Diwali Decked Home

I am back with a bang with our annual Diwali home tour and as always, we are all set to have you drool over our décor and bowl you out with the display of our collection. Come on in…the doors are wide open. 

Brass still reigns supreme in my all décor and my entry way is a perfect winning location to display all...after all first impression does matter. Diwali gives me ample reasons to display my décor but topping my game this Diwali are these lanterns (gifted by a dear reader Arpita who visited me from all the way New Zealand).

The powerful bold gold wall is always festive ready in our home but decorating with special touches adds the thrill at the entry for the atmosphere of a celebration. To enjoy the interesting display and the wonderful paintings of our daughter....a short stay in here is a must for every guest.

The irony of using brass cannot be missed when it comes to power game of festive décor. Glorious touches of celebration are carried through out the home. Details in décor add charm along with a sprinkling of intrigue in guests. My best of the brass pieces are added here for extra simmer this Diwali.
Diyas are integral part of any celebration and using them everywhere and in everything  illuminates the air of anticipation on festive season.

                               

Style and glamour come with endless possibilities. While I believe brass and diyas are the flavors of festive season and they can get your glitter game on in no time. Also flowers are fresh on the eyes, pretty on your vignette and perfect for the festive season….so house them to radiate chic serenity in the atmosphere.

My décor has peaked this year with the new addition of these cushion covers from Bristi. They turned out the masterstroke this Diwali. However they have a quirky story about how they are perfectly personalized to my taste…will share that some other time…for now let their picture do all the talking. 

Our aesthetics come from the genes and in my case, my guru, my mom who was right at home for me to learn from. It would be safe to say that much of what you may observe in my décor comes from my mother. I recently visited her home in India and she is still so focused and driven when it comes to her décor choices. The grouping in this corner is inspired by her styling and stolen completely from her. 

Handpicked selection of brass, flickering glow of diyas, glorious touches of flowers and voila…no corner is untouched and it totally reflects our style and taste.

And here it is our Diwali ready room....a visual and sensual delight and it makes me to stop and park myself before I pass  by every time...I am sure our guests will be aroused to vibrant conversations for Diwali party this year. 

Family room corners are also charged with love this Diwali (I told you...I have been on a décor spree and stirring up the storm). This console table is a perfect place for me for championing a fresh and unconventional approach every occasion. Following my own whimsy, I have inserted terra cotta diyas in almost all vignettes for festive touches. They perk up the plainest setting to something special. 

Some festive staples never go out of style - they just are reinvented year after year. My festive season's new mantra is fuss-free and yet festive by layering these already beautiful diyas effortlessly on the coffee table. Used here is jewel toned purse as a placement to enhance the aesthetic beauty.  

Brass has always been the blueprint of old world manners and chivalry across the eras but updating them in a totally contemporary way gives it a sparkly new twist. Mod meets old setting here with my DIYed marble bench is impeccable for festive entertaining. The backdrop of Ganesha painting on our chalkboard falls perfectly in the festive rhythm.

And with the final closer look of all festive diyas I wrap up this post hoping that you all will get your kick out of all sparkling ideas in the post.  A little inspiration and an eye for beauty are the only essentials you need to add that extra festive sparkle in your home. 

Signing out wishing you all a happy, happier and the happiest Diwali. Do stay connected on my social feeds of Facebook and Instagram as I am yet to share my rangoli of this year. Until then, enjoy all the laddoos, mithai and festivities at your end, toodles!

And we welcomed Bappa......

The décor demon inside me is hard to tame when the festivity ranks supreme. This year also the spirit of the festivities has created quite a stir in our home, and as a result of that great fervor, a seized corner in our temple room is breathing elegance in the presence of our eco-friendly Ganesha. 

Traditional theme has been injected in every corner anchoring my brass pieces.  My artist daughter’s artwork as a backdrop does not only rivet the attention but also gives a powerful impact on this year’s setting.

The same set of Bandhani dupattas used for décor here and here are called in service to imbue more color and draw the eye. Don’t miss the frolicking troupe of ‘Ganeshas’ with brass diyas (that I used freely mixing unexpectedly) adding festive touch on the table.  And the garland adorning on the “bajoth” of ‘Ganesha’ is actually a “toran” (door garland) that adds a decorative tone on the setting.
The tall wooden Ganesha statue is graced in the center as a great impetus. The dark and soft color contrast make both idols stand out. In between the festivity chaos and complete madhouse, the traditional ladoo recipe has been dumped and new (an easy peasy) coconut ladoo recipe (stolen from YouTube) has taken care of his cravings.  

Few traditional, pretty and colorful decorating, relevant to the celebration has surprisingly created a spiritual ambience in our temple room. I love it especially when the lit up candles cast a warm glow in the room throughout our prayers.  From my end, I am leaving no stone unturned to please our darling little “Ganesha” this year :).

 

Up next on the blog is our first giveaway, stay glued on facebook page or Instagram feed so you don't miss out any details on the post or more decorating ventures. Until we meet again, toodles!

Passion of Collection!

Who wouldn’t fall for his spellbinding and hypnotizing rotund and jolly appearance? For the one who utterly embodies divinity with chubby cheeks, sparkling eyes, benign smile curved lips and his innocent trunk face. The one who radiates an aura of his twinkling and gleaming personality, the one who excels all the masters and the one who is most worshipped divine being, we did...yes...with Ganesha.

As the whole world welcomes him for a grandest celebration, I could not select any better day to cap off my long held idea of a post to take you on a virtual tour of our proud collection of "Ganesha". Though, we (me and my husband Aj)  both being an avid collector, are deeply confident about our interest and tastes, the credit for taking personal interest in building our collection should be endowed to my husband, Aj. The collection reflects his well -travelled life of business and his deep resonated sense of taste to pick the right pieces. Perhaps, his discerning eye is intuitively drawn towards certain pieces. 

So, keep your eyes and heart open as eventually I steer you around our home.

      

As you draw in, you will see the masterful layering around the home with carefully chosen mix of brass belting out the saga of our truly precious collection. As our home gets ready for the festivity, few upbeat hues of the festivities are brought to life at my entrance way. You might settle with my thought; DNA for "Ganesha's" love runs in the family, his charm has catapulted magic for our artist daughter as well who drew these beautiful paintings adorning our entrance. 

                 

When celebrations start, a dash of dancing lights and flowers along with our inherent craving for brass transform our living room a focal place in our home. The curated cabinet, in our living room,  is a perfect discovery for homing our rare, treasured and sentimental pieces. A common thread of brass here stitches all together.

Periodically combing through what you have accumulated eases a challenge to balance the pieces. Grouping in ingenious ways permits each item a greater decorative value. Particularly this "Ganesha with kumkum" I remember as the first one coming home before we begin collecting. His gesture being in a shell makes him an adorable and an exclusive piece of our collection.

Embracing possibilities by detaching preconception leads me to a perfect pairing of some timeless brass which often authenticates a little sense of newness in my décor. The “Zula Ganesha” was plucked by me for a pooja celebration at home,  over a decade ago. The antique brass tray was scored from the “Gurjari Bazar” of India. It’s a fabulous plus to our collection and no wonder you often spot in my décor being my absolute favourite. Little elbow grease and tamarind worked its charm to give the sharpness and shine to the plate. 

I chew on modifying and styling collection, instead of being jumbled on a shelf taking up your space. One of such styling of the impeccable crew of brass Ganeshas are taking their grand entry on the blog especially for the collection post. Each figurine in the troupe of brass portrays the compassionate Ganesha frolicking different traditional instruments. 

Traditional and fanciful rare piece such as this “Ganesha writting Mahabharata”, resonate depicting stories of history. To add more reflective glamour on the festive season, I every so often fetch him and other brass knick-knacks on our coffee table for a cheerful look. 

I often find myself challenging to balance the pieces without everyday being a feel at the brass store. To justify the correctness of each piece, I group with a great mix of style that is flexible and continuously evolving with different pieces. The "Idealistically sitting Ganesha" here on the vignette was fetched from an antique store boutique from Delhi. And the kettle, you are gazing at, is unexpectedly fetched from a yard sale rightly proving that one person’s trash becomes another person’s treasure.

We started feeding our passion by hunting and gathering aesthetically beautiful and elegant pieces such as this “Bal Ganesha”. Grouping him with few of my favourite things together builds a strong reason to stop by him and take a closer look. 

You don’t necessarily have to inherit an antique to love it and make it your own. This cutest “Nerdy Ganesha” is our most recent purchase from India. His sharp, smartened look made him a one of a fanciful gem of our collection.

For the collection journey, only part of our collected pieces were chosen here to share. But my tale of collection would never be complete without sharing our traditional and ethnic idols.

Raising the veil off of one of the classic “Wooden Ganesha” who was brought home as a treasured memory of our first purchase of a new home. This new age “Lotus seated Ganesha” came home recently as a gesture of our old school friendship by a dear friend. 

Along with few serene “Sitar playing Ganesha” and an infantile form of “Bal Ganesha”, we also own the most marvelous shade of blue ones. There are also few who a tug a string of our heart and often take numerous rounds in my regular décor on Facebook and Instagram pages.

Few multi-coloured idols of "Ganesha" also lend some personality, charm and whimsy to our collection.

A significant collection usually begin with just one item whether books, art, paintings or Ganesha, outline the personality of your home and reflect style and taste of the owners. Spark an interest in something you haven’t realised or considered collecting. Whatever and however you collect, just follow your heart. If you love something, you will always find a place for it. Love and surround yourself with your favorite pieces and live with it. 

Amid the plethora of fantastic treasures, I wrap up this journey of our collection. The tad-bit long post is a result of hours of styling, hundreds of clicking and finishing off final touches before festivities at our home. Now, as I am off to welcome our this year's Ganesha, wish you all the very happy Ganesh Chaturthi and a wonderful celebration, until we meet again, toodles!