Travel inspired design and decor tales

 As you travel and explore a place you gain a different perspective. The experience that you acquire thru visiting a new land is like none other!

We traveled to Bhutan this summer and this post will cover the various design inspiration and styling tips I gathered  during the stay. As one who is interested in decor and art, I felt I was lucky to be here.

Bhutan has beautiful dzongs or forts and the architectural detailing on each of them is very much similar. In spite of that, each one was eye catchy and we looked forward to seeing more of them each day! Add to that, the traditional homes in Bhutan have a certain pattern and they are supposed to follow that even for the newer construction.This gives a uniformity in design. The windows are expected to be built with arches on them.The size of the windows may vary but the arches remain. Have a look at the following pics and it will all make sense...

The patterned arch that you see in this window design is very typical in Bhutanese architecture.

 The melange of colours and painted art on doors and windows mesmerizes you. some of the bigger motifs that you see on the bottom most part are the sacred symbols in their religion denoting peace and prosperity.

The arch is invariably present in each one !

This is within a dzong

These doors and windows use a wooden panel with intricate carving and detailed motifs painted onto them. The colours are generally rust,golden yellow,green and a royal shade of blue. On many of them an extra square block of wood with art work was attached and this lifted the design and styling a notch above the rest.

 

 

Notice the wooden block on the topmost part of the frame with a 'shankh' or conch painted on it. I felt these are such beautiful design inspirations to take away and can be experimented on our very own console tables and the like, lending a very rich and unique feel to the entire set-up!

A closer look at the neat and vibrant design

Let us take a look at some more of these...

This is a  wooden box with enchanting wood work on it, concealing wires and all the other hardware stuff inside the box!

DOORS... Literally welcoming!

 When there are no doors, you will find these pretty applique worked screens obstructing direct view.

 

A typical sit out...

Are you sold out on these cute storage cum coffee tables? I sure am! 

perking up a mundane space...

Let us peek more into their furniture range for some more design inspiration...

Dragon motifs on the sides of the settee...We can perhaps follow suit with some of our very traditional motifs or simply a floral pattern

These mandala designs are very popular in Bhutan

Such an elegant looking seater!

 What struck me here was the Bhutanese textile used for the cushions. We can again implement one in khunn or ikkat weave

Apart from these I shared pics of  some beautiful planters from this ' Land of Thunder Dragon' on Sajavat's Facebook and Instagram feeds. You can check them out regularly for more inspirations on design and decor.

 

Let me end the post with a Buddha figure beautifully positioned inside a stupa. I felt the same would look great as a jharokha on the walls emanating peace and calmness!

The above ideas were some of the decor inspiration that I got, while traveling to Bhutan. Hope it helps you in some way while decorating your space. Signing off for the time being.

Happy decorating!