Revisiting the Home of My Design Gurus (Mini - Home Tour)

I thought it was about time that we revisited the home of my design gurus - my parents. I did share an elaborate home tour 3 years back. From then to now, there have been a few changes, but a home as beautiful as this, deserves a second look. The images I'm sharing today have been hibernating in my archives for over a year now. If you want to know, why I decided to share them now, reason being, I'm  terribly home sick. I could use any help to heal the way I feel right now!  

Let's start with the coffee table display in the living room, shall we?As most of you would remember, my parents are avid collectors of brass artifacts and Ganesha statues (I'm happy these genes passed onto me;) This love for all things brass is reflected in the choice of artifacts showcased on a wonderful vintage teak table with a marble top from Rain Tree. A collection of bells in different materials ranging from silver, brass to bell metal (a combo of copper and tin) happily keep each other company. (FYI : bells intended for use in the worship of Lord Shiva will have a figure of Lord Nandi). Some gardening books mirrors their interest in plants, a Dhokra lamp and an intricately hand carved brass Ganesha make the display complete. Adding a touch of green is the Zebra plant (Haworthia Fasciata) housed in a container from Kerala made from a coconut tree trunk. 

This corner is my absolute favorite! The decor elements here are all so South Indian - Tanjore paintings, hand carved stone Ganesha statue and Nandi, an antique pillar used to hang the Singh's collection of brass bells and lamps and the bronze urli.  

Here a reclaimed pillar base it used to display some vintage brass chombus (a traditional container used by the religious men to carry water) Upcycling at it best won't you agree?

The unique circular Ashta Lakshmi & Panch mukhi Ganesha Tanjore was what my husband and I had lovingly bought for our very first home in Bengaluru. We found it on one of our trips to Trichy. Got it restored and it graced the walls of our Bengaluru apartment. It is a heavy piece and it took all our might to get this up on the wall in India. There was no chance that the dry walls of our home here in the US, could carry all that weight so we  decided that mom would be our best best to safe guard this piece till we were able to return and reclaim its possession. But in the meantime, it sits pretty on the walls of the formal dining room in my parent's home. More lovingly scrubbed brass artifacts and a vintage trunk makes for another wonderful display.

Flowering branches from the garden outside get tucked into a unique brass container. A few artifacts from a Nepal trip complete this lovely corner. Notice the little trunk like side table, it doubt duties as an additional storage option. The little tile inlay detail was something that dad added himself to give the trunk a visual edge. 

Another closeup shot of the intricately carved stone Ganesha. Also sharing this frame cause, mom got some beautiful marigolds to fill in the Urli:)

Finally, a shot with the Kerala style lamp in focus. I hope you enjoyed the visual snippets. I can't wait to visit my parents sometime soon.......until then, patience and these pretty images will have to do.....

(Images: Sruthi Singh. The images are the copyrighted and belong to The East Coast Desi. Please do not use them for commercial or non-commercial purpose without the prior written consent.) 

Celebrating the Splendor of Brass with "The Indian Weave"

Festivals and enthusiasm go hand in hand. When you are headed towards the festival season, it is but mandatory to switch that enthusiasm button on. You've got to put in that extra little bling, sparkle, shine and a boat load of color to get the perfect vibrant festive ambiance. The Indian Weave is your go to destination if you intend to bring in bling, sparkle and shine quotient by means of brass artifacts. We've featured The Indian Weave earlier and were happy to collaborate with them for the second time. This time around, Jean very graciously sent me these fabulous lassi glasses requesting me to create a festive tablespace in true TECD style. And I did just that! Bold colors in shades of blues and fushcia and a hint of green and lavender were thrown in for good measure. With my color palette in place, I decided to use the fabulous vintage lassi glasses as a vase. A few votive holders in co-ordinating colors mixed in with a few traditional terracotta diyas and we have a colorful tablescape ready in no time!  

What's even more wonderful about these lassi glasses is that no two are alike. Each sports a different engraving and design making it as unique as it can get. Get a group of them together and you are all set to create that special vignette or tablescape for the festive season.

Sharing a few of my other favorites this festive season from The Indian Weave (TIW):

I have always had a thing for hanging brass diyas. I personally think that they add that touch of eclectic Indian flair like no other can. You could just hang one and make a niche come alive or do a whole lot of them on  a wall and make a statement. Either way, it is a win-win situation I say....just incase the hanging brass diyas is not your "thing", then you will absolutely love the Vintage Brass Oil Lamps From Odhisa or the Kamatchi Vilakku that is  so very popular in South India. Mix in an Idol, a few fresh flowers/ potted plants and you've got yourself the formula to creating festive looking vignettes around the home, in a flash! 

When it comes to creating festive vibes, I'm all about keeping things ethnic. These Arti Lamps from TIW's Heritage collection have me swooning!Statement pieces like these will not only steal the show  and make for conversation pieces but by collecting pieces like these, you could very well start a collection of heirloom pieces that could be lovingly handed down to the next generation of brass lovers in the family. TIW has an entire assortment of arti style lamps to choose from, click right here!  

I often get asked how do I stay in touch with my Indian roots? The answer is very simple. By surrounding myself and layering my home with things that remind of back home. For instance, the puja flower basket that you see below has me getting nostalgic....it reminds of my grand-dad and his early morning puja rituals. I've tried to incorporate a similar puja basket (that belonged to my grandpartents) into one of the vignettes at home. During festive season, this either gets filled with diyas or flowers and once the festive season is over, I use it to create an indoor portable container garden. Wanna make one for yourself, click right here!

I also happen to love having incense holders around the home. I usually stock up on my favorite fragrance and light it up in the evening to create that perfect mood.   

While you are in the process of getting your place together, why settle for anything but unique! Here are a few finds that would look great on your coffee table! A Heritage Heart Shape Brass Jewellery Box , a Vintage Man & Dragon Beetle Nut Cutter or the brass Kohl | Vermilion Holder delicately crafted with 7 peacocks. I say get all of them...

You know by now, that I'm big on using unusual receptacles to display flowers. I rounded up a few traditional containers that would look great as vases too! Urlis for fresh floating flowers or Heritage Brass "Kindi" Pitcher traditionally used for Holy Water can be used to hold a bunch of florals for a refreshing new look. You take your pick.

Now wasn't that a feast for the eyes? As a festive offer, The Indian Weave is offering TECD readers a 10% discount. Use code TECD10 to avail of the discount.The offer is valid  from Sunday August 27th to Sept 3rd 2017 (IST). Shop right away and don't forget to use the code!

(Image Credit: 1&2 Sruthi Singh, Rest of the images The Indian Weave. Please do not use the images without the prior written permission of TECD and The Indian Weave.)