A Home with Grace and History (Home Tour of Shobha Ramesh)

In a game of decorating, there are times when sentiments trump everything. The very presence of sentimental treasures in our home not only adds authenticity and a character but also makes our home an exceptional one. And when heirlooms and hand me downs are given new gravity and functionality, it makes you feel connected to people and experience long gone. Gracing our home tour today is one such home where hand me down treasures are given far more value – both aesthetic and emotional.  

Away from the madding crowd of Bangalore is a "Green Home" of Ramesh family, that is individual, imaginative and inspiring.

The entire 3500 square feet, three bedroom home is designed by the lady of the home - Shobha. She proudly acclaims that the house was built meeting the standards of “Green Building” requirements. The environmentally responsible home is built using stone and wire cut bricks around the home instead plaster walls. It aids keeping the home cooler by four to five degrees and family doesn't need air conditioner anywhere. I was impressed to learn that home is also using solar energy for their heating and lighting purposes.

                                       

Flexing her decorative muscle Shobha preferred to venture in following her passion and hobby of interior designing in spite of being a horticulture graduate. It’s almost 20 years now since Shobha started her interest into a profession. Her talent was fast noticed and offers for interiors started to pour in without any advertising. She also proudly holds television shows in the local language about her work of interiors. 

Making a statement about Shobha and her home starts as soon as the door opens. A mishmash of unrelated things are pulled together to make a gorgeously eye-catching, fashionable and a very livable scheme at the entrance of her home. Make sure to chew on the practical hints and tips as you go about this home tour.  

Shobha is a sentimental pack-rat and instead of tossing old, damaged and dull heirloom pieces away, she has transformed them into sassy and trendy pieces that truly enhance her home. One such piece is this cabinet which used to be a grandfather clock of ancestors. Instead of tossing it away she gleefully added in her current décor giving a little tweak to better suit her design style. Now it proudly holds a collection of Ganesha just at the entrance. A portrait of a tearful young boy is a reproduction of a famous painting “crying boy” by Shobha. The four cow heads posing above the cabinet are also heirloom pieces of the family as I was told by Shobha.  

Expertly planned yet packed with ambience and a dash of drama Ramesh family’s living room attributes unifying thread of different era. Along with all the classic accessories, Shobha has a given a modern twist via exposed brick wall in the room. The layered texture of rough bricks provides a pleasing contrast in the room giving a feeling of warmth and coziness.
Shobha self-effacingly claims that other than few paintings, souvenirs and mementos from her travel, rest of all home décor accessories are from her in-laws. 

The living room is brought to life by the painting often referred as “Lady with a lamp”. It is a glowing piece of art by Shobha’s dear friend which mimics a remake of Mr. S.L.Haldankar’s ‘Glow of Hope’.

While the room is overlaid with personal collection, she has employed Kerala boat in the middle of the coffee table championing a fresh and eccentric approach. The boat resonates plenty of sentiments with the couple as it was fetched during their honeymoon 28 years back. The boat now takes pride of a lifetime striking a pose in the middle of the room.

Some retro knickknacks have a funky but nostalgic vibe that makes a lovely addition in her home. 

And here is the full view of living room.The one of a kind Chinese styled sofa set in the room was also designed by Shobha herself which really gels practically and decoratively with rest of the décor accessories.

 

Here we are at my favorite room of the home - Shobha’s Pooja Room. It definitely declares her ingenuity. The room is a blessing for the family and to all those who enters. In the busyness of life, stealing a moment here with the supreme divine is a pure delight for the family.
The spiritual ambience falls perfectly in the rhythm with tall brass diyas and decals of Lord Shiva flanking both the walls. Perfect amount of natural light is flooded through the stained glassed skylight, which adds brilliant colors and gorgeous design in the room. 

The family room is a total chill out zone in Ramesh family and affords perfect flow of family activities. All the happening things like reading, watching television and occasional eruption of loud cheers take place in this very room. Along with style and comfort the room also proudly holds vintage bits and pieces that have a joyful vibe.
You are bound to encounter with obstinately eccentric pieces around Shobha’s home because she was determined that bequeathed pieces are too meaningful to usher to the curb. With creativity and willingness she mends and improves these pieces in her current décor style. 

Decorating with red bricks wired around indoor may sound challenging for some but Shobha has tackle this deal brilliantly. The family room stretches to the dining room along the other end. With an added touch of green, the niche here provides visual interest and tactile appeal. It’s Shobha's hide-out adda for all extra crockery and stacks of kitchen dry goods. Inherited prized family antiques hold very high regard with Shobha. Many decades down the line her romance with these antiques haven’t ebbed.  Breaking the stodgy looking set, Shobha has inserted 150 years old inherited four-poster bed in her bedroom. The serene presence of ambient lightings and cocooning textures are dreamy enough to put anyone’s head in the clouds in Shobha’s private sanctuary. The age of the bed hasn’t withered her prospects. By giving a touch of airy drapes she has taken this old bed to a better height.Shobha’s truly believes that comfortable and good quality furniture is worth its weight in gold and can be wonderfully revived adding authenticity and character to a home. Following her own gut she has coaxed out quite corner in her bedroom incorporating these handed down furniture. 



By now my readers can attest that Shobha believes in breaking décor myths and creating her own. Similarly – though not less effectively Shobha has created her master bath into a tropical themed garden space mixed with earthy touch. The skylight above allows sunlight and fresh air throughout. It looks as good as taking a shower in rainforest ;).
Another heavenly space - their backyard garden which includes a range of  tropical greenery adding a bright green glow indoor as well. The couple catches a brief moment of calm here after the whirlwind of a monotonous day. The swing and the main entry door are replicas of family's ancestor home and both were created by their village craftsmen. 

Clearly Shobha has aced decorating her home with grace and history. She knows how to strike the right balance mixing pieces of many eras and styles, a fret few of us are not able to achieve. 

Though for me, the temptation to have heirloom pieces in my décor is very strong and I have always find myself succumbed to the lure of those pieces of a bygone era. For those of you who yet haven’t practiced incorporating the family hand me downs in your decor stories, it’s about time to dig down your family treasures; you never know what you might find.

And as we close our today’s home tour, I would like to thank Shobha for putting up with me on exactitude of photographs. I enjoyed connecting with you and wishing you and your family loads of love, luck and happiness today and always!

 

For those of you who would like to connect with Shobha for any interior service may contact her via email.

 

Until we meet again with new décor stories, stay connected on the passion page of Facebook and feeds of Instagram, toodles!

(Image Courtesy: Shobha Ramesh. 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)