Moment of stillness

Moment of beauty

Moments of Stillness

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Books I have not read

Looks like a potboiler!



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Moments of Beauty

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Books I have not read

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The stillness of summer

The temperatures here are edging into the late thirties. Even in our 250+ year old home, the high ceilings and the open verandah do little to cool things down. We're all in a stupor. Thoughts of cold, cold watermelon juice and chickoo ice-cream are the only things worth waking up to.

And thoughts of rooms like these...Rooms that are quiet, even when they are full of people. Do you have a room like this where you can escape this summer?












All photos Pinterest

Best Online Art Resources for Indian buyers

You're all familiar with finding affordable art online, whether it is a print, an original painting or a free printable that you can scale up or down for your walls. This is a great resource by Emily Henderson with lots of different options for every budget.

What I'd like to do is create a similar resource for Indian companies and stores that are selling art online. Do you have a favourite or a recommendation? Let us know in the comments.

Saffronart is one of the most popular websites for art and architecture online in India. They have an excellent collection and it is worth watching out for their auctions, which are announced on their website.

Mojarto.com has a whole lot of original art that would look great in an Indian home. Find well-known artists and new ones as well, in different mediums ranging from paintings to photography. There's abstract art, folk art and contemporary interpretations of traditional concepts. I like that they allow you to browse by price because budget is a big deal when you're buying art. You could also stalk a favourite artist and keep an eye out for discounts.

Google will give you dozens of other sites for original art, but the ones above are my personal favourites.

For posters, try PosterGully. Posters are an inexpensive way to cheer up your walls and this site has a variety on display. Traditional quotes, movie posters, popart - it's all there. They also have a whole lot of other products from mugs to notebooks to phone cases so you might be spending a while on their site.

Engrave.in also has a fun selection of photographs, paintings and other decorative art. Their forte though, is personalised printing so you can send in a photograph and they turn it into art. I'd love one of these caricatures!

Storyltd has a beautiful selection of art, drawings, first edition books and stationery among other items.

I'm also loving the current selection of art at IndiaCircus. Isn't this gorgeous? From traditional Mughal paintings to contemporary digital art, there's much to browse from here. Of course, IndiaCircus makes lovely products for the home like cushion covers, crockery, even wallpaper.

Have you bought art online?

I'd like to live here...

The biggest thing I miss about living in England is not seeing this. Large, never-ending stretches of green, not a billboard in sight.





Billboards kill all the joy from a gorgeous natural view. They should be banned completely.

Images via here and here. 

Shop discovery: Wishing Chair

It was the blue whale that got me. 

I'm a sucker for cute planters and when a Facebook ad for vases in the shape of whales and fish popped up, I had to investigate. 

Wishing Chair is a store based in Bangalore and they have the most aww-inspiring products I've seen around lately. Here's Willie the Whale:

and Willie with friends

Ella and friends

Gorgeous wall hangings

Origami lights

See more of their goodies here.

Put a page of your favourite book on your wall

Inspired by a Facebook post this morning about painting words on a wall, I fell into a rabbit hole of "research" and just had to share these images with you. I've seen images of words or text on canvas or framed but you don't get to see full-scale ones like these too often. I prefer the tidy black-and-white ones that make it look like real writing or printed text without the flourishes that some wall decals have.

What words would you paint on a wall?

This first one is amazing. And not just because it is Harry Potter. Click the image to read the full story.

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This (below) isn't paint but fabric!



And from the beautiful A Beautiful Mess, here's Elsie's room






How's this for placement?





And of course, can Pride and Prejudice be left behind? Here's Darcy's first proposal to Elizabeth. So good.




I hope you're inspired today! Any favourites? 

The Obama White House Art : Sean Scully

Architectural Digest recently gave us a glimpse into the personal rooms of the Obamas. One thing that stands out more than the soothing decor and palette, is the contemporary art. Several large pieces of abstract art bring colour and depth into the rooms.

I was so taken by them that I wanted to explore these artists some more and so, in the first of the series, here's the painting I was most captivated by:

The energy in this painting by Sean Scully reminds me very much of a Rothko. I was drawn to it in the same way. I admit I don't know much of Scully, and this is an attempt to educate myself and to share this beauty with you. 

You can see from the image below how large the paintings really are, and how beautiful. It makes me want to crawl into them and just wrap myself up in the colours. Even the monochrome ones have a very special energy and movement. Amazing, isn't it, when it's really just geometry. 

Sean Scully RA (born 30 June 1945) is an Irish-born American-based painter and printmaker who has twice been named a Turner Prize. 

From his Wikipedia entry: 

Scully's paintings are often made up of a number of panels and are abstract. Scully paints in oils, sometimes laying the paint on quite thickly to create textured surfaces. After a brief initial period of hard-edge painting Scully abandoned the masking tape while retaining his characteristic motif of the stripe which he has developed and refined over time. His paintings typically involve architectural constructions of abutting walls and panels of painted stripes. In recent years he has augmented his trademark stripes by also deploying a mode of compositional patterning more reminiscent of a checkerboard. He has stated that this style represents the way in which Ireland has moved towards a more chequered society. He stated in 2006, "I remember growing up in Ireland and everything being chequered, even the fields and the people."

Everything is chequered in Ireland - even the fields and the people! Doesn't that emotion reflect beautifully in the paintings? If I had to draw India, I wonder what geometrical anaology I would use - probably circles!!

What do you think of Scully's work? Does it enchant you as it does me? Let me know in the comments!

Images via Google and AD. Wikipedia entry here. 

Exquisite amulet jewellery from Lai

It's the season for exquisite jewellery and I love this new collection from Lai. 'Amulets, lockets and Talismans' brings to you the traditional secret holders. Keep a lock of hair, a tiny note, anything precious and sacred close to you. Or just use them as jewellery to stand out from the crowd. Here are some of my favorites from the collection.













Drawer ring with secret compartment!





All of the silver pieces are also available in a gold finish. There's a lot more gorgeousness on the site. Go take a look. 

Razia Kunj Handcrafted jewellery

There is only one way that Facebook can trick me into clicking on its ads - show me vibrant Indian jewellery or clothing and I'm done for. The gorgeous temple jewellery from Razia Kunj caught my eye this morning. Showcased on Gaatha, each piece is a treasure. Bright colours, intricate work and the sheer novelty of these earrings and neckpieces makes me want to spend my precious Rs.100 notes. It's perhaps a good thing that these don't come cheap. I'll make Santa pay for them instead.

Here are some of my favourites. Santa, please note.









If you've got money to spend, visit the Razia Kunj shop. Wish I had seen this before demonetisation...