Happy Holidays...

Wishing all Rang Decor readers Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year, 2012!

Signing-off for the year, will see you all in the brand new year!

(Our bokeh-licious christmas tree)

Nature is the art of God.

Nature is the art of God. ~Thomas Browne

Walking into my terrace this winter morning, I found these dried fern leaves dangling from the pot. Gently pulling it out, what do I see?

Two beautiful christmas trees!

I marveled at the fact that to bring the festive christmas spirit into your home you just need to turn to Mother Nature and she sends these little treasures that spread magic!

Enjoy the festive season everyone!

Christmas Cheer...

Time to spread the love and cheer. Some beautiful things that will help you get into the festive spirit.

The handcrafted wooden 'Kurvi' ( Sparrow) Boxes by Varnam

Intricately carved Christmas Tree on a wooden hand block by The Indian Block Company

Bring on Christmas festivity on your table with these gorgeous dinnerware and linen from Freedom Tree Homestore

Carved Stone Christmas ornaments from Collective Craft

Handcrafted Fabric Christmas Decoration ornaments from Matsya.

This eco-friendly gift box from The White Light just blew me with it's simplicity.

So become Santa Clauses and start gifting your loved ones or go ahead and indulge yourself! It's Christmas!

When stars descend on earth...

...yes it is that time of the year again:-)

My home gets transformed into a little winter wonderland when tiny angels, snowmen and elves jump out of old shoe boxes and take their place in the spotlight.

Today they definitely made their presence felt...

Hope to share few frames from our home during this Christmas season and some simple ideas for an Indian Christmas soon...

(images by Arch)

On the Potter's Wheel: Charan Sachar

Charan Sachar is one of the talented people I met serendipitously on Facebook and so glad I discovered this talented potter.

Charan, who now lives in Seattle, has lived in India for a significant part of his life where his mother ran a boutique designing clothes for brides and bridesmaids. The colors, fabrics, embroidery and designs he came across then has had a strong impact on his work now.

He uses a combination of techniques such as wheel throwing, extrusions, slab constructions and alterations to create his forms. Each piece is then further decorated free hand with underglazes and slip to give it the textured feel of embroidered fabric. Some pieces go through multiple firings to give it more depth of color and texture.

Platter for Crackers ~ Serving tray

Oktoberfest Beer Stein ~ Big Coffee Mug

His work also reflects his love for Bollywood movies and his fascination with life in India. He strives to give life to clay, decorating it with Indian influences keeping functionality and uniqueness in mind.

Love the detailing in his work!

Dancing Divas~ Inspired by Bollywood.

Charan says,'Pottery has given me the much needed respite from the monotony of everyday life. Working with clay and giving it form feels as satisfying as organizing and bringing peace to all the chaos that is there around me.

My goal is to continue to work with this medium to create art work which is cherished for life.'

We wish him all the very best in his endeavor:-)

You can check out his Facebook page or buy his stunning work at his Etsy store Creative with Clay

(images by Charan Sachar)

pinning my interests...

...something that has been keeping me completely occupied these days!

Pinterest is a visual board style photo-sharing platform, where users can categorize their inspirations under various topics.

The best part is with just the 'Pin-It' button on your browser you can pin all your inspirations to your Pinterest page, while you surf the internet.

Here are screenshots of some of my boards.

A board for 'My Style' on interior design...

An inner page with my recent pin...

You can follow me archanasr on Pinterest as well! Let's share and get inspired!

Wishing the festival of lights...

...illuminates all your homes.

Been a hectic festive season with very little time to share Diwali inspirations & ideas but hope to get back soon!

(Image: It is a embellished silver floating oil-lamp)

Rang Decor Readers Creative Spaces: X

Meena Sriram

Today Rang Decor Reader Meena Sriram shares few creative corners of her 1700 sq.ft town home in Ottawa, Canada.

Vintage art prints...

Meena explains, 'I wanted to create a light- filled home that is serene, relaxing, with an airy breezy feel and lots of punchs of colour'.

Living room view...

She has used a lot of different natural textures to bring a homey feel, sisal rugs, bamboo blinds, a lot of old art prints carefully handpicked from antique stores in Chettinad, reframed and hung in groups.

Dining area with her favourite blackboard and art prints...

She continues, 'I’ve also tried to keep it very simple, functional and clutter free. Plenty of plants and books are a must! Its been a year since we moved in and I’ve pretty much worked with what I had without spending much.'

Guest Bedroom...

Knots & crosses and books...

Bright Kitchen...

Meena feels homes don’t have to be perfect but they should be original and personal. She loves inspirational quotes, and blackboards, so they're all over her place.

She has a thing for old world charm, so she has tried incorporating plenty of vintage and flea market finds.

The old radio in the kitchen, the pickle jars and chettinad tiles...

She believes it is important to always choose things that are meaningful to you as opposed to what is trendy at the moment and feels you don’t need to have a lot of money to create a beautiful home, just a little creativity, quirkiness and adding that personal touch makes it your own!

I agree, your lovely home is proof of that. Thanks for sharing few corners of your home with readers of Rang Decor.

If you have any questions for Meena do ask in the comments section. Thank you.

(images by Meena Sriram)

bring on the festivities...

It's that time of the year again. A certain festive anticipation takes hold of me.

Mr. Sun decides to illuminate certain corners with his geometrical rays. Love that fragrance of a season in transition. A season of festivals.

The festive season propels me towards adding that little extra which transforms the home and gets you ready for new events, happy changes and cheerful living!

As promised, sharing few joyful corners of our home...

Jai Hanuman!

Allamanda flower on his open palm...

My shiny silk cushion covers in bright colours & borders...

Mangalgiri borders give a traditional look...

Some tealights in a glazed glass holders...

Fresh fresh flowers in my copper tea kettle...

Bedside chest with a tower of books and flowers...

A Panjurli (Boar Mask) from Udupi...

Roses on my dressing table, kept in little bowls of water placed inside woven palm leaf basket...

Hope all of you enjoyed a virtual tour of few corners of our home.

Eid Mubarak & Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all my readers! Have a great week!

(Images by Arch)

Heritage Madurai.

Last week saw us visit the beautiful Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, devour traditionally prepared South Indian lunches served on banana leaves and get lost in a tropical haven created by Geoffery Bawa.

Heritage Madurai is a 17-acre resort originally called the Madurai Club and was designed by the famous Sri Lankan architect Geoffery Bawa. Bawa's style of blending indoor & outside spaces is evident through out the resort.

Locally sourced materials and natural elements makes this place very unique. Bawa's disciple Vinod Jayasinghe has restored this resort to it's former glory by blending tradition with modern luxuries.

Granite used liberally at the resort.

Intricately carved door at the reception area.

Reception area with antique wicker work chair.

Entrance lobby with fresh floating flowers in a granite urli.

Lotus leaves growing tall at the entrance area.

'Frangipani' trees framing the Luxury Villas.

Granite pillars and furniture at the Luxury Villas.

Our room.

Traditional wooden doors and granite formed the main design in the room.

Our very own plunge pool with Frangipani tree!

Do we really need to head back home?

Temple Tank inspired pool at dusk.

Dining area at dusk.

Geoffery Bawa~ I really adore your style. Madurai ~ I enjoyed your rich culture.

(Images by Arch)