I am always brimming with joy when I feature a fellow
blogger’s home. It’s like starting a new journey with new inspirations to take
away. Today I’d like to introduce Karishma Banerji Madan, her blog called Treat forthe Senses and a few corners of her beautiful home. I believe that it’s the personal expression
that makes a house a “home” and that’s exactly what Karishma’s home is all
about. It’s an extension of her thoughts and her personality. And that’s what I
felt when I read her beautifully written blog. Her interior inspirations, her
thoughts and her skill in photography lured me to her blog. Karishma has
accessorized her home with fresh flowers, beautiful drapes, bright cushions and
her own paintings. Her inspirations and creativity has even led her to start
her own home décor label called Kedgree that has a range of art, antiques and
handcrafted products.
Allow me to whisk you away to Karishma’s beautiful home and let's hear more from her...
"Buying furniture in
Korea is an uphill task. Either the kinds you want just aren’t available or
they are unaffordable! After much research we found a shop that makes furniture
on order and we placed an order for a coffee table for our living room which
proved to be a disaster. Too big and bulky and very unflattering design… however
the challenges of living in a non English speaking land turned into a blessing
when it struck me I could turn this around into a seating arrangement ! I got a
raw silk ‘gaddi’ made for it to cover the surface and mixed and matched some
cushions and placed it in a corner of our home that gets the morning sun. And
voila, 'coffee-table-gone-wrong' turned into a cozy reading nook :-)"
"Silk drapes in neutral tones and white couches help
me play around with colour in the rest of the house. I love complementing these
with bright cushions, flowers and rugs."
"The decor in our
home is a combination of family heirlooms such as my grandmother’s paan-daan
which often rests as the centre piece on our coffee table and also treasured gifts
from family and friends such as these beautiful Ganesha prints given to us by
my brother and sister-in-law…"
"I love to paint at leisure and our home has art that
has been put together by me."
"Cozy floor
arrangements such as these help me relax and unwind…a good book or a magazine,
a cushion and a cup of tea is all that I need when I get home…"
"I am a tea mug hoarder and very soon we just might
need to move into a bigger place to accommodate the unending addition to my
collection :-)"
1. How and when did
you start blogging? Why the name "a treat for the senses”?
I moved to Korea
last year and had the thrilling task of setting up our new home together with
my husband. Every step of piecing our little nest together was such a beautiful
experience that led me to create a little niche here in the blogosphere, so I could
share it with like minded souls. I am someone who appreciates and loves beauty
in the simple things of life, fresh flowers, colour, fabrics, good food,
photography…all this is a treat for my senses and hence the name of the blog
:-)
2. Where did you get
your inspiration to do up your home so tastefully?
I have always
maintained that everyone has their own aesthetic sensibilities and a unique
sense of style. Mine draws inspiration from my parents’ home and my
mother-in-law’s beautiful sense of decor. I also love browsing through the
decor pages of other aesthetes. There are so many gifted people out there, and
blogging is a wonderful way to exchange ideas.
3. Do you have a
design background?
I do not have a
design background. I am someone who went to business school and worked for the
corporate sector before taking a hiatus and a plunge into the world of
interiors. The latter fascinates me and I enjoy exploring it as a hobby and
passion.
4. What does art and
design mean to you?
Art and design are
both spell a ‘perspective’ to me. It is the way an artist sees something and
gives it an entirely new dimension, a unique definition. It is about seeing
similar things, differently! Needless to say, taste in design and art reveal
volumes about one’s personality. I usually like warm colours, Indian art and
photos that tell a story!
5. Your pictures are
beautiful! Do you have a passion for photography?
So glad to hear
that, I do have a passion for the lens. There are very few moments when you
would find me sans my camera :-) You never know when inspiration may strike and
you find a vignette that is calling out to you to be clicked! I love taking
pictures and weaving them into my blog posts.
6. Did blogging
channelize your creativity?
Absolutely, it did.
It anchored my love for writing, decor and photography and helped me frame all
of it together. Also love the fact that it allowed me to share this side of my
personality with those who have similar interests.
7. Tell us about
your home décor label "Kedgeree"... what kind of home décor products
do you provide?
Kedgree is the
culmination of my passion for all things beautiful and is anchored by an
obsession for everything that spells ‘decor’. I have always loved art, antiques
and handicrafts and had a dream to share my passion for home decor curated by
me with a global audience, to bring to the doors and walls of others what is
beautiful to my eye and more importantly, through this endeavour, to narrate the
stories of those who craft these products and share the history and culture
associated with these objects.
Every store or
curator has a concept and a vision behind their label. Kedgree has its roots in
the term ‘Kedgeree’, used by the British for Indian ‘khichdi’. The label is a
blend of the old and the new, of the rustic and the modern, of ethnic boho-chic
items as well as collectors items and objets-d-art, items from the exotic east
right across to the elegant west.
Kedgree offers you a
delicate blend of curios and collectibles
from across the world to infuse vibrance and colour into your home from
different cultures. Its mission is to deliver the perfect fusion, a
beautiful mix, the 'perfect kedgeree' to make your beautiful home even
more gorgeous than it already is :-)
Kedgree’s collection
is sourced from artisans across the world. The effort is to curate the very
best from the actual artist herself and the desire is to share the results of
her skill, toil and labour with people who would appreciate all that goes into
developing the ‘character' of the object of art in question, through the
platform that is ‘Kedgree'. The vintage collection at Kedgree includes rare and
exclusive items that are procured from connoisseurs of art and antiques in
India who have been collecting these artefacts for many decades.
Karishma, thanks for sharing your lovely space with us!!
Click here to hop on to her blog and here to browse through her home décor products.
Images via Karishma