Bringing India Home!

It is often rare to find a friendship that transcends decades of life’s milestones …that shares common aspirations and passions…and forges such a strong bond, that two people seem like parts of the same whole. It is one such friendship that led me to this Home Tour! The story of the friendship of Rashmi and Sushma.

Rashmi wrote to me from Hong Kong one day - “Suppi..the Aalayam feature on Sridevi’s house was awesome! That gave me an idea..I have a friend in Texas, who has just bought and done up her house beautifully…painstakingly collected pieces. I was wondering if her home could be featured on your blog?”. 

And my answer to Rashmi was a resounding Yes!!! Not only was I humbled at her feedback about Aalayam, I considered it a privilege to bring to our readers a poignant story about two friends who have grown up together, and are sharing their everyday lives with such zing, color and passion, even though separated by tens of thousands of miles!

Rashmi even wrote a blurb about Sushma’s home –

"Madhurageethe" in Austin, Texas, is a beautiful home named after Ramesh's and Sushma's loving mothers respectively. It is a haven built in 2012. Sushma likes to keep things simple, elegant, functional and Indian. The living/family room is their favorite place to hang out in their home. A touch of easy-to -maintain greenery sprinkled around the home keeps Sushma’s green thumb satisfied and adds a live energy to every room. Warm and vibrant colors are her type and she loves to keep moving things around in her home, cushion covers change to brighten up the room according to the season. These pictures were taken in Fall of last year, as you can probably see from the light streaming into her rooms!”

Thank you Rashmi, for introducing Aalayam to Madhurageethe. Maybe we can tempt you to share pictures of the corners from your home on Aalayam sometime. That is what Aalayam is all about, sharing glimpses of real people, their spaces and their inspirations. And this story touched our heart.

Let’s hear from the home owners themselves..about how they have brought INDIA home!

We (Ramesh and Sushma) are basically hard core 'Bangaloreans'-Simple and Cosmopolitan. Yet we are very 'Indian' in whatever we do-be it our way of life, the food we eat and the home we live in :)

We moved to Austin in 2007 and lived in an apartment till 2011. We eventually fell in love with the City and wanted to buy our home here, simply because it was so culturally close to the Bangalore we LOVE. Then began our home search…we looked for about 6 months to find the right kind of a house, not too big, not too small and not “over the top”. After a couple of compromises, we eventually settled for this one. We were lucky to have at least a couple of things the 'Karnataka' way-we did a traditional 'Bhoomi Puje' or the ground breaking ceremony, and then when the house was built and ready, we did our own private 'Gruhapravesha' :). Private because, the 'Muhurtha' fell on a working day when all of our dear friends were at work !! The priest doubled as our photographer :) which was actually interesting because he was clicking pictures from our mobile phone as and when he was saying the 'mantras'- amusing nevertheless!!

Since we knew we would move in after Christmas 2011, I began looking at all the Thanksgiving sales and the Christmas clearance stuff. We got some very nice buys from World Market (the lovely daybed, coffee table, dining chairs) and they were kind enough to store it in their warehouse till our house was ready. So, like a true Indian, I am very proud to say that I managed to shop on a budget and yes stick to it :) Like this dining table - The dining table is from a local Indian design store in Austin and so is the 'Sandooku' atop the table. The table is made of mango wood and encases an old door from rural India. I keep 'adike' and 'saunf' in the 'Sandooku'.

This absolutely stunning 'Buddha' was the first housewarming gift I got from my best buddy-Rashmi. She got it custom made from a local artist in Hong Kong and it arrived via UPS just days before my house warming. It beautifully adorns the entrance to the master bed room.. :) I love it !!!!

I did majority of the furniture shopping here, in the USA, however, I was looking at some accessories for the house. Although I did find some at Pier One and of course World Market, I really wanted some stuff from back home. So, we went to India in the summer of 2011 and I spent all of my 3 weeks-SHOPPING :) 

Hopping from one emporium to another, from one exhibition to another with my in-laws and my mom in tow…we had to just soak up all the time together!!!! The trip was extremely tiring but I found such nice pieces-like the beautiful Saraswathi statue, the endearing 'Kalamkari-Krishna', the crisp 'Kora' painting…Colorful, cottony bedspreads from 'Desi', those beautiful trinkets….aww want to go back again right now-Sigh :)

This is the Kalamkari- Kalinga Mardhana. I am still hunting for that perfect color on the wall which would highlight this beautiful piece of art. I picked this up from India at one of the exhibitions...

This Kathakali painting that I got as a housewarming present from my darling Brother in Bangalore...

It has been about a year now in our new house. Its 'Austin-TX' outside my front door but inside the house-It screams INDIA :)

All, I can now say is..Way to go Sushma and Ramesh!! You have truly brought INDIA home! Thank you for letting us into your home and your heart.

Love,

Supriya

DIY Inspiration - Desi Gift idea!!

Wondering what to gift your friends and family this festive season? Do you want a touch of unconventional and personal to your gifts this year, instead of spreading cheer with the random and benumbed gifts spun out of the big-box retailers?

Or maybe you want to add your personal design stamp to your home or work space? Maybe create a conversation corner around your "desi" style?

Then - here's your perfect recipe! A DIY inspiration post by a guest blogger - Divya, owner and author of The Craft Angel. Divya and her inspirational ideas, which we love, can be found at http://creadivya.blogspot.com/. Read on!!

Feeling crafty today? Have an hour to spare? Then make these fun photo frames that add a dash of desi colour to your home. Nothing depicts India better than vibrant colours and some good old bling! These photo frames are easy-breezy and look so chic and artsy. They can instantly dress up a wall, like they do here in our home...and if you’re a picture-crazy person like me, they are the perfect accessories to personalise your home with your most favourite memories.

Let’s get started then. This project is super simple, as easy as 1-2-3! Here’s a photo tutorial for you...

Gather your supplies –

And get crafty!

The possibilities to decorate them are endless!

And your handmade photo frames are ready!

Here are a few handy tips –

·         I use frames from Ikea. But you can get them at your local craft store too.

·         While painting the frames, make sure you go over all the sides, even the back, to achieve a more finished look. Get into all the nooks and crannies J

·         And you could go all crazy with the colours, or stick to a more conventional colour scheme. That’s the best bit, these are so easy to customise!

·         Allow the paint to dry completely before you get on with decorating further.

·         I find that hot glue holds sequins quite well, but you could also use any other strong glue. Especially if you don’t like stringy glue all over the place J

·         If you have more time to spare, get creative and use string, Popsicle sticks etc. to add texture to your frames.

·         Once you’re done with the decorating bit, seal the frame by spraying (or coating) a thin layer of acrylic/water resistant sealer.

 

These would look great in your home. But they also make wonderful handmade gifts. Simply make a few, stack and tie them with jute string and add a little handmade tag. Rustic, elegant and oh-so-special – the recipient is sure to love the thought behind it!

Hope you try this quick ‘n’ easy project! For more handmade projects and ideas please see my blog – www.creadivya.blogspot.com.

Happy crafting!

Divya