And....it's December!

After an eventful month of November, it’s the season to be jolly, folks. Diwali décor posts were total hit and once again, thank you for such a wonderful response. So as the Avilasha’s charming home tour, being the very first on the blog, is also well served.

 

Moving around things can make the same place feel so fresh.

As the streets are getting overloaded with tinsel and blinking lights, I am also giddy with joy along with brewing mind busy making a list of my thoughts for the season. Hoping to spruce up the festive mood for approaching holidays soon by shaking off long forgotten Christmas accessories from a deep slumber.

My coffee table adoring brass collection with floating flowers

On a reality check, grey sky and grumpy weather in my part of the world, but no SNOW…. Yes, we Torontonians are blessed with longest fall recorded on trend this year. Our snow gears are still bottled up. Though, at this time of the year, last winter was really brutal, we were hit with shovel quite few times.

My virtual world of passion page is bubbling with new friends, thank you everyone for hoping on, welcome aboard! Stay connected on Facebook as well as on Instagram, few jolly good posts will be crawling up your screen soon, toodles!

Aaradhyam: Abode of Worship (Home Tour of Avilasha)

Starting the series of actual home tour with a cheering, soothing, soulful and sensuous home of Avilasha today. Her home, named Aaradhyam, exactly meaning the abode of worship, is a cheerful collision of international ethos reveling in a traditional culture.  From the good beginning with a focus mind, Avilasha, a clinical Neuropsychologist by profession, wholeheartedly enjoyed the entire progression of her home, starting from hard civil work to the detailed interiors. Her eyes for design got her through the stunning process of making her home while savoring slightest detail of it.

Multi-faceted lady has a knack of knowing gems of old and vintage furniture by giving them a facelift. She has brilliantly taken Do-it-Yourself spirit to new levels of sophistication in her entire home. After raiding antique dealers and few online websites such as ‘OLX’ she picked up terminated furniture pieces and gave them an implausible transformations by refurbishing. The furniture pieces around her globally decorated home are the testament to prove how well Avilasha has advocated successful DIY projects in her home. 

Old antique carved chairs were changed with black deco painting and black suede fabric to give a monochromatic feel

Brave hits of black and white pattern on the wall beautifully collide in this happy glam family room. The classic color combo black and white wallows Avilasha’s innate ability to be fearless, fun and bold for décor.  Some happy splashes of red assortments and expertly edited accessories emit the home owner’s unique individuality.

Enticing display of inherited and collected pieces

Every corner in this room screams of a story of inherited pieces of by gone era or the places they visited. Avilasha proudly broaches about the medley of accessories which epitomizes her true self in the room. She smugly points out at the inherited valuable pieces from her mother or curated from their distant travels. The copper incense stick holder, Kashmiri Kahwa teapot and the blue pottery plate on the table, she inherited from her mother. The spinning dervish’s plate doesn’t only add the pop of red on the wall but also hark back the memories of good times in Turkey they had. Two valuable brass plates and big pot at the lip of staircase are handed down pieces from her mother-in-law.  

Clean straight lines and nice curves on the arm rests on those chairs were perfect for a makeover.

The striking graphic punch with black and white stripes wall is grounded with a dramatic black and white rug. A wagon cart is pressed here into service as a very modish coffee table.

A solid teak wood table from an antique dealer is brand new after few licks of bold color.

The room sports strong red scattered around, by the same token, the dining area also has its share of red. The dining table was also a rickety old piece picked up from an antique dealer. Being it a potential piece, wee bit make-over is done with German Red color to serve her purpose.

Avilasha's private sanctuary, her bedroom is ingeniously designed to please all the senses. Her bedroom invites to wind down the hustle and bustle of daily life with ease. The most romantic and of course our attention grabbing four-poster bed is a show stealer in her bed room. The handsome bed is a result of  an afterthought of their travel to Turkey. Neatly propped cushions on the bed are blending well in richly layered room. The Moroccan mirror adds sophistication to an otherwise plain passion plum wall. Avilasha follows her own whimsy when it comes to décor, the far end yellow frames are the cushion covers that have been framed which definitely sums up the core of her style.

Guest Bedroom with Indo-Asian deocr

Rolling over next to her extremely calming place full of Zen vibes is her Guest Room. It is surrounded by an arresting charm of Indo- Asian themed décor. Starting off with the antique lotus Buddha tankha painting inherited from her father takes the center stage of her Guest room wall echoing her emotional resonance. The up cycled green wing chair is also a fruitful result of her DIY elbow grease.

To harmonize the appearance, she has seek the aid of more Zen décor accessories collected from their unforgettable holidays or travels to an exotic lands such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka and different states of India. Being an avid meditation practitioner Avilasha has added touch of calming vibes throughout the room.

Office Den/Media Room

Finest décor elements in her abode include an unmistakable and exceptional styles of Avilasha. The wit of using ordinary pieces in a modern way is an absolute pivotal to the heart and soul of her home. She proudly conjures up using a tea towel (the deer frame) or a loose poster (DO NOT DISTURB sign) freely mixing unexpectedly by framing them on a collage wall of her study room.



Frames are the art prints form San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts ( SFMOMA)

 

Her study room is also shared as a media room where largely scaled textured brick pattern draws the eye, which is actually wallpaper. Juxtaposition of hot orange with teal green frames gives a hip and retro look. The eye catching blood red rug is arresting the ultra-modern look of this room. Subtle texture of the custom made day bed adds comforting and warm atmosphere for those movie nights with buttery pop-corn.

Under the stairs corner

 

Before we conclude today’s home tour, sharing few festive corners of Diwali from Avilasha’s home. She decked up the home by hitting all traditional brass accent pieces giving them grand “Royal Rajasthani” theme around the home.

Knick knacks of brass scattered for a perfect festive ambience

The home truly dictates the wisdom of the lady's DIY spirit and interesting décor finds keeping her home alive. Do join her facebook page of Aaradhyam project where she has literally marked her thought process of every bit of it.  Thank you Avilasha, for opening the doors of your warm home for us. Wish you a all the very best for your future endeavors.

Hope this inspirational home tour will strike a punch to your deepest well of DIY fundas. Until we meet again, stay connected on Passion page of Facebook for further updates. I have few wonderful posts lined up for you all, so circle back here for more, toodles!

 (Images Credit: Avilasha via Aaradhyam project)

A feast for the eyes! ( Celebrity homes - Liza Bruce & Nicholas AlvisVega)

Globe jetsetters, Brit fashion designer Liza Bruce and her husband artist Nicholas Alvis Vega pursue a life of high style wanderers. The couple lives an envious life inhabiting in a globally amassed homes all over the world. Their home décor taste runs in the direction of the unpredictable, rakish style. Both have championed a fresh and unconventional approach to their all homes and the homes radiate their style of adding zing to the décor. Today we feast our eyes glancing at rooms in the homes in Puglia, Italy, palazzo apartment in Jaipur and a beautiful riad in Morocco.

 

An exotic laid back bungalow on the Adriatic coast in Puglia

 

Plenty of classic global charm is added in the room. Colorful painting by Alvis himself brings the energy to this neutral living room. Ethiopian chair and an orange Moroccan rug gives a fresh spin on the global decorating.

Perfect blending of ethnic style completes the nature lover couple’s sun hit roof terrace. Kenyan fabrics and Ethiopian bed with riotous pillow offer style and comfort in equal measure.

The principal ensuite in Puglia

 

Indian influenced apartment in Jaipur, India

 

Lime green walls with white chairs in Study Room

Purely authentic mansion in Jaipur is snuggled amidst the core of the city. Bold sense of color with vividly painted walls, tad details and mod touches with classic Indian charm completes their Jaipur home.

The pink room definitely makes me cringe. Stand out pieces creates the flow with bold mix pattern and color. The painted traditional Indian motifs on the wall and a purple rock crystal chandelier draw the eyes.

Silk pillow covers and ornately stenciled motifs created by Alvis himself exemplifies the diversity of their style. A polyhedron lamp and white marble Natraja injects the smartness in the meditation room of the couple.

Red rooftop tent with intimate sitting area is nestled with amass of cactus.

Incredibly bold Moroccon Getaway

Marrakech oasis is oddly infused with traditional Islamic design – a five pointed star all over. The riotous sitting room is daubed with a customize color named "passion plum" by the owners. West African décor accessories with Ethiopian chair and dotted cross surrounded the star shaped fire place cheers the chilled décor sense of the duo.

The teal bath, the fittings and the wall treatment stay true to their choice of middle eastern design mantra.

Rooftop terrace is peppered with hot pink pots and chaise lounges. I would not mind to lay out all day here with those silk sari tailored cushion covers with a glass of Moroccan mojito.

 

An actual tree in the middle of the kitchen? Now, who would have thought of it. Wood beams ceiling and locally crafted floor and countertop tiles gives it a complete organic "designer touch".

 

Before you let your self loose into the thought bubbles, with a big "sigh" I am signing out with my held thought of that Moroccan mojito. Until we meet again, stay connected lovely peeps and have a wonderful weekend! Toodles!

 

To take a complete tour of homes, visit the links below:

Adriatic Coast Home: Via

Jaipur Home: Images Via

Moroccan Home: Images Via

A guest post at Aalayam ( Brass Tablescape)

It’s raining tablescape posts at passion casa. After the dazzling Diwali tablescape and silver tablescape for my blog anniversary, sharing another Diwali inspired tablescape for the guest post at “Aalayam” blog.

Aalayam is a prolific blog, where two bloggers enjoy the perks of blogging as a duo by complimenting each other. Their blog style is powered through reflecting their love and passion of multicultural world we all evolve in.  These blogger duos, Deepa and Supriya, are thriving marvelously as a team showcasing posts on décor, artistic personas, and few culinary journeys, where Indian culture and global appeal go hand in hand. Their blog favors the candid and global decorating approach and the duo has mastered that by working in a team.  

I had fun putting up an inspirational guest post to rejoice the festival of lights. Once more my brass is inching back as the limelight of my tablescape décor. Their natural vintage look never fail to add "wow" factor. To me nothing is as classy as brass and there is always, always a fresh way to incorporate my collection. Here are few glimpses of the post for you.

Head over to Aalayam to read the complete post here.

Don't forget to join the growing gang of Aalayam family and delve into some of their mesmerizing pictures. Until we meet again, stay connected, toodles.

 

Rangoli

As a herald of Diwali or any other pooja day, a precise corner in my home is always brightened up by Rangoli with riotous colors. I have doled out my share of décor via Diwali posts but when it comes to art by no means I am an expert 'Pundit" unlike my artist daughter.  

As usual after typical perplexing over the design, this year’s Diwali Rangoli design is created by stealing an inspiration from our artist daughter’s art piece. A bit of family team work easily kicked up a notch. Hubby dear drew the design, young fella mixed the colors and the lady of the home, moi, created the magic ;)
  

For those who are novice like me with the flow of vibrant rangoli dust, this easy peasy rice rangoli arrangement will set you all up for the day.

 

Offering some fresh spin on traditional decorating of rangoli by using few mirrors is my way of cheering the corner. So splash few drops of food coloring and plain rice to create the magic in few minutes. (Ensure to have your hands covered with gloves before mixing the rice with color)

  

Year 2015



Rice and mirror rangoli

Mirror & leaf template rangoli year 2014

Rice Rangoli 2013



Paisly and Diya with rice -Year 2012



A very talented fellow blogger Lakshmi has weaved the tales of Rangoli dictating every aspect of it very well, do pay a visit on her blog Celebrations Décor for a great read on rangoli.

Until we meet again, wishing each and every one happy festivities of Diwali, toodles!

Diwali Inspiration - 2 (Home Tour)

First thing, a big bear hug to all those who sent in their love, likes, comments and wishes for my blog birthday. Your wonderful feedback and encouragement works as a driving force for me. On a happier note, we crossed 1000+ on facebook passion page, thank you lovely peeps, I couldn’t have done it without you all :)

 

 

After a great response of my entrance, I am inviting you to come along as I share bits and pieces of my living room and family room decked up for Diwali.

Punchy colors and thoughtful accessories are foolproof formula to strike the perfect balance on the festive season. My mind is in an excitable state immersing in a creative journey with ah-mazing ups and downs all around home. It’s time of the year where I actually intent to crave for a compliment by impressing my guests.

Considering every surface an opportunity for creative display, I have clustered an array of similar objects together at differing heights. Here Ganesha being the foundation of the display, 3 of my favorite ones have taken a center stage on the coffee table being a strong luxurious statement through brass.

Flowers totally transform a room in the way a red bindi lifts the game of a saree. Use vivid red rose petals to bring a spark of color to a brass display. Shimmering warmth from glamorous lights of diya works beautiful with brass.

Cushions are the perfect way of ringing in the festive touches. Jewel toned cushions or mirror work cushions can easily add the extra bit of sparkle. Subtle texture of the cushions adds the overall richness in the room.

To add further interest and achieve more festive look,  try to epitomize punch of your style by illuminating the graceful allure of diyas and candles. 

Our proud collection of Ganesha is an all season long decoration. My décor evolves from time to time by changing my perspective and rearranging what I have had for years. If you are a regular visitor, you perhaps know things don’t stay the same for very long. Everything brass plays a part in an overall look of this vignette. Adding another frame here as a backdrop to flatter the style.

 

Another glowing display is with an undisputed festive star Ganesha. For a bolder statement, I deliberately swapped out earthy tones diyas instead of petite votive candle holders. 

  

There is no fence-sitting with red this season in my Family Room. Flaunt a unique take by pop of red to nod a traditional Diwali décor. 

For setting the tone of festival, the console table is taking a new avatar with medley of global décor. Purposeful placement warrants a look to bowl your guest out. For more traditional punch, I employed the kutchhi runner. The mass of roses blends beautifully here hitting all the right notes.

Small details can add magic and sprinkling of your personal touch. A cluster of brass diyas are repeated subtly on the coffee table for maximum drama. A pot housing red mums (an inherited piece) lends an added sparkle on the table. A Pooja plate with bells is successfully updated here as a tray to cover the complete vignette.

Putting on a play of lighting and swapping out accessories in every corner will greet you to beckon the festival. Lighten up the glow of Diwali by small bursts of twinkling diyas and overload of tinsel. Whether the home is fuelled by loving relatives, a few close friends or just you, enjoy the festivities.

Until we meet again, stay connected on Facebook, as up next will be this year's rangoli :) toodles.

Blogversary- Happy Birthday Blog

One whole year, yes a full year has passed since today I first tripped blindly into the blogging world last year. Even though I never envisioned of becoming one, miraculously I kept going like winning a battle and learning each and every aspect of blogging. Today here I am, thanking you all by making me pass all the bumps and bruises of blogging by completing a year. 

 

Keeping the festive season in mind, I have churned out a post with homemade goodies wrapped in silver tablescape to treat you virtually for the blog anniversary celebration. There is lots to chew and sip on, so, enjoy the virtual tidbits.



A year of Blogging

When you start something new in a virtual world, there is lot to take on board. Though, down the road I have challenged myself, my peers to stretch the boundaries. With plenty of enthusiasm and many motivating décor gurus, I happily created a place to share my ideas and inspiration. Every home needs a dash of joy and splash of creativity, I am happy to share my journey of collection and décor to inspire you all.

This festive season, bring out all your silver or golden bling bling and serve the goodies to please your guests

Blogging has opened up a stream of variety in learning and connecting in the virtual world and totally worth it. When I was building this blog, I remembered reading countless articles and videos on “how-to”. Now I take those well spent hours as my achievement, as they serve me to be a better computer whiz (while finding my niche of blogging). Photography was never my cup of tea, but now I flip through my own images feeling good about them.  

Try incorporating Paper Doilies instead table mats

Starting the blog is one of the best things happened to me. I have loved decorating, but now I love writing about my decor and presenting you via my blog. Though, being a busy mom raising family with two teenagers I often find myself grinded in the time crunch,but, "If you love something you will always find its place". 

Homemade sweets served in a traditional container for ease of excess

The most cherished part of my blogging is the bindings I have created by making new friends. My gratitude extends to all those who have hugged the collaborative process with me along with this extra ordinary path in my life. Thank you for sending your complimenting love along our journey. I am still counting on you my lovely readers so don't stop showing and showering your unconditional love. 

A silver jar used to attire flowers to match the table setting

I know there are lots of you out there, more than probably I hoped for, at this milestone, I am requesting those silence readers to break the ice and get connected to me, I would love to hear from you. Spread the word among those who share the same great taste as us and let them join the inspiring passion page.

 

Leaving you with mesmerizing pink carnations to brighten your rest of the day, don't forget to pay me a visit this week again for Diwali Décor posts. Until we meet again, toodles!

Festival of Lights - Diwali Decor-1

As we roll into the festivities of Diwali, I am totally stoked to represent a festival that I grew up loving. If there is any manuscript decor buried in your head or drawer, it is time now to ground them with life. Limit doesn’t exist when it comes to Diwali décor, so bring on few quintessential ingredients that typify your style and choice for the festival of lights. Diwali is all about a traditional palette so freshen up your home with visual opulence. FLOWERS to radiate the chic serenity, LIGHTS for some blinking and twinkling and BRASS for an extra bit of sparkle to top off the festive look.

After the Diwali Tablescape, I have roped in a picturesque journey of 2 Diwali décor posts in line for you to create festive oasis. Today's post is about glorious touches at my front doors bathed in Diwali spirited theme.

 A new warm look has been grounded to boast up the entrance. Décor has taken up a notch with warm ambience and over all festive bits, bringing an inviting atmosphere at my front doors. The German silver plate once belonged to my great grandfather is pulsating with life housing Ganesha taking the center stage surrounded by flickering diyas and scattered strands of marigold. Flowers are also attired in a similar heirloom piece of brass 'kalash'.

For setting the perfect festive tone, I scattered my collection of brass diyas. Golden hued flickering from diyas are cajoling  the gleaming charm at the entrance.

My artist daughter's Ganesha canvases never fail to steal the show. Here, I have casually rested another frame to add vibrant back drop on the vignette. The frame is housing a page from an old calendar of Krishna showing all his "Leelas", which I didn’t had heart to throw away. With an urge I kept the pictures. Now I repeatedly alter the pictures in the frame by swapping the pictures as per my color theme.  

 Creative display and array of breathtaking antiques will definitely stop and park your guest before they whisk away. I have exercised something unexpected by resting the brass urali and candle holders on the wooden wall scone. The wall scone is still begging for a perfect wall to rest in the home, until then I have informally rested it on a brass stand to suit my purpose on this festive season.

Few of our hidden gems are brought into a limelight this festive season. Shining a spotlight here is the star ingredient of our collection. Though, polishing this heavenly weighty bell was a herculean task.  

Gathering a gang of diyas will give your space twice the bang. I wonderfully smug about my collection of diyas added over many years from back home and few gifted here. Diyas are the rightness of any décor plan in festivities. Their alluring lights make an erotic atmosphere.

Red and gold are the Diwali classics and can easily kick up a notch in any décor. I have sizzle up the floor here with some exciting changes by mixing modern and vintage pieces. Staging of small pieces in a bunch will give you a power of a large display.

I honestly wish I could decorate for Diwali all year long. Traditional and ethnic décor for Diwali is definitely cultivating my own taste. Hope these images perfected the set of signaling a festive mood in your home. Circle back with me this week on the blog for Day-2 Diwali Inspiration of our living room. Until we meet again, stay glued here or on facebook page, toodles!