Green design: Preethi's Fan blade Lamp ~ DIY

I have already spoken about this amazing lady on the blog here. Preethi is full of surprises. This time around, she made a set of pendant lamps from discarded fan blades.

 And here is the story in her own words.

"Pendant lights can be expensive and yet not unique. Here is a quick DIY pendant lights idea. 

On my last trip to the weekly Bangalore Sunday market, which happens on the BVK Iyengar Road, I chanced upon these table fan blades in different colors. They weren’t pretty when I saw them, I had to look through a load to get the least dented ones, but I think I could see through the dusty blades and I had an instant idea. I picked up four of them and they sat in a corner of the house for a few weeks before the time came for it to see the light of the day."

"So when I was decorating my husbands office meeting room, I visualized the three fan blades hanging from the ceiling above the table. I wanted a retro feel in that space, and the fan blades were best suited there.  I brought them out and shined them with some soap water and wet rag."

What I used for this project?

• 3 meters of wire (White)
• 3 white bulb holders
• One metal wire manager strip ( can find in any lighting shop)
• 3 LED bulbs

How I did it? 

"It was just a matter of cutting the wires to 3 different length, attaching the holder and passing it through the fan blades. The wire manager holds the wire tightly in place and conceals the wires connections. Since the connections to be made to the existing building wiring, it needed an electrician for installation. And it was done! 

I think it turned out pretty cool, and I am quite proud of it. It sort of fit perfectly into the theme and looks very impressive."

Awesome is't it. 

I had to feature this as it works so well and it goes so well with my green design ethos :). Need to see more of her awesome DIYs? Hop over to her space... preethiprabhu.com

Thanks a ton for sharing the DIY with me Preethi. :)

PS:
She is an entrepreneur and deals in Indian handicrafts and exclusive textiles. I hope to do a tour of her awesome office space she did recently... :)

Guest Post ~ Anu's Diwali Decor Ideas and Inspirations

Anu of My Dream Canvas needs no introduction. Her blog and her flickr stream have been a major source of inspiration for me. Anu is a versatile blogger, an amazing photographer and a very genuine and down to earth person. She is a busy mom of two tiny tots, an entrepreneur and a busy blogger. 


When I requested her to write for The Design Enthusiast, and she promptly sent in her ideas and inspirations for TDE readers.  Herez her post about Diwali at her place....


----------

Sudha of The Design Enthusiast has been a friend ever since I began blogging. I admire Sudha as a person and she has always encouraged and supported me since I began My Dream Canvas. Today, I am delighted to be writing a post on Diwali here at The Design Enthusiast :-)

It was a wonderful week preparing for Diwali and finally the big day arrived :-) The key ingredients for my Diwali are family, friends, flowers and diyas! Diwali evening begins with a Puja at home followed by the lighting of the diyas. When I moved to the US eleven years ago, I have to admit that the first few Diwali's were  filled with nostalgia. I would miss India terribly and it would be an effort to partake in the celebrations and rituals. Over the years that has changed. Today, Diwali is about tradition and enlightening my two children about our culture and the symbolism of Diwali. My kids love this season beginning with Diwali, followed by Halloween, Thanksgiving and then culminating with Christmas :-)

Diwali decor for me is nothing fancy.....flowers and the glow of the diyas, tealights and candles seem to set the mood for me! I tend to reuse a lot of things that are already in my home. I could go on talking about Diwali decor tips but I think you all know this.....be yourself and create your own style. The best decor accesory for Diwali is to have your home filled with happiness and laughter. When you have that your home will look naturally beautiful and it shall be a Diwali to remember!

Images: Anuradha Varma@ My Dream Canvas.

- 

 Thank you Anu for this wonderful post. The admiration is mutual, may be more from my side. :-). Glad to have you at the design enthusiast. Looking forward to another post from you...

Guest Post ~~ Vintage Love ~ Danish Dining

Jacob Hamilton from Arcadia Lighting approached me with the idea of a guest post. A few emails later, I had this wonderful post from his team. It goes with my blog theme, writing about vintage furniture and my love for clean line design. I am glad Jacob chose this topic and has provided wonderful design ideas....so read on

---------------

Hi, I'm Susi, from Arcadian Lighting where you'll find gorgeous lighting fixtures and lamps.  I love visiting blogs like The Design Enthusiast. Vintage Love this week focuses on Danish Dining, specifically Danish Modern.  This mid-century modern style is a hot collectible right now that has spawned new editions of classic designs as well as tons of copy cats.  Danish Modern style extends beyond the borders of Denmark to include the other Scandinavian countries.

Here are eight of our favorite Danish dining spaces filled with gorgeous Danish Modern style. Enjoy!

This vintage Danish Modern furniture filled space displays the pieces that have become classics today. Warm teak wood, clean lines and modern designs create the signature look of Danish Modern.

Classic Danish Modern chairs by Hans Wegner set the design for this contemporary dining room.  Mid-century Modern designs by Danish designers feel as contemporary today as they did a half century ago.

Danish dining is all about form and function.  Tables that expand to accommodate bigger dinner parties can also shrink for intimate meals.  Chairs are gorgeously sculptural.

A simple Danish Modern table is the perfect backdrop for more sculptural bentwood dining chairs.  Mixing straight lines and curves is typical in Danish Modern dining room furniture.

Comfortable upholstered dining chairs by Eero Saarinen invite you to linger over dessert in this Danish influenced dining room.  Love the lines of the modern light fixture and lamps. Teak and rosewood are popular choices of wood for Danish Modern dining tables.

Danish designed chairs, like these by Arne Jacobsen, are so versatile. Pair them with other Danish and modern designs or even with a rustic table for an eclectic look.

One of the most versatile pieces of Danish dining room furniture is the credenza or buffet. Made typically of teak, these pieces can work in the dining room or living room in a modern room.

While not truly Danish, one of the lead designers when we think of Danish Modern design is Eero Saarinen, who was Finnish. His Tulip table is one of the most versatile modern designs and can be paired with the Tulip chairs or any stylish dining chair. Looks totally at home here with a traditional painting and wall sconce.

Interested in discovering the latest lamp trends for your home? Check out Arcadian Lighting for some inspiration! Images: ( 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 )
----------

I hope you have enjoyed the post as much as I did sharing it!!


Disclaimer: I am not a part of Arcadia lighting nor earn any revenue from them in any form. 

Tuesday Treat ~ Dana's Guest Post

Having toured her beautiful home via a previous guest post, I craved for more...So, I brought Dana back to write about her design choices and accessories which make her home, so inviting and homey!!..Now ...over to Dana, of mid2mod.com, and mid2mod, the blog...

---

When Sudha asked me to write a guest post, I couldn't decide at first what to write about. My blog is focuses on mid-century modern decor and history, and I know her beautiful blog is somewhat more eclectic. Then I had an idea! I'd take this opportunity to showcase the decorator accessories and art in my house that I love most, even though some of it isn't mid-century modern at all.

Some of it I love for sentimental reasons, like this large vase that my great-grandmother received as a wedding gift over 100 years ago. The piece is quite large, and the detail in the swans' feathers is stunning.

My Mama Dell's vase, circa 1900

My daughter Jennifer is quite an accomplished photographer, although with a couple of sons under two years of age, she doesn't have much time for photography anymore. She did a series of images of doors which were magical, because they left you wondering what was happening...or had happened over the years...behind them. Here are two examples, taken in New Orleans, a city she and I visited often when she was a teenager.

Jenn's photo No. 723

Jenn's photo No. 622

I also really like a few pieces of art that I did myself. One is a grouping of six 6" x 6" canvases on which I layered colors of acrylic paint. I scraped or rubbed off sections before the paint dried. Then I fired silver medallions out of precious metal clay, which I affixed to the pictures and have allowed to oxidize over time. Another grouping of three was inspired by a cover of Elle Decor.

Acrylic with PMC medallions

Inspired by Elle Decor

I also love art by Brian Andreas. I have a pair of his prints in my entry hall, and I have one of his wood sculptures in a bedroom. Andreas's work always speaks to my heart, whether it makes me laugh or cry. The print is particularly meaningful to me, because it is the story of the wonderful life I shared with my late partner Carl, who died in 2006.

I don't think of it as working for world peace, he said. I think of it as trying to get along in a really big strange family.

There was a boy with skin as dark as the earth & a girl with eyes as blue as the deep & they loved each other so well that people could not tell them apart for in their hearts there was no difference between them.

And speaking of Carl...I love this trio of Danish candlesticks and the set of rustic, hand-dipped candles that he bought for me on one of the wonderful trips we made together.

The sleekness of Danish design paired with handcrafted candles

And finally, one of my favorite pieces of pewter is a vintage Castor Cooper vase with a horse motif. It was an eBay find a few years ago.

Castor Cooper pewter vase

Thank you, Sudha, for allowing me to share some of the personal items I treasure most. I hope they do your delightful blog justice.

---

A guest post so well done! All I had to do was copy paste her content and hit publish :)..Thank you Dana, for the wonderful write up and lovely images. And thank you for sharing your thoughts and pictures of your treasured items 


I am a Danish and Scandinavian Modern crazy design enthusiast who is influenced by her Indian roots!! Dana and other wonderful bloggers are a serious source of inspiration for my design know-whats!!

Picture source/copyright: Dana

Antique Chairs and more vintage love ~ Guest post ~ Shalini a.k.a. Kamakshi Diamond

While on the blogging journey, I meet wonderful people who, I feel like I have known for ever. Sharing simple things about day to day living - joys, sorrows and of course blog topics, brings us closer.  I tend to forget that I would have never met or spoken or seen them in person. Sweet isn't it...One such very lovable person is Shalini who blogs over at Sanctified Spaces. Her blog is a true reflection of her simple, down to earth and creative personality. She writes about things she admires and loves- food, general musings and thoughts, travels and temples. One such post I really loved was about her ancestral home and her Grandfather. It took me back to times I spent with my granddad and my recollection of his influence on me.

When I requested her for a blog post, she obliged..and as promised in my previous post, here is her lovely write up on antique chairs. I am sure you will fall in love with the pieces and her post as much as I did.

over to Shalini :-)
----------------------------------------------

When Sudha from Design Enthusiast asked me to do a guest post,I was thrilled to bits.I love the fact that she features individual pieces of eclectic furniture and pares it down to its period,style and utility.Great information for Antique aficionado's.So this post took me on a trip to research chairs.So I promptly landed up at Mr.Prabhakaran's home for a tour.He was generous enough to take me around his home and answer all my queries.To read up more click here.All images are from his home.

Check this gorgeous Antique beauty.This is a 110 year old easy chair.Vintage furniture at its best.Made of cane for the seating& back rest with rosewood frame.This is known as Grandpas chair.The related model for this chair is the planters chair.Its clearly in a Pristine condition given its age.

Meet the mother of all chairs.This is the Connemara Chair.This was found largely in the Connemara Library in Chennai and hence the name.This is a Colonial piece designed beautifully in rosewood.A stunner indeed.Less backaches I believe,user info.A stunner indeed.

This is another beauty in Burma Teak,a corner chair in colonial stlye

Another corner chair in rosewood colonial stlye.What a pleasure to read in this chair.

A rocking Chair with a caned seat and back in teak wood.The style is Indian.

Antique Reading chair in rosewood with slots for papers and even a cup holder which is broken.Style:Colonial

Cane reading chair in Burma Teak,Style:Indian

Rosewood,Reading/folding  chair,Colonial

I wish I could own one of these vintage pieces.So beautifully designed.I thoroughly enjoyed doing this piece.Thank you Sudha for this wonderful opportunity.


-----


thank you Shalini for such a lovely write up and beautiful images. I could have never compiled such an exhaustive post on Indian furniture classics. 

Chettinad's Wood and Cane Daybed ~ Archana's Guest Post

While working on a post about daybed styles and period furniture, I remembered the very elegant cane and wood daybed I saw on Archana's Flickr stream. Archana Srinivas of Rang Decor needs no introduction in the Flickr and Blog world. The lady behind so many amazing photographs and a set of beautiful blogs, agreed to a guest post when I requested for information on the piece she has in her very beautifully done up home.  I am quite excited to have her write for The Design Enthusiast.

Here is her post on the daybed. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" Of all the lovely design blogs out there, what really caught my attention in Sudha's blog was her passion and immense interests in the various styles of furniture. She researches the style, the period, the designers.... it's quite impressive. So when she asked me about our traditional daybed on which I have shot so many photographs of my everyday life, I had to brush up my memory!

Will share with you all, what I know of this simple but functional piece of furniture. We picked this cane daybed from Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu. It is a style quite common in Chettiar homes. Made of seasoned Burma Teak and woven with cane, this piece is a beauty. Summers in southern India is intense and this furniture usually placed it between two open doorways provides respite.  The shape of the furniture helps recline and stretch one-self on a lazy summer afternoon.

A detailed view

Have seen this style with a Portuguese twist in Goa as well. What makes India so intriguing to me is the amalgamation of various styles!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A special Thank you to Archana for the lovely post. :-). And it feels good to see such wonderful things being said about me and the blog (*smiles*).

A glance at my previous posts on thonet rocker and caned furniture, and you known for my love of wood and cane furniture. This piece certainly figures in the "must-have" list :-).

Pictures courtesy: Archana Srinivas

Kamini's Guest post on my Green Blog

Hi Folks, Here is a must read guest post by the very talented Kamini (of Saffron and Silk and Zingara Girl). I had requested her to share her (and her husband's) experience with Hydroponics; And she obliged. This post is a must read for all you organic food patron (it is a must even if you are not!!)

The Post: Pass the spinach....er.....diazinon please! ~ Guest post ~ Kamini Raghavan

I promise, you will be inspired!

Over to P&P for my guest post :)

Do not forget to check and comment on my guest post at P&P

Post: My Kind of Gal: Sudha

I know I am the very boring, environment advocate but show me some love :)

Design Enthusiast over at OUATT :)

Check out my post on Barrister bookcases over at Priya's Once upon a Tea Time..Design Stories. I hope that this post is among many more to come. Thank you Priya for letting me be a part of such a very versatile blog.

source