House of the Month: Residence of Karishma Banerji Madan from Korea

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