Illustration Love...

Today , I share with you works of two amazing artists whose styles are so diverse from each other but have touched my heart in very special ways.Neend Meein
Kalyani Ganapathy is an artist/ illustrator, whose work has a profusion of vibrant colours, patterns and has a traditional Indian folk-art feel to it. ponnuku malli poo asai translated 'A little girl likes jasmine flowers'
thothe baag mein pedh ke neeche
paani bharna
Kalyani has started a new venture called 'Kye' which means hand. Here you will find unique handmade products like cushion covers, bags, dinner plates and trays. Do check it out!

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Celia
Priya Sebastian is an awesome artist and illustrator who works mainly in charcoal and pastel.
Whenever I see her work I feel 'black' is the most beautiful colour. Congregation Self-Portrait
The most striking feature in most of her illustrations are the 'eyes' of her characters, they seem to express so many different emotions!Yama
She uses colours also beautifully just to give that extra punch.* Sigh*
Cats
Woman
I am still under the spell of the amazing works by these two extremely talented artists. Hope you enjoyed their work as much as I did showcasing them.:-)

(images of Kalyani's work from Jellicle Cat and Priya's from The Plum Tree)

P.S. A special thanks to Masala Chai, who introduced me to Kalyani's work.

Rang Decor featured in Domino!

I feel really honoured to be featured among the 16 International Design Bloggers on Domino. Some of them being my all-time favourites.
Thanks Holly of Decor8 & Domino for the lovely write-up about my blogs Rang Decor and Rang-The Colours of Life.

P.S. Sorry for going missing for so long, will be back soon with lovely post on some interesting Indian artists.

Les Indiennes.

Another post on block-print? Well, I am so taken by these beautiful Indian Kalamkari inspired designs by Mary Mulcahy, the one behind Les Indiennes.I am sure many of you are aware of the amazing line of products by Les Indiennes, but what I really liked is use of just one or two colours, using Kalamkari technique which traditionally uses multiple colours.

Kalamkari is an ancient Indian Art which involves dyeing of sun-bleached cotton fabrics with natural dyes and then hand-block printing with carved wooden blocks.Les Indiennes has products in various materials like fabric, paper & felt.You can view & buy their products online and get inspired by these dreamy images in their Inspirational Flip Book.

This is so soothing, so summery, so cool and so inspiring:-)

(images from Les Indiennes.com)

Inspiration galore...

Erin Loechner of design for mankind has done a commendable job of compiling a monthly e-zine full of inspiration.
Yes, inspiration in various forms and this month's inspiration e-zine is titled "Nook and Crannies: Inspirations in the Home."
Erin was very kind to ask me to participate in the 'Inspiration E-zine' for this month.
Thanks Erin!
Everyone needs inspiration from time to time and a monthly Inspiration e-zine sounds perfect:-) So do visit design for mankind and download 33 pages of inspiration:-)

Beautifully Subtle...

Sanganer is a place in Rajasthan that is famous for it's traditional hand block printing. Sanganeri prints usually consists of floral motifs and the colours used are natural dyes derived from Turmeric, Indigo plants, banana leaves and so on.
The colours are usually bright & vibrant which is synonymous with the colourful Rajasthan, hence it was a pleasant surprise when I saw these prints in subdued and in single colour in the Toast Catalogue Online. Check out their Quilts, Blankets & Throws in subtle colours. They have some lovely pillow and cushion covers too.

( images from Toast Catalogue)

Petersham Nurseries

When I saw this photograph in housemartin a couple of day back, apart from the beautiful nursery the thing that got my attention was the huge 'Urli' a traditional Indian vessel. This got me curious and I read a bit about it online, but then today I pick up one of the old issues of 'Design Today' magazine from my table, and what do I see 'Petersham Nurseries' again. So taking a cue, here I am posting about this breathtakingly beautiful nursery which is an antique store and also a cafe. Francesco and Gael Boglione the owners of Petersham Nurseries in West London have travelled extensively around the world and to India. Which can be seen in these beautiful antiques and memorabilia that they have hand-picked and displayed so well in the nursery.
Raja Ravi Varma prints & Tanjore Paintings are displayed against blinds made of natural fibres.
The cart that is used by Indian Street vendors has been used very charmingly to prop pots.
A traditional bell compliments an exotic orchid plant.

They have some Indian fabric quilts also for sale. Handcrafted stone Buddha.Carved Indian Doors.
Here is a famous brand of Indian cycle- Hero Cycles for cycling around the nursery?:-)

( images from Petersham Nurseries Site)

Jivi Sethi

Some of you might remember I had featured Jivi Sethi's Goan home in December last year and yesterday as I flipped through the glossy pages of Elle Decor's latest edition I found myself staring at another eclectic space designed by Jivi Sethi, this time he shares his New Delhi residence.

A colonial daybed with vibrant cushions by Jivi, Sadr, Iris & Soleh. Glass paintings of Lord Hanuman & Ganesha on a Kashmiri screen.

The entrance hall to the apartment has a 'Jaali' door designed by Michael Aram.( I love the flowers hanging in lovely water filled test tubes:-)

The things that I find interesting in his spaces are the carefree use of colours, art & crafts picked up from parts of India as well as abroad. His ability to very smoothly blend the east with the west and yet create a harmonious style, I find very unique. The terrace dining table has black stone platter with patterned jasmine inlay work, sculpture by M J Enas & block print poppy table cloth by Brigitte SinghPainting by Haku Shah in the dining room, with doors salvaged from an old mansion. ( I love restorations:-)The dining table all set with black marble inlay side plates, granite & bidri work tea-light holders and old brass oil lamps from Kerala on the consoles & Italian lamp overhead provide lovely light.Seen here are Chinese Inlay and lacquer work of birds & bedside chest with Antje Weber sculpture.I am a sucker for traditional oil lamps:-)) Here is a collection of brass lamps from Tamil Nadu, lithograph of a monument on the wall, a Lord Shiva mask from Varanasi & gold plated vegetables are served on a bidri work platter from his "Design Laboratory"

(images from elledecor magazine, Feb-Mar 2008)

Auroville, Pondicherry

First, a big thanks to Masala Chai for the "You make my day" Award. I really appreciate it and also the post on 'The Dune' which kind of brought back lovely memories from our Pondicherry trip a couple of years back & inspired this post on Auroville:-)) My door obssession in Pondicherry, when I didn't have a digital camera, scanned from old photographs:-) The history of Pondicherry can be traced back to 1672 when the French bought this port town from an India King. The French connection grew when Sri Aurobindo an Indian scholar & mystic set up an ashram here in 1926. Mira Alfassa his French-born spiritual companion, also known as 'The Mother' established Auroville in the sixties.Image of Matrimandir in Auroville.
Auroville is a series of self-supporting communities in villages which are very close to Pondicherry. Auroville's New Age ideal drew many Indians & Westerners including French architect Roger Anger who was the chief architect of the township of Auroville.

Featured here are a couple of homes from Auroville.
A fusion of natural & modern home of Frenchman Jean Legrand & wife Joy.
Natural light streaming in through the circular shapes on the ceiling and that is echoed by the natural rocks & granite slabs in Legrand's bathroom.Love the angular and circular shapes of the kitchen & dining area, which has been designed keeping the light in mind.
Home of designer William Netter, an American Spiritualist and Sri Aurobindo follower.
The white-tiled kitchen with simple modern lines and ample natural light.The design here is Minimalist with areas designated for different purposes. Here is the space for praying with 'The Mother's' and Sri Aurobindo's photographs with a votive candle burning in the centre and his work space.

A house designed by French architect Roger Anger for Christine Devin & her husband in 1976 in a design resembling toadstool shapes.Beautifully designed circular bedroom with movable slats to adjust light & air flow. Love the red-oxide smooth flooring and a simple portrait of the Mother on the wall.Locally made paper lantern and couple of floor cushions & wooden chest adorn the dining area. I absolutely love the shape of the windows ( reminds me of railway train windows:-)

The township at Auroville is heaven for architects from India & abroad trying to create something different, something new. You can read more about the various styles of architecture in Auroville here.

(images from Indian Interiors- Taschen & Auroville.org)