Touch of Traditional Elegance (Home Tour of Shubhaa Satish)

Layering process of a home is a natural one, in that you can decide and adapt to suit your needs and tastes. When you progress each layer carefully and give due thought to your designing style while giving free rein to your imagination, you are looking at your dream home. Take a walk with me through one such basic home today which has become a jewel box in the hands of our today’s homeowners.  

It’s incredibly rewarding to interact with people who radiate positivity and joy. Meet Shubhaa, who hails from a family of spirited women with strong design sensibilities. Yes, she is a sister of Jayalakshmy whose home tour was featured last here on the blog. Ever since, we have been waiting with bated breath to cover Shubhaa’s home next. Even though Shubhaa shares similar décor traits/taste as her sibling Jaya, her unique style of beefing up the colors, mixing and matching sumptuous brass and cloaking every room in some kind of interesting wall treatment will make you fall in love with her home just like me. 

Shubhaa gets lots of shocked reactions while disclosing her city name. This beautiful home is in Ranchi, Jharkhand (while sharing this city name she paused and allowed the information to settle over me). While the world around her is buzzing at breakneck speed, Shubhaa has her own pace. Entrenched in the love for simpler aspects of living, Shubhaa finds her current city Jharkhand easy to fall in love with where she and her ex-navy husband eagerly wait for their son Sharran to come back on holidays from his university life of Bengluru.  

Being a navy man’s wife, Shubhaa’s décor style is constantly evolving - constantly experimenting. To fit in has never been her pursuit. Rather it has been to stand out. It’s her gravitas for décor that defines her. While it is challenging moving often, it is also an opportunity to enjoy new adventures for Shubhaa that she would have never experienced otherwise! Shubhaa happily chirps: “My navy husband has helped me grow some fabulous navy spouse wings over the years. Even though, we have moved 13 houses in last 20 years I have learned to adapt to change. I have done each 'fauji' home with equal enthusiasm as this one. I need my touch, identity and colors around me.” 

Juicy pop of attention-getting hues work their magic in her home. Shubhaa loves colors...earthy tones as well as bright red & orange. She swears by Fab India for all her linen in the home. Few treasures are also acquired from Ranchi Handloom House. 

Shubhaa thinks trial and error is the key to getting just the right mix of accents. Shubhaa is very picky about choosing idols: "Every time I pick up an idol, I look for how well it is made...the facial expressions and features are very important. If it is not made well, it can look totally wonky." Shubhaa has collected all these pieces along life's path. Some are accidental acquisitions (such as the vessel floated marigolds here is from their trek visit to Manali. The container is used for kneading dough by localities) and others came to her with special meanings.

Boasting her signature bold blend of colonial era opulence and modern day rock and roll Shubhaa has made this room, aptly enough, a visual knockout. What's not to fall in love here? Beyond timeless traits of comfortable, relaxed and inviting room, the colors are fresher, collections are sparer and the room is more personal than ever. Shubhaa, I could stay here forever!

Her living room focuses on comfort and durability while maintaining established design cues. The colonial recliner chair flaunts its flirtiest self here calling me to have a seat here and enjoy the filter kaapi and Medu Vadas that Shubhaa offered to feed me on my visit to her home ;). 

Shubhaa is easily drawn to colors and she thinks it is a simple way to bring something personal to your home. And for no apparent reason, color makes her happy. Bright colors being a visual trick, serves her the best. She recalls having her last home walls done up in bright red and orange.

Splashy colorful wall is a masterful push and pull of contrary characters around. A stunning table sits in the middle of the room. The positions of all elements makes this an inviting space to eat and entertain. An intriguing dose of brass and flowers are sprinkled on the hutch near dining table making the space alive and engaging. 

There are head spinning number of art pieces she owns (and while reading this please don't take your eyes off the wall). The wall beckons and invites you to linger awhile. The amazing pieces of collection here are from various cities across South India and Mumbai during their stay in those cities on Naval tenure. Shubhaa sums up: "It was a blank canvas with lack of ideas and decor items when we started building our home together, but our globe-trotting lifestyle has considerably feed our collecting habits. Now it has become something to be proud about in our home."

From her very young age, Shubhaa is drawn to things that have history, character and soul. Carved wood is also something that she really admires apart from paintings, bronze and brass. Hence a lot of wooden panels, carvings as well as mirror with wooden frame are scattered on different walls around the home.

Shubhaa knows well that the walls define your interiors and they are your biggest canvases. Don't let them be boring. I am sure stunning glimpses of this wall gave you bountiful of ideas to refresh your walls now, I know I did ;).

Having a defence background, the couple grew up in different cities. All of her furniture pieces are either rose or teak wood. The pieces are sourced from Jew Town in Kochi while the family was posted there. 

Every colorful ethnic art piece is arranged with design dignity. Bright colors, subtle designs & old world finishes inspired by traditional design sensibilities foster an air of high key elegance in this room. 

Impressively scaled living room is a perfect personal sanctuary for the family where they recharge the spirit and express their identities. In today's age, our homes have to handle a lot. We crave for a place to relax as much as for a spot to entertain, compute or simply drop things off. Stylish and adaptable with different sitting areas Shubhaa's living room answers the call well. 

As we end this home tour, I want to mention Shubhaa that your home can hold more than you often give credit for. Your home is as energetic and confident as it is warm and welcoming just like you. Wishing you and your family happily ever after. 

Finding the right inspiration comes from being creative. We all have an imagination and that's where our best ideas are born. Until we meet again, toodles!

(Images are taken by Shubhaa. Please do not use the images without the prior written permission of the home owner and Pinkz Passion however, you may re-pin them from Pinkz Passion's Pinterest account)