Moment of stillness

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.

Tiles that look like wood

Wooden flooring is suddenly back in style. The rarer good quality wood gets, the more it is in demand. Reclaimed wood is currently the rage now, with Indian home buyers willing to source wood from old homes, antique dealers or even from neighbouring countries. 

What's so special about having wooden floors? 

Wood under your feet is often equated to old-time charm and luxury. Imagine mansions with polished hardwood floors or even your grandmother's village home with teakwood floorboards in every room. 

Wood takes you closer to nature for sure, but the drawbacks are plenty too. Depending on where you live, wooden floors can be difficult to keep clean. You cannot use water liberally on wood, so put that mop away and think about polishing your floors instead. Wood is prone to termites, warp and discoloration over use. If you want to repair one little plank, you’ll probably end up ripping up a lot more than you planned. Then there's the ecological issue of sourcing fresh or reclaimed wood, neither of which is sustainable anymore. 

And it is terribly expensive. 

If you love the look of wooden flooring but are reluctant to use it for the above reasons, here's a 21st century alternative. The ‘Wondrous Wood’ range of vitrified tiles from NITCO offers soothing wood designs and beautiful textures that give one the calming feeling of being close to nature. This is part of NITCO's new 'Magnified' range of large format tiles that promises to make small spaces feel larger and more open. NITCO Magnified collection uses modern age 6 color prism printing HD Digital technology that provides an exact impression of colors and textures like stone, marble and wood bringing minute details alive. Imagine the grain of the wood, the knots and every little line and dip that goes into making an old piece of wood valuable.

Now you can find that elusive quality in tile too. The tile looks like wood but feels like tile. And you don't have to limit yourself to the floor either. Choose to use it on your wall, as a feature, as a replacement for a headboard or just along the perimeter. The range of patterns and shades available will work with every design you have in mind whether contemporary, traditional or rustic. There is even a bleached wood shade available which is perfect for a Scandinavian-inspired design. 



Inspired yet?

If you have a wood-tile floor, do share your images with us. We’d love to see them. 

Minion Yellow

You've heard of egg-yolk yellow, sunshine yellow, sunflower yellow. Now say hello to Minion Yellow. Very creative - hats off to whoever came up with that name! This is Pantone's "Newest and Happiest Colour". With a name like that, I'd surely like some, please.

Like most bright yellows, this one is good in small doses, too.

Make you happy?

Yellow in your home

If yellow makes you happy (see last post for proof), is it any wonder that this is such a popular colour for homes, both inside and out. From the palest shade of lemon to bright tropical yellow, this is one happy hue. We’ve recently painted our bedroom in a beautiful mango yellow and changed the woodwork to white (it was brown earlier) and I’m pleased with the way it looks despite all the dusting required now :)

Pic by me

Here are some ways to incorporate yellow into your home:

Transform your home by painting your walls yellow – isn’t this gorgeous?

via

or paint the outdoors (yellow is not just for the tropics)

via

or make a big impact in a small space by using something like this gorgeous wallpaper

via

If the idea of a whole wall in a bright colour scares you, try just a pop, like so :

via

or even paint a side table or occasional chair

via

Do you have yellow in your house? We do!

Remodelista’s India Song

This week, Remodelista has a great line-up of India-themed post which you must see. From beautiful hotels, quirky things for your home to the gardens of India, there are lots of little gems here. Take a look here.

Tray Time

Trays are great clutter-busters. They corral, they distract, they prettify. Trays don’t even have to be *real* trays, you know. Use what you have – vintage plates and platters, old family silver, a thali or two. Trays for tea-time are lovely, but there are several other non-traditional uses, too.

A tray filled with little stationery, a nice pen, some stamps and your holiday letter-writing session is ready to begin.

Create an impromptu bar with a tray filled with a selection of drinks, some elegant glassware and an ice-bucket. What more do you need?

Create a pretty vignette on a tray with some plants, some accessories, and a background that is equally eye-catching.

Use a tray to gather toiletries in the bathroom. I’m not such a big fan of placing things on the flush-tank because, you know, what if someone is careless and knocks it over? Ewww. But, still. This image is still such a lovely one.

If you have a large collection of vintage trays, why not display them all together?
Or keep it simple.

Or blend it with enough texture to make your heart go pitter-pat.

Apartment Therapy has a good post on 15 Desk Vignettes and how to get the look here.
Do you use trays as decorative accents in your home?
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