House Beautiful: my own home - II

My last move with in the previous city was into this one bedroom house. I made some amazing friends for life while living in this complex. And also spent the initial days of my pregnancy here before we moved back to India. This home was where most of my furniture came in. I religiously scouted thrift stores and craigslist to find vintage mid century pieces of my choice, So here we go.

Welcome home...

The front door and entryway. 
We had a shoes and jackets closet on the left and a Jack and jill bathroom on the right.

Living and dining room all in one :)

we bought a mid century piece initially and then brought home a Drexel's Declaration dining set designed by Kipp Stewart and Stuart Macdougall. Thats the dining area with the accent wall and a peek into our tiny kitchen.

A peek into the kitchen...The cabinets were very neat and very clean line..the way I like :)

a few more pictures of my kitchen on my food blog's kitchen tour post >> Kitchen Tour 

And back to the living area- a glance at how our furniture collection evolved. I picked up some lovely lamps and accessories from the 50-60s and tried to remain true to the vintage vibe with an addition of our Crosley radio :). Though we let go a lot over time, my husband and I have fond memories of all the lovely pieces we had. 

view of our dining area from the living area.

Mantle decked up with my set of Maparachi dolls and a frame of the embroidered elephant and a few other curios :)

The mantle decked up for Diwali, our festival of lights

clicked from while on the rocking chair. Oh yes I have a thing for rocking chairs :). Read more about the rockers I owned over time > Here and Here 

A few tablescapes :) with our priced possessions

My love for plants and greens indoors :)

The bedroom

 I miss this apartment and the group of friends we had memorable times with :).

Jens Risom : An Icon Speaks...:)

How much I admire his designs :). I feel like a starry eyed fan right now.

Friday Finds: Aranmula Kannadi ~ Kerala's best kept secret :)

Anpu has been a constant source of inspiration for me. This lady is a bundle of talent - an excellent cook, keeps a perfect home, an avid gardener, an amazing painter and most of all, a great human being. She juggles all this while being a busy IT professional. 

Her home has an amazing collection of antiques, her artwork and DIYs. I had previously featured her antique air blower she picked from her travel to the middle east. This time, she spoke about her Aranmula kannadi and I had to share it on the blog :)

Her beautiful Aranmula Kannadi was a gift from her friend.These mirrors are unique handmade metal alloy mirror, made in Aranmula, a village in Kerala, India. Kannadi means mirror in malayalam. 

(one from her collection - Mysore painting)

Its interesting to note that unlike normal 'silvered' glass mirrors, these Aranmula Kannadi is a metal-alloy mirror, it is a front surface reflection mirror, and has no secondary reflections typically seen in the mirrors we normally use..In the Aranmula mirror there is no gap or distortion between the mirror and the object, while in the normal mirror there is a gap.

Amazing isnt it? :) 

Pics courtesy: Anpu :)

House Beautiful: At Home with Meena Sriram

For flickr users and fans, Meena Sriram needs no introduction. I have been following her work for a long time now and love the way she uses calligraphy around her beautiful home. Hopping over to her place for a cup of tea and a lively chat with the lovely lady.  :)

A little about the abode
Hi, My name is Meena Sriram, and I live in a three bedroom home in Ottawa, I have moved two homes now, and this is my third.

Decor and Style inspirations
I would say my decor has become more simplified than it seems in the pictures or maybe it comes across that way too. Its hard to use one word to describe my decor style, since I go mostly by instinct and don't follow any particular style,.I ruthlessly edit, and prefer an airy laid back feel to the room with pops of color through textiles. I was hugely inspired by Archana Srinivas who run the decor blog Rang decor, I think she was one of the reason's I was inspired to try my hand at photography as well. My mother is an amazingly talented person when it comes to design and decor, and I learn a lot from her.

Favourite room or corner in the house
I have no favourite corner, or room, every place is as cosy or comfortable as the other, I love playing lego or board games on the floor with my daughter or cuddling up and reading to her in one of the reading nooks or making tea in the kitchen or cooking while listening to music or talks. I especially love to bask in any sunlit corner of my home.

Your favourite piece of item / furniture or accessory
My favourite accessories would be chalk boards, and cork boards. I find these very versatile, you can change what you have on them seasonally or even otherwise, I do like to have inspiring quotes all over my home, and I like reflecting on them every time I glance at them .. sometimes I even just tape my own art or daughter's art to the wall directly..it works in an odd way. I like pretty tea and coffee mugs but am careful not to let my collection grow.

Proudest DIY 

I think I am alright at creative lettering and I love to dabble in art so I sort of put all this up all over the home, which adds a cheerfulness that I like and makes it feel more homey.

Favourite shopping  (for design and decor) destinations
I love Ikea, for its affordability and its creative and funky storage solution, textiles, furniture, and ideas.

Priced possessions
I work hard at not having any priced possession, but having said that I do love having plants around the house , they help tie the room together more cohesively and harmoniously.

Anything you would add or change in design(layout) or decor
No, nothing that i would like to add or change, i sort of work with what i have but, I would like to do better with backyard gardening or any gardening for that matter.

Your secret mantra and tips for a cozy home
My secret mantra and tips for a cozy home,.. Have a few accent colours that you could repeat a few times over, this ties the room together easily, plants, and try your hand at art,its easier than it looks, and anything handmade has its own special charm.

Read a lot, so you 're justified in having plenty of books around the house, they can be your best friend and make your home look homey as well. 

Try to bring in colour and creativity with storage so this contributes to your decor and you don't have to pick up pieces that are only purely decorative. And its easier to work with less than more, .. just a few well thought out pieces and accessories, and there's a lot of inspiration when it comes to colour and ideas on various decor blogs, just be careful to balance it out with who you are. Your decor does not have to be perfect, it just needs to feel happy and be home.. a place to express yourself creatively, but more importantly to nurture all the loving bonds in your life..

Thank you Meena, for taking time  out to share your beautiful home on the Design enthusiast. 

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Have been a great fan of her clicks and loved her and her mothers home. So delighted to have featured her lovely home. :)