Hues from Dastakar Nature Bazaar 2010

Craft Bazaars and Melas have a special place in my heart, the colourful ambience with India's rich art & crafts displayed by artisans are a treat to the eyes...

Here are some frames from the colourful Dastakar Nature Bazaar.

Loved the vibrant kites, how magical a room would look with loads of them hanging from the ceiling!

Never tire of these colourful baskets made of wild grass.

Dastakar's Ranthambore Project. The Tiger motifs on bedspreads, cushion covers were so charming:-)

Mirror mirror on the wall, can you spot me at all;-)

Beautifully crafted paper-mache' birds from Orissa

Handmade Dolls

Gorgeous terracotta pots, jars and pans from Kumbham Pottery, Kerala

Intricate Kantha work on silk from West Bengal

Want to hang some pink elephants and blue fish?

Some beautifully crafted baskets and home accessories

The Dastakar Nature Bazaar is on till the 15th August, 2010.

(Images by Arch)

At the centre...

Every home has a central hub around which the daily activities of the family revolve.

The dining table is where most of our tasks are accomplished but there is another space in our drawing room, the centre table (actually it is an old ancestral swing converted to a low table) where we spend many evenings chatting with family & friends.

It is also a space like a canvas where I keep painting various hues in the form of floating flowers, things from our travels, magazines, books...

Here are some vignettes from the ever changing arrangements on my centre table...

Roses and wooden block from Jaipur, Rajasthan

Frangipanis & Pebbles from Nubra Valley, Ladakh.

Wooden Padukas from Jew Town, Kerala

(images by Arch)

Thom Felicia Fabrics for Kravet

Thom Felicia is one of our favorite designers, mainly because his designs are very liveable and very approachable.  

Here is a fabric collection he did for Kravet that we thought are quite nice.  The prices are not too bad either (about $99/yard but you usually can get it for much less).

To see the rest of the collection, click here. Pricing and production information can be found on our Kravet Fabric section.

Picking Colors for Your Decor

Don't you find coordinating colors to be the hardest thing to do?  It's really is a headache, actually, trying to get a paint to go with the fabric that coordinates with everything else.

Robert Allen has a very nice tool that we thought you might like.  They have different room themes already mixed & matched for you.

See below for some samples:

To see more, click here.

PS The paint is from Sherwin Williams. You can also search for fabrics from Robert Allen site from the link above.  It doesn't give pricing information, but you can find that on our  Robert Allen fabrics section by entering the name of the pattern in the search box.

One Very Cool Arm Chair

It's usually a good idea to add a couple of arm chairs to your living room configuration.  You can do a really fun fabric to punch in some colors ; add some dimensions of the room by varying the height so it's not so flat, and perhaps most importantly, style it up a bit.

Here's a really cool one that we like:

The chair is made by Jessica Charles, a division of Hancock and Moore.  The price depends on the fabric, but it ranges about $1400-1600 or so.

Attiser

Seaside Savvy Quilt

Here I was sitting with a huge mug of ginger chai, nursing a sore throat and fever when I received an email from Seema of Attiser.

Seema shared a mesmerizing collection of hand-block printed linens & bedding with me and I must admit, the colours were so beautiful, it just completely lifted my spirits and I just had to feature their products on Rang Decor.

Sweet Nothings Quilt

Seema specifies that in their collection of handcrafted bedding and linens they have tried to create a unique look by combining handmade Indian block-print with country style decor and adding new contemporary colors to come up with a new, fresh, airy and bright look that can be defined as a fusion look.

They have a range of home decor products~ Bedspreads, Quilts, Table Covers, Curtains, Cushion Covers, Napkins, Placemats and even Moleskine Books

Sage Midori Table Napkins

Southern Nights Table Napkin

Sweet Nothings Table Cover

Amethyst Amore Table Cover

Seaside Savvy Cushion Cover

Amethyst Amore Cushion Covers

Attiser's mission so beautifully worded~

Kindling Passion in Color, Discovering Beauty in Imperfections

Crafting artisan-quality products, to bring unique beauty to our world.

Transforming ordinary homes with extraordinary handmade creations.

Empowering our community through fair and ethical trade.

Wooden block with intricate design

Quilting process

Do visit Attiser and pick up some handcrafted colourful beauties for your home.

(images from Attiser)

Gimme My Decorating Magazines Back!

The NY Times today has an article on The Selby.  You probably heard of the site.  It's about real people in their homes--some famous, some not.  The article also went on to discuss how people can relate more to "real places" than professionally decked up places frequently featured in decor magazines, which contributes to their ever growing popularity. 

We love the Selby too but in a way, it's like watching Rachel Ray cooks vs a professional chef.  There is no competition!    Magazines offer beautifully shot, gorgeous decor that we can fantasize about. We don't want to look at houses that look just like ours, for god's sake.  For example, look at the image below from Homebodies, one of the blogs mentioned:

We want our decorating magazines back!  We miss them, terribly.

Real Cool Barstool

We totally dig this barstool from Arteriors. It has an unique shape to it, and we love the organic look/feel.

The barstool sells at $450/each  with free shipping.

You can find the specifications in our barstool section.

Modern Silk Flower Arrangements

Just want to share with you some beautiful modern floral arrangements we just got in...



These can be found in our silk flowers section. If you see them in person you wouldn't believe how real they look.

Modern and Glamorous-Chandelier from Barbara Cosgrove

We are loving this new chandelier from Barbara Cosgrove.  It's so chic, don't you think? 

The chandelier is priced at $925 including shipping.
The shades can also be replaced with parchment shades. The best thing is, it can be painted with any Benjamin Moore paint color. How clever!
You can find this chandelier in our Barbara Cosgrove Lamps section.

Tranquil, Wayanad.

I was going through some old photographs from a few years ago and was hit by a huge wave of nostalgia.

We had gone to Wayanad, Kerala for a holiday during the monsoons and stayed at a beautiful home-stay called Tranquil nestled in a private coffee plantation. The lush green surroundings with meticulously maintained garden, the hospitality of the family, homemade jams & jellies, the friendly dogs and those chilly evening conversations with amazing company left us feeling completely warm and fuzzy inside.

What I wanted to share with all of you is the fantastic variety of flora & fauna (eeks, sounds too technical;-) and how the indoor and outdoor spaces blend so beautifully into each other.

Raindrops drenching the bright red petals...

There was a gurgling stream inside the plantation!

A treehouse where we spent hours reading...

Peperomia(?) Plant lovers, help me here:-)

Flowers floating in traditional Kerala Urlis and stone mortar & pestle..

Floating cabbage varieties...

Lovely stand with natural garden accessories...

The open dining area surrounded by lush greenery.

Table set for breakfast, with home-made preserves and jams:-)

Plants curling themselves around pillars & pipes...

Magical chimes on display...

Anthoriums and other exotic plants line the outer wall...

Sigh* Hope all of you liked this Monsoon getaway!

Enjoy the rains.

( Images by Arch)