Refresh Studio

The day I set my eyes on one of the lamps made by Rabi of Refresh Studio, I knew I had to meet him and see more of his creations...

My first reaction was "Is that lamp base made of stone?" then looking at it closely I realised it was as light as a feather. It was Paper Mache!

Rabi makes eco-friendly, paper mache lamps, artistic vases, containers, boxes out of old newspapers.

For his lampshades he uses dried pressed flowers, leaves and ferns that add such delicate beauty to the lamps.

Love this vase!

A collection of vases in various shapes.

Another lovely creation by Rabi.

Details on the lampshade.

Rabi spends a lot of time creating each of these lovely products, since paper mache takes a while to dry after being moulded.

He does take custom orders and can be reached at rabfrank@yahoo.co.in

( Images by Arch)

My Guest Post at 'Once Upon A Tea Time...Design Stories'.

Hello Everyone. My first guest post ever is up at 'Once Upon A Tea Time...Design Stories'.

I am sharing some simple ideas with all the readers, so do drop by and lets also congratulate Priya on the 1st blog anniversary of Once Upon A Tea Time...Design stories.

Some more greens...

In response to my post on 'Little plants in containers...' one of Rang Decor's readers Nivedita Kari shares her collection of plants.Here are some plants on her kitchen counter that she keeps changing

It's always great to hear from readers and it's lovely when they share their ideas with us.

This pot has been painted by Nivedita.

Thanks for sharing these with us.

Events...

Rakhi Janardhan of Canvas Incorporated presents Myriad - a premier exhibition, showcasing the works of various artists from different parts of India at Alliance Francaise, Bangalore on the 14th and 15th of November, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Canvas Inc. provides a platform for students of art and upcoming artists to showcase their talent and creativity and help them with their initial foray into the world of art.

So if you are in Bangalore this weekend do drop in at:

Alliance Francaise

Thimmaiah Road, Vasanthnagar

Bangalore-52

Little plants in containers...

It's been a while since there has been some action here on 'Rang Decor', so today let me make a start:-)

This post is in response to a query by one of Rang Decor's readers about plants in containers.

I love plants. I love plants that I can bring into my rooms and that enlivens each and every corner.

Rather than just place the plants as it is, I like to place them in little ceramic mugs/bowls or brass vessels or cane baskets. Try it and you'll see how beautiful the space becomes:-)

Here are some interesting arrangements at home.

Do share any other interesting arrangements you do with your house plants:-)

Happy decorating and have a great day!

Vermilion House

Tucked away in the leafy Cleveland Road in Frazer Town, Bangalore is Vermilion House.
Vermilion House has many beautiful facets to it. Vermilion House is an antique store started a couple of decades ago, where you will find antiques sourced by Uma Rao who has the eye of a connoisseur from various parts of India.Here you will find painstakingly restored antique furnitures, unique artifacts, Tanjore and Mysore school of paintings, lithographs, traditional lamps, paintings by contemporary artists and many more...Vermilion House also exhibits work by various NGOs. Here you see hand blockprinted wrapping papers and gift items made by one of the NGOs.
Vermilion House also has Edgeware- The Frame Shop by Bina Rao who will help you find the perfect frame for your treasured artworks and paintings. Edgeware has a range of frames in various finishes -Teakwood, Rosewood, Coloured, Antique, Ornate.

Bina Rao will help customise the frames with various mounts like silk, handmade paper etc to give your paintings/photographs that picture perfect look, that will enhance any interior.
They have a Book Reader's Club where serious book lovers join in once a month for book reading sessions and enjoy the coffee morning:-) They have a selection of books on interiors, art and also by Asian and Indian Authors.Purvi Patel of Vermilion House is a designer who revives old hand-embroidery techniques on blouses, kurtas etc
If you are passionate about antiques, paintings, artifacts, hand- embroidery, customised frames for your interiors, this is your one-stop shop.

You can get in touch with Uma or Bina or Purvi at
Vermilion House
3/12 Cleveland Road Cross
Frazer Town, Bangalore-5, Tel- 080-41225830

Hope you enjoyed this store tour, do write in and tell me:-)

My Sunny Balcony

If you too, like me love to hang out in balconies and want to make it that perfect place to relax and rejuvenate, here are 4 highly creative individuals from My Sunny Balcony, who will transform your balconies into a beautiful retreat:-)
These individuals are Sriram Aravamudan, Shailesh Deshpande, Athreya Chidambi and Reena Chengappa. They are not only passionate about their work but also about the environment. This aspect is reflected in all the stages of their work.Whether it is getting eco-friendly garden options or to the organic manure that they use for their plants, everything is well thought out. Their knowledge about various species of plants and how well they grow in different environments is commendable.
You can choose from various themes like Zen, Traditional, European, Mexican etc. They will transform even a small space to a work of art:-)
They collaborate with various artists to enhance the theme of their gardens.
Here is one such artist painting a Bodhi tree for one of their clients.The earthern pots are custom-made for each client based on their requirements and theme.An old world charm incorporated in one of their many balcony transformations:-)
So if you are in Bangalore and have even a small balcony space, do contact them. They will come with their green thumbs & eco-friendly optimism and transform your space into one sunny balcony:-)

(Photos from My Sunny Balcony.com, Anita Bora)