Maadhumita's Curated Abode in Singapore

I am delighted to begin my first post of the year 2021 with a Home Tour. Maadhumita's Mukherjee's home in Singapore  evokes an old world charm  that is infused with an impeccable personal style. It is like walking into a beautifully curated space with the most delightful accessories. 

It is a warm and elegant home, well layered with textures and patterns that all blend together perfectly.  I asked Maadhumita to describe her style in her own words so here goes.

"We have been away from India for the last 35 years, but my heart and soul are still there. My love for antiques or vintage items came from growing up in colonial homes on the outskirts of Kolkata. Those were huge bungalows with wooden staircases, verandas with balustrades and filled with polished teakwood furniture. Scouting for old teakwood furniture is my passion. I have brought home many old broken-down pieces of furniture and restored them. My four-poster Burma teak bed is an antique which I picked up from one of the shops selling old furniture in Kolkata. The city used to be a haven for old furniture but nowadays it’s difficult to get genuine pieces.  Despite that, I still browse the shops, scouting for vintage artifacts. Vintage things appeal to me. The walls of my home are covered with paintings and unique traditional pieces like framed prabhavalis. These artworks create a focal point and give the room a finished look. Artworks can be photographs, simple fabrics that are framed or even children’s drawings. They don’t need to be expensive. 

My husband and I started collecting quite early. We used to buy artworks of unknown artists who are quite famous now. Only later did I go for more well-known contemporary artists from Bengal. Fresh flowers and indoor plants give my home a fresh look. 

I have learned a lot from my mother. She was a big inspiration. She used to keep a beautiful home. I start with a neutral palette and add cushions, artifacts, carpets and lamps to introduce color to my rooms.

After living in Singapore for many years I have come to appreciate handicrafts from Thailand, Myanmar, China and Vietnam. I have a collection of bells from Thailand and Myanmar. Additionally,  Chinese calligraphy brushes with lovely handles are on my coffee table.  I also have wooden lotuses from Chiang Mai hanging above my bed. Each piece is beautifully handcrafted.

My home in Kolkata is ready and we plan to go back very soon"

What a fascinating journey don't you think? Thank you Maadhumita for sharing your haven with the readers of My Dream Canvas. Wishing you all the best for your journey back to Kolkata. I am sure you will weave your magic there too. MDC will be waiting for a home tour part 2 from India :) It was hard to pick a favorite nook in her home as every corner is a delightful mosaic of interesting and colorful pieces.

My own love for vintage and colonial pieces made me instantly connect with so much of her home :) Do follow her on Instagram where she shares snippets of her home. Sharing a few images from her lovely abode on the blog today.....

This painting of Durga has my heart :)

 

I love this vignette with the lovely bells.

Images : Maadhumita Mukherjee and subject to copyright.

Anubhuti's Decor Alchemy

I remember that when I was younger, my mother’s constant worry was that I could not cook :) She tried in vain to get me into the kitchen but I was constantly shielded by my Grandmother who said "she will do it when she has to, let her be.” I was definitely not interested in cooking back then, but I loved to set up a pretty table :) My Mom always said that food should not only taste good, but look good and should be served well. Now the last part, I could connect with :) For all the dinner parties at home, I was in charge of setting the table. My Dad was in the Army so entertaining was a big part of our lives. Eventually, I did tackle the cooking part and I cook endlessly now :)

With the festive season in full swing, table decor takes center stage. Today, I am delighted to feature Anubhuti's home on the blog. She is a fellow Seattleite and has exquisite taste in decor. Her styling is a work of art. It is refreshing, elegant and eclectic and  I absolutely love it!!

This is a peak into her Diwali table from a few weeks ago. I asked Anubhuti to share a few lines about herself, so here goes....

"An engineer with an artistic brain...with a strong passion for interior design, decor, gardening/landscaping and all things beautiful! My design style is contemporary blend of South East Asian mixed with Parisian style. I love playing with textures and mixing styles and elements in unusual ways to bring that uniqueness in my decor/design work"

Fabulous right? Now, who would not want to be a guest at this table :)

 

Anubhuti's style is unique. She has a knack of incorporating a variety of elements and yet, somehow manages to give it a cohesive look.Take a look at these incredible images to see what I mean.......

Thanks Anubhuti for sharing your home with the readers of My Dream Canvas. Do follow Anubhuti's journey at Decoralchemy on Instagram

Images: Anubhuti Singh @ decoralchemy

Neha's " My Curated Home"

This year is whizzing by. I cant believe its November and Diwali is a few days away. This pandemic has lasted longer than all of us could ever have imagined. Our homes were always special but this year it has meant even more. Today, I am thrilled to share a lovely home in Texas. Neha Animesh lives in Dallas with her family. Neha's Instagram is filled with delightful corners of her home. "My Curated Home" as she likes to call it, is truly a thoughtfully created and well put together home. I am particularly drawn to how, she mixes various design elements and yet manages to give it such a cohesive look. The home looks warm and clutter free with an eclectic vibe. Fresh flowers and lots of house plants add to the charm :)

I asked Neha to describe her home in her own words....

"I grew up in northern India- UP and Delhi, and spent my college days in Mumbai and Goa. I moved to the US in 2003 and now this is Home. My day job is in IT but I am a creator by heart and by passion. I love everything handmade. If there’s anything that I think I can make, I will definitely give it a try. I love to paint, almost all the artwork in my home is made by yours truly, except the Ganesha painting which was a house warming gift from my aunt. My decorating mantra follows no particular style. It has evolved a lot and continues to evolve, and I believe that’s how it should be. One’s home should grow with you. My Mom had a passion for gardening and I’ve inherited that love from her. My decor is incomplete without plants and flowers. My other love reflected in my home is travel, which I inherited from my Dad. Growing up we traveled extensively as he loved to travel. I love exploring new places and cultures and bringing a part of them back home as memories. I have a deep love for Indian textiles and Indian arts and crafts. The myriad of colors and textures that they add to any space is unmatched. I have always loved color in my home, but I see myself gravitating to more clean lines and neutrals lately. I add pops of color to add interest. I do enjoy decorating for the seasons and love to switch the colors in and out based on the time of the year. 

Making a house a home is a process. One, where you curate your space over time with all the things that you love and have a meaning in your life. Where, every time you sit back and look at something, it brings back a memory and a smile on your face" 

Thanks Neha for inviting us into your haven. Here is a lovely collection of images from her home.....

 

Images: Neha Animesh @ my.curated.home and subject to Copyright.

Ashwini's A Cottage in the Hills

Its been over a decade of blogging, yet I am as excited today about featuring a home tour on the blog as I was on the first day :) Meeting and connecting with like minded people, nurturing virtual friendships and being part of this decor blogger community has been immensely fulfilling. 

Today, I am featuring the home of a fellow Seattle resident. It has been fun knowing Ashwini over the years. Though we have never sat down and had a long overdue cup of tea together, we have had lots of online chats :) Ashwini has a lovely home which she has decorated meticulously over time.

Warm, with oodles of charm and sophistication, her home is an absolute delight.

I asked Ashwini to describe her journey and her home in her own words. 

Here is what she has to say...

"I am a neuroscientist by the day and a mom/foodie and home décor enthusiast around the clock :)  My décor style is inspired by my Indian heritage. It  is also warm, practical and comfortable. Ever since,  I was a little girl growing up in Mumbai, I’ve seen my mom constantly decorate our house with souvenirs from our  travels and combine them with a wide variety of indoor plants. My sister and I have followed suit. We would constantly move things around, add our home-made crafts to the mix and infuse my mom’s décor with some of our creativity. Fast forward many years later, my mother-in-law’s house became another source of inspiration. Her house has a different style and includes lots of handmade embroidery by her mother, vintage pieces as well as souvenirs from their travels in India and abroad. 

Both these styles, though very different, have a single-minded purpose. They aim to create a comfortable haven for the family and reflect their personalities, culture and inner selves. For me, this also means preserving a part of India in my house. We custom remodeled our home to reflect some of the things germane to India, hand stained wooden window frames, a handmade terracotta kitchen backsplash, custom bamboo blinds and terracotta floor tiles for the temple area. My pride is my art collection. Each piece has been curated with a lot of thought and has a personal relevance. My art collection is comprised of both unique/one-of-a-kind items as well as decor items that I have accumulated from some wonderful friends on social media. To name a few, there is Anu (@mydreamcanvas) , Chandan Dubey, Meenal (@paintpotteryproducts), Rashmi (@rkrishnappa), Shruti (@thebluetrunk), Lydia (@stonehouseartifacts), Deepika (@saffronanddaisies), Arpita (@vintagevistara) and Sumedha (@hast_kari). Some retail stores that I love are The Bombay Store, WorldMarket and HomeGoods.

I also love combining vintage with modern, wood with metal and splashes of color with neutral tones. Patsy Stone had once said “One should never be the oldest thing in one’s house”. You will see this theme resonate all over my house. Each artifact in my house has a story to tell. Many pieces have experienced events and lived in a time unbeknownst to me. An example is an aarti diya I got from an old Gulbarga temple. These days I like taking silver and brass family heirlooms (mostly used for worship prviously) and repurposing them into vases. Anu has been a true inspiration for me! Logging into Instagram and seeing Anu’s stories, motivates me to be creative.  (I am so touched and honored Ashwini, thank you for the kind words).

 

My favorite art piece is a watercolor I commissioned from Kalpana Hebbar. It is a painting of Lord Surya with his seven horses. Typically, amongst Indian deities, Surya is not a mainstream motif when it comes to home décor. However his smiling, peaceful face and glowing colors make up for our gloomy Pacific NW weather."

Thank you Ashwini for that wonderful insight into your home. Here are some images of her home. Prepare to be amazed :)

 

 

Images: Copyright Ashwini. Follow her on Instagram for more snippets into her life and home!