Decor at Vatsalya

As a decor blogger I just can't stop myself from sharing beautiful and thoughtfully done spaces!
Today's focus is on the decor of a restaurant. This cafe/ restaurant  Vatsalya - Millet Cafe is in my city Bengaluru and very close to my home.

This is an unique cafe cum restaurant, the specialty being its choice of food. It is a millet cafe. All the items are centered around millets. In today's times of junk food and binge food, this comes as a refreshing and novel concept. I loved their thaali and it was sure healthy treat all the way and as a topping on the cake was the earthy, natural decor of the place.Let me share some clicks that I could manage with my phone.

This is at the entrance, a very pleasing arrangement of greens welcomes you and as you step inside brass lamps are kept on either sides. Everyday arrangement includes decorating the uruli with fresh flowers and leaves from the garden outside the cafe.

As mass produced items flock the market,am drawn towards these traditional and olden method of cooking food in mud wares.In all possible shapes and sizes these were an absolute treat to see!!!

A very rustic feel is what you get inside the cafe. We have all modern day facilities now, wherein not much of physical strain is required to pound your grains but no one can deny the taste of a simple chutney which is made by using the  grinding stone!! Is your mouth watering??

This was the setting that forced me to write this post...A very simple yet eye catchy and earthy tone set by using ceramic pickle jars and terracotta urns...

Awesome isn't it? I loved the place and if you are like me, you will love it too! I assure that.

If after reading this post, you are tempted to visit this cafe, do let me know your experience as well!

A homestay within a mango orchard- Mango Mulch

This vacation was fun. We took two short breaks, one at a resort in Hassan which you can read about here and the other at a homestay in Talekkadu.

Mango mulch is just the place to be! To get away from the chaos and maddening city life, you need a place just like this. True to its name, one can find the king of fruits hanging just about everywhere! The place boasts of about 5 huge 100 year old mango trees and about 60 others.

The home stay belongs to a lovely couple, Ashwini & Sudhakar who make you feel completely relaxed and at ease with the surroundings. There are 3 cottages which are designed in the most Eco friendly manner. The dining space is common and to be shared by all the residents occupying the cottages.We were two families  and the entire space belonged to us for the two days, that we were there!

Before I show you around Mango mulch, another word of appreciation for the gracious hosts who diligently supervised the food coming out of the kitchen. A complete spread of delicious home cooked food was served to us. I missed taking photograph of the melt-in-the-mouth pudding that Ashwini served to us one evening!

They have a beautiful home within the premises and their hometour was a real feast to the eyes. Ashwini is an Architect and Sudhakar is a Civil Engineer and their expertise reflects in every corner of their home! Amazing wood work, two courtyards, vibrant customized tiles on the floor, antiques collected over years adorn their space.

In the latter part of the post, I shall give a sneak peak into their love nest but you take my word for it and visit the place and let yourself be soaked in the beauty of it all!

Come now, let us take a virtual tour of this amazing place.

Mango mulch it is!

A pot hung upside down serves as a lamp

Two rooms on either side with a sit-out in the centre of the verandah

Close-up of the cottage exterior

We taking a property tour with Sudhakar

I spent all my time on this swing!

Our cottage from a distance...

I told you, mangoes hang from just about everywhere!

Now, let us take a look inside the cottage. Simple layout, ideal sitting arrangement and a pleasing decor style is what you notice once you are inside the cottage.

Nice and cozy!

A sewing machine put to good use!

Can sit here for hours with a book and gaze outside

Roof

The dining area

Our kids had a wonderful time here playing hide and seek, cricket, football, climbing trees,enjoying their hammock and swing sessions. Apart from this they were amazed to see a variety of fruit trees other than mango like pappaya, chickoo, pomegranete, banana etc

Ashwini and Sudhakar's home

I loved those niches, the wooden door frame and everything inside!

 All the while, we could make out the distinct sound of peacocks.  And every time I was near the lily pond my heart desired to see them dancing in full glory! They were somewhere quite near but they chose to remain elusive!

That's a lily pond 

Beauty is in simplicity!

 There is a small temple of Lord Dakshinamurthy adjacent to their home. You can see all of us praying and thanking Him for the lovely stay that we had.

A lovely place to enjoy nature and such warm and welcoming hosts. Nothing more to ask for!

Malgudi Vatika

There is something in the name 'Malgudi Vatika' that beckons you right? Yeah I know most of you will remember the name for the serial Malgudi days.Well just on an impulse, we visited the place some time back and didn't regret it one bit. Now to tell you all, Malgudi vatika is a restaurant on the Mysore road. We were there for lunch but came after evening snacks. I loved everything about it.The food of course and also the interiors and the wide stretch of outdoor lawn and greens that it maintains.

Malgudi Vatika has a rustic charm.You will find many antique stuff and am sure those who are the interior ,decor lovers like me, will want to visit it again and again. Let me take you through certain images that will do justice to so much of hype that I have created.

Such prettiness all around...

The outdoor sitting area...

Didn't mind waiting here at all...

Reminds me of my school desk...

Old but Gold...

Do you remember these?

Tic-tac-toe and Pallankuzhi...

Copper carafe and tumblers.

This is their menu card...

There can be more images but nothing like visiting the place and seeing it for yourself. After all seeing is believing!

I gathered that one need not visit luxurious spaces to feel happy but true content also comes from revisiting memories associated with our childhood! In this case, the trunks,gramophone,the white brown 'barnee' and various other pretty artifacts casually displayed within the interiors did that for me.

Food was good and I would definitely recommend it to all. Bangaloreans book your seat for the weekend. As I mentioned  earlier it is on the Mysore Road about 1 Km after Wonder la.  

P.S : Some of the images are from their website