Real Homes I - Poorni, KG and Adi's house

This post has been pending for the longest time ever! I know! Without further delay presenting to you *Drumroll please* - the first home in the Real Homes series, which belongs to Poorni, KG and their son Adi.
Lets start with a tour of the house and then I will tell you about the owners :)

For me, these first two pictures sum up their home, they are the essence, the soul of their home.  These pictures are a preview of what the owners love!

Poorni is learning to play a guitar. Music, books, collectibles, eclectic stuff, mixed furniture, it all finds a place in their home and makes it warm and inviting. 

Both Poorni and KG are book lovers and yes they pick up books even if they have lots in the to-be-read list. I do that too, do you?

One of the many things I love about their home is the lived-in, casual feeling one gets as you walk in.

Those are tiny paper lights strung around the bigger hanging lamp and they look oh so pretty when lit up!

The Dhalls are a travel loving family and their trips all over the world have resulted in a lovely collection of artifacts displayed all over the house.

Ladies and Gentlemen presenting to you the Starbucks coffee mug collection :) 

This lamp was picked up from Delhi on a trip to source lights for their current house when the interiors were being done. 

Wall art picked from Purple Turtles, Indiranagar. The art is by Aarti Karwayun Chawda of ispaceart. 

Very soothing and long lasting natural fiber blinds from BlindLove, Indiranagar.

Their house has soothing colours, mostly neutrals or earthy colours like this brick wall here. 

Art and various art forms can be seen throughout the house, like the aboriginal art from Australia above. 

The blend of the traditional with the modern, you think?? Love the antique finish mirror, again from Purple Turtles. The fridge magnets are souvenirs picked from everywhere they have been. 

The love for music has passed on to Adi, who is learning to play the drums. 

Poorni is an ex IT professional. She loves to travel, read, try new things and explore the world, one bit at a time! She is also a photographer and does assignments professionally. Check her photography page here. She is the owner/creator of Beantree, which uses natural and locally sourced ingredients to produce food free from preservatives and additives. Their lovely, finger licking hummus is available in multiple stores. My personal favourite is the lemon coriander hummus. 

KG apart from his corporate world/IT career which takes him around the world more than often, loves to read and run. He is now preparing for his first 50K run. 

Let me know if you would like to know anything about the things featured in the post - what, from where, et all. I shall ask the owners and let you know. 

Happy Friday and hope you all have a lovely weekend!!

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Indya Kaleidoscope - a treasure chest!

Indya Kaleidoscope is a treasure cove tucked away in a corner. You won't spot it unless you are looking for it and once you do you won't want to leave :) 
It is a cozy little store with walls painted in bright colours, some peacock blue, some red. They showcase and sell, like they say on their FB page, good quality traditional arts and crafts. Be it in their original form or with a contemporary twist. 

They have on display Channapatna Laquerware, Banaras wood crafts, Brass artefacts, Terracotta products, Manipur Longpi pottery (also called Black pottery), Blue pottery, Plam wood crafts, Pondicherry stone pottery, Kantha work soft furnishing amongst a whole lot of other stuff. 

What welcomes you as you walk in to the store on the 1st floor, is a bright yet warm red wall and a whole room full of collectibles, home decor items and treasures to die for!

The brass idols collection against this red wall looks stunning. We saw a whole range of Ganesha idols, from classic to contemporary forms. Go find your own! 

There are beautiful paintings, like this one below, from Banaras. 

Collectibles, mini vases, pots, all hand-painted. Beautiful! 

Fabric clutches in all colours and shapes.

Colourful painted wooden dolls and boxes.

Krishna in all his glory.

                             

Madhubani work lampshades. Hand-painted wooden boxes for storing your jewelry, nick knacks and small trinkets.

Brass and copper minis. Kitchen utensils, pots, miniature equipment. They look so so cute!

And one of my favorites - pottery from Pondicherry! 

Kantha work cushion covers.  They look beautiful, don't they? We are going to place our custom orders once the new place is ready.

The owner Preethi writes a blog too and does a lot of DIY-ers. You can check them out here.  
She also sources furniture and antiques on request. So contact her if you are looking for that antique wooden mirror for your bedroom wall or chains for the swing in your living room. 

She has recently created a space in the store where artists, craft makers, writers, bloggers, decorators, designers or just book readers can come, sit surrounded by some exquisite crafts and do their creative thing. They promise to keep the coffee flowing!! What more can you ask for? :) 

Drop in and find your treasure. They keep adding new stuff every now and then so worth scheduling a regular visit :) 

Store details
The IK store in Bangalore is at - 
BNRK Towers, 891/A, 1st Floor, 
7th A Cross, Koramangala 1st Block, 
Bangalore - 560034

Tel - +91 80 40981536
Email: indyakaleidoscope@gmail.com
FB page - https://www.facebook.com/Indyakaleidoscope 
Website - http://indyakaleidoscope.com/ 

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Launch of TULIPS store in Bangalore

This past Friday, I was invited to the store opening party of Tulips - a premiere soft furnishing store.
Tulips is a high end soft furnishings retail store with 2 branches in India. Their flagship store is in Pune and this new store in Bangalore is the 2nd in the country.

It offers
a range of plush linen - bath and bed, in classic soothing colours
a fun range for kids which includes duvet covers and cute cushions 
fabrics
wallpapers
frescoes, artifacts and home accessories
exquisite drapery
window dressings
curtains
cushions
rugs, throws
sophisticated upholstery
All this can be customized with monograms, initials and your personal design requirements

Tulips sources the finest decor wares from across the globe. They have a lovely collection of scented candles from Belgium, one of which we got in the lovely goody bag given to the guests.

They also have an assortment of glamorous artifacts, some as tall as a person, in solid colours, monochromatic tones and metal tints, from Italy, Germany and Netherlands. There is bed and bath linen from Turkey, fine cashmere blankets and Merino wool throws from Germany, throws from South Africa. If you are looking for accessories like curtain ties and hold backs, they have a pretty collection for that too. 

One thing that I would like to mention is their sample curtain corner where they have displayed all sorts of curtain pleats. Very helpful for people to see and choose which style they would like for the curtains and window treatments. 

They provide a Design Service too which is a 5 step service. They start with a survey to understand your requirements where they visit your place and get the right picture of your architecture. Then their designers put together fabrics and palettes for your space, keeping in mind your requirements and budget. Then they create a folder for you with swatches of your design. The design is presented with the help of visuals which are a representation of the finished product. The next step is creating the products from the designs. And the last step is installation in your space at your convenience. 

The launch party was in the store and was hosted together by Tulips and Good homes Magazine India. It was a well planned affair - delicious hors d'oeuvres, drinks and lovely goody bags too. Enjoyed meeting so many talented and lovely people and seeing the luxurious collection first hand! Do visit this place if you are redoing your house or planning to change/add to your soft furnishing collection. 

Store details 

The Tulips store in Bangalore is at 

No 7, Shilton Heights,

Papanna Street, Off St Marks Road,

Bangalore - 560001

Tel - +91 80 22211113/4

Email: store.blr@tulipsindia.com 

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Addicted!!

So this whole house building, setting up, decorating process is a tough one I tell you. It takes a lot out of you, mentally more than physically. Choose this, choose that, find this, track that. 
What helps with it? A relaxing day at the spa! Seriously! It does.

Pic courtesy http://bergenlinen.com/

The kid's school hasn't started and I couldn't leave him anywhere to go out to a spa. Then I heard about The Bangalore Mobile Spa. 

They come to your place and offer the same services as you would get in a regular salon spa. 
I will admit I was a little reluctant initially about the doing-this-at-home thing. I wondered if it would be as relaxing as the real go-to-a-spa experience. Also it was a bit of anxiety associated with trying out a new thing, place or meeting someone new. 
But I went ahead and called them up. For me the customer experience starts from the reception desk itself and I was impressed with the way the person on the phone handled the call. She was courteous, clear and confident. She checked on my location and told me she would get back after checking with her manager if they can service this location. And call back she did! They gladly agreed and booked an appointment for the next day :) 

I was sent an invoice via email with the services and charges listed. The next day they kept me informed via sms about any time related updates, which was good to know. 
The team came on time and started setting up the equipment. They took a few minutes and voila the whole spa atmosphere had been set up! Music, candles and rose petals. Who would've thought all this was possible at home while watching the kid play.
The next hour and a half was absolutely blissful. I got a pedicure done - their summer special, the heel peel and for someone with cracked, dry heels it is a sure shot treatment. Loved the clean, smooth look after the pedicure. Also got a hair spa done, my first ever, after hearing from friends how hair spas had helped improve the quality of their hair. The head, neck and back massage that was done as part of the hair rejuvenation was awesome.
The team was efficient, quiet and experts in what they were doing. Once everything was done they cleaned the place and wrapped everything up. I paid by cash against the invoice amount and added a tip.
Loved the whole experience and I am totally going to do this again and again. The mobile spa offers some great services including facials, pre natal and post partum packages, hair treatments and some yummylicious body polish options.
Rubina, the owner, was very sweet and generous to send a coffee body scrub which was heavenly and left my body feeling soft! Super soft. It was an exfoliating scrub with dark roasted organic ground coffee beans and chocolate enveloped in cocoa butter. Usually scrubs tend to leave skin dry but this one was different. 

I am totally addicted to the service and the products and am going to be booking another appointment soon :) Do check them out on their website or their Facebook page and schedule that appointment in the comfortable surroundings of your home!

This post is a part of the Blog-a-Prompt week at Marathon Blogging. Today's prompt is Addiction!

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Architects/Interior Designers/Contractors/Carpenters - Figuring out which one works for you

After my previous post, I got suggestions, links and help in multiple ways! Love the online world at times like this - help at your finger tips and super quick at that :) 

A friend suggested this blog, which he found during his make-a-home project - Home Design Ideas by Nandita Manwani. Nandita has put together some very important and practical info in a very easy to understand manner. She realized the work involved and the learning curve in making a house when she made her own in Bangalore and started collating the info on her blog! Good for people like us :) 

Do check out her posts on 

Sliding doors - Bet you did not know some of the practical tips she has mentioned.

Types of Wood for Home Interiors - The ABCs of different kinds of wood used in home construction.

What is the right material for woodwork? - Which wood should you use for the carcass/boxes, the shutters and wardrobes? It is all explained in this post. 

Moving back to the topic for this post. The 2nd step in the make a house your home project is deciding whether you want help with doing up the house and what kind of help. 

I would like to refer to one of Nandita's post again (why reinvent the wheel) - Do you really need an Interior Designer?

S and I decided to check out all the options we had at hand. That meant checking out the architects, interior designers and contractors that we knew about. We collected references from our friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, ex-neighbours, people who had done their houses recently. I re-visited homes that I remembered for that special touch, or the soothing wall colour, the TV unit, furniture, furnishing, lights, general layout. Jotted down notes, names of shops they visited, any practical tips, dos and don'ts they had. Yes, I have a diary with hand written notes. A scribble here, a note there.

Getting all the gyaan from real people has helped! I know more than I did a month back. I can talk the language of MDF board, crown moulding, trim, laminate, acrylic, LEDs and a whole lot more. I still am no expert but at least it is a start and a HUGE learning. 

In our search we came across some firms for interiors. I am listing the names linked to their websites. My intention is not to promote any particular firm, this is just a list of firms we came across during our search. If you would like to know specific feedback about any of these, or what information I have about these, whom we chose and why, please feel free to send me and email at simrand@gmail.com 

Savio and Rupa

Duke Richards Interiors

Design Cafe

Deep and Hana Architecture

The Karighars

Morph Design Co.

Mathew & Ghosh Architects Pvt. Ltd

Nilay Patalia Architects
Bluekrit

What did we discover during this process?

We realized that if you have the money there is no end to what you can do. 
There are designers in the market who provide end-to-end services to suit different budgets. 
There are contractors who provide the same set of services but for your designs. 
It is a pick and choose, mix and match.  You need to pick what works for you, your sense of style, your  need for freedom, flexibility and the biggest factor - your BUDGET. 

And the grass always seems greener on the other side. So if you go with a designer, you might feel "What if I had gone with the other one?" Or "How I wish I had the freedom to just get this table made the way I want to from the carpenter." 
It is okay to feel that way. Very normal!! :) 

If you go with your own designs and get them done via a contractor/carpenter then the thoughts might be "What would a designer have done with this place?" "What if there is better material out there for this space? A designer would have known about all those options!" 
That is okay too!

So I would suggest explore, research (in your own way), prepare a budget, then choose based on gut feel. There will be issues as in any project, there will second, third and many more thoughts while you are doing it and even after ;) But in the end you will come out wiser and experienced and am sure still have a lovely home. 

Ah and one more thing, I would suggest leaving a few things to be done later or in a phase 2, 3 or N. Especially soft furnishings, some of the furniture, knick knacks. Once you move into the house it gives you a better perspective of what you really need, what colour throw will go well with that neutral sofa and beige walls. Also provides opportunities to keep you busy with mini projects if you love doing interiors like me :) 

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New beginnings - From House to Home

I haven't met a single person who says that building a house or making a home is easy! And from what I have discovered so far, it certainly is not.
It is a very slow, tiring, hazy and frustrating project. Of course it does have its moments of fun, excitement and joy!! But by the end of it most home owners remember what this picture below suggests  :)

Pic courtesy Coffee With an Architect

The first thing I realized, when we started thinking about getting our recently bought apartment done is that there is no single place/organization/website that offers you details of what and how to do this. The ABCs are all for you to figure out. There are a million ways to start and multiple paths to take based on what your neighbours, friends, family or colleagues did. Hence the process is not clear and nothing makes sense initially. It can be very confusing and overwhelming at times. If you are going through such feelings, you are on the right path. But slowly the image shall begin to emerge and you will know what to do. How slow is subjective :)

I am not saying this is rocket science but if there was a website that gave a little intro to the world of how-to-create-your-own-place, that would be nice. I wonder if something like that already exists for Bangalore and I am not aware of it. If you know about something like that please do let me know.

For my own clarity, sanity and to help future new home owners in Bangalore, I plan to document what I discover, see and learn. It might not be an exhaustive list but will be based on places I find out about, people I get to know about and any resources which might be of help.

The 1st stage in this process would be buying a place or thinking about buying a place or maybe you are just remodeling.
The first advice suggestion advice (after checking the dictionary difference between the two, advice makes more sense here) - Start planning early!!
Even before you get the possession of your flat/independent house/villa or whatever else it is that you have. If it is yet to be constructed even better. You can start thinking of designs or designers you would like to use way in advance. If it is ready to move in property, like ours then also no harm done. Once you finalise which property you are buying start the thought process in parallel. Don't wait to start that till after you get possession. Especially if you are in a time crunch for whatever reasons or are in the paying-rent-and-EMI-too situation.

As part of the planning early stage, the first thing would be figuring out whether you want to use an architect, interior designer, a contractor or a carpenter. Don't know the difference between them? Here you go!

Classification of the Design Species

      

More on this in the next post. Follow this space closely as I go on this journey of transforming a house to a home. Wish me luck too.
Have an awesome weekend!! :)

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Day 19 - My home tour on Magical Homes!!

My ex-apartment in Bangalore was featured on Magical Homes yesterday. The site also has a lot of tips and ideas on all aspects of a home. Makes for an interesting read. Hop over to check it out :) And let me know what you think, by leaving comments there. 
This is the 2nd home tour for my rented apartment and Dipika the editor has put together the post so well. Thanks Dipika!! 
We spent 2 years there and it was a wonderful stay. I miss my home, my neighbours, my friends from that place and hope to go back there soon.

A cozy corner in my balcony. Books and a cup of tea made it awesome! 

The 1st home tour for that apartment is here on The Key Bunch. 

With that done, my task list looks much better now - 
- Send pics for home tour - Done
- Write article for my first freelance assignment - Done
- Send pics and info for a lifestyle site coming up in Feb 2013 - Done
- Gifts for N's teachers at kindy - Done
- Holiday and Christmas shopping - Done
- Bulk of the packing for N and me - Done
- Donate N's clothes, the ones he has grown out of, to The Salvation Army - TBD 
- Last few rounds of laundry and ironing - TBD
- Clear and clean the fridge - TBD

This month has been crazy! I thought it would be the slowest month of the year, relaxed, easy breezy. But instead it has turned out to be the craziest of them all. Started with the blogging marathon and I took it up as a challenge and a way to meet new bloggers. Then came the tug-of-war of going to India vs staying here. That was is mental torture. And all of a sudden I had these 2 requests for pictures and an article to be written! Plus all the stuff for the holiday - shopping, packing. Phew! I am so looking forward to the holiday. 

What are you planning to do on New Years? Where will you be? At home with loved ones? With extended family? Out of town? Partying somewhere? Watching TV? 

This post is part of the Marathon Blogging December 2012. 

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Fun at Sanctuarry!!

No I did not make a spelling mistake with the spelling of Sanctuarry!! It is the name of a place where we took N along with our friends last weekend. We were about 8 adults and 4 kids. And boy we had so much fun, it was crazy. The kids loved it thoroughly and so did the adults who became kids :)

If you have been to the Gerry Martin Farm in Bangalore then you can relate Sanctuarry to it, except that Martin Farm has more animals and Sanctuarry had more activity fun stuff to do.

There were sheep, goats, rabbits, roosters, birds, ducks and geese.

One could feed them bundles of leaves and carrot sticks. The children loved doing this :)

 There were bullock carts too.

They have a large open area with lots of trees. And a tree house too - perrrfect for kiddies. They loved going up the stairs and playing with all the stuff inside. 

There is a sand pit and cycles for kids. A few tents are put up all over the place with fun stuff in almost each of them - alphabet floor puzzle in one and sleeping bags and chairs in another.

Some trampolines which are super fun. There were hammocks tied up and swings and charpoys too.... super relaxing and quiet atmosphere.

 And they have loads of other free activities - mind games, table tennis, mini sports series as well as paid stuff. We chose wall painting for kids. It was a paid activity and each kid got a bowl full of colour and big brush. They were made to wear aprons yet they managed to get themselves dirty :) And had a wonderful time painting their own masterpieces on the wall!

And yes for all you foodies out there - there is a Cafe on the go with a limited menu and fresh stuff :) However there is also a full scale menu if you want to pre order stuff.

Ooh and how can I forget the cute lil kiddies bathroom. They have kid sized low stuff in the bathroom so that the li'l ones can use them on their own. The walls outside are painted in nice and bright colours.

 We had an awesome time and plan to go again sometime!!

Sanctuarry is located close to the Forum Value Mall in Whitefield on the opposite side behind Fab India.  See address and other details on their FB page. You can ask them for details about activities, food and timings. It is better to call and go rather than walking in.

If you are googling them make sure you use the double r in the spelling :) 
Let me know if you would like to know more about our experience at Sanctuarry!

Linking this in to Patty's Weekly Party!! Happy Monday!


NOTE - I will be out for almost a month starting today - travelling and visiting relatives (N has a month off from school) so the posts might be infrequent or a quick scribble! But keep visiting and I promise you loads of lovely pictures :)

P.S. - Did you participate in the giveaway sponsored by The Orange Bicycle? Not yet. Go here!! Hurry it is open till 19th Sep only :)

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