Royale Rama Home Tour - Part 2

After an impressive response to Part One of the home tour of Rama Royale (in case you missed it, click here), I am happy to present Part two of this breathtaking home, which show cases the formal living and dining areas. I am even more thrilled to let you know, that is a Part Three of this immaculate home where the home owners have share two more areas of their lovely home, the kitchen and Library. And before we move further, the Rama family and I would like to extend our gratitude to all our readers for the exceptional love and success of Part One!

So escape with me today into the lavish settings of Rama family’s living room and formal dining room, where graceful details are masterfully created with some unexpected and exquisite collection. And be prepared to hold on to your heart, for you will find that it skipped many beats by the end of this post! :)

Formal Living Room:    

Hand carved Teak Indonesian chairs and mirrors blend perfectly with the rest of the room

 A totally traditional and powerfully visual living room mirrors Paddy’s refined aesthetics of combining traditional and timeless themes. The room has a varied yet coherent mix of Indian and Asian artefacts, hand carved furniture and eclectic décor accessories interspersed beautifully to create a visually stunning space.



Brass hanging lamps are several years old collection

With a dazzling display of her eye popping collection, the room nods eloquently to the traditional emblem of a South Indian home. A brass finished coffee table exposes the modern sensibility in the room and paddy muses, “It was a lucky Craigslist find during the first year of our marriage that I refused to part with while moving from one city to another before we settled into our own home. What I absolutely love about this coffee table is that it holds my large Urli snugly under the glass top. I often have flowers floating around in the urli, along with some floating candles for almost all festivals and special occasions. The look is so mesmerizing and whimsical that I leave the table top bare and let the beauty underneath the glass show. This arrangement also keeps it safe and away from my ever curious kids, who love to pick the flowers and splash the water.”

Each collective piece is a seductive surprise.

Perky elegance is Paddy’s calling card and with the same motto, she opted for a curious combination of purple and orange in the living room, which is strong enough yet not over powering due to the neutral backdrop of the upholstery and the drapes. The Buddhist monk painting crowned above the sofa is done by the lady herself, who by the way is also a hobby artist. Incorporating pieces of her own art skillfully into the decor added another personal dimension to the prevailing aesthetics of her home. Speaking about this artwork she says - “I wanted a painting that coordinated with the Buddhist monks pillow on my sofa. I also wanted this painting in the orange and purple or plum shade which was hard to find and expensive to commission to so I went ahead and did it myself in Acrylic, with my own choice of pattern and colors. There are many versions and variations of this image out there by several sources/artists so I do not know who to give the credit for the original image.”

Driven by a natural afflatus, the lady has a sharp eye for dramatic pieces, a result of which some stunning items find their place in her home. The purple colored large Amethyst Geode the couple bought for their second wedding anniversary was a catalyst in selecting the color scheme in the room. The bronze Ardhanari statue, a gift from her mother that she placed inside this geode reveals her distinctive curatorial eye.


Another Indonesian mirror in the foyer is a garage sale find

The stylized amalgamation of colors, placement and arrangements in this room are to some extent guided by the Feng sui principles the lady follows. 

 

Close up look of her collection which whispers elegance in every corner.

Small Jharokas on the wall, enlivened corners, some more of her art and an expert use of lighting elicit sophistication and refinement on the other side of the same room. Paddy's smart use of ghungroos as tie backs for the drapes belt out her un-diminishable love for bells and she makes no bones about displaying her weakness for them.

Paddy's brass stands had my attention throughout, which she lugged all the way from India along with her tall oil lamps (kuthuvilaku).

With the soft glow emanating from various dramatically placed sources of light, evenings in this room cast an autumnal hue in regal grace. The thought of perching myself on the lovely furniture here in the dusky twilight and being surrounded with such gorgeous brass pieces, makes my heart sing :)

Formal Dining Room: 

Rama family’s dining room is nothing that you will see in regular furniture catalogs, showing collections that are beautiful, predictable, bland and impersonal. Instead, it is stunning, highly personalized, visually animated and unlike any other. They have gone lengths to put in their personal spin in this space and their zealous efforts show brilliantly in every square inch of this room! 

Phenomenally designed, meticulously executed and exceptionally curated, each and every object here adds an incomparable element of luxury to the room, where along with food; every guest is in for a picturesque treat. By far, this is my favorite room that very much reflects home owner’s explosion of imagination and creative confidence.

Many fascinating images of the room captured at different times

The couple manifested and updated this room brilliantly from what it was originally, when they bought it. The room had wall paneling covering three quarters of the wall on all sides which Paddy found not only drab looking but scope- less for any wall décor. She conceived the idea of stripping the walls of the paneling and building wall niches, within the first 10 minutes of first laying her eyes on this room.However, Paddy gives total credit to her better half for this statement wall. She gushes: "We could have outsourced the project of building niches into the wall to a contractor but my DIY loving civil Engineer husband wanted to do this himself, and he did! He removed the paneling on all four walls in this room, tore the wall to back to the studs and rebuilt it with the embedded niches just as I had designed it. It was a long laborious process that took 9-10 months but the end result was just as I envisioned and more. I painted the niches in terracotta red/orange shade. The choice of this color apart from Fengshui was to hold the flow of color theme between the rooms as well as our outdoor areas"

The tall Antique mirror, another serendipitous find by the couple superbly adds to the gasp-
inducing effect that this wall has, on everyone.

Ah, and that handsome mirror... I know you had your eyes on it ;) The story behind it is equally enticing. Paddy says: "Apart from niches, I also wanted a tall mirror on the same wall for Fengshui as well as aesthetic reasons. So I came up with a design of a tall mirror in the center of this wall and niches on either sides in a particular pattern. We waited until we found the perfect mirror before we set about creating the niches for the wall. It took me about an year to find the mirror I wanted. We found this by chance in a store that imports eclectic furniture from India and Indonesia. This too is made from an Antique south Indian Teak hand carved door frame like a few others I own, and it was love at first sight for both me and my husband. The color of this frame incidentally and miraculously matched our existing foyer cabinet (purchased elsewhere), that is placed right opposite to this wall in the entryway. It is like this piece was made for us and it found us somehow, as against us finding it!"

There is an aura of regality in air here, permeated with sparkles from the crystal chandelier, the
light fixtures and subtle shine from many brass artifacts.

For the formal dining table, the couple wanted a transitional style butcher block table. While Paddy was particular about the look and design, Paddy’s husband who hates regular powder wood furniture, was insistent on it being made of real hard wood and being extra wide. So after much scouting and hunting, the couple found a perfect French furniture designer locally, who exclusively makes custom dining tables. With the inputs and custom requirements from the couple, the furniture designer made a perfect hand carved, hand finished table which now entertains a good flow of guests when they have company.

The radiant niches display Paddy's many brass and bronze collection

The buffet / console cabinet that neatly hides all dining room necessities in this room, was purchased from another store that imports furniture from India and Indonesia. This teak, hand carved cabinet that was in natural lighter shade originally, was stained to match the dining table. 

A close up shot of Buddha vignette with a meditating Buddha statue and a Quan yin statue in a large brass planter.
 

Framed vintage brass artifacts bought from India.

Above the buffet cabinet are framed brass artifacts that Paddy got custom made in orange and green raw silk fabrics, to compliment the colors from the furniture and other objects in this room. The lady, who is near obsessed with the minutest detail of decor also had table runners and napkins custom made to go with the colors from these frames :).

A round up of an envious collection that adds much needed oomph in the room.

Her own buddha art, hanging bells, a mini bar, hand made pottery, antique brass pots. Not
to miss the old chakki she has used for making a mini bar, what a brilliant idea!

As you know by now that Paddy can never have enough of bells and in this room too, she has two hanging bells – one in wood and another in bronze. Also on the wall are two framed Buddha paintings by lady herself. On the other corner is a handmade pottery that she found locally, made by an Indian lady. Having an over flowing collection of vintage and antique brass pots, Paddy placed two of them on this clay pot and used the top one as planter to hold a succulent.

The table is a vision of royal grandeur, with her prized maharaja collection of Kansa dinner set

As grand as this room appears, it gets even more animated and dazzling on special occasions and festivals where Paddy steps it up a notch and serves a traditional meal on a kansa thali. The special table setting on these occasions with the sparkly gold and classy dinner ware on the magnificent table, with a back drop of the dramatic wall makes a visually stunning picture that is whimsical, elegant, glamorous and magnificent all at the same time.

The first visible room upon entry, this lively room appears to have its own heart beat!

All objects and furniture bought from different places at different times, in different styles, originating from different countries, co-exist perfectly in this room in a serendipitous harmony, making it a perfect place to gather and gossip with delicious food.  

As we traipse through this post, one can clearly view the home owner's innate skills and sharp acumen in shaping their home. Paddy take a bow from me for creating such a heavenly place fill with heart and soul.

And for you lovely peeps, as we conclude our part two, hop to part three showcasing rest of the room of this beautiful home. Until we meet again, stay connected, 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) 

The Indian Weave Giveaway Winner!

As we conclude our giveaway, it's time to declare the winner of the very first giveaway here at Pinkz Passion. Congratulations to Smitha Vinod, who has won a pair of parrot green kantha pillow covers.

 

The success of this giveaway wouldn't have been possible without you all lovely readers, so thank you to everyone who participated :)

 

Smitha, please message me at pinkzpassions@gmail.com to claim your prize.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend lovely peeps and circle back with me this week for our Rama's Royale Home Tour- part 2. Until we meet again, toodles!

Harmoniously Traditional ( Home Tour of Padmaja Rama) - Part 1

I lucked bumping into this lady, who is passionate, talented and just as effervescent all in the same breath. The lady, who lives by her own enthralling interpretation of décor, has created a home that is a perfect blend of style, sensibility and elegance; coupled with a deep rooted respect for culture.  

Meet Padmaja Rama, lovingly known as Paddy, who is professionally a software consultant, a decorator and a creative soul by passion, a wife and mom by love and responsibility. She has effectively composed her motherhood by taking a break from the corporate world to take care of her two beautiful young girls. 

Paddy  and her husband Vinod Rama, bought their first house three years ago, into which she poured her heart and soul to create a breathtakingly ‘ROYAL’ home (yes, that's what their friends describe it as ‘RAMA'S ROYALE ’ )which according to her is still in progress. Their home can be defined as a harmonious symphony of traditional and contemporary styles, well curated with a coveted collection of brass artefacts, Antiques, vintages, colors, textures, DIYs, custom furniture, her own art and some unexpected juxtapositions. 

So pull up a chair, pour a cuppa and get prepared to spend some time ogling with me at this lovely home that is sure to pull every decor lover's heartstrings. I will not be able to do justice if I attempt to cover the beauty of this home in a single post. So there will be a PART TWO & PART THREE of this home tour which I am sure you will eagerly await by the end of this post.

 Yard, Entrance and Porch:

Paddy's decor and styling starts right from her driveway and flowerbeds, where visitors are cheerfully greeted with several kolam painted flower pots blooming with various fragrant, colorful blooms.

There  are no rules set in stone, only kolam designs, including one painted the Indian customary greeting 'Namaste'

According to Paddy, she is a sucker for anything traditional and highly favors preserving and safeguarding her cultural roots.  When it comes to House front, she proclaims her own mantra of classiness:“I strongly believe that Elegance is, when the inside is as beautiful as the outside! Our entryway is the first visible area in our home you would notice and is a clear indication of what one can expect inside. I wanted to create my own distinctive look right from here and make our home a little different from other homes. Hence I orchestrated my own style here by adding something original, creative and true to my culture."

Being an ardent Feng-shui follower the family stained the concrete flooring in Terracotta red

Paddy's fascination for kolam started as a child. She grew up watching her mom and grand mom decorate the entrance dexterously with intricate kolam patterns, which worked as a catalyst in her inclination toward that art. Paddy says: “As inspired as I was with kolam since childhood, I was also completely enamored and profoundly influenced by the ‘alopana’ or ‘kolam’ wall art murals that I used to see in hutments in my maternal Grandparents village. When we bought our home, I wanted to bring to life that fond memory I carried for years in my heart. For me, the hand-etched designs on the pots and rocks added something fresh and original to the overall look I wanted to achieve.” 

The marble fireplace is another estate sale find

A woman who gambles recklessly on yard sales (Estate Yard Sales) and yet always wins with loot has a collection of several vintage cement pedestals and planters. Metal bells (she is obsessively in love with them) are in the corner with a jute rope along with a vintage lantern she got free (along with 2 truckloads of items they bought from the estate sale agent), atta girl….that’s some covetous and excitable goodies you got there. 

Adjacent to the main door is a porch where family gathers the flood of friends but also where they collapse into each other‘s company for their ritual of evening tea. Elegance and expertise are mixed and interpreted here in myriad ways with results diverse enough to please our all senses.

More colors from Paddy’s porch

The lit diyas cast a romantic glare on the porch and the family and friends love to drink in this view alike.

As the evening unfurls, light seems to confer beauty and elegance casting a romantic glare on the porch. Aglow with the amber warmth of lit diyas, the family drinks the pleasant view. I wouldn’t mind a nibble and an ice tinkling drink here to wind down the rough day :). Though, with such beautiful porch, I wonder how she keeps onlookers at the bay.

As we head indoors towards the Entry way/ Foyer:

Her foyer carries forward a further enhanced theme of Indian traditional decor that was set outside her main door. With bold strokes of brass Paddy has invited glamour in her foyer. She does not let herself constrained by any typecast and quotes in a matter-of-fact tone: “In the things we love lie clues to who we are! And our home displays these clues all around! It is a complete reflection of mine and my husband's mutual personalities, love, passion, strengths and weaknesses as well."

Nearly 4 foot vintage Brass elephant that was yet another stroke-of-luck find on Craigslist several years ago

With her tasteful collection, bold use of gold accents, ornate furniture and bright floral arrangements (flowers are must in her décor mantra) she has brilliantly conjured a spell binding arrangement, set deliberately in a traditional tone that always holds her guests captive from the time they set  their foot in..

By now, I am lusting after Paddy’s awe inspiring collection and the stories behind each of these dramatic pieces are equally magical. At display here is one of her prized Teppanom statue: “This original Teppanom Statue in Silver (there are several replicas in the market but real ones are limited) was sold to us by a retired couple who were downsizing and they had actually bid and won this piece at an Antique auction!”

Traditional settings are brilliantly conjured up in each nook and cranny of the home. While juxtaposition of red flowers on gold accents on these vignettes add a lavish touch on her otherwise beautiful collection.

The cabinet at the entrance is a vintage looking, made-in- India piece the couple found in a furniture store

Each and every corner is grounded with dramatic pieces of furniture made out of architectural salvages from vintage Indian homes. Taking pride Paddy coins: "Next to the vintage looking cabinet is another Antique teak pedestal column which is made out of architectural salvages of ornate columns from old south Indian homes. These pieces remind me of my grandparents’ home that I am emotionally connected to and hence will not blink an eye before picking these whenever I happen to find them!"



 The carved Mahogany mirror in the corridor is an Indonesian Import

The main door is painted around the door frame in an royal arch pattern with terracotta-orange shade to add some visual interest as well as to satisfy Paddy's Feng shui color requirements for the direction the door faces. The corner shelves on either side of the door have serene figurines of meditating Buddhist monks. Peeking behind from the figurine is an antique brass lassi glass from India used as small planter.

 

Her fetish for hanging bells is very evident outside and inside. She let her fascination for bells literally hit the roof by customizing her lovely crystal chandelier with mini brass bells from India, totally elevating its look. The visual continuity she maintained with brass hanging diyas and bells through various rooms set tone for a regal continuum.

When sun light hits the crystals in the chandelier at an angle, hundreds of brilliant light bubbles in rainbow hues are strewn around the Foyer. Watching her kids play with these sparkles is her favorite pass time.

Surprising, being a die-hard collector of antiques and vintages, Paddy herself hasn’t visited India more than twice in past 7 years. Apart from Estate and Garage sales, Antique shows and auctions at times, she was able to fetch her amazing collection from India through her best friend. Her inspiring friendship with her friend played a great role in many chapters of her home story: “I was able to get a lot of brass and other stuff from India. THANKS TO MY BESTIE SHOBA. She patiently adopts my eyes and ears, shops for me and sends across everything I want from India”.

A vintage brass vase and an Antique kum kum container is placed on this pedestal

Each and every corner lifts up our senses. A closer look at an intricate details of 'Zarokha" and  a vintage brass vase and an antique Kum-kum container. 

 

And as we end our part-1 here, I am leaving you with a peek of what is in store for you in part-2 . Trust me, even a glimpse of what you saw thus far will not prepare you for the visual dazzle you are in for in the next part!

Me and Paddy, both had been mulling over the possibility of this home tour but the wee-bit long post took good amount of overflowing exchange of emails before we inked the deal.  In the course of our conversation, we have cemented good friendship and the joy and pleasure of bonding with this beautiful lady is precious. I thank her and her family for inviting us virtually in her home and wishing them all the love, luck and happiness today and always!

And you lovely peeps, get connected with this uber talented lady on her Facebook page Paddy's Decomania or follow her Instagram feed Padmaja Rama, where she often belts out her home décor sagas.

Stick around on Facebook page or Instagram  feed of Pinkz Passion for part -2 & 3 of this beautiful home. Until we meet again, 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)