Home Tour of Kapila Banerjee’s home from India

Home Tours are my happy segment. They tell us so much of the owners taste and their personality. Kapila Banerjee’s home in India screams ethnicity, earthy and bright tones.  I got distracted as I was browsing through the pictures, right from the wall colour to the ethnic and vintage furniture and beautiful lamps. My eyes were also glued to her beautiful vignettes displayed on her coffee table and other corners. Kapila’s love for aesthetic décor and her love for travel can be seen in the curios that she has collected over the years. And her love for plants is blended well in her space. Her home is a true reflection of her taste… So let’s hear more from Kapila herself and view her home. Enjoy the home tour!

beautiful tablescape

“I was born and bought up in Indore -MP Heart of India. Right from my childhood art was part of me. Back then in college days I developed interest in interior designing. This led me to learning basics through the formal diploma in interior designing. While I could not purse it as a profession but the interest continued right from the time when I did the decor of my parental home to my own house after marriage. Being happily married to Sonal for 14 years and counting, we are proud parents to twin daughters. We have been moving places due to work demands. Sonal currently is on a overseas assignment based out of Yangon, Myanmar. I returned back with my girls to Indore from Nairobi, Kenya.

My apartment (2500 square feet space) is a mirror reflection of my passion around art, home décor and paintings. Both I and Sonal are passionate and appreciative about beautiful art pieces and unique furniture. My daughters aged 9 have also developed a taste for decor of their own in specific style which reflects in their room. The artifacts in the home have been collected over the years. Each place we stayed or went on a vacation we did add on to our collectibles. Decor in my home has rich influences of lifestyles and cultures from few Indian states, certain African countries and the Far East influences which we gathered due to Sonal’s current stay at Myanmar.

lots of wood and metal elements that go hand in hand

There is a very dominant presence of metal and wood in every room which shows a nice blend of ethnic with contemporary lifestyle in the house. My love for hand painted artifacts is also prominent with some of my own works. Every nook and corner of the house has a little space to spare with different moods. I love fresh plants and flowers all around. I have a small cozy sit out in the balcony surrounded by well-groomed plants. I prefer natural light hence I like using light curtains and some of them are my old sarees reused. I like using vibrant and warm colors, one key highlight is the camouflaged décor in the living room wall paint and the furniture’s around the room which has blended elegantly. You shall also find glimpses of African decor in the house which is a nostalgic remembrance during my stay at Kenya for few years.

a warm corner to chill

her beautiful balcony

Favorite spot in my home is the family room along the balcony space. This is one room where I spend most of my time with kids and extended family. Day bed corner is the most comforting zone with natural light and fresh air along with greens from the adjoining balcony.

beautiful wall colour that goes well with her ethnic décor 

My advice to all decor lovers out there is to try new things from the old and antique decor pieces .Be updated on new products , specially the once which help you to keep the house organized. Use fresh plants they just add so much life and vibrancy to any corner. Play with lights to get different visual impacts. It’s finally not about the size but the space utility.”

her cozy living room

Another beautiful vignette

her girls bedroom

Thank you Kapila for giving us a fabulous home tour and giving us many inspirations to take away. 

All above images are copyright Kapila 

Choti Moti

Today we speak to a sister duo that launched their venture on a whim and for their sheer love for lifestyle products, design and décor. The Choti Moti sisters, Shalini and Saveen, based in Munich, recently launched their unique online store that caters to lifestyle products. Their products are funky, quirky, boho, chic and ethnic. And they provide a platform for different labels with a curate collection that ranges from accessories and home décor products. I personally love the distinct mood they have created with their collection. It is more like a celebration of good things in life.

Let’s hear more from the beautiful duo

How did it all start?

Choti Moti is an online store showcasing modern Indian lifestyle designs. We currently stock handmade jewellery, textiles, stationery, bags and footwear. We have consciously chosen partners, whose design process is creative as well as sustainable and helps keeps the traditional art of handmade alive.

We have always been passionate about design and decor and working together on something we both felt inspired by was a long cherished dream despite our comfortable corporate jobs in Dubai and Muscat, where we both were based for the last decade. An opportunity to move back with our families to Munich last summer was the first step in realizing our dream and a year later, here we are. 

 

What inspired you both to this venture?

The inspiration to start Choti Moti came from annual visits home to India, where we realized the indian design scene was buzzing with creative talent and amazing lifestyle products from both budding and established designers. Apart from a few renowned names that are known in the international market, there are a plethora of Indian brands that remain undiscovered beyond the local or national retail scene. We also realized that with Choti Moti, we could cater to a niche in the German market, where people, while familiar with India, its cuisine and the ever popular yoga, are largely unaware of how much India has to offer in terms of design and sustainability; something that they care deeply about. 

 

Why the name Choti Moti?

We wanted a name that had an Indian origin but at the same time would be easy for a non-indian audience to pronounce and remember. We also wanted the name to represent the range of lifestyle products we were looking to showcase; from elegant to vibrant, retro and quirky, which is why we chose "Choti Moti", a Hindi term denoting knick knacks. The words are easy to say, playful and as proven time and again, a definite conversation starter with our German customers, who are invariably curious about its meaning. Just ask the UPS guy, who delivered our first shipment of products! 

 

What is the product range that you deal with?

We have an interesting mix of handmade eclectic as well as delicate silver jewelry; some of which are set with precious and semi precious stones, block printed and hand stitched cotton duvets, table and cushion covers, recycled and upcycled stationery and a vibrant range of custom print bags, wallets and footwear. 

 

What are your dreams for Choti Moti?

We once read it's a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together and with Choti Moti we are truly living our dream. We hope to grow our brand organically and include more product categories, such as crockery, furniture and apparel. The ultimate dream is to have our own boutique store with a small cafe within, where we can offer our customers a complete Indian lifestyle experience through a seamless blend of tradition and modern Indian design. 

 

There are so many things that has caught my eye and here are a few of my favorite things

Bags and coasters

Silver Dragon fly Pendants

Love this wallet!

Beautiful Silver Necklace

 

Block printed "Royal Sultana" quilt

Funky Sandals

Beautiful Cushions

 

Wishing the Choti Moti sisters a great success in their journey!! More power to this duo!

Please click here to browse through their products, here to access their Facebook and here to follow them on Instagram.

Images via Choti Moti







 

Monday morning inspiration: Welcome to Vandana's home

The start of a new week is so difficult for everyone… lots of coffee to wake you up and to get started… and I thought why not some eye candy for your Monday morning…

Vandana, a fellow blogger, who is the author of “Seasons in the Sun”, has warmly invited us for a tour of her colourful and vibrant home… so sit back and enjoy!!

"Hello all! I am Vandana. I live with my husband and son in Bangalore. I had been into teaching for about 14 odd years with a few breaks in between. Over the last couple of years I have given up my teaching job and am home but of course have taken up learning a new language; something that I had longed for! Well, this 'being home' has helped me indulge in a few things I love doing.
I love reading decor and travel blogs; nurtured the desire to have my own blog where I could pen down whatever I liked or loved. And hence was born Seasons in the sun....
A clean and aesthetically done up space and garden were some of the things I grew up with. My earliest inspiration has been my grandmother who brought me up. Later on the basics of aesthetics
evolved further courtesy the several beautiful decor blogs and glossies. Much of my learning is from them.
As far as my decor mantra goes, it is extremely simple. I, most often, go by my impluse, my love for bold bright colours and my love for ethnic and kistchy elements of decor. I also swear by the 'two minute ' decor theory ( probably this one is my own innovation! ) I believe in investing more on furnishings than on furniture pieces! Since the job scenario these days isn't stable and require a lot of travelling, I try to make do with temporary changes within the home and decor.
Also a small living space restricts me to do much. So my ultimate focus is to make the most of the space available and organise for more storage.
That's about me and my home.
I am really thankful to Rachel and Tickled by inspirations to feature my simple home :-).... "

I loved what I saw.... especially her vignettes and her use of colours..... did you? Thanks Vandana for inviting us to your beautiful and vibrant home. Click here to follow her lovely blog for inspirations.

Have a good day everyone and a fabulous week ahead!


Images via Vandana



 

A Sunny Disposition

A Sunny Disposition, oozes beautiful designs, patterns and unique handmade bags, clutches and wallets, all made by Susan John, based in Bangalore. Her bags are perfect to those that love bold colours and ethnic designs and if you have a weakness for bags like me then I can guarantee you are going to love Susan’s creations.

Let’s take a peek into Susan’s craftsmanship and learn more on how it all started and enjoy the beautiful patterns and colour combinations.

“A Sunny Disposition”…. A catchy name for your creations. How did it all begin?

Hi, My name is Susan and I am the one woman force behind A Sunny Disposition. I make a whole range of bags from clutches, wallets, big bags, small bags and a host of other bags! All done by me, from my tiny spare bedroom in Bangalore, India with a whole lot of love and passion.

"A cloudy day is no match for A Sunny Disposition"- William Arthur Ward  This was the quote that kept coming back to me while I was looking for a word or phrase to sum up what sewing means to me. I was in a corner of the US 4 years ago where it was almost always cloudy or raining. Sewing was a ray of sunshine at that time. Now it’s a way of life for me! :)

 

Do you have a designing background?

The only structured design background that I have is, a degree in Architecture and a couple of years in an architecture firm, where I had the opportunity to unleash my creativity on unsuspecting clients. However, my actual design background, passion and flair for what I'm doing has a lot to do with my family -  having a fabulous interior designer for a mom, a talented textile/ graphic designer for a sister and a level headed merchant mariner father who loosely binds all us crazy gals together! Mark Twain says that "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why" .  In that sense, I am really fortunate to have discovered exactly what I want to do with my days.

 

Where do you get your inspirations for your designs?

I find inspiration from all over but I am drawn to bold solid colours, repetitive modern prints and functional bags. I love challenging my skills, making each bag a little better than the last one. I'm constantly trying to add or improve some feature that I thought I couldn't do on my earlier design. 

 

Are your products available within India or outside as well?

I market and sell through my facebook page only. I take on limited number of custom orders per month. Every client has a personal touch they want to add to their bags and I help them achieve that - this could be anything from colour options for certain bags, additional pockets and such. The best orders are those who inspire me to create a wholly new and different bag pattern.

 

Do you have an online shop and accept customization? What is your dream for your venture?

I like the organic pace at which A Sunny Disposition is growing. For the moment, I'm going with the flow and I hope that I can continue doing what I love, and people continue to appreciate it. 

Have a look at my handpicked favorites from Susan’s creations

 

Click here to browse through her Face book page. And email Susan at asunnydisposition.shop@gmail.com if you have any enquiries or customization.

Images via A Sunny Disposition



 

House of the Month: residence of Patricia Torres of Colours Dekor

Hello Everyone!!! Happy New year!! I hope your new year has started off well for you and your family. Hope all my lovelies in Oman are enjoying their winter!

Today I’d like to showcase Patricia Torres’s (also called Patty by all her loved ones) beautiful home in Dubai, a veteran blogger, who is passionate about her home and shares her creativity with her loyal readers….What a great way to start my New Year post!! Patty has creatively matched the colors of her space with artifacts, lights and treasures she has collected over the years reflecting warmth, simplicity and her talent.

Enjoy the home tour!



 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Isn’t this one of the most beautiful homes you have seen? Would you like to live here? This is a home I would like to get away over the weekend!

Click here to visit Patty’s beautiful ethnic blog called Colours Dekor for more inspirations from her home. Thanks for the beautiful pictures Patty and for the lovely home tour. I hope to visit your home one day!!

Images via Patricia Torres