make a stylish yet practical family retreat for the Ramas.

Air plants and succulents by the sink window compliment the style of the room. 
Paddy created a mini-world full of lush, beautiful plants by  making her own terrariums above the sink window.
Their custom made low dining table is a big hit among her visitors who love to 'sit down' literally for a meal or tea on this simple yet lovely table.
The kitchen dining is styled in a contrasting theme to the formal dining, where the family got a low table custom made through Amish craftsmen. Paddy wanted their family to have a 'cross legged sit down meal' in the traditional Indian way. So she opted for the Japanese style table that accommodates this idea in a contemporary setting.

The fruit that is always there on the side bar adds a splash of color to the room. Paddy is famous in her circle for her French press coffee that she makes, by grinding beans fresh for every brew.
Her red clay pots and accessories add a hot glam factor to the kitchen. The red delicious apples in the picture above are from their own apple trees in the yard.
We all know by now, that every visible corner of the Rama home is meticulously designed and expertly arranged. The same also applies to the areas that are not always visible. A peek into Paddy's pantry and cabinets shows her sense of order and organization skills that are as impressive as the visible areas of her home. 

All the containers are labeled with re-usable chalk markers. Seen above are re-purposed baby food jars.

Says Paddy: "When it comes to organizing, I follow the same motto I do for decor. The inside has to be as pretty as the outside. This includes inside the cabinets and all enclosed spaces."
A peek into her meticulously organized cabinets
However, Paddy credits her mother for this habit, who herself had organized kitchen shelves and often made Paddy responsible for the organizing chores.
A look at her highly organized pantry and some more cabinets.
By her own admission, Paddy declares that she is a messy cook (Nope, I refuse to believe that ;)). Paddy says: "I have a ton of clean up after every cooking session.  Keeping the cabinets, pantry and kitchen organized is a way to help myself. In general, I prefer to know clearly, instead of resorting to guess work as to what is inside a container :)"

As we come to a glittery end, we officially end the Rama Royale Family home tour here. Though I relished the entire process of writing, editing and blushing over the sprinkle of applause by the readers, the best part was to bond with the décor diva Paddy. I thank her for showing great faith in me and giving me an opportunity to feature her heavenly home.

For final closing, passing the baton to Paddy who signs off, stating: "Our home is evolving and growing, well nurtured by our love, interest and the memories we are creating in the process. I am not sure if I will ever stop and say it is completely done; for my passion for decor is insatiable. As long as my very grounded husband willingly provides wind beneath my wings and allows my creative flights of whimsy, I guess I will keep flying and continue the jaunts :). And you Pinky, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for narrating my home story with as much love as I have had in decorating it. Thank you for presenting with such aplomb and poesy, all the corners and frames of my home; and in the process, also making an amateur photographer out of me!:)"

And a final treat for you all as Paddy lovingly made a video clip especially for the readers of Pinkz Passion summing up all three parts of this home tour. Enjoy!


 

You can connect with Paddy and her inspiring feeds on Instagram here or Facebook decomania here.

What a wonderful journey it was....hope you all enjoyed the part one , part two, and this last part three as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. We thrive on the love and encouraging feedback from our lovely readers. Take a moment to leave your comment. Also stay connected until we meet again dear readers as with the month of festivities we have beautiful posts coming your way, toodles!


(Image Courtesy: Padmaja Rama. The pictures can not be used without a consent  from the home owners, however, you may re-pin them from Pinkz Passion's Pinterest account)  

24 comments:

  1. Wow! lovely home. Would love to know where the red clay pots are from?

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    1. Hi Anonymous!:) Thank you! The red pots were hand painted by me. - Paddy

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  2. You have a Wonderful home, Paddy. And thanks to Pinkzpassion for the beautiful tour.

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    1. Hello, Tgank you very much! Appreciate your lovely comment! - Paddy

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  3. Entirely beautiful home and is done very artistically. Can't get enough with just one read. Thank you ladies for sharing your passion. Very inspiring:)

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    1. Cassy, so wonderful to hear your lovely comments again. A warmest thanks to you! -Paddy

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    2. Thank you Cassy, I always look forward hearing wonderful feedback from lovely readers like you :)

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  4. What a wonderful home tour journey it was!! Absolutely stunning.It was worth waiting for this 3rd part.Who cud hv thought of having a library like this..out of the world! Paddy has done up beautifully. She's very talented wit an artistic eye for decor.Thnk u, pinky for this vibrant tour. And I wish paddy, all the gud luck����

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    1. Honey, A big thank you and cyber hug to you for your constant support and inspiring feedback right from part one if my home tour. I actually looked forward to your comment after part three:)) I will cherish your lovely support and encouragement. Thank you so much!!

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    2. Thank you Honey :) I agree the home tour journey is something we all will cherish for long. Thank you for dropping by, as always love seeing you here :).

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  5. Hi pinkz!
    Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful home tour!!!! Thanks to Paddy as well for inspiring us through her home decor!!! Very inspiring and impressive....
    Thanks ladies!!!!!
    All the best to both of you!!!!

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    1. Thank you and glad you enjoyed the tour, it is always a pleasure to read a wonderful feedback like yours.

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  6. Hi Anonymous!:),
    Thank you do much for stopping by and leaving your wonderful comments! Appreciate! - Paddy

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  7. Very rightly said Pinky, this is a Royale Rama Home!! in awe of the idea of library cum baithak. The contrast of the kitchen and family room with the rest of the decor is very intriguing. Also loved the idea of those airplants by the kitchen window. Well tell me what I did not love...lol. Each and every corner of the house has been done so meticulously. Stunning stunning home!! Great job Paddy. Thanks to you Pinky for putting this together with such passion and was great seeing this beautiful home through your eyes and narration was brilliant.

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    1. Trust me Nupur, I fell in love with Paddy's home each and every time I was in the edit-write phase of this post. Paddy and I both are happy to bring this feature that we all will cherish for long. Thank you so very much for (as always) a very encouraging comment and a wonderful feedback!

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    2. @Nupur, thank you so much for your lovely feedback! Absolutely delighted and humbled! ~ Paddy

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  8. Stunning home and every nook well thought of /decorated... Can you please provide tips on how you keep the brass so shining

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  9. @sumathimadhavan thank you so much for your kind words. Brass cleaning- good old tamarind paste with a dash of baking soda. The important thing to remember is to wipe the item completely dry right after cleaning, it is the water droplets/moisture that leaves marks. Thank you for stopping by again! ~ Paddy

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  10. Hi Paddy .. really awesome home.... amazing work by you and your family..... I would like to know where you collected the antique items from foyer to each and every place... also how did you get such a low dining table.... would love to see this decor again and again ... Good luck to you

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    1. Hi there, thank you! My antiques, vintages and other collections have been collected over years both from India and in US through multiple sources and travels. I wouldn’t be able to direct you to a single source but local antique stores are a good starting point. Our dining table was custom made locally and am sure if you like DIY, you can convert a regular table into a low one. Good luck to you and thank you so much for your kind comments! - Paddy

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  11. Hi Paddy

    Absolutely Stunning ....amazing work.Every corner of your house is so vibrant.I just fell in love with it.Amazingly,a virtual treat for the eyes.

    Can you please provide some information where to get the brass antique from.

    You no doubt should receive a big applaud Paddy.

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    1. Hi Smitha, thank you! I got many from India and some here in US. They all have been collected over years, about a decade I guess. Sources are so many- stores, online, craft shows, travels, antique shows, flea markets, Craigslist, estate sales, auctions, garage sales..,...I guess if you have the passion, youreuesate always one look out and you tend to spot the goods. Good luck to you and would love to see your success in this collection.

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  12. what a lovely home! Big fan of your blog!

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