Open Plan Space for Your Home

A house with open plan space is one of the most sought after feature in recent years. Open plan homes look great, giving a sense of free flow of space, open view with a lot of light, increases your chance to socialize and entertain guests and also to keep an eye on the brood from any corner of your home. And the downsides of such a plan can be tackled through a clever floor design.

Distinct zones can be created with bookshelves, furniture and storage units to give visual or physical partition. Keep your cooker and hob near a window away from the living room to contain your cooking smell. And opt for soft flooring and lot of soft furnishings to minimize noise.



Image via Home Designing





Image via Home Designing



 

 

Image via homelife, photography Armelle Habib

 

 

Image via homelife, photography by Shannon McGrath

 

 

Image via homelife, photography by Richard Powers

 

 

Image via homelife, photography by Richard Powers

 

Image via homelife

 

 

Image via homelife

 

 

Would you opt for an open plan space for your home?

 

 

Through my Lens: Wadi Al Arbaeen

Wadi Al Arbaeen, an ancient mystic place, is one my favorite outdoor place in Oman. The tranquility and the sounds of fresh water, the beautiful landscape and a dip in the wadi, made me want to explore this scenic wilderness even further.

Enjoy the landscape through my lens!



Love the landscape



fresh pool



the heat didn't stop us from exploring!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four Wheel drive is a must to get here and explore

 

 

 

a patch of greenery in between

 

 

Images are clicked by me

House of the Month: Parul Kumar from Bangalore

Parul Kumar, based in Bangalore, shares a few corners of her warm, simple and inviting home with us today. Parul who is passionate about recycling and crafts, loves to experiment with her space and makes sure there are open and breathing space and no clutter. Her favorite collections are her Buddha pieces that compliments her simple décor.

Enjoy the home tour!

The swing in the living room gives an ethnic feel

 

Love the colour burst in this room

 

 

 

Love how Parul used a simple ladder to display her pieces

 

Thank you for sharing your lovely home with us Parul!

 

Images via Parul Kumar

 

Kottanz and Two Give-Away

Kottanz is a gift solution venture started by Mithra, to promote heritage craft of rural artisans and especially focusing on weaving. Mithra has successfully promoted her sustainable products in different cities in India through various exhibitions. I love her beautiful eco-friendly baskets that come in vibrant colours. Just in time to use these colourful boxes for Diwali and Christmas to gift something in it.

 

 

Click here to access their Facebook page and have a look at the product range. If you have any enquiries please write to gift.kottanz@gmail.com .

 And now for some exciting news…… Kottanz has offered two give-away – a beautiful weaved gift box to celebrate the rural craftsmanship.

 

 

*The offer is valid for all those with India shipping address.  J

Here is how you can win the give-away

      ·        Comment on this post on why you like this gift box.
            (Please log in to your gmail account while leaving a comment below)

·        Click here to like Kottanz Facebook page

·        Share the above picture from their Facebook page

The last date of the give-away is 30th October. Lucky two winners will be chosen and announced soon, so share this news with your friends!

All the best!

 

Images via Kottanz

 

Recipe for the Month: Vanilla Cake with Lemon Glaze

This is the best yellow cake I’ve ever had… its light, tender, moist, the buttery texture is just perfect and tangy as I drizzled it with lemon glaze while the cake was still warm…. It’s easy to bake and big on flavor. And I assure you of instant love at first bite!! Thanks Sarita Jijo for this simple recipe …this is a cake that makes me happy!

 

 

 

Ingredients

Eggs - 3
Plain Flour - 1 cup
Butter - 170 gm
Sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - ½ tsp

 

Method

 Beat butter and sugar together followed by egg white separately. Sieve flour and baking powder together and add to the mixture. Beat well. Now beat egg yellow separately and add to the mixture. Also add vanilla essence and beat all the ingredients well. Grease the baking vessel with butter before pouring the mixture onto it. Bake at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes.

 

 

For Lemon Glaze

Juice of 2-3 limes {as required}
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Method:
Stir in the juice of 2 limes into 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar, and stir till you have a thick and smooth glaze. Add more powdered sugar or lemon juice if needed to get the right flowing consistency.  Pour the frosting over the top of the cake and allow it to drip down the sides. Allow the frosting to dry before covering and storing.

Tip:
You can top it with whipped cream, fresh fruit or any other frosting of your choice.


Images are clicked by me

 

Oakwood Premiere at Pune

My short stay at Pune, the cultural capital of Maharastra, was memorable because of our stay at this beautiful property called OakwoodPremier, located at one of Pune’s posh locality and of course the beautiful weather and great company made it even more special. This fully fledged apartment made us feel like a home away from home. The food is great, fantastic service, well equipped kitchen, pet friendly and beautiful interiors. This place has it all. I would definitely recommend this hotel for a family getaway.



aerial view of Pune



Reception area




Wall with old Pune city pictures

Love this beautiful marble table

Images are clicked by me

 

Through my Lens: Fort Kochi

Fort Kochi is like an oasis in Cochin, away from the hustle and bustle of the city that caters to the backpackers and the luxury tourists.  It’s calm yet lively with lot of old historic places, restaurants and cafés, Churches,  Synagogue, beach, Jewish street with shops selling art, antiques and spices. I loved walking through the narrow streets with old buildings on both side and feeling the history of the place. 

Enjoy this culturally rich place through my lens!

Shopping Street

 

 

Spice market

 

 

 

Jewish Street

 

 

Antique shop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Francis Church, an old European church built in the 16th Century AD

 

 

 

 

Dutch Cemetery

 

 

 

Jewish Synagogue

 

 

 

Loved this beautiful house on of the streets in Fort Kochi

 

 

Most of the streets are adorned by beautiful trees

 

 

Images are clicked by me