Kunal Shah Designs

There's an  amazing array of talents in India and Kunal Shah is one among them and one of my favourites. It's his understated elegance and love for the simplicity yet making a traditional touch ,love for flowers that instantly drew me towards following his works.

I also love the fact that my inspirations remain his too:)-He is inspired by the works of Geoffrey Bawa ,John Pawson, Gaudi and Bijoy Jain.

All thanks to my dear friend Shalini Pereira.Its through her i read more about him and became virtual friends.They both are good friends and fellow IED alumnis.Kunal Sha founded Kunal Shah designs in 2004.This boutique design firm believes in a restrained and understated design aesthetic that focuses on subtle nuances and finer details. I love the clean lines and almost minimalist feel to the spaces he creates. They are very contemporary and yet unmistakably Indian.

Kunal travels a lot and often draws inspiration from his travels and his other passion, art.

Seen below are some awesome vignettes of his amazing home on instagram.The amazing pick of carefully selected furniture,art and the cool neutral palettes.His aesthetically simple minimalistic approach. Amazingly homely,but an old world charm.An amazing appreciation and love towards the different forms of art and craft. 

His home has a mixture of sculptures and books and flowers thrown here and there creating its own warmth.in love with all these..

Thank you kunal for allowing me to share all these images.

May you create more beautiful homes:)- and amazing spaces!

  

All images courtesy:Kunal Shah ..Instagram account.

Please ask permission if you want to use the images.

the Loaded Trunk-

 Founded in 2009 and privately owned by Roni Jaco of Kansas City, Missouri, The Loaded Trunk is an online global boutique conceived from a passion for shopping, traveling and entertaining. Find art objects, artifacts, textiles and other beautiful objects from the U.S., Indonesia, Turkey, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Guatemala and other remote or exotic locations around the world.I was amazed at the Indian Artefacts Roni collected and is their on shelves  waiting for its customers..


Roni makes it a point to delve in to the unique beauty and awe at the heart of each of her extraordinary destinations. She has a natural eye for art and design, along with a true talent for bringing warmth and beauty into the home.Roni collaborates with her established network of global artisans in the U.S. and abroad to assemble an online catalog of products meant to be both admired and used.Please do check out for the uncommonly cool items that can create a warm and uniquely beautiful atmosphere.


I couldn't get more inspired today...Its now that I am slowly getting back to the routine of more and more posts...get inpired and shop..

lovely ikats

burmese nats

silvery glasses and silver adornments

vintage prints of gods and godesses

lovely turkish bowls

antique silver colander

amazing range of pottery

lovely kantha spreads.

brass etched spoons

miniature paintings

jewellery boxes

feather bowls

small beaten bowls for floating candles

beautiful hand sttiched bags

lovely pillows form thailand

lovely textiles from the world

 All Images and Information courtesy:the Loaded Trunk

Transformed Small space

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Room for the gods.

Puja rooms in Indian homes are no longer tucked away in a corner.Today they are given prominence and paid special attention to by the architects and residents.

The Puja room,which was a private space present in every home,has now come out into the open,changing from a personal votive area into a a semipublic space.Although present in every home ,the puja room,always facing east,would generally be located niche in the kitchen,in the store room or in a recessed space under the stairs.A little shelf ,a couple of pictures of dieties,or some Tanjore paintings would consistently this sacred space,and puja implements such as deepams,bells,kolam,on the floor and fresh flowers were all considered routine puja articles and practices.

As awareness of the aesthetic beauty of these implements increased,the puja niche was given a special space within the South Indian home...a tiny,but full fledged room,not tucked away in an unseen corner,but sited in a more inhabited area of the home.

Though the Puja room comprises of only a few square feet of space,its orientation with regard to the other spaces,lighting and ventilation have to considered.Also to sit the dimensions we suggest smaller depictions of TAnjore paintings,mandapams to house the dieties etc.

Now traditional bronze icons ,ornately framed Tanjore paintings,softly glowing brass deepams,all find their place withing the right context,the puja room;this revival is extremely welcome and positive.The best of Indian art pertaining to religion still retains its utility and has found aesthetic expression in its rightful place.

Artistically planned and breathtaking to beholdAn antique piecethe door is wood,filled with tinkling bells and makes noise when openedadjacent and opposite the puja room are the courtayrds that provide ventilation.decorated with old tanjore paintings and deepams

a close up of the deepams

two large glass panes one depicting vinayaka and one depicting lakshmi adorn the two mandapams

Images courtesy:Inside OutsideJan1999

Text courtesy:Nivedita Chander

Photos courtsey:G.Venkat Ram

Lighting and Decor

How do you all light up your nights?How do you all make up a romantic dinner?How do you all celebrate birthdays?Lamps,lanterns,candles are all inevitable in decor and definitely spruce up the decor ,be it be Indian or English,U just cant do without them,isnt so?

There are the big balloon shaped traditional lanterns ,in handmade paper,they are enchanting arent they?Use low wattage bulbs ,they create different forms and patterns and they definitely sparkle your interiors.Below are some inspiring images of some amazing lighting techniques used in sprucing up your decor.

Light up the darkness in all its magic and mysteries...

Ho

Image courtesy:

Cox and Cox,Erin Ever After,The Lisa Porter Collection,Kar-ishma,Twenty Three,Indian Summer Likes,Debi Treolar Photography