Oriental Splendour (La Sultana Marrakech - Boutique Hotel)

Stepping our feet today at the door step of exclusive, La Sultana, a boutique five star riad supremely located in the very heart of Marrakech, Morocco. Where ancient culture, deep texture and rich colors cohabitate. Unique traditional architecture and authentic riad style property creates a feeling of an exclusive refined decoration.  I was bowled over by the traditional muse with modern touches and hence here I am to take you on a virtual tour with me.

Every square inch here is infused with whimsy and glamour bringing the cheerfulness of Moroccan artistry. The riad is totally empowered with vibrant lively patterns and fine artisanal workmanship.

Silky ethnic fabrics, colorful flirty rugs, carved wood furniture, large antique mirrors and forged metal Moroccan lamps bring these suits alive and engaging.

Strictly limited color palette frames this suite. Traditional intricate Moroccan stool and upholstered plumy velvety chairs pull the scheme together. Handsome giraffe here frames the door smartly, while the large patterned mirror draws your eye towards the fireplace.

Carved cedar wood ceiling, complicatedly carved marble brackets, dark salmon hues on walls with a mix of African accessories scream the traditional riad style décor. Loved the rare fusion of style and culture in this suite.

My personal favorite is the bedhead in this elephant suite, bordered by two carved elephant tusks. To unify the punch of pattern, exquisite embroidered quilts and blankets are carefully placed. Vintage styled Moroccan lamp adorning as chandelier adds the soothing and exotic mood in the overall ambience of this suite.

Luxurious pink marbles play a key role in this breathtaking spa. Wall, columns and floors are throwing a bold show here. Charismatic lined up Moroccan light fixtures are well-edited here. I wouldn't mind being treated with Moroccan traditional therapies in this glamorous elegance.

The terrace is bettered by unique lanterns employed perfectly for stunning evening effect. Dinner at this striking terrace over looking the old town with skyline will be the perfect end of the day after all the pampering. 

To see more of this unique and timeless "La Sultana" you can visit right here. Signing off today, but until we meet again, stay connected, toodles!

Image courtesy: La Sultana Hotels

Little Tweak!

A bit of creative bug in me gets super hyper after frequent caffeine kicks on weekends. What else do you do when winter blues get you down and you have those lousy uneventful weekends in hand? The bleh weather is guilty for this little tweak we happened to knock down last weekend. Hubs dear, who has been at the every step of the way in decorative front of our home, threw his usual subtle head nod and we executed some bottled up ideas. Let's curtail my conversation and head straight to the result of this unproductive day. 

 

I have been scratching my head for this bare wall in the petite corner of our living room and after making a list of thoughts and jotting down few configuration, we bravely took that leap to improvise the corner beside the fireplace in our living room. The ideas were unleashed and executed by putting up a sconce ( you might have seen it resting in my Diwali post here) is now framed up on the wall along with other ledge, which I happen to bring home from "Home Goods" ( we have Home Sense here in Toronto). 

 

Now the collage adds life to this wall. Gray shelf tons down the brilliance of the brass and I love the filtering lights through the window packing a whole lot of punch on brass. Now the wall mounted wooden shelve and corbel will provide a rotating display of my favorite brass. The space will be interplayed with grouping of brass cluster atop the shelve and sconce as and when my mood swings ;)

 

I kinda love how it turned out. I think rest of the brass also blends in with ease. 

Godliness is binding itself in every nook and corner of this room with this vibrant shade of blue. If u want a different approach than regular frame, go ahead, take the inspiration and add some character and personal touch on the wall. Until then enjoy your weekend and stay connected on Facebook or Instagram of Pinkz Passion, toodles!

Winter escape to the amber coast - Puerta Plata

As we kitted out to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic for our Christmas break this year, we kissed goodbye to Canadian treacherous winter and welcomed glamour for a week. Piecing together few snippets of our journey here for you.  

The sight that greeted us was hinting happiness. Lush tropical surroundings with plumped bellied clusters of clouds with chaos in the pool were good enough to woo us away.

Wild flowers were dotting every corner and every turn out was scenic at the resort. Plotted peridot green palm trees were a visual counterpoint summing up the energy and warmth in the atmosphere.

Bumming at the sandy shores in dazzling Caribbean sun was the best part. There is really something about staying closer to coastal proximity. Sandy shores with tropical air, feeling sand dust on my feet, breathing crisp beachy air ….this sunnier climes, I tell ya!

We choose the facilities which offered all-inclusive and family friendly ones. Our bedroom suites were quite lovely and pleasing for families.

 

Those bars cater our thirst of beverages by every pool and that made us piled on calories with slushy drinks and loaded guilty glasses of Pinacolada and Margarita. The culinary escape was not impressive for us being vegetarians but still we pigged out big festive feasts tailored as per our taste and spice.

The vacation turned out a true family affair as there was no internet for our socially butterfly teenagers and they had to essentially splash out with us in the pool ;)

 

 

With sun screen on and beach suite on, we hit the OCEAN WORLD for a day. The list of the activities during our day trip to this fab place is endless. The highlight of the trip was the “Dolphin Encounter”. See this beaming happy little face with dolphin :)  Yes, we got to touch, hug and kiss the wonderful creature.



Whales and Dolphins shows were total hit for any age crowd. Kids also tasted snorkeling while we just stopped and devoured the picturesque sights of the place.

 

 

Another exciting adventure is now added to our vacation itinerary, hoping to carry on the fun, laughter and sunshine until another vacation. We are now caged back in hoping this vacation therapy will help us to brace the long Canadian winter for now. Hope you enjoyed the snippets as much as I enjoyed sharing with you.

Until we meet again, stay connected lovely peeps, toodles!

 

Home is where heart is... (Home Tour of Shweta)

The adage “Home is where the heart” beyond doubt demystifies this infectiously cheerful, make-you-smile style, homey home tour of today.  Dash of soul and deepest passion of D-I-Y are the ingredients that brilliantly blend the comfort and style of our today’s home owner Shweta Markandeywar.

Nestled in a cozy town of Arizona, the décor and DIY packed home has some envy inducing homemade to hand me own treasures tailored to family's own style and preferences. As we weave the space together,  join me with all your ears (or eyes, rather) to delight your eyes and trigger inspiration.

Shweta’s pompous testimony of being her home “an ideal mix of color, patterns and somewhat eclectic” is spot-on, as her entrance positively hints out what’s yet to come. The arrival attracts our attention and envelops you in an arresting take with two flanking elephants used aptly for placing her greens.

The couple is plugged into a vast source of creativity and have achieved more than a mile long DIY projects through out their home. Driven purely by DIY ethics, the homeowners outline and shape the place sagaciously by building this low sitting “Baithak” with little bit of elbow grease and lots of love. The hardworking piece of settee now takes the lead in her living room.  

To fine-tune this creation, Shweta gushed about adding a playful spin with few foam cushion and throw pillows to keep things fresh in the room. Now friendly presence of this piece uncannily echoes championing a successful DIY mission.

Buddha anchors the main wall taking the central look in her airy open concept layout where chuckles and giggles are boundless, when couple enjoy “Harry Potter” nights with their 2 young boys.

Just like many of us, Shweta uses her coffee-table as a vehicle for an ever changing display of things she loves. Little hand me down pieces are always attuned to their surroundings, being their personal favorite. She chimed in with me declaring heirloom pieces like brass flower carrier and "paandaan" are the top picks for both.

A touch of luxury and oodles of nostalgic drama radiates from little corners of her home. Stenciling an ordinary lampshade here gave a striking difference turning it into an unusual piece. The Krishna frame at the head of the table is an old calendar, which Shweta’s father in law framed and gifted the family on her last visit. The orphan alcove is now a focal point with other clusters of hand me downs.     

The tight arrangement of a cohesive collage wall spreads the moments of memories on her staircase. These haphazard arrangements of loved ones, journeys or special events dominantly tip-off family’s time lapse moments to cherish every single day while running up and down the stairs.

DIYs are promoted throughout the home and couple’s fantastically glamorous bedroom delivers a bold testimonial where Shweta didn't shy away from giving her bedroom a brave treatment. She has hesitantly flirted with this hue of blue in her bedroom and to add an extra kick she stenciled the accent wall. This ingenious DIY creativity of stenciling is a real turn for anyone like me, who has ever considered pursuing it.

Moving same things in different spots keeps the same bed room feel fresh and new.

Visual moments are waiting at every turn of this home. The master bath wall is framed by Shweta’s beautiful drawings of cherry blossom branches in aqua and punctuated by tiny swinging metal cages making the place look noticeably exquisite.  

The right storage in right spot adds style. The attractive “bling” storage and double digits of shoes collection here is displayed skilfully in Shweta’s closet for finding it quick and adding a little personality in a space.

Wrapping and stapling small pieces add a dose of pattern on the walls of her Guest Bedroom. The softer shade of misty teal in the room is suited to delicate nature of a guest bedroom. Who wouldn’t love to land in a soft place like this after a journey?  

A budget friendly “wow” factor is also added in the kitchen. Another clever DIY secret of backsplash turned out a rescue mission to remodel the kitchen. Shweta loves how the copper tone backsplash blends in beautifully with her black granite counter tops. Ditching out the old ugly ones, the couple also replaced the handles of the drawers with lion head copper pulls and maple leaf pulls for the closets.

Funny decals and organized space makes the mundane task of laundry more fun for her. An old frame pinning her son’s baby clothes are to the rescue in her laundry room. These small tweaks mark a world of difference in this tiny space as well.  

Now, as we come close to this tour, taking you lastly at the darling little space of home. The backyard, a perfect spot to retire in the evening after a hectic buzz of city life. Shweta chimed in with me that living in Arizona have its perks, as they can use the backyard all year round (I declare my official envy here). She proudly maps out creating different nooks in her garden, “I had some left over shipping pallets which I turned into a day bed and completed the "baithak" for our patio with throw pillows, which is now a centre of our relaxation being perfect to lie down, reading a book or day dreaming on lazy days.” This compact place also has another inviting nook with two concrete benches and an adorning Indonesian Buddha statue, where Shweta put a playful spin (with another DIY) on a fire pit with curved bricks and a metal bowl.

The couple has advanced their home with sharp wit and offbeat charm. DIYs throughout this home express home owner’s personal knack and inherent quality for elitist projects in the home. I truly hope that the wealth of DIY experience in this home tour gave you a nudge you needed to kick-off your own projects.

Sealing off this home tour with warm wishes to the home owners. Interacting with this bubbly and cheerful lady has been my utter pleasure and I wish to record her warm thanks for letting us in and around her home. You may join her equally inspiring posts on her Instagram account here. 

Until we meet again, stay connected, toodles!

Shimmering Silver

Habitually, I am meticulous when it comes to clean ups and redecorating as it leaves me brimming with new decorating ideas, which is something I look forward and always ready to pitch in ;) 

Hauling away all hints of Christmassy tinsels has left the  space feel tad bit empty and also breathing for new opportunities of redecorating for me. Keeping the usual gold accents at the bay, I have hopped the fence this time by choosing metallic silver to invite a little glamour.  

 

 After vibrant and perky Christmas chaos, I am opting for calmer shades with soft and delicate pastel hues of silver. The pure silver piece of our "Ganesha" collection is injected here for this silver inspired palette. (Did you notice li'l Mooshika complimenting him?)
 

Buddha, anchoring a center stage, articulates a calm effect on an overall vignette. All silver here is graced by adding a dash of pinkish roses. Playful pink being a color pop on over all surrounds shiny white finishes. Some version of gold from Buddha and the rested frame (for the backdrop) seem to tie in with this metallic color pattern together. 

 

Reflective nature of silver echoes the light and gives the space a new look of luxury. Implementing gold detail has been an addiction in my decor, but enjoyed toying in with this intermingling play of gold and silver setting.

 

Here is the link for last year's neutral setting for the same space, just in case, you have missed it! Hope you all have a wonderful day and rest of the week ahead. Until we meet again, stay connected on facebook page of Pinkz Passion, toodles!

Happy 2016!

Minutes ticked by and screaming cheers and yelling applauds gave a way to New Year, as finally we rang in 2016. Festivities are over, decorations are hauled away but the afterglow still remains and January is here, serving us a bit of a hangover from Christmas.

After chucking out mini hibernation state, this yours truly is back on her creative roll however still battling vacation blues from our vacation. Missing the warm feel of sun and sound of the surf ;) Though, winter in my part is tad bit gentle this year rewarding us many extra bonus days with warmer temperatures in December which is quite pleasing for us Torontonians. Usually temperatures dip up to negative 20 by this time of the year, so shouldn’t really grumble :)

As we "Shree Ganesh" New Year

Forefronts of thoughts are racing, as the beginning of the New Year is usually anxiety overloaded (for me at least). Few brain storming ideas are racing in mind for adding the new elements in our home and for now I am collecting all the thoughts and jotting down in my head, hopefully will be able to implement and document these design projects for you all in near future.

To start the New Year with right notes, many interesting posts are queued up for you all my lovely readers.  Brewing up a hearty home tour, calming Buddha post and there’s few more but I will leave it to you to find out later this month.

For now, let’s cling to our hopes of better things to come, staying positive is the only way to be to start this New Year! Until we meet again, stay connected, toodles!