Today's Frontier Girl – Fashion savvy, style focused and one who follows her true calling!

Ruchika and Sarvpreet  enjoy a stroll by the beach - hand in hand!

Welcome back and today I am shining the spotlight on yet another frontier girl as she shares her story of balancing work and home. I am sure this elusive topic resonates (quite loudly) with the majority of us. I am taking you to Columbus, OH to introduce you all to Dr. Sharma –a pediatric oncologist and a dear friend! 

Metropolitan columbus - a great midwest city with a bustling art scene and a fun entertainment district

Being a physician myself, I know that professional demands can be challenging at times. But over the years, I have learnt to roll with the punches and understood the critical importance of work-life balance. We all have this image of a perfect life that does not always reconcile with the realities and conflicting everyday demands and therefore certain necessary life skills have to be learnt. Trade offs and priorities being the big ones! 

I admire Ruchika. She is young, ambitious, fashionable, accomplished and an inspiration in her own right and she has a beautiful home!

She spends her days taking care of sick children and in her down time enjoys traveling and decorating her home and of course our countdown to a century would not be complete without a home tour and we could not have asked for a better home! Ruchika and her wonderful husband Sarvpreet graciously agreed to feature their contemporary style abode on Aalayam and I am excited to pull back the curtains and share this beautiful home with all of you!

In conversation with Ruchika

Ruchika on what drew her to Pediatrics – “I grew up in New Delhi, India and moved to the US for my residency training in pediatrics. I love taking care of children and always wanted to be a pediatrician. Currently I'm training to be a pediatric hematologist in Columbus, Ohio.” The path to becoming a physician is a long and arduous one and staying true to one’s calling takes an enormous amount of hard work and patience as well as a clear vision. Ruchika’s chosen profession is a testament to her commitment and passion for helping others.

Ruchika on balancing priorities – “Being a physician and (being married to a physician!) with a busy schedule presents several challenges to leading an active social life. I realized early on that a fulfilling personal life is super important to retain one’s sanity and to succeed professionally. I try to spend as much time as possible with my loved ones and try to stay engaged in activities that give me personal satisfaction. 

Knowing myself and having an honest conversation about things that I can and cannot handle and trimming my to do list to make room for some creative interests has always helped me keep my head above the water.”

Ruchika on her interest in home decor –“I have always liked pretty things and admire beauty! Growing up in a large metropolitan city my design aesthetic is modern contemporary. I love to watch home improvement TV shows and websites for inspiration. I have to say that my husband and I are both home décor enthusiasts.

 Collectively, we try to pick decor items that fit our personal style and design aesthetic. We live in a high-rise condo in downtown Columbus as the hustle and bustle of the city keeps us closer to home. We want our guest to feel comfortable and welcome in our home. 

We want them to get who we are as a couple; young and vibrant with a clean and modern design style and an eye for uniqueness.”

 Ruchika has successfully tapped into her personal interest and through a process of exploration and self-discovery created a contemporary chic nest for her and her husband. I love her home! In spirit, this home matches the young couple’s effervescence and exudes an inviting aura. I love how this charming little home, in the heart of downtown Columbus, stands tall in a fun and gorgeous color palette!

Ruchika on wearing multiple hats  “I believe as women we always wear many hats and try to take on a lot of responsibility. It is imperative for us to take out time for ourselves doing things that WE like to do to have a successful career as well as personal life and maintain equanimity when faced with a tsunami!” Wise words indeed!

Thank you Ruchika and Sarvpreet for letting us into your beautiful home!

There you have it – our 2 part series on today’s frontier girl. We chose to feature these two gorgeous (Ruchika and Sripriya), talented, hardworking, passionate, fashion and style savvy women. There is one simple lesson to be learned from their stories and that is to go after your heart’s desire! Often, we let our insecurities and self doubt bring us down but the stories of these young women is a simple reminder that doing what we like and doing it as well as we can is good enough! Hope you are inspired!

And next up is our 100^th! Yes, Aalayam is going to be a 100 posts old! We continue to grow, learn and be inspired ourselves and we are also learning not to get too comfortable or stay focused on any one area, as there is so much to explore. In our countdown to a century series we took some risks and moved away from our travel, décor and culinary posts for a little bit and focused on social media, photography, and fashion. I hope you have enjoyed this as much as we have bringing it to you. In our 100^th, I hope to capture the true spirit of Aalayam. Join me then!

The lounge in Ruchika's downtown high-rise.

Cheers!

Deepa

All pictures in this post belong to Ruchika and Sarvpreet and may not be used without permission. Ruchika’s home pictures were shot by UJ.

India Inspired family room and Dasara Golu

 Hello and welcome to the season of joy, color and inspiration! 

Dasara and Diwali are around the corner and what better way to celebrate than share festive inspirations right here on Aalayam. Supriya and I have channeled our collective enthusiasm to create an array of seasonally appropriate festive posts! And tonight, we kick off! 

   Our first stop- my (Deepa's) colorful family room! If you are thinking of getting into the festive spirit with a few touches to spruce up the main living area of your house then this post might be just what you are looking for! This is also the next stop on my (Deepa's) home tour. I am sure many of you remember previously featured posts on our son's room, guest room and the media room. If not, stop by and take your time! But now - the family room.

The family room is truly the heart of our home (that's right, move over kitchen!). It is where we talk, laugh, play and grow.  It's the grand central station!  But the high-traffic did not deter us from focusing on the aesthetics. I think we (my husband and I) wanted this room to be a comfortable living and visually stunning space. This is where we entertain our guests too. And so, we pushed the envelope! Moving from the unassuming earth tones of our previous home to the bold, Bollywood-like batch of colors in this room- we did a dramatic 360! We embraced color! Bathed in a myriad hues of teal, purple, green, yellow, gold and more this room greets you with a bohemian charm and on closer look you will see traditional Indian accents layered throughout the space. For now, I am happy but any home decor enthusiast will tell you that home decor is never done and therefore, I see it as work in progress.

This room has good bones - beautiful architectural details, lots of natural light, tall windows and great views of the back yard. We walked into this room and we were sold on the house! That's how much we loved this space to begin with and therefore, making it our own was not hard. 

We pictured a fun and inviting space where we could unwind and exchange stories after a hectic day at work and school and that was our inspiration. The resulting nonconformist look was a happy accident ! Not letting any  particular style stifle our creativity was a great way to go with this space, i guess. We brought in diverse elements, one at a time, purely guided by our instinct - the distressed coffee table, a BG Sharma painting, artisanal candle holders, a handcrafted wool rug and pillows in vibrant hues came together in layers to create this indulgent look. We joke about it and say that we kept adding pieces till it felt right - one little thing here and one little thing there! 

Purple predominates as the accent color. How that came to be, I have no idea! I brought the purple embroidered footstools into the family room last winter to enjoy the warmth of the fire and they have remained there since and this may have very well started a cascade of purple accents slowly trickling into the room. Teal wall and purple accents, who would've thought ? But purple adds punch to this space, don't you think?

Overall, the space is anchored by investment furniture such as the leather sofa, the media credenza, a large coffee table and a seating bench and that's where the bulk of our budget was consumed. I swear by timeless pieces that are durable, versatile and which can withstand a few dings!  We bought the leather sofa about 8 years ago. Not your conventional casual seating, I agree but with the addition of a few colorful pillows, it fits right in!

The space is large and open and planning the seating area was easy. We toyed around with accent chairs before settling on this distressed bench. Together with the kantha and embroidered pillows, the bench gives this corner of the room a "haveli-esque" feel and invties conversation. The golden Buddha plaque adds a paradoxical mix of drama and serenity at the same time!

I love how decor accessories that we have owned for varying lengths of time seem to blend in harmoniously with their newer contemporaries. A recent addition- the ornate trunk merrily shares the space with a Madhubani painting (that I painted) and an intricate wood framed mirror that we have owned for 12 years. A happy marriage of the old and the new brings life to this corner.

This space works for us functionally and aesthetically because it is filled with things we love and cherish.  Indian accessories take center stage and add visual interest to our American home reflecting our multicultural personalities. Our home stands ready to celebrate and make memories this festival season!

Home means different things to different people. To me- it means an oasis! A place where I can enjoy the simple pleasures of life like the warmth of a fire on a crisp autumn evening or a quiet conversation or soulful music with my family. 

 Home is also a place where we bring to life traditions that make us a family and nurture our spirit. And this Dasara, I  am celebrating my first (!) Bombe Habba or Golu and my inspiration ?- Supriya's post on Dasara Bombe Habba from last year!  We prepped for our Golu this weekend and my little boy was an enthusiastic little helper! And here is a peak at what our Golu looks like. 

 Marapachi dolls (Pattada bombe) and channapatna wood lacquered toys are the highlight of our Golu this year. Its a modest first time effort and I had a lot of fun reading up on technicalities and teaching my boy and I look forward to letting our collection evolve over time.

 Dear readers, what is your home story? What does the word "home" mean to you? And how does it play into your lives this festive season. Let's have a conversation. Write to us.

Next up, Supriya tells the story of Dashavathara followed by my post on Diwali decor inspirations - stay with us!

Cheers!
Deepa

P.S: All pictures in this post are from my home and are the copyrighted property of Aalayam. Please ask before using.