Havelis of Shekhawati, Rajasthan.

The Sonthaliya Gate, Mandawa.

When we decided on our winter vacation destination as Rajasthan, we immediately knew it had to be in the lesser explored regions of Shekhawati. Shekhawati region is known for their heritage Havelis.

Haveli- Is a huge private mansion in India or Pakistan.

The Rajasthani havelis were constructed by the wealthy Marwari community in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan in the 19th century. A haveli typically has two courtyards one for the men and the inner one for the women, the walls were adorned with beautiful colourful frescoes painted by commissioned artists.

The themes were usually images of Gods, Goddesses & animals.

Mandawa, Ramgarh, Fatehpur are dusty little towns in the Shekhawati area that have many old havelis, which in their glorious days would have been a treat to the eyes, but even today have not lost their timeless beauty.

The huge old havelis in Mandawa.

A handful of these havelis are being restored and given a new lease of life by private organizations, historians & architects. Some of them have been converted into heritage hotels.

Nadine Le Prince is a french artist whose love for Indian cultural heritage has inspired her to restore a haveli built in 1802 by a rich tradesman of the silk road.

Beautifully restored courtyard at Nadine Le Prince Haveli Cultural Centre, Fatehpur.

Ramgarh Fresco, a restored haveli, earlier known as the Khemka Haveli is 100-years old and has been renovated by the Khandelwal family who wanted to showcase the beauty of the frescos and the architecture to the visitors.

Amazing hand-painted frescos at Hotel Ramgarh Fresco

We had a lovely thali lunch here:-)

The traditional haveli courtyard.

In my next post, will showcase another restored haveli~ A lovely place where we stayed, soaked in the winter sun and listened to the folk music of the desert...:-)

( Images by Arch)

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Dining Room ... take 10 !!

Okay, so if the good ol' folks at Merriam Webster (or whoever sits on the word creation committee) ever decided to add "ADD" (Attention Decorating Disorder) to the dictionary, there would be my pitiful picture, staring you in the face, with a glazed over look in my eye from changing things around in my home over.and over.and over.again!  I seriously have to laugh at myself sometimes when that uncontrollable urge kicks in to paint SOMEthing ... shift SOMEthing ... or change SOMEthing in a room that I've just recently redone.  Someone, please explain!

Case in point ... our dining room.  When we moved here just a few short years ago, the dining room was LA Gold 3.  Well, of COURSE I had to add a red accent wall (Ralph Lauren Stadium Red), along with tropical accents.  Great ... loved it ... but did I?!

... obviously, not.  Because, I then painted the red wall back to LA Gold 3 and traded the palm prints for floral/traditional ones. (Oh, and changed out the china in the cabinet.)  Then, oops, decided all of the walls needed to be a richer, deeper gold (don't even remember the name of the paint).  That didn't last more than two months.  Are you kidding me? 

This brings me to its current look ... since we painted our sitting room the Ralph Lauren Metallics Lush Brown, I decided that the dining room should be the same color since the rooms are across from each other.  I also bought another rug from Lowes JUST like the one in the sitting room annnnnd painted the ceiling the same RL Metallics Golden Candlesticks that is also in the sitting room. (Yes, I'm also admitting my obsession with symmetry, too ... folks, I'se got *issuezzz*!)  I also rearranged the seating to simplify a bit and open the space up: (feel free to click on pics to enlarge them)

I bought some new greenery from Kirklands and added some red/green/gold flowers to "poof" it up.

Annnnnd, found some pretty floral plates at my beloved HomeGoods, too!

Oh, and we added a new chandie, too.  Again, I know you're starting to see a trend here with me, aren't ya?

So, I'm truly enjoying our metallic lush chocolate brown dining room for now.  Anyone care to share when they think my love affair with it will end? LOL

Thanks for stopping by !!

I'm sharing my issues with:

Between Naps on the Porch/Metamorphosis Monday

 Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered:

Make It For Monday at Cottage Instincts

Made it Monday at the Persimmon Perch

Making the World Cuter Monday

It's So Very Creative at It's So Very Cheri

Talented Tuesday at My Frugal Family

Transformation Thursday at the Shabby Chic Cottage

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Step into the *Pah-lah* ...

Happy Monday, everyone !!  So, it's a balmy 80 degrees here in Myrtle Beach, and I'm on my way out the door for a day of fun in the sand and surf.  NOT, but oh how I wish!  Actually, we're still being poisoned by these fer-eeeezing temps that just don't want to leave us.  I really shouldn't complain though as the arctic weather has forced me to stay inside and decorate.  The shame !! 

And, since there are a few "before and after" (and winter decorating) parties,  going on again in blogland this week, I thought I'd, once again, crash the get togethers and subject you to more of my recent ADD. See my sidebar for a link to Susan's BNOTP and also join Melissa over at the The Inspired Room.

So, welcome to our sitting room (the room that seems to have no purpose and no activity, except when I walk by and move something around).

BEFORE: This room has had many different looks since we moved here.  This was the most recent ... it was *okay,* but I didn't care for the "principal's office" feel to it ... seemed off balance ... the rug was too small ... the paint was the same as the other common areas ... blah blah blah. 

So, I went with Ralph Lauren Metallics Paint/Lush Brown for the walls:

Painted the ceiling Ralph Lauren Metallics/Golden Candlesticks:

Added panels to the existing valance; a large, rich rug (Lowes + clearance = score!) and a small, leather ottoman (thank you, HomeGoods):

Found an accent table from good ol' Kirklands, hoping it'd work in that spot, along with a super soft and cozy animal print blanket to warm the room up for the winter:  

Added more "knick knacks" to the bookshelf, which I'll never be satisfied with:

 

And, finally, had to complete the room with a gift to my son from my parents ... a baby (literally) grand piano.  Here's Linus (a/k/a my sweet dinosaur covered Jax) banging away on it.  Oh how I wish we had room for a real one !!  

Okay, lemme have it ... how'd I do?  Even though it will, unfortunately, still remain an unused and unappreciated room (except by our cat, Eden), does the (hopefully) cozy feel make you want to retire to one of the wing chairs after dinner with a classic novel in one hand and perhaps a brandy in the other, while dawning your favorite Snuggie?  Or, maybe engage in a sophisticated game of chess?  If so, FANTASTIC !!  If not, where did I fail?  As for John, me and our gang, we're heading out to the man cave (a/k/a garage dedicated to all things NY Yankees) to act like the unsophisticated crazies that we truly are !!  I'll take you there soon.

Thanks again for stopping by !!

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Rang Decor Readers Creative Spaces: VIII

Wishing all you lovely readers a very Happy New Year, 2010! It's going to be a great year with lots to share with all of you. We just got back from a beautiful trip to Rajasthan, so stay tuned for loads on havelis, palaces, forts and sand dunes:-)

Lets get the ball rolling with a brand new post on Rang Decor Readers Creative Spaces.

Karthik Vaidhyanathan

Karthik Vaidhyanathan is from Chettinad in Tamil Nadu and having grown up in a typical Chettinad house with loads of kitsch and colours, he wanted to incorporate these elements in his 1420 sqft new apartment home in Bangalore.The Chettinad influences are the 7ft arched windows, that he found when St. Josephs college on Brigade road, Bangalore was being demolished. They fitted in perfectly into what was once a balcony cum utility area. He also made a small tinnai (seating besides the windows).

Karthik continues, 'I converted this to become a loungy relaxing sit-out kinda space for entertaining friends and family.'

Karthik picked up these ceramic chettinad tiles from a shop in Pondicherry and has used it for a coffee table. This is inspired by the traditional 'Mannai' which is used during wedding

ceremonies.

Karthik explains, "I wanted to convert the open dining space into a study cum work area and wanted to isolate it through the use of two pillars. Did the rounds of antique markets and shops but found them too expensive or too elaborate for a flat. Finally landed up at Vermilion House in Bangalore, wherein I saw two pillars with Yaali sculpted motif at the top

(Yaali is a mythical creature, that with the face of a lion, the tusks of an elephant and the body of a serpent or ‘makara’ another mythical creature. The Yaalis are prominent in many a south Indian temple as sculptures on the walls or pillars, since the 16th century and they are believed to guard the temple. They are supposed to be more powerful than a lion or elephant)

"I also saw two pillars in teak with a floral pattern at the top; these are typically found in Kerala Home. These again really appealed to me. I picked up all four. The remaining two ‘floral’ pillars became the entrance to my kitchen, right opposite to the study."

"I have opened up the kitchen on all sides. As a result one can see through the entire length of the house. Have kept the kitchen in contemporary white and steel to break away the colour all around.

Have converted one of the corners of the kitchen into a 'work' area with a table and a white bar stool from ikea. Helps me work on my laptop as I catch some T.V. "

The low-rise square dining table with a low hanging light is one of the first pieces of furniture that Karthik got custom-made around 6 years ago at 100ft boutique in Indiranagar. The installation on top is the ‘people tree’ from Mukul Goyal in Delhi.

The showcase near the dining table houses lovely antique enamelware tiffin carrier, teapot etc and some very precious family heirlooms.

The whole house has lovely handmade Athangudi tile flooring.

View from the living room

The two chairs in the ‘sit-out’ are of rosewood and were picked up from Bamboo Market in Bangalore, a place where one often gets to see old antique stuff of houses that have been demolished. All it took to restore them was some cane-work and polish. A dash of colour through the pillows from Good Earth and one in a similar ‘Rajasthan’ theme from Rattan stores in Delhi.

The workspace cabinets and shelves have been made by Karthik's local carpenter. The knobs on them in various shapes and colours are antiques.

A peek into his bedroom:-)

Karthik's love and passion for his home comes across so beautifully through these pictures.

All the best Karthik, enjoy your new home. Thanks for sharing these creative corners of your home with readers of Rang Decor.

P.S. If you have any questions for Karthik, do mail it to myvarnam@gmail.com.

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Fireplace Transformation

Happy New Year !!  I hope everyone had a fun-filled holiday season with family, friends and food and is now forging ahead into the new year with your resolution(s) list in hand and decorating projects lined up !!  Of course, the wheels are spinning out of control in my head with dreams of projects I'd like to conquer in 2010 ... my poor husband.

As I'm new to blogging, I don't have a recap of the projects the hubs and I tackled in 2009, but will definitely share them shortly !!  But, since Sarah over at Thrifty Decor Chick, Rhoda at Southern Hospitality and Susan at Between Naps on the Porch are all hosting weekly Before and After parties, I thought I'd start by sharing one of our recent projects - our humble fireplace's transformation.  I'm also linking up to a new party ... The Mantel Party at "Stories from A 2 Z!"  I'm sure there's lots of eye candy !!

I liked our fireplace/mantle, but I didn't *love* it.  I tried painting the inset *too* many different colors and placing many different pieces of art in it, but nothing ever worked.  It was missing something (okay, a LOT) to truly be the focal point of our great room !! 

Before (Yawn) ...

So, after perusing the internet forEVAH, I found an inspiration picture and then poorly sketched what we wanted.  Then, my husband and I got to work and totally did the work all by ourselves ... NOT (sorry, everyone, I don't have the do-it-yourself factor on this one) !!  Actually, our contractor, Todd, was able to exactly duplicate what we wanted ... he truly did an amazing job with MDF and inexpensive molding !!

After (YAY) !!

I love it ... everything about it ... the traditional look ... how the crisp, white paint pops against our wall paint ... the taller mantle ... the ledge up top and the detailed molding ... LOVE it all !!  It truly gives our room a brand new look.  And, rather than paying an electrician too much money (that we don't have) to add electric, our contractor hid extension cords inside the legs on the left side so that I can add lamps to the mantle and illuminate the top ledge and the alcoves above that.  

I've truly had fun futzing (is that a word?) with the accessories on it and will continue to futz a bazillion more times before I'm satisfied !!  YAY !!

I look forward to seeing everyone else's "before and afters."

Thanks for stopping by,

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Refresh Studio

The day I set my eyes on one of the lamps made by Rabi of Refresh Studio, I knew I had to meet him and see more of his creations...

My first reaction was "Is that lamp base made of stone?" then looking at it closely I realised it was as light as a feather. It was Paper Mache!

Rabi makes eco-friendly, paper mache lamps, artistic vases, containers, boxes out of old newspapers.

For his lampshades he uses dried pressed flowers, leaves and ferns that add such delicate beauty to the lamps.

Love this vase!

A collection of vases in various shapes.

Another lovely creation by Rabi.

Details on the lampshade.

Rabi spends a lot of time creating each of these lovely products, since paper mache takes a while to dry after being moulded.

He does take custom orders and can be reached at rabfrank@yahoo.co.in

( Images by Arch)

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