Strong and bold Indian flavors (Home Tour of Viji Jayaraman)

Have you heard of an exclusivity? Even if you have, this home tour will be of a different kind. There is not a single corner that you will not fall in love with this home so I don’t know where to start from? This home has everything my dreams are made of. You may run out of adjectives but you still will not be able to surmise the impact of its beauty, so get ready to get wowed!

Before you let yourself loose, meet the lady who calls it a home, and where her personal design sensibilities reign supreme. Viji Jayaraman - a woman of strength, courage, intelligence and beauty. Viji has a wealth of design expertise and experience when it comes to home décor, sarees or jewelry with an attitude that is smart, witty, and truly unique. She is natural when it comes to home decor and blindly trusts her 'sixth sense' for all her experimental decor style. I am yet to meet Viji, but I am sure she is as warm and friendly and as stunning as her home.   

I was invigorated by the pictures Viji shared with me first time, though much of our excerpts got faded but the images she shared kept her in my mind. What made the irony more delicious was that it was when Viji’s friend Shoba shared few more images of her home reflecting strong and bold flavors of Indian heritage, I knew, I have to share this home tour with you all.

BANGLORE. The word alone conjures parks, palaces and masala dosas...but tucked away somewhere in this IT capital of India is an unexplored home of Viji. Innately nourishing space with a remarkable visual appeal warns you at her entrance that every turn you will be charged and excited. Her house sits amidst lush almost tropical greenery punctuated with generous dose of potted plants in the front garden that is for sure to wow any visitor.

The impetus for this undeniably elegant home, reminiscent of a luxurious Royal Palace, is more humble than you might think. Lavishly layered Viji's home has many glamour filled moments as the home. Not a single square inch of the tediously decorated home is left untouched. The deeper you enter the more appetizing the home becomes.

Every time I have locked my eyes on this picture, I have been transported on this 'zula' at an instant. What a pleasure it would be to sit in such a bright and airy room either to work or to relax, all I would need is a good book. Viji's decorator instinct knew that it is a wonderful alternative to regular sofas. The restful spot looks even more inviting, thanks to those vintage cushions.

A grand visual statement has been made with ornate carved traditional South Indian pillars. A time tested attractions that are 136 years old solid wood with no joints and no makeover done whatsoever. To get the expertise and artistic excellence of master craftsmen, she personally goes through the grind of picking the pieces herself from the interiors of South India.

Warmed up by rustic elements and playful accessories, this tradition home definitely gets its good look with dramatic wooden columns and an inviting palette of plethora of brass . Choke full of  brass treasures are carefully handpicked by Viji during her travels in different part of India.
Jayaraman's family home, with traditional bones, is decorated with a clever mix of styles and lively hues where all the rooms rife with antiques and family heirlooms. A collection of well loved and much travelled pieces are put together with utmost love in ways that please the eye.

Decor is the mainstay of any home, but sometimes a personal touch can put the rest of the details in the air to shame. Sticking with the traditional plan and classic architectural details, Viji has incorporated 'aangan' concept by adding a central courtyard in her home. Bowing to her urban home necessities this central courtyard has comeback in a thoroughly modern format in Viji’s home.

As these central courtyards are recognized by various aliases, Viji prefers to call it her Brahma-Sthal, the soul of her home. This, open with a skylight, courtyard naturally becomes the hub of social activity for her extended family.

The place takes on various roles as the situations wanted. While performing 'pooja' the place becomes a sacred spot where only deities are placed for worshiping, and the same spot is a ground where she shares laughter and giggles with her grandchildren while teaching them yoga or playing cards.

Take it slow and give your soul a chance to catch up with all the beauty in this picture, friends. The diyas, the urlis, the columns, the zulas, the entire set up...what an opulent place dripping with such rich pieces, I am totally speechless...err...wordless!

The treasured pieces around the home have witnessed Viji's experience and deeply held memories she shares. Not only that but many of her curated collection reflect her well-travelled live also. Here are two such precious pieces from Viji's collection..her pichwais. Over a decade old exquisite Rajasthani pichwais were chosen for solely their beauty are blending perfectly in her décor scheme.

I love the fact how Viji eschewed trends when decorating her home, sticking to one major trend to make her entire home a true reflection of herself. A standout style that she proudly shows off with her collected brass that makes a mighty statement throughout the home.

With a bright orange cows backdrop and kavads from a temple in Tamil Nadu, Viji's home temple showcases her tasteful and impressive décor style.

Riotous medley of colors, Textures and vibes evident in all the corner of her home.

Nestled in the protective arms of Viji, her outdoor space is an envious one for any garden lover. With an eye-popping ideas in Viji's backyard, each element perfectly complements the other in a fluent language. 

Lush and serene escape just outside her back doors with an abundance of manicured lawn compels you to unwind outside the box of walls in this open space with charming plantations of these trees to give us company. I could lounge here all day with my morning tea to an evening drink.

What a brilliant use of Kerala boats as planters. Don't miss the lovely little shrine in her outdoors with Ganesha and Nandi surrounded by her tropical oasis.

Under her selfless giving and unconditional love, the beauty of mother nature is at the best in Viji's backyard. The diverse herbs and harvest of fruits offers Viji a world of flavors at her doorsteps. Viji proudly claims of owning trees of mango, coconut, guava, avocado, banana, chickoo and many more seasonal fruits in her 65 acres wide extended outdoors. 

Viji's home is not a design style but a way of her life where meticulously designed corners with traditional touches will never go out of style. I am dropping the curtains down for the tour with a perfectly apt quote by Vicente Wolf: "In the most successful spaces, you don't see everything at once, the more time you spend in them, the more you discover, they open up slowly like flowers."

With my heart filled with gratitude, I have to end this home tour. Viji, thank you for everything, your home gave me a feeling of having stepped into another era, enchanted by its vibe.

So, that's it folks, until we meet again with another home tour (hopefully soon) see you on the social media feeds, enjoy your rest of the warm days, toodles!

((Images belong to Jayaraman family. Please do not use the images without the prior written permission of the home owners and Pinkz Passion however, you may re-pin them from Pinkz Passion's Pinterest account)