Embracing Global Decor

Sharing some blog love today... (in time for Valentine's day)... and showing you my new find *smiles*... Here is where I spend a few hours in a day...

Aalayam...meaning “a place of residence” in Sanskrit, is a blog with a concoction of ideas and inspiration. Co-authored by Deepa & Supriya, who are not only passionate about living the good life, but love design, decor, travel, photography, good food... and so much more.. So hop on to Aalayam Inspiration... and don't forget to follow... and show some love.. *smiles*

Over to the ladies at Aalayam....

Hello! When Patricia invited us to do a guest post for Colours Dekor, Supriya and I wanted to work on something that the Colours Dekor readers would enjoy. We wanted the pictures to be colorful and visually inspiring. A write-up on our personal design diction seemed appropriate. Supriya and I definitely have a lot in common with regard to design preferences and I guess that's what drove us into a collaboration. If you already a reader of Aalayam  then you know that we both love incorporating world-wide design elements in our homes. Our styles can best be described by the umbrella term "Global design /universal appeal".

Deepa's home - coffee table

My home is a merry melange of elements from all over the world  anchored by Indian elements for a truly global flavor.  Treasures such as Tanjore paintings from the art emporiums of  Chennai, persian rugs with ornate patterns, and fenton hobnail glassware from American antique malls  work harmoniously  in my home lending an exotic appeal. My home boasts of global charm and combines unorthodox decor accessories, lots of color and a heavy dose of drama without compromising on user-friendliness. Here's a few corner's from my home that highlights my fondness for world decor.

Deepa's home -  Living Room

Deepa's home - Bookcase

Supriya's home incorporates global design elements that are not necessarily conformist! The palettes range from ornate Indian furniture with vibrant textural softscaping to irreverent Bohemian chotchkies combined with quirky antique chic! This decor scheme blends form and function, and works like a charm for moving stuff around based on mood and occasion. The featured snapshots of her living space epitomize her style philosophy "let the room speak for you!". 

Supriya's home  - Chess board

Supriya's home  - seating area

Supriya's home  - blue wall/reading nook

Do you like ornamenting your home with global finds? Do you like  celebrating world cultures through global knick knacks?  If so, take a look at this great article on TLC  - "Decorating with world flair" 

Thank you Patricia for the privilege ! Hope we have inspired you to create your own global palette.

Visit us at Aalayam for more from the world of design and decor.

Cheers!

Deepa and Supriya

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you my lovelies.... Yes... Its me again!! Did you miss me??

I have so much to tell you.... so much to share... that I simply don't know where to start... Colours Dekor is like my personal diary of happenings, experiences, memories and pretty things I stumble upon... 

I don't know if I want to continue with the weekly linky party... or if I have the patience for it.... How about a monthly one? with a topic as well... ??

There are a few colour stories... I have lined up for you (somewhere!!).... I still have to tell you about my new orange wall.... the stairway makeover... the bar makeover... the shot glasses shelf... that I am still unhappy about... 

I have to tell you about some gorgeous places I visited... the stunning architecture of the temples... the amazing interiors of the hotels... and a few street artists that I was simply amazed about... in particular this spray paint artist on the streets of Moscow... 

Oh... and I have to share all my shopping with you... I picked up absolute junk from the streets of Bali and then from India as well... I also got some gorgeous stuff from an online store... that I have to tell you about.... 

I have a few store reviews... a few design secrets... and also a new series.. of 'At home with ...... '... 

Do you know whose home this is.... in the pic below... *smiles*... 

Well... all this and more... coming up... soon on Colours Dekor... once I'm done with the budgets for FY13 ... finished my quarter end and year end responsibilities... So till then... put up with me... stay connected.... *hugs*

Trophy Love Two

When I saw this metal urn at the thrift store it reminded me of 

a huge loving cup trophy. 

 

When I got it home I began to 

strip off the layers of paint. 

Unfortunately those layers were hiding rivets and seams and different tones of metal.

 To unify the piece I rubbed on a coat of Rub n'Buff. Then I gave it a little age with a dark glaze. I think it looks great! 

It's almost like a real vintage loving cup trophy 

but for a fraction of the price.

Stalking a Trough

One day at the thrift store I noticed an item in another shopper's cart. It was a lovely, perfectly aged, long, skinny trough. I was in love, yet sad that I had missed such a wonderful piece. Because it was love at first sight for me, I had a hard time letting it out of my sight. So I very nonchalantly stalked the pretty little trough. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who stalks other thrift store shoppers hoping that they'll put back a coveted item! Actually I already know that I must not be because one thrifter told me that she had a woman come up to her after she purchased an item and offered her more than 10 times what she had just paid. Fortunately I did not have to go to such extremes for this trough. The other shopper put it back on the shelf and walked away. That's when I swooped in to make that little trough mine and we have lived happily together ever since! It's been such a fun piece for decorating for summer and fall.

The Weekly Story ~ wk 94

I'm taking you on a tour of my weekend *smiles*... Weekends are always special in my home... and no matter how messy my home looks all week long... it always turns into a magical place over the weekend.... and here are few images of my gorgeous weekend...

a closer look.... lamp on the dholak (drums)... and a fat candle from IKEA... 

this candle is my new favourite... *smiles*

and another whimsical lamp *smiles* 

... oh a few candles... to make you feel welcome as you enter...

Friday was concert night... we watched Bikram Ghosh performing live at DUCTAC, thanks to Emirates NBD Classics... and the night was truly magical... 

here is a special glimpse for you...

And then to top it all.... I had a little feature in the Khaleej Times ~ Inspired Living Magazine... 

Come on now... tell me what were you upto this weekend? Be inspired... join the fun at... 'The Weekly Story' linky party ~ open from Monday through Wednesday every week..  ...

1. Do a post on your blog, about ANYTHING! and it can really be anything – example – a fun recipe you tried out, a craft project, a DIY, a table top, a few candles, coffee with friends or a good book or a movie review… The list is endless… just about ANYTHING… and anything about YOU !! *smiles* ... It can also be 'anything pretty' ...


2. Original photographs only... No images from other websites or magazines please!! This is about YOU.


3. Link back to my blog.... only as a courtesy, so we have more people joining the party.


4. Copy the 'permalink' from your post (not the link to the front page of your blog).


5. Add your 'permalink' to the 'inlinkz' at the bottom of this post.


6. Click the link before you. Don’t forget to comment and if you like the blog, please follow!!

Any questions, email me on torresp27@hotmail.com.



Please note, you DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to join the party.. I'd love to see you here!!

Please grab the Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story' button!!

 


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A Quick Mix

I quickly threw together this

little vignette in the landing of our stairwell.I think it's the perfect mix---
masculine and feminine elements,
faux and real nature.It's fun when things come together
without a lot of thought or time!

***Enter to win a Cutting Edge Stencil here***

A Bedroom Retreat

Son #3 just returned home after two years of serving our church in New Zealand. As a welcome home I gave his small bedroom a makeover using furniture from our storage and the thrift store. Even the prop hanging above the closet was a thrift store find.We've owned the lawyer bookshelves for years. They've been used in the family rooms of two of our homes.We pulled the vintage chest of drawers out of the garage. They were used by my husband years ago when my style was a bit more country. A change of hardware gave them a nice update.My favorite piece is the antique bed, a thrift store find. The details are stunning! It likely was originally a tall four post bed; what remained of the posts had been attacked with a saw and were rough and uneven. My husband cut, filled, and sanded, then I stained the ends and now they look original.
Although the room is small (about 10'x10') I love the way the large furniture pieces make the room warm and cozy.I'm pretty pleased with how the budget bedroom makeover came together and so is my son.

The Evolution of a Wall and a Giveaway

Our dining room
is really more of a nook off of our living room. The living room has vaulted ceilings. However the dining area's ceiling is the traditional 8 feet
making it seem like a design afterthought.
Years ago in an attempt to give the dining area
a little more character I gave the far wall a
special color and plaster treatment.
I loved that it drew one's eye to the little nook,
even when viewed from outside our home.I adored the dark green aged wall, but last year I was
ready for a change.
I began by painting the wall a very dark blackish-green
with the idea that I would put a light gray glaze on top to
give it the look of a well used chalkboard (without the mess of chalk). It turned out to be not as pretty in real life
as it was in my mind.
I was so disappointed that I didn't even photo it.

Next I found a geometric shape that I liked
so I enlarged, repeated, and painted it on the wall. Again the design didn't thrill me.

I then asked myself what it was that really bothered me about the previous design attempts. I discovered the problem was that I really was tired of a dark painted wall.
My next step was to paint the wall the same color as the other walls.
This gave the area the fresh, new look I'd been wanting. But I still wanted the wall to stand out so I considered my options. I thought I would try my hand at the new type of wall stencil. I have stenciled walls before, years and years ago, when stencils were small and tedious to use. But the new stencil designs are so much better! I ordered the Marrakech Trellis Allover Stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils. Let me tell you, this isn't anything like stenciling in the 90's! The stencil is huge and easy to use. Instead of a little stencil brush to paint on the design you use a foam roller. And probably my favorite thing (because I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist) is the little level that you can attach to the stencil to keep it lined up perfectly. If you're a novice at stenciling you can watch the how-to videos on the Cutting Edge site. I reviewed the video just to regain my confidence in stenciling.

With a lot of patience, trial and error,
and the use of the beautiful Marrakech stencil design
our dining wall now has that
"wow factor" I've been searching for.If you're searching for a wow factor for your home
Cutting Edge Stencils is giving away
a choice of stencil (up to a $50 value)
to one very fortunate Joys of Home reader.
Just go to their site, pick your favorite stencil and come back here and leave a comment. For additional entries Like them on Facebook, &/or Pin them on Pinterest, &/or follow them on Twitter---for a total of four entries!

The giveaway will be open until midnight Leap Day, February 29th 2012. Best of Luck to all of you!!!
***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***