Thursday, December 13, 2007

Two for joy, immense joy...

...wondering what I am talking about?

Today I am sharing with you not one but two great spaces which have got imprinted on my mind ever since I saw them a couple of days ago. The first on, is designer Jivi Sethi's ultra-stylish residence in Assagao in Goa.Jivi Sethi's home which is featured in Vogue Magazine, this month is an eclectic blend of antique objets d'art with contemporary furniture. He has styled his home with loads of glass, mirrors & chandeliers. I love the way he had brought in the old goan charm by using antique chandeliers, old wine bottles & loads of floral arrangements:-)Look at the fusion of antique goan wooden cupboard with contemporary glass & lacquer coffee table designed by him:-)
Flowers everywhere...*sigh* Love the way he floats the 'Parijat' flowers with the orange stalk upwards adding colour & texture to the arrangementAnother thing striking is the use of vibrant colours, his home is filled with art from his friends blending in with his own pieces of heirloom from his family home in Amritsar & Delhi.There is something fun, colourful, vibrant & eclectic in this space which reflects the personality of this very creative & stylish designer.

From the a vibrant home to the placid backwaters of Kerala....
Join me in gliding along the backwaters in a 'Kettuvallam' or the traditional Houseboat. Earlier these boats with coir and bamboo roofs were used as cargo boats but nowadays they are used as 2-3 room houseboats cruising along the Malabar coast. A passage along the side of the boat. The boat is lit by oil lamps in the night. You can see a traditional brass lock on the door.
A small deck at the tail of the boat from where one can watch the magical sunsets in the backwaters.The arches of the boat have been constructed with palm-leaf matting, woven into a bamboo frame and tied together with coir ropes (very eco-friendly, I must add)
Imagine sleeping under this romantic canopy and waking up to the gentle sound of the oars splashing the water.....now that's a thought!

On that note, I take your leave for a couple of weeks. I am taking a 'Winter Break' and will be doing some travelling and practicing loads of photography:-)

Meanwhile do check out Neece Clark's Shop Online. She has some amazing paintings up for sale for the holidays.
Will also be keeping my eyes open for fellow blogger An Indian Summer's Bazaar which is opening in January 2008.

So do visit her too where she will be bringing to you '...an eclectic mix of select Asian and Indian crafts and products of exquisite design and high quality.'


Happy Holidays to all you lovely people!

( Images from Vogue India, Dec 2007 & Indian Interiors, Taschen)

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the mention! I check your lovely site regularly for inspiration...you always have such great India pics! Happy holidays and all the best in the New Year! xo Neece

Jo said...

Have fun! Happy holidays!

Cheers!
Jo

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos and posts :)

Gill said...

Enjoy yourself, and your photographs!
Thanks for the tour of this exquisite Goan home! I love it all!!!
xo
Gillian

Bhavna Bhatnagar said...

Isn't this the best time of the year? :-)...I always take vacation and go traveling! I will look forward to your lovely photographs :-)!

Thanks for mentioning the bazaar!... Oh, it has been so crazy trying to set this thing up..the legalities and related operational activities and red tape has been quite frustrating! But hopefully, everything should be set by Jan :-)

Unknown said...

Such vibrancy! Great post - please do more such house reviews

Gill said...

Oh your tiles from Goa in the sidebar...do I detect a Portuguese influence in that design?
xo
Gillian!

Vineeta said...

Archana, Beautiful places! I especially loved the parijat pics :) And wow! You are off as well? Fantastic! Waiting for all your travel pics and posts- Have fun & come back soon- Im already missing you!

Amber Cargile said...

Wow...gorgeous stuff! Love all the colors in the first layout, but love the organic textures in the second even more. Thank you for the wonderful holiday gift!

Gypsy Purple said...

Wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous 2008!!!

Kavitha said...

Hi Archana
First time at your blog. And guess what!! I was up until 2 am (which is a really big deal now that I am the mother of an infant) and went through all the posts. I checked out your other blogs too... Great work. and I really love your home. I love how you use fresh flowers... am inspired now. The chests you have aer really nice too. I wonder how many years you spent collecting all the the little things around your house.

katiedid said...

Have a wonderfully Happy New Year! I look forward to your return and more wonderful posts. These photos are beautiful, especially of the boat.

Monica said...

Happy New Year Arch, and happy travels. May the light be just right and your camera hand be steady:) Speaking of travels, those house boats are dreamy. I've never seen anything like it.
Monica

Anonymous said...

Great idea! Very creative mind..Recently i bought parties and outdoor decors from 1-800-Flowers.Com, FTD and Jackson&Perkins stores through couponalbum.com..

Unknown said...

Have a very very Happy New Year ahead!

Pea said...

I simply love your Blog -the pictures and your home especially.. It took me days but I have read all your articles :)I am truly inspired ..
Happy new year !
Purnima

Anonymous said...

Hello Arch,

Thankyou for visiting my lil ol blog :) I happen to be a chai fanatic myself, it must be the mallu genes.

You've got an absolutely fantastic site here. I am a major interior design/decor buff myself , so this is absolutely lovely.

I can't say how happy I am to find other art/design bloggers who feature desi stuff. I think we have a treasure trove of influences and theres so much for the world to see & know about us.

Also I checked your chai blog absolutely cozy , delightful images. Great stuff , glad to make your aquaintance here ;)

Pavitra

Anonymous said...

Arch,

I can never seem to leave you a comment without something going wrong!

Anyway, I wanted to say that I've linked you as well. And I'm finding more and more Indian design/art/creative blogs & thats pretty awesome

Oh and our houses have the same colour scheme :)

Anonymous said...

I am eagerly waiting for you new post. Where are you!?

Happy happy new year! full of creative success and happiness!!!

Unknown said...

The 'Kettuvallam' is just Magical!!