Its all about going Global ,Celebrations Decor in Almhult,Sweden,IKEA!

So far so Good..Thank you Celebrations Decor!

The humble journey with Celebrations Decor has been a roller coaster ride.

We travelled far and wide with kids in our hands to get materials for the blog, travelled to see places,enriched our knowledge,read about places and wrote about what we saw.

You have three choices in life,give up,give in,or give all..

I always remember the golden words, Do not be afraid to succeed girl,your hard work will payoff, stay focussed on your goals and yes you can do it.

I am happy that I gave  all my ten years in to my small little blog.

The year of 2017 has been so far kind to me and full of surprises.

How dreamy about getting Invited by IKEA to Sweden?

Yes it was like waking up from a dream to walk in to reality to the amazing headquarters at Almhult, Sweden to attend the Democratic Design Day 2017.

IKEA  welcomed a team of ten from India to a world of Inspiration. I was too  happy to be part of the media.

There isn't any introduction one needs about IKEA. IKEA started retailing in the woods of Sweden 70 years ago. IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was born and grew up on the farm Elmtaryd, Parish of Agunnaryd, in Småland, in the south of Sweden. As a young boy Ingvar Kamprad knew that he wanted to develop a business. Various events during his upbringing gave him a strong drive to create his own resources and to be independent.


The IKEA concept has evolved during many years and is still evolving. Everybody  involved works together to create a product range that is simple and straightforward, with products that are hard-wearing, easy to live with and affordable.

  DEMOCRATIC DESIGN

 The golden principles of IKEA is that Good design should be available for the many, not the few. All IKEA designers design every IKEA product starting with a functional need and a price.Designers Creativity is tapped to create functional products and large volumes are purchased to push prices down even further.

                  and It is one of the world’s strongest brands today.

IKEA creates homes  to love, touch, try, explore and dream. IKEA is a place where one can  actually can go from inspiration to involvement by getting inspiration from solutions in the store, searching, finding and choosing the products needed, picking them up, buying them, bringing them home, putting them together and enjoying them the same day.

and the greatest news is IKEA is finally coming to India!

IKEA has been sourcing from India for nearly 30 years but they received approval to open retail stores only in 2013.The  first store is all set open in Hyderabad in December in 2017,a huge store spread over 35,000 sq ft of built up area.They are also looking put opportunities for opening stores in Mumbai,,Bengalure and Delhi...

The good news is we can find a lot of India inspired stuff like pressure cookers and tawas..

READ about more news for IKEA here..

Bijoy Jain and Studio Mumbai!

 An Indian Architect who inspires me to the core with his commitment to sustainibility practices is Mr Bijoy Jain.Mr Bijoy Jain creates a zen kind of atmosphere in any projects he does.The peace transpiring from each of these projects are ultimate.All his projects are simple and elegant and his designs let in the most amazing kind of sunlight:)-He and his "Studio Mumbai" has worked at different levels across the country proving his manifestation to the commitment.

Palmyra House, for example, was constructed with traditional building methods and all materials are locally sourced, from the foundation’s stone and sand to the joinery made from an Indian hardwood called ain wood and the ever-present palmyra louvers filtering the light and allowing rich air circulation.

As told to Guardian"The palmyra palm is considered one of the most important trees on the subcontinent, with as many as 800 documented uses. Not only does it tolerate a variety of climatic conditions, but it provides fruit, medicine, weaving and writing materials, as well as a sturdy trunk for construction that may reach as long as 30 meters.

As well, the house was built on a coconut plantation in a way that avoided the loss of income- and shade-generating trees. (While Western architects must struggle to bring light into a building, Jain’s challenge is frequently just the opposite, to cut the light.) It reflects Jain’s ethic of creating structures that deeply inhabit their environs – rather than seizing space from a landscape – a reflection of his belief that humans don’t enter a space from outside of nature but exist within the matrix.

“When I’m referring to nature, I’m referring to man and nature as being reversible or part of the same entity,” he said. “It’s very personal.”

There are other lessons to be found in the collaborative approach of Studio Mumbai.

Embracing change, for starters.

Architecture, according to Jain, must first of all “contain life”, and accomplish that in a way that recognizes that landscapes change, people change. Life itself stretches from before birth and reaches forward beyond death into decay.

Studio Mumbai  carefully develops projects through a process that draws from traditional skills, local building techniques, materials and an ingenuity that arises from limited resources. The essence of their work lies in the relationship between land and architecture. Studio Mumbai describes themselves as being “inspired by real life conditions” as they understand complex relationships through the power of observation.

“The endeavor is to show the genuine possibility in creating buildings that emerge through a process of collective dialog, a face-to-face sharing of knowledge through imagination, intimacy, and modesty.”

Projects from Studio Mumbai are Utsav House,House on Pali Hill,Copper House II , Belavali House, Leti 360,Tara House and Palmyra House,Trinity House

How  beautiful are these spaces..would love to build something closer to these homes..down south:)-fingers crossed!

All pictures courtesy Studio Mumbai. Picture credit Helene Binet (Palmyra, Tara House), Fram Petit (Bungalow 8), Ryo Yung (Leti), Michael Freeman (Reading Room), Studio Mumbai (Leti, Pali Hill, Tara Baoli, Tara House)

Festival Season at home..Diwali time

The fragrance filled the air

The musky aroma of the dull oranges,at thy feet

The bubble of warmth and the fragrance of the divine worship at Diwali

Mornings moments fresh and fragrant at Diwali time

Fresh garlands of seasonal flowers , vivid pink lotus buds,shimmering fabric that evoke the prayers

As Dusk slowly enveloped the house,the diwali evening was beautiful

Celebrate...and enjoy...as the house warms up for diwali!

A  Kaleidoscopic view of the festival season at our home

As I wait for another Diwali Morning:)-

Loved these lines on" A Diwali Morning"

On Diwali morning
her childhood returns: dew 
on the burnt grass, birds in flight 
singing, pampering by her aunts, 
the rustling of new dresses, 
delectable meals and sweets 

Joy sugared the air, as bright 
as firecrackers exploding.

On a November night 
the festival would arrive: the perfect 
opening notes of a symphony 
that would decide the fate of the planet. 
Each moment was alive: 
it was like being washed in the geyser 
of memory.

(Charles Fishman)

Home stitched beauties as cushions,Small golden beads that got stitched on to the sides:)-

I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love(Henry ward)

Worship is Divine..Everyday life has become my prayer(Sarah Ban)d caption

The bangles as votive holder

 As i wait for another Diwali Morning:)-

All images and ideas Copyrighted to Lakshmi Arvind

Please ask permission before you use these images from the blog,unauthorised copying from the site and using it otherwise on any other site is prevented.

David Hall @Fort Kochi

David Hall one of the beautiful buildings in Fortkochi, has always attracted me.Is it the wooden roofs,made of flat face rafters that had drawn me towards it or the architectural grandeur or the history.

It houses an art gallery and acts as a cultural centre to support young exponents of visual and performing art forms.

History

David Hall was built around 1695 by the Dutch East India Company. It was the residence of the renowned Dutch governor, Hendrick Adrian Van Rheede tot Drakestein. However, the building gets its name from a later occupant, a Jewish businessman called David Koder. Governor Drakestein initiated a pioneering study on the flora of Kerala that resulted in the 12-volume classic, the Hortus Malabaricus. 

The three-foot wide walls and the four-column windows are the other characteristics of the building and they add to its elegance. A well-manicured garden and the old trees in the courtyard too help the David Hall retain its grace intact.

the patina gives a warm welcome

the colocasia leaves...and the black small gate

there is a gallery cafe too

the warm interiors

striking gond colours

the dimlighting

there was an ongoing exhibition

love the white washed windows

theres ample of sunlight in the  courtyard


All images credit:Lakshmi Arvind