Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Homecoming......

 'A home is made of hopes and dreams
Where the story begins,
Where love resides and memories are created....'
Well, these are not exactly my words but are some of the quotes I like about the word 'home'. But I echo these sentiments whole heartedly.To me, my home is the most beautiful place to be in; a place where I can be myself, a place I love to share with the most loved people in my life. That is home to me. I strive to make it a place of my dreams,my small world,so to speak.
the empty canvas.....this was how our house looked.....
the open kitchen and dining area as it looked before......
A clean slate this was about a year and half ago when we relocated back to Bangalore from the NCR. And from then on,bit by bit, we started putting things together to give it that shape and character that we always had in mind. It has always been my endeavour to make use of the pieces I have, be it furniture or anything else, rather than buy something  for the new home. Being in and out of quite a few homes in the past, I have realised one thing that what suits one house may not suit another one. Hence the idea of buying new pieces to fit in a place does not impress me much. Then of course the sentimental quotient always plays a big role in our lives.
It's always been so much fun to play the role of an in-house architect cum interior designer in your own house. You have the liberty of doing what conjures up in your mind without much restraint. So I had a wonderful time trying out all possible things within my means; fitting in the existing pieces of furniture at different places, checking out the look and if not satisfied,trying out another spot. The blank walls,very soon started looking full with our son's art work. It looked so much home! A few pieces of paintings up on the wall does the trick, I've noticed. Together with a few knick knacks, bright cushions, colourful mats and durries and curtains and viola! The look I've wanted is there! A home full of love, comfort and cozy corners, a place that has a story to share is where we all want to live in. A very aspect in my decor sensibilities is that I love the cozy look as against the look of opulence. I always try to make the most of what I already have hence the look has never gone beyond those initial setting up stage! Our home still has that look and feel of a couple's first home :-D.....
Wicker and cane is all that we have at the moment.

Love these stringed birds!

The shadows and the patterns created by evening time......
The walls have been coloured a lighter shade of pale yellow. I guess this shade never goes wrong. But I would certainly like to experiment with some more brighter shades. After all, I love colours. Well, our home is certainly not clutter free or have clean lines. But I like it this way. Every little thing has something to say.For example, look at this chalk paint bottle... It is my message bottle. Whenever I want to share some message or a motivating quote,I write on this. The colourful kantha cushions and throw remind me of my childhood, of days I would spend in our ancestral village, of stories told by  my grandmother, of lying down under the starry sky and of all my adventures with my friends there.I have realised that our home is full of insignificant things that remind us of our childhood, of days gone by.....nostalgia....and that keeps us grounded. The home story would keep going on and on but I need to stop:-)....make myself a cup tea and put my feet up together and enjoy the peace and bliss of the Sunday evening....It's such a beautiful feeling to be home......to enjoy the 'home coming'. And then there is my green corner in the two tiny balconies. The constraint of space has not stopped me from having a tiny garden for myself. Take a look and see if you like it :-D.....
Do share your home stories with me. I would love to hear them from you.I'm sure each one of you would have wonderful anecdotes to share with me. Let the magic weaving start !
message in a bottle

And here are some pine cones I carried along with me all the way from Binsar. They remind me of times spent in the lap of the Himalayas!

And a quiet corner late in the evening...........what peace !

mementos from Jaipur....
We have paintings by our son  on the walls.....

vignettes on the centre table and these keep changing......

bliss......

a bit of comfort...the kantha throw adds to the cozy nook....

love this pretty spice holder....right now I have turned this into a jewellery holder.....

I love kantha and remember my childhood.......
My plant family.....


blocks,flowers and knick knacks add to the colourful look.......
a bit of greenery.....
succulents.......These are glimpses of my tiny balcony garden.....I have a couple of them and have housed a few plants  there.......