Wednesday, February 4, 2015

The Story Behind The Trunk Full Of Memories!

I believe that a great way to personalize your home is to weave your memories into your decor. I shared a image of my trunk last week and today I am here to tell its story :)

I have always wanted my home to speak of my personal style. When I saw Chandan Dubey's vintage styled trunks I instantly knew that I wanted one with my personal stamp on it :) Chandan was extremely patient with me as I bombarded her with photographs and images of numerous things that I wanted to display in the trunk. She has given this project a lot of thought and created something unique and special for me. Chandan found this old trunk and restored it beautifully. It has an old world charm and a patina that I was looking for when I imagined what the trunk would look like in my head :)

A beautiful way to tell a story is to create a "heritage display."  My aim was to display my treasures as well as have the space to store pictures and letters that were meaningful to me! The trunk now serves that purpose beautifully :) The trunk has images of letters written to me, family pictures, a favorite piece of jewelry, a few heirlooms..... my Grandmother's sari border and a poem written by my paternal Grandmother and so much more....




The silver powder puff is the logo of My Dream Canvas and a treasured gift from My Nani ( my maternal Grandmother) 
I had to have a picture of it on the trunk :) 


The cover of the trunk has picture of both my Grandmothers. My Nani ( maternal Grandmother) was my best friend during my growing up years. I shared a lot with her. She gave me unconditional love ( like all grandparents do). Nani was my biggest ally and I miss her immensely. I miss her softness and her quiet strength......she was truly an incredible woman!

My Dadi (paternal Grandmother) passed away when I was quite young! I remember her as a strong and beautiful woman. She was extremely modern and very liberal for her time. As I look back and remember her...... she seems almost mysterious and rather glamorous :)  She was a writer and a poet and has many books to her name!

The two ladies had very different personalities. Yet, I believe that they had a few things in common They were both very well educated and forward thinking. My trunk is primarily dedicated to the memory of these two amazing women! I have grown up being surrounded by strong and capable women, including my mom. I only hope I can end up being a wee bit like them!

The border along the trunk is from my Nani's sari. Its amazing how Chandan managed to transfer it onto the wood from an image I emailed her!



Lately, I have been sharing a lot of personal stories and memories on the blog. What can I say, my home is a reflection of who I am and where I come from. Its hard to separate the design and decor aspect of my house from my personal story. My roots and my legacy are both deeply embedded in my decor!

I hope you have enjoyed the story of my trunk ? A big thank you to Chandan Dubey, without her immense talent and creativity, this would not have been possible!

Images: My Dream Canvas and subject to Copyright!

8 comments:

Aalayam Inspiration said...

Absolutely! what a fascinating story - looks like chandan came through perfectly with this one and one day - your daughter will be proud to inherit this value legacy!

good post anu!

~deepa

Nayana said...

It's gorgeous Anu, what a beautiful way to surround one self with love, blessings and memory. Chandan did an amazing work.

Pinkz Passion said...

Every detail you added to the TRUNK does weave the memories. Your description of nani & dadi both sound like mine ;) Your trunk must have inspired many like me to collect few of our granny memories to treasure! Great job by Chandan, indeed!

Savita Krishnamoorthy said...

It is as lovely as when I saw it a few weeks back. I have seen Chandan's beautiful work and your brief to her came through flawlessly. Lovely work of art Anu.

docpadma said...

I love this concept, but how and where do you keep this trunk and how do you enjoy it? Would love a blog post on that. Also I have very old sarees of my grandma and mom, more than 50 -70 years old and i want to know how to preserve and enjoy them. They cannot be worn any longer because they rip very easily on pressure points when you sit down etc. i am so scared of destroying them, I only open them up and change the crease/folds and keep them back in. I have seen people make them drapes/cushion covers and I dont want to do that either.... do you have any ideas for keeping fabrics as memories for ever?

My Dream Canvas said...

docpadma thank you for your comment. I have no way of contacting you. Please send me your email so that I can answer your questions!

My Dream Canvas said...

Thank you ladies for your lovely comments, they made my day :)

docpadma said...

oops, I am sorry, I thought, my email would show up,
it is docpadma@gmail.com
-Padma

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