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...:)

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!

Flowers @ Home

I am quite excited to see these lovely Bitter Gourd Blossoms (guessing!) in my balcony garden. I had a neat growth of saplings last year and had harvested chillies, capsicum, tomatoes and okra/ladies finger. This year, however, the garden is rather sparse. I planted has a few chillies and this lone creeper. The best part about this Bela being - it sprung out of my compost bin and was later transplanted into the milkcan I re-purposed as Planters. I am yet to find out what this is going to yield :-).

I am looking forward to a few home grown vegetables  :-)

I did this post for another reason. For saying a Big Thank you to Rekha of The Key Bunch. She invited me to join their "Say it with Flowers carinval"  ...I am sending in this post to their super party!! Sharon and Rekha are celebrating two years of their blogging by asking readers and co bloggers to Say it with flowers. 


You could participate too...All you need - Do a post on your blog with a picture of flowers from your abode. It could be an arrangement, a potted plant, your garden, stringed flowers or anything you can imagine... Do join in and wish them for being such great bloggers and dishing out yummy eye candy for the last two years.

Wishing them great blogging years ahead.

Good Morning, Sunshine!

It is getting warmer and the Sun is shining bright. Looking forward to a wonderful Summer....

Indoor Plants - Adding that "green" touch to your decor

I am a huge fan of greenery, both indoors and outdoors. Flowers have never been a great draw for me, at least not as much as I love "greens". Living in a small apartment, I rely on my tiny balcony and the area inside the apartment for adding that green fervor around me. Ok, let me brag about it now! I tried growing a balcony garden and did reasonably well with that. Here's a sneak peak into the balcony.

I had re-purposed milk and yogurt cans from friends and my kitchen so that I could extend life of these plastic wares and also avoid buying new pots. (Reduced demand indirectly-right!..thats the economics bug in me speaking)

Indoor plants not only look pleasing but also work as natural air purifiers. Researches have proved that indoor air quality in most homes across the world is as polluted as the outdoors. Extensive use of vinyl, plastic, foam and other products has lead to increased presence of carbon monoxide, Benzene complexes, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. Trying to use environmentally safe products and materials goes a long way in minimizing these toxins' entry into our homes. Plants work as excellent natural purifiers and allergen killers.

You can bring in common low maintenance ornamental plant variety to work for you. The list include common money plant, snake plant (also called the mother-in-law's tongue), most varieties of succulents and the very popular English ivy.

Other recommended varieties : 

Bamboo

Rubber plant

Image source: cryleaf.com

Boston fern

Imagesource:ecofriend.org

Spider plant

Image source: cbgarden.org

Peace lily - Although this is among the most popular indoor greens, this plant oozes a sap which is poisonous to humans and pets.

Image source:rossu.edu 

Aloe Vera : This among my favourites because of its succulent look and it medicinal properties.

Image source: envymags.com

florist mum: Best seasonal plant for removing benzene, ammonia and formaldehyde.

Image source: calyxflowers.com

English ivy: looks very similar to our common money plant with a textured leaf. It is known to eliminate formaldehyde (sources: paints, leather goods etc.). I found a beautiful painting of the Ivy

Image source: arkansasarts.org

Dracaena: Comes in different varieties and is known to eliminate indoor toxins. this plant is ideal for a "black thumb" gardener and can grow for decades. You have a wide variety to choose from.

Image source: gertens.com

 

Golden pothos: Our good old money plant. It is the easiest to grow, and ranks high as an all-round air cleaner.

Most researchers and Physicians advice you against having plants in your bedroom. For that matter even Feng shui and vaasthu shaasthra do not encourage having plants in your sleeping area. This is simply because, plants exhale CO2 at night and compete with us for the available oxygen. They work for us during the day by inhaling carbon-di-oxide and releasing oxygen (remember our good old science books! ;).

Level of exposure to sun and water, and plant feed frequency depends on the plant variety you intend to grow and your geographic location. Another research which would make an interesting read is Plants Plants: Pros and Cons.

Try growing some green indoors. You will fall in love with your home all over again. As far as possible, try avoiding having faux plants and silk trees at home. They end up being dust depots and can actually deteriorate indoor air quality.

Live well and be happy!