Sophisticated Simplicity

Prrithviraj and Uma Singh's Gurgaon (India) residence perfectly resonates with Leonardo Da Vinci quote, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Carefully chosen ingredients like antiques, heirloom treasures, travel trophies and diligently curated art integrated with the effortless chic personal style of the home owners has resulted in a home that exudes tranquility and timeless elegance.  

Being the Director and co-founder of "EastBound Travels" (one of the premium Destination Management Companies in India), Prrithvi's work requires him to travel extensively. The globe trotter fancies coming home to a place that is seductively peaceful and provides a restorative background to his jet setting lifestyle. His wife Uma, with her discerning eye for detail and keen design aesthetics, is the perfect accomplice in hunting down exquisite and rare gems to create a home that is simple without being stark and is sophisticated without being punctilious. Talking about their sense of style, the couple says, "We were not drawn to any particular genre of design or style. The only prerequisites that we listed out before we started furnishing our home was to forge a look that was uncomplicated and relaxed yet chic." 

The checkered entryway is adorned with a beguiling combination of family treasures and new finds. It aptly sets the tone for what lies ahead. A plethora of lit diyas (in brass and terracotta) cast a warm glow, while blushing rose petals in brass urlis glamorize the entrance to the home and incontestably announce that the Prrithviraj residence is all decked for the upcoming festivities.

A cornucopia of brass artifacts displayed in the entryway introduces us to the couple's penchant for brass and antiques. Uma further asserts this love by saying, "Faded treasures and antiques are great not only for their excellent craftsmanship and beautifully aged patina but also because they impart soul to a home with their inherent sense of a bygone era." Uma's signature style of housing fresh potted plants in antique brass containers can be observed in every vignette in the home. 

Once in the foyer, you can tell of the couple's love for books and art. Uma has a weakness for antique fabrics. A treasured piece of antique fabric from Rajasthan has been framed  and displayed in happy conjunction with other favorite Tanjore paintings.

The juxtaposition of an acrylic on canvas by eminent artist Jagdish Dey, the antique statues - a travel find from Malaysia and the crimson glass vases on a contemporary style console, make for an appealing display.

The living room is unburdened and is given an opportunity to breathe with greater ease, in sync with the gusts of wind that freely waft through large windows. With a neutral color palette serving as the backdrop, splashes of color are added through paintings, soft furnishings and other decor accessories. The couple's zest for entertaining also played a key role in designing a space that echoed an open floor plan. Having considered various seating options, they finally settled on the L-shaped couch  that  perfectly optimizes the use of space. 

When wintry Gurgaon weather rolls in, the couch is a perfect place to take afternoon cat naps and offers a seductive inducement to settle down with a good read and a nubby throw.

Uma's decor mantra that she lives by, "A style like ours requires judicious editing. Though I love all my pieces, I bring out only a few at a time. This process of rotating my treasured pieces not only gives me an opportunity to mix and match things and come up with new vignettes and displays every single time but also keeps things looking fresh and interesting." That is one important decor advice, as one needs to know when to stop adding pieces to a room or may even require subtracting a few pieces to achieve the perfect balance to a space. 

A close up of some of the simple Diwali touches that Uma has put together for this festive season.

The couple is also passionate about collecting antique silver artifacts. Most of these are sourced from Rajasthan and Gujarat, while the others are heirloom treasures. Every festive season, Uma brings them out from storage to add to the celebratory ambiance in their living room.

A few close ups of the treasures that came home with the couple from their various travels: Clock wise from left - An intricately carved Buddha statue from Ladakh. Top right hand corner - A woven antique bamboo box from Bhutan (it's more than a 100 years old). Uma fell in love with it and had it brought back to Delhi and got it professionally restored to its original glory. Middle picture on the right -  A few brass heirloom treasures displayed in the kitchen. Bottom right hand corner - Prrithvi unearthed this antique metal jewel box from a shop in Jewish town in Cochin.

Adding a touch of Indigo and red to this corner of the living room is Prrithvi's find, a Krishna painting by Suva Prasana. 

Form and function come together beautifully in this dining room. The minimalist design concept adopted by Uma and Prrithvi is yet again effectively put to work in this space. Prrithvi says, "We wanted good food and great company to be the focus of our dining. We deliberately did not include too many elements that would vie for our attention." 

And finally a peek into a few other corners of their beautiful home :

Fresh cut plants in vintage brass containers make a decorative statement.

A collection of  semi-precious stone Ganesha Statutes, an antique brass Kamakshi lamp and an exquisite Tanjore painting of Radha and Krishna completes this vignette.  

A Buddha statue from Srilanka and more potted plants, makes for another charming and tranquil display in the entryway to the master bedroom. 

With that we come to the end of our tour of Prrithviraj  and Uma's charming and serene residence. I was excited beyond words to showcase this home as Prrithvi and Uma are none other than my wonderful uncle and aunt:) Their home not only encompasses their warm and wonderful personalities but is also a manifestation of the fact that form and function can come together to create a space that is both stylish and refined. I'd like to thank them for being such a sport and throwing their doors open to the readers of TECD! 

Images: Clicked by Prrithviraj. The images may not be used without prior written permission from the home owners. 

A Medley of Influences (Diwali Tablescape)

It's that time of the year again........Diwali is fast approaching and like me, for most of you'll, the festive season is all about jazzing up your home to create a special festive ambiance and making it memorable for your loved ones. Another significant aspect of Diwali is planning the big Diwali banquet. Its occasions like these that we look forward to connecting and creating special moments with our family and friends. I bet you've been brainstorming to come up with fresh ideas for your Diwali tablescape and want to go that extra mile to make it an unforgettable evening. 

But given our busy lifestyles, planning a party may seem like a daunting task. To make this task a little less intimating, I've put together a global tablescape that takes less than 20 minutes to bring to life. Inspired by Morocco and our very own India, the medley of influences is sure to create the perfect backdrop for good food, conversations and loads of laughter.

For the base of the table setting, I've used a neutral colored table runner sporting a festive border so that other accent colors pop. You could also substitute a dupatta or stole with a heavy border in a neutral hue for a table runner. Next place 4-5 handmade Kundan Rangolis (available online and in stores) through the length of the table runner. My Rangolis were handmade and sent over by my sister-in-law from India. What a thoughtful gesture.   

Place Moroccan tea glasses in coordinating hues of fuchsia and teal in the center of the Rangolis and place tea lights in them. To add more drama to the tablescape, bangles echoing the same color scheme as the Rangolis were placed around IKEA tea light holders. 

Instead of the traditional napkin rings, use bangles as napkin rings. Tuck in single flowers and silver ware into each of the bangles and you have yourself a table setting that is a medley of influences. (Party Tip: Once the dinner party is over, the guests could take the bangles home as party favors. )

Now wasn't that easy ??? I do hope you've found inspiration to create your very own Diwali tablescape this season.............

Here are few links to help you recreate this look : 

- Kundan Rangoli available at Nirman on Etsy

- Dinner plates are from the IKEA Forsla tableware collection 

- Moroccan Tea glasses are available at World Market. (I found mine at Home Goods for 1/3 the price, so keep those eyes open if you plan to visit HG). 

For more Diwali Tablescape inspiration click here and here. 

Images: Clicked by Sruthi Singh. Please do not use without prior written permission. 

Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright.

Shedding New Light on an Old Classic

My festive decor is incomplete without the classic floating flower arrangement in a traditional brass urli. But this time around a morning walk was just the thing that I needed to get inspired to create this Fall Inspired festive arrangement.

Seeing the abundance of Autumn bounty that lays scattered at every cross road and had created layers of carpets on the pavements on my side of the world, I was tempted to experiment with these gorgeous maple leaves that were begging to come inside for one last display of their glory. 

Maple leaves in sunset hues replaced the flowers to create a simple floating  leaf rangoli for a colorful celebration of the season. 

If you want to recreate this simple look, remember not to overcrowd the leaves as you don't want to lose the shape of the single leaves. So go ahead pull that sweater over and head outdoors to get inspired and include autumn's inviting palette to your festive decor.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend !!!

Images: Clicked by Sruthi Singh. Please do not use without prior written permission. 

Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright.