A traditional home in the heart of Vijayawada

The last post of the year and let me make it a good one! This post is after my own heart. It is a home tour from Vijayawada and is the abode of Asha Kiran.

To begin with, let me tell you, the home is built without any help from interior designers or architects. Asha had her home conceptualized in her mind in a certain manner and she went ahead with it and it has turned out perfect!
When it comes to decor, Asha is a traditionalist! Here she lives with her hubby, two daughters and a cute fur-ball!
Traditional Indian homes are synonymous with  a veranda and large open spaces, sit outs in the front, art work on floors and walls and you find all of that here! So far, I have come across homes that are a marriage of traditional with the modern but this home is purely Indian in all sense. I know, am doing a lot of build-up but Asha's home deserves this and more! So, let me just get started...

This is the entrance and notice how it stands out against the high-rise at the backdrop.

As you enter...

Flower beds, the concrete sit out and Ahh! how can you miss these grand pillars...

Look at the Tulsi' maadam' or the pedestal on which the Tulsi is placed! Indians have always considered Tulsi as divine and worshiped the plant due to its intense medicinal properties. And you can spot a niche on the yellow pedestal. This is with the intention of  lighting a lamp there!

In olden times, they would build these niches in the wall near the entry door for lighting lamps.The lady of the house would light them during evenings and that used to lend such a warm and calming effect! This entryway opens a bag of memories for me. For,ages ago when modernism hadn't caught up with our villages, the houses used to be adorned similarly!The ornate carvings on the wooden door and the painted threshold  are just signs of more beauty awaiting you inside!
The  threshold has painted motifs of elephants, kalash and lotuses ,all signifying auspiciousness and prosperity.

Now, as we step inside, you can make out the interiors styled with wood and brass. Asha's kitchen is a treasure trove of brass utensils.She says, she is very much fond of these sparkling beauties. Her favourite places for buying these antiques are Indian Antique Quest, an online destination for authentic antiques, flea markets, Lepakshi exhibitions and the old markets of Vijayawada.

I still have vivid memory of my granny's old home which had such doors that opened half way from top, served the purpose of knowing who knocked without really letting them inside!
This is the traditional version of our modern day safety doors. Isn't it?

The wooden bench like trunk that you see in the above pic serves well as a storage and a sit-out.

Being a brass lover, all those utensils make my heart, skip a beat!

Asha loves to decorate her home with flowers and that can be seen in the following images

 This is her prayer room..

Asha tells me, its been 5 yrs since they constructed this home and to me it doesn't look more than a day old!

The lotus incense holder creates the right drama at the entrance and of course you cannot miss the sweet bundle of  fur-balls who makes his appearance in more than one frame!

Now, a much needed tip for all brass lovers shared by Asha...

 The Original beauty and glow of brass vintage items comes after cleaning with  Pitambari powder  and swiping it with a dry cloth.The most important step is to then keep them under sunlight.This step is a must  to get the best glow. I wish this tip will be useful for all brass lovers.

Let me end the post with an image that left an everlasting impression on me...

I hope you loved this home tour. I felt so happy presenting it to you folks.

As we usher in Christmas and New year, I wish the best for all my readers.We shall meet again in 2018 with more styling tips and more importantly with posts that shall warm our hearts and bring happiness forever!

The magic of flowers

What do we say about flowers? They are a visual delight pleasing us with  a plethora of colours, form and their fragrance.Recently we had a prayer ritual (pooja) at  home which required more than 6 kgs of various flowers.

 After the pooja, since these flowers were offerings to God, one could only re-use them to decorate corners and spaces at home and I often say that Bangalore weather is a blessing in such situations. Flowers stayed fresh for more than 20 days when refrigerated! And the last of the lot still floats pretty in my uruli even today!

Let me share some of the various arrangements I created with these flowers. Enjoy the post and let me know how you find these.


At the entryway...

Garlands of the yellow marigold, significant for their auspiciousness adorned the entrance to my home.

When you have variety you can decorate as you please!

The tradtional yellow- olive wall at my place is where all the action happens, so how can that be devoid of flowers?

Arrangement on the ground...

Another corner, another arrangement...This is also my favourite reading corner... converted all planters, uruli, trays and thaalis into floral platter! And that gave me huge satisfaction. To see these bloomed beauties day in and day out...

On the day of the pooja, we had lotuses too, and  I so regret not having clicked a pic of the same.They occupied pride of place on this beautiful peacock platter! And the lotuses & the peacock complemented each other so well!

Our pooja thaalis had different arrangement each day.Just sprinkled water and they remained fresh!

Rajnigandha, plumeria and rose...

On the side table...

Yet another!

How about decorating florals with some brass beauties?The bull for company...

Ganesha...

Some plant, grasshopper, birds accompanying the lotus...

 Rajnigandha and rose petals... as the last of the flowers make their appearance.

Among the greens too...

And as they dried,  I collected them all together and now trying to convert them into compost.
I had real fun, daily sorting these flowers, arranging and decorating my space with them.

December is a month of celebration. Also, as we now bid goodbye to this wonderful year and look forward to a new beginning, I have a home tour lined up for you. The last for this year, so please do not miss it!
See you all real soon. Till then, start thinking  about making a new year resolution!

Home tour from Penang, Malaysia

As the geographical boundaries cease to cause any limitation and there is a global approach to designing one's home it becomes thrilling for me as a decor blogger to feature a home that's a true blend of traditional and the modern!
 Today sajavat takes you across to Malaysia where our very sweet Geetha resides with her hubby in the island of Penang. They are ethnic Tamils, but draw their home-deco influences, from a mix of cultures within Malaysia.
She is attached to the Inland Revenue Department, while her husband works as an Engineer in the private sector. A young married couple for 3 years are our inspiration today, for a home built with love, warmth and care!

Let's straight way get inside their spacious abode...

Now, that's an impressive structure! isn't it? The above image shows the front main gate entrance, with 2 medium-height Bucida trees planted on the right side.

As we make our entry inside...

There is a modern air inside Geetha's home but the artifacts are traditionally inclined. Some of the decor elements that have marked their presence and taken the decor a notch above are the kathakali mask,the thorans and the big urn planter! The horses and candles placed in the entry way creates another focal point.Simple lines, highlighted wall and ample lighting fixtures are other take away inspirations from this space.

The living area:

There is another living area on the first floor which we can say would be one for the very close family.This area is starkly different from the one you see at the ground floor.

 Orange and green colours are predominant in this space. The elephant cushion covers, Buddha frames, the brass bells suspended from corbels and the prabhavali act as the cynosures in these well captured images.

Bedroom:

The other end...

Lets have a peek at her dining and kitchen space...

Am loving the burst of colours in her bedroom and dining room.What about you folks?

 Prayer room...

I can sense the peace and calmness one can achieve in a well designed space like this.

Certain other thoughtfully captured  and striking vignettes...

In Geetha's words...

Inspirations for our Home:
"Our house is a triple-storey terrace, with a tinge of neo-colonial touch to it.
We draw influences from a myriad of ethnic and modern contemporary ideas.
The premise of the exterior and interior " grooming" lies on the concept of
simplicity and a clutter-free environment. Nevertheless, there's still room for splashes
of chic modern touches, neatly tucked within essential corners/areas of the house. Both me and my husband have contrasting hobbies; I like to travel and collect decorative items, while my husband simply likes to collect star war TOYS!!!
While the synergy might be slightly an oddball one, yet we do still share similar passion when adorning our humble abode."

Thanks so much Geetha for letting me and the readers of sajavat in for such a visual delight!
To further get inspired with Geetha's ideas of a beautiful home, you can check out her Instagram handle at geetha8402