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

Deepams from Sapna's home

Lights,lamps diyas, flowers, colours, rangoli, brass, silver, glitter and sparkles are all that creates the festive ambiance on Diwali nite. Today, we are about to visit Sapna's abode and have a look at her Diwali vignettes.. Come, join me on a virtual tour to her place!

Lights that illuminate all corners ...

love the shadow play

The conch lamp is an unique one..different arrangements but it brings life to each one!

At the entrance...

Cute little stuffed elephants that carry  lights on their head.The market these days are flooded with all kinds of lights but the ones that appeals to us, at the first glance comes home. Isn't it?

These were some corners of Sapna's home.How are you bringing that festive cheer into your homes? Any special tips that you would like to share, write to me dear people!Would love to hear from you. Meanwhile do check out my pinterest board and instagram account for all updates and news from sajavat.

Diwali vignettes

Diwali is one of the most celebrated festival in our country. I know most households would have started with their customary annual cleaning, done with their shopping for clothes and gifts and the lady of the Home would have put their thinking caps on as to what sweets and savouries should be made! Now, as we entertain family and friends during Diwali we would like our cosy nests to be decked up too!

Sometimes it is more or less a challenge to give a different and unique look each year. I have put up some vignettes around home which is a little special than those on regular days.
Rangoli or kolam, flowers, garlands, brass & silver artifacts are stuff that goes with the spirit of festival of lights.

Have a look at these arrangements and with a slight twist you can create your own look for the year!

 The humble rangoli frame in a new avatar:

The rangoli making frame is so useful to design pretty and colourful artwork on floor. As in my case, I have used it as a tray to hold my diyas. I have styled my dining table ( which sure is where all the action happens!) with a colourful runner, gathered all the pretty brass and earthen diyas and arranged on the frame. Use battery operated T lights or the regular T lights on these diyas so that there is no hassle of cleaning up either! Now off you go ! The dining table with all the lip smacking traditional goodies is all bright and lit up!!
Believe me it will be a novel idea... Try it out...


Decorating with deities:

The duo of Ganesha and Lakshmi are worshiped on Deepavali, so it only makes sense that you dedicate portions of your home to invoke their blessings.
If you observe the above vignette it includes idols, sticker kolam, metal balls of light and a coconut candle. The coconut candle holder is an interesting and an easy DIY.
As you break the coconut into half and use the fruit in your cooking,scrape out all the residual from the shell.Now you can fill each half with wax (in molten form) which is easily available in market.Place a wick inside the wax before it sets. There you have a coconut shell Diya. Isn't that unique?

A closer view of the coconut shell lamp...I have placed some rose petals inside and drawn a simple pattern on the outside to enhance it.

DIY's are fun because it indicates your level of involvement.

Add silver for the festive touch:

Diwali is also about  bling, sparkle and glitter.Do not hide your silverware in your wardrobe. Time to bring them out.
Remove the accumulated tarnish on the silverware, arrange them together and you have a pretty vignette.
I don't light up all my silver lamps since they cant hold enough oil but they are just too beautiful not to be used!This is my alternate use of all these pretty stuff. I display them on these special days and feel blessed!

Did you like the look of my home on Diwali this year? I hope you do! Share your home with sajavat and its readers. I will be happy to feature them on my blog.
Have a safe and happy time with your near and dear ones!

Shubh Deepavali !!!