House Beautiful ~ At home with Kamini

A great start to 2012 ...A visit to a beautiful home in my hometown, Hyderabad. :-) I have been following Kamini around ever since she started her blogs. Her decor and travel blogs are a  must read. 


Kamini's decor blog:
Kamini is an Interior Designer by profession. After a degree in Economics from St.Francis college in Begumpet, Hyderabad, she moved to the US in 1984 and a few years later in 1994 went back to school for 3 years and pursued her real passion - Interior Design.
Kamini says "I practiced in the commercial/retail field for 10 years before moving back to India in 2006. My jobs over the 10 years included marine/boat design, retail store design for J.Crew, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sun Microsystems, Nordstorm and my last job was store designer for Starbucks Coffee Inc for 4 years." Impressive right! Now you know what to expect from her home :). 
She was gracious to give me access to her albums. Every nook and corner is so drool worthy that I decided to plan our visit in series of posts. 
Lets start with her entry way. Did I mention she is a wonderful artist and a DIYer..I could do a separate post on...:)

Hello :)

Hello everyone!
My sincere apologies for being away for quite a while now. Been sick and recovering. I had promised myself to be regular with the blogs, and I haven't been able to :-(. 2012 has just begun and its never late :). A huge thanks to all you lovely people for being so patient and sending in your love.

In the two and a half or so years of DE's existence, I grew as a design researcher and vintage lover. Met so many wonderful people and each one of you has a special place in my heart. I wonder how at ease I am with people I never met in person. Blogland is amazing!! Each one of you is precious and your comments make me smile. I sincerely look forward to opening my email each day for more love from you all. Design Enthusiast (DE) being a research centric, vintage loving blog, its ever growing friends circle is a definite morale booster.

Thanks for all the love!!

Plans for 2012

Looking forward to showcase many more artists, visit and profile beautiful stores, share a lots more vintage love. Also, we shall continue our tour of lovely homes, document many more amazing antiques and find stuff on fridays :). Design Enthusiat also hopes to have more guests over with their lovely thoughts and design/decor ideas. Fingers crossed! :-) All I need is a little prayer and lots of love to keep going

Wishing Peace and happiness for all

PS: I hope to click more pics and share my tiny apartment with all you lovely people. I have been delaying sending my pics to other lovely blogs. I promised myself to do that this year.. :)

Movies, Masti and Magic...Hindi Cinema and Danish/MCM

Bollywood and Regional movies showed us credenzas and dressers which were what the film stars could afford!. Notice the eclectic decor in this movie set : Anand Special focus on the 6 drawer at the back everything else which went into making this "home" while enjoying the song.

Did you notice the danish modern Sled leg credenza, the Lane(??) dining set,  hollywood regency style sofa and chairs, the dining table and chairs. The chair in which the Rajesh Khanna's friend and wife are sitting is a cool chaise with the danish modern look.

(Reposting a section of my previous post)

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.

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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

Sunday Special ~ Introducing Home Tours

Home tours are my favorite, be it on any website, TV show or on the blogland. For me, sneak peeks are a wonderful means

• To get some amazing decorating ideas
• Decide on what works or does not work for me (without a trip to the store)
• Visualize my dream home, or
• Just feel pleased to have seen a well put together space

People all over the world share their love for their home. It would not be an understatement to repeat the saying - "Home is where the Heart is!!".  I feature amazing kitchen tours on my food blog and now extend this pleasure onto my design blog as well. 

Having said all that, let me introduce the new series on the Design Enthusiast - Home Tours and Sneak Peeks. ~ At home with **** :-). *** to be filled with the home owner's name.


Beginning this Sunday, I was all set to share some fascinating vignette and corners of wonderful homes. However, my health issues kept me from doing it. So please watch this space for a wonderful home tour. I appreciate your patience. Before I leave, here is a preview :)

Patricia's Hand Painted Feature Wall (with updates)

Dont you just love this feature wall...All hand painted and wonderfully done!

Wondering where i picked this picture from? It was a feature wall in Patricia's previous home. I was hoping to write about hand painted feature walls but then decided to dedicate a post to this fabulous wall art


sneek peek via a mirror on the opposite wall...

  
Colours used

Work in Progress

The peacock was painted free hand.. most of the borders were done with normal water based paint for walls... The peacock was done using acrylic.. and shadings were done with pencil, pastels and crayon!!

All done...Beautiful feathers!

The Elegant peacock..wow!

A glimpse of the entire painting and the wall

Anyone familiar with the Home Design & Decor blog scene would surely know Patricia, of the Colours Dekor. She is among those is always encouraging and appreciative of fellow bloggers and takes time out to interact with them. An amazing lady who is open to ideas and is personal with her blog post and her comments on others' blogs. (oh yes! I can keep going)

Patty! do what you are doing and we all love you for that :)...Wishing you many more wonderful blogging years ahead! Looking forward to all the wonderful things you are doing with your new home!

Read more about the hand painted wall >> Here and many more wonderful things on her blog >> Here

An update: A very dear friend and a wonderful blogger, Rashmi of Ethnic Indian Homes had done a post on Patricia's wall earlier (thanks patty for sharing this as well)...It is a complete DIY guide to how this wall was done...a must read :) - HERE

Pictures courtesy : Patricia  Thankyou patty for the pictures...your pics make the blog look beautiful!! 

Friday Finds - Propeller table & An Artist Showcased

I came across Damon's work via flickr. It was great to find a very talented sculptor and artist who loves to turn scrap metal and found objects into pieces of art. One such creation is his Propeller table. I am glad he agreed to be featured on The Design Enthusiast.

This Propeller table is what triggered my interest to feature his work under Friday Finds.

About the table..
Damon says - "The table is made from salvaged junk from my local scrapyard. The base is made from a spun stainless steel half sphere..I found two of them but have no clue what they were from. The section on top of the base is ceramic originally was used at a power station. it is also from the scrap yard, and the propeller fan blade, plus there are some auto transmission parts and a few other scrap yard parts. The glass is a new addition from the smaller one seen in the first pics, it was found at a salvage store"


Details...

The table in use :-)..doenst it look like a great Atomic / Sputnik kind of piece.

He has a Sculpture company called Atomic Junk Show and is passionate about turning scrap and salvaged parts into art forms! (yes, even the furniture pieces are art forms in every sense).

About Damon:

Damon started welding back in the 80's and owns a sculpture studio is in Akron Ohio. He seems to find some amazing junk/scrap locally, which inspire him to create more amazing things!

To see what I mean, here is a peek into his world>> Flickr 

He says

"My studio is filled top to bottom with ton's of cast off scrap, that can be transformed into what you see in my picture's...there is nothing better than taking something no one want's and transforming it into something people are willing to pay good money to own it." I find his style is very industrial and sci-fi (I cannot help it, its the stainless steel love in me talking)....:-)

He is all set to open a store called The "Bomb Shelter" in Arkon, Ohio. He plans to showcase his work and fill the 10,000 square foot store with cool vintage, antique, retro, industrial and new pieces.He is a regular at local scrap yards and drags all kinds of stuff home to create found object sculptures...

Damon says - "it's truly unbelievable what people scrap! I love the vintage scifi movie's and just about anything that relates to old science fiction, so a lot of my work is influenced from that. "

I loved his work. Isn't it is nice to see people find beauty in everything around them. Such people are really inspiring and I secretly envy their creative skills..:-)

All pictures courtesy :Damon

Friday Finds : Mammy Rocker

I have a thing for rockers, I have written about the ones I have in my earlier posts. :-)..HERE and HERE

And this friday, I dedicate my post to a very funky looking rocker which was designed to suit an entire family. It is called the mammy rocker. I had it in my folder for a while, and when another one of these vintage furniture pieces came up on the local craigslist, I remembered the one in my folder and decided to make it this friday's feature.

These bench rockers were said to be very popular in the mid 1800's and until the late 1900's.

General Description: source: worthpointantique

Style: Early American; Type: Rocker/bench/settee; Time line: 1800- early1900s 

what's so special about this rocking bench?
A removable wooden spindle/plank shaped bar to rock a baby while you rock :-). This may be a common feature but I loved it and thought it was a design innovation born out of an ingenious necessity (still researching on the who and why?)

Fixing a bar/handle/plank makes it baby safe (at least looks like it)

image source: craigslist

Other super cool models...

Black painted wooden bench-style baby rocker with gilded painted floral design and safety enclosure.

 source: Provenance: Gemini Antiques, Bridgehampton, NY.

This one is a miniature with a drop down spindles

source: libx.bsu.edu

Mammy Rocker; Artist / Creator: W.P.A. Project, Indiana.

circa1939

Found another with a higher baby guard / railing

source: ecrater.com

Seller described it as:

Nice early, rare (mid 1800's) mammy's bench with its' original surface. Railing lifts out if you want just a regular bench all the way across. Dimensions are 48" long x 27" high and the seat is 16 1/2" deep. 

Before I say adios for now, here is another very unique mammy rocker 

source: ebay classifieds

Seller says: A rare mammy bench with a wooden childs' rocker for the child to sit / sleep in. A child could place her baby doll beside her to rock it. This would be great for a childs' room, or a nursery at church. 

Beautiful isnt it!!....

Friday Finds - Of Bathtubs and Couches!!

I was mesmerized by Audrey Hepburn the day I watched her Oscar winning "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Loved her innocence and charm as Holly Golightly in this 1961 classic adaptation of the novel by the same name.

This opening shot with Audrey standing by Tiffany's window at 5 am (so says the movie) is an all time favourite of mine.

onthesetofnewyork(dot)com

I love this trailer ....So very 60's..right!

youtube

Wondering why I am talking about the movie rather than talk about my friday find?



Here is why!!...Remember Audrey's couch in the movie?...yes, absolutely, it is a bathtub which was split to create a very quaint couch. (sigh! isnt she adorable..oh yah! so is the couch)

chicandcharming(dot)com

I loved the way Audrey's apartment was done up, so much to suit her character. 

Off late, I have been seeing more of these tub couches, on decor sites and blogs. (May be, they are in vouge again.) I just loved the look (not sure if I would like it in my decor).

A few of them actually seen in use...

 treehugger

handmadespark.com

treehugger

It is another way to repurpose old tubs (which are in a usable state :-) ). Isn't it nice that vintage cast iron tubs are being put to use and being saved them from becoming landfill.

laughingsunrenovations.wordpress

One word of caution...they are quite pricey ..could cost anywhere between a $1000 - $4000.(.Phew! I am sure I cant buy it. )

So folks, let me know your take on what kind of styles work well these tub turned couches. 

PS: you could read a brief history about claw foot tubs >>here

Linking up to Show and tell at My romantic home

Friday Finds - Interesting Wall unit

Like everyone else who is interested in design and home aesthetics, I browse through websites, blogs and yes the craigslist (how could I forget my eternal source of research insipirations!!) for interesting finds. I had shared an interesting danish style magazine stand earlier, a craigslist find!! >>Link. Keeping in view my overflowing folder of  inspirations and finds for the future, I decided to write about one such item per week, say every friday.

For starters, let me share this very interesting looking wall unit found via Thomaswold's blog>> link. Do check out his blog for more amazing DIYz. (i just skimmed through the blog and fell in love with his work..planning to take a day out to read through his work and posts where he talks about his projects and work in general). 

The wall unit

Created from a set of unused or unwanted furniture. I am major fan of upcycled and repurposed things. (obvious that i loved his idea right!!).

This Pile ....

Transformed into this work of art...

Pic courtesy: thomaswold

Painted furniture is not really my style, but what I liked about this piece is that he has repurposed, recycled and upcycled most of the furniture, which would have otherwise ended up in the landfill. It is simply a super cool DIY idea (I could totally steal!!)  to create a really unique piece of art!

Really amazing work I must say :). Don't you think :-) so too. 

PS: Check the blog for more details on such projects.

Before I forget, Let me link this post to show and tell ` @ My Romantic Home :)

Table Tops and more!!

Patricia of Colours Dekor announced a Table Top decor "show off" party. I am going to be among others who have showed off their beautiful homes and their table tops. All I have to do is to feature my tables on my blog and provide a link on her blog via inlinks...its that easy...why dont you join the fun...Here is the link to how to be a part of the Table Top August Fiesta

Here is a peek into my world, my space...my tiny apartment and three tiny tables that reflect all thatz me :)

Had to show off my brass turtle :)

Isnt he too cute :)

Ok ok..I know he is getting too much attention....Lets move on to my brass inlaid table where I put my vintage lamp, a kamandalam and the urli....and of course the little smiling buddha

I clicked this sometime back....with my little turtle buddy floating in the urli (oops! I spoke about him again)

Last but not the least, a cane stool which actually works well as a plant stand for my snake plant, and the bamboo shoot....I have placed it below my favourite frame of an embroidered Elephant

So thats all about the tables in my tiny apartment...:)

Sideboard Stories

Dining rooms sets generally come with a hutch, a Sideboard or Credenza. It makes for an elegant set up when you choose the right kind of sideboard to complete your dining set. There is no harm in going in for a mix and match until you are able to get the wood tones and the style combination right. Here is a peek into possible options. I tried collating a set of pictures of sideboards and buffets (and one hutch) including - antique victorian, art deco, contemporary and a few modern pieces.

Lets begin with a very Victorian mahogany sideboard with a Bow Front. A craigslist find, with unique Burl finish, was very popular in the mid 1800's.

Another mahogany sideboard which stands on very ornate legs. Another one of my craigslist finds. The owner described it as Burl finish mahogany with ample space for storage- Separate space alloted for China and silverware. This is said to be from the late 1930's

Another one standing on ornate legs, made from Cherry wood. (Craigslist find :) )

A French sideboard , I am not sure of the wood though

source: laurelauction.com

Mission style, early American

A classy Anglo Indian style Buffet /sideboard

source: craigslist.org

I found a few similar ones with a mirror on the panel

source:  craigslist.org

source: thefurniture-com

Rustic country/distressed look

source:dibor.co.uk

A formal Transitional style

source: dhi.com

Let us see a few with ethnic touches - carvings, paintings etc.

source: dafanic.com

Art Deco style with dual wood tones and very ornate

 

Carved details with open shelves

source: sideboards.com

One with carving and glass doors

source: thefurniture-com

Let us break the monotony with this simple Cherry wood all American style buffet

source: craigslist

A good medley of country and early American

source: unknown

Getting back to an ornate sideboard with a marble top which is is sleek and looks more like a table

source: craigslist

If you prefer ethnic designs, here is an Antique Rajasthani sideboard

source: rajasthanifurniture(.)com

 Another Rajasthani, painted sideboard

source: rajasthanifurniture-com

A Sheesham wood, Jaali (grill) style 

source: jalifurniture-com-uk

Found this beautifully hand painted Red Chinese Sideboard

source:allbakersracks-com

A beautiful Chinese Style reproduction antique hand painted Sideboard with stunning authentic floral images

 source:muyi-uk-com

And now a series of contemporary styles for the modernists :-)

A beautiful Teak tone sideboard with a removable hutch. A typical Danish modern design. Dont you just love it?

source: craigslist

Teak, Danish modern,  two piece sideboard with a glass covered display case. So perfect for an apartment.

 source: circa60

Another Scandinavian design classic in Walnut.

source: via flickr

A very sleek set collated for the ultra modernists

source:modernnova.com

(frosted glass table obstructing the complete view)

source:designitalia-com

Contemporary buffet/sideboard with a frosted glass look (Most of the modern looking rooms are either in white or shades of grey!)

source: digsdigs-com 

another stunning model...with a frosted glass sliding door

 source:buffetcabinet-org

source:furnitureanddesign-com

And how could I resist presenting funky alternative!  using a chest of drawer as buffet

source: roomandboard-com

Metal cabinet (IKEA PS) used as a beautiful sideboard /buffet in this sleek dining room setting...loved it!!

source: flickr (pinklovesbrown)

how about a few Simple floating shelves ..wont work in traditional settings and homes with children though :)

source: younghouselove-com

Apothecary chest 

source: coylesauction-com

Conventional style Cane buffet

source: naturallycane-com

I could have added a lot more...but the post is too long already!!..

PS: all pictures found via various internet based sources and I do not own their copyrights