Asian Themes

Found these beautiful images on the site of an Interior design company in Singapore. Love the use of Asian elements in the space. Love the Thai umbrella in an otherwise very modern setting and the red and green chest (love, love that green chest! ) in an Asian inspired home.

Barefoot in Sri Lanka

All images from http://barefootceylon.com/

The moment you say you are visiting Colombo in Srilanka everybody tells you that you should not miss the Barefoot Gallery. Having heard so much about it, even read about it in the in-flight magazine, I decided I have to check out this place soon. So on the very first day of my stay in Srilanka, at 9.00 o’clock in the morning (ahh..women and shopping!!) I found myself standing outside the brightly colored wooden doors of the barefoot gallery in the heart of the Colombo city. And trust me it’s an imaginative and colorful journey once you step inside those doors.

Bright is the color philosophy of Barefoot. Hand dyed, hand-woven, ecofriendly fabrics and textile-based products is what they make. Barbara Sansoni the creative force behind all Barefoot products founded this company of rural weavers 30 years back. The rural womenfolk who through weaving have made themselves economically independent make all these products. Its very easy to recognize a barefoot product be it diaries, books, adorable cloth animal toys, bags, clothing, table linen, cushions etc. The simple geometric patterns and bright colors of the slightly coarse hand-woven cloth set it apart from others. This unique design and philosophy of this company has won them the Super Brand award this year.



The Barefoot store now includes an art gallery, bookshop, café and venue for theatre, music and dance. It has become a hotspot for all the local musicians, artists, actors, musicians and travelers. I was lucky to enjoy the sat live jazz music session in the Barefoot alfresco cafeteria. No wonder that barefoot is a much talked about and a must visit venue in Colombo for locals and foreign visitors.

Images from personal collection.

Dutch Decor in Jakarta

Image from www.cafebatavia.com

Last week we visited a very old charming Dutch Café, which was built, between 1805 and 1850. It has served as a residence, warehouse, and an office. It was tastefully renovated in the 19th century and turned into a restaurant. The décor is so authentic that it transports you back in history. Imagine yourself sitting among the Dutch merchants and ladies sipping coffee on a calm evening. Hmnn..Very nostalgic.

Every wall of this 2 storey cafe is adorned with photographs of celebrities who have visited this cafe over the years. I always believe that photographs add so much character to any decor.

Even the toilet has photographs of the celebrities.



Dutch merchants first arrived in the ports of Jayakarta (now Jakarta) in 1596 to trade in spices. They soon took over and renamed their headquarters as Batavia. It was the Japanese who changed the name to Jakarta during WW II.

Batavia was a major thriving trade town and prospered in the 17th and 18th century and there were plans to make Batavia the centre of Asian trade from Persia to Japan using Burmese, Madagascan and Chinese laborers. But by the end of 18th century the city became disease ridden and lot of the old buildings were destroyed. Very few old buildings remain one of which is Café Batavia. It is like finding a gem, a quiet spot in the middle of a buzzing, noisy, and heavy traffic zone.

Images from personal collection

A Salty Affair

Check out these images. Lace? Grandma's doilie's? Take a closer look. They are made by crystalizing salt. Design in daily life as somebody said to me recently. I say, its design for daily use! :-). It is amazing when designers put together creative talents to preserve a handicraft, an age old techinque. Check out the great work done by the Home Project team
http://www.the-home-project.com/

All images from http://www.the-home-project.com/

The Inspiration Store

Playground is a fun, quirky boutique store in Thonglo, Bangkok, Thailand. It has got book stores, art stores, top end product line, restaurants, cafes, unique interiors, all meant to inspire the young, hip and the urban person. You can notice it from the main road..they have quite a quirky looking huge rabbit standing outside.
Playground divided into 3 floors. The first floor houses the biggest magazine store of Thailand. It has a great collection of Thai and English magazines. And a sizeable music store too. Plus a Starbucks and the Vanilla Industry restaurant.



Second floor is known as the mecca of trends. This is where you will find the biggest design and fashion names from all around the world. You can buy a Jean Paul Gautier umbrella, Lara Bohnic sunglasses and wallets, Dolce and Gabbana. There is also a travel store, stationery story all done up in quirky, amusing ways. There is an art and graphic design bookstore. You can browse through the latest books on graphic design, fashion, photography, illustration, advertising, interiors etc.



The third floor, features many living, kitchen and décor products, all top brands again. It’s definitely worth a dekho. The top floor also has a small section where art exhibitions are put up or the place is given for art and fashion seminars. What an awesome place to discuss art! So browse around, listen to music, check out the exhibitions, get inspired, learn about the newest trends, buy a couple of things if you want, eat at the fusion restaurants on the top level or just laze at Starbucks with coffee…well sounds like a wonderful way to spend the Saturday.

All images from Playground

Modern wonders of lace

Image from Marcel Wanders

Crochet rug by Patricia Urquiola

Lace …lots of tiny holes and delicate threads being woven into fine, intricate webs of beautiful patterns :-) Since Lace is an ancient art lets talk a bit about its history. The most ancient surviving specimens of lace are pieces of knotted hairnets found in tombs of Thebes and other parts of Egypt dating back to 2500 BC. But true lace only began to be made much later and the popularity of lace did not increase till the 16th century.

There is an interesting history about lace published in the The International Lace magazine. Humans have always been motivated to make clothing more attractive. The ancient Greeks and Romans used flax cloth for their togas and ornamented it with gold or colored threads woven in geometric designs. But as the garment became old, and the edges became worn and frayed, the threads had to be twisted and stitched together. These twisting techniques used in decoration of the frayed edges gave birth to lace making. The birthplaces of lace are generally recognized as Flanders and Italy. From there lace traveled far and wide to all over Europe, Russia, and Asia. There is a theory that lace was also being simultaneously developed in china as some lace had distinctive oriental patterns but it doesn’t have any claims in today’s pattern books or surviving lace.

True lace flourished into a cottage industry throughout Europe only in the 16th century. This art particularly prospered in countries like Belgium, France, Italy, Holland, England, and Spain. It was mostly women who dedicated their time, deft fingers and eyesight to this delicate art. Infact lace makers were in demand as brides as they could bring an additional income to the household.

Another interesting fact is that starch was developed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It then became fashionable to starch lace and use it as a huge ruff around the neck.

The first machine was discovered surprisingly much earlier in 1598. A successful machine was invented by 1810 changing the entire lace making industry.

Till today lace making continues all over the world as a hobby, as cottage industry and also as a big business. And its being reinvented all the time and contributing much to our modern times and decors. I have been watching this trend of lace for quite some time. It’s making its reappearance as starched coasters, cup holders, and linens. The lace patterns are being copied on to on furniture, lampshades, dinnerware, ceramics, wallpaper, decals etc. Its new avatar is so much more fun. Its presence lends such a feminine, playful, romantic, fairy kind of quality to these products. I checked a wonderful swedish blog http://emmas.blogg.se/ where i came across these lace inspired lamps by Charming Unit. Thanks to Holly of decor8 who has posted about emma's blog.

Images from http://emmas.blogg.se/

Check out the wonderful work done by designer Marcel Wanders. Truly inspiring.

Trivial Matters of Mumbai

Trivial Matters is a blog by a very young Mumbai photographer Akshay Mahajan. Akshay writes about his travels around Mumbai adding life, interest and fascination to Mumbai through his lens and his words. The blog has such lovely photographs, each image weaves a story around itself. And the stories make an interesting read.
Check out his photographs of Yazdani Bakery at Flora Fountain, The Dadar Phool (flower) market, the buzzing Ferry Wharf, Indian pop art, Calcutta Teahouse. These images convince me that amidst all the filth, poverty and chaos there is still beauty and innocence to feel. There is still an adventure and a treasure to hunt for.





Ahh..the humble beginnings of clay before it turned into Art. (Refer to my earlier post)

Source: Images by Akshay Mahajan