Charming a soggy Wednesday ... my way ... :)

The neighbours down the street just got their bamboo pruned and we got a bounty of greens. Since I don't have bamboo in my garden this new look has me totally charmed ... as in totally ... :) 

A quick hello ... and snatching a few quiet momemts at home.

 Trying out some new designs and combinations at home ... before we start work on a new collection.

 A hot mug of coffee ... deep contemplation's ... and suddenly it is sinking in ... my own home is way overdue for a fresh look. Another challenge ... cause there isn't a more difficult project then your own space. Nothing more challenging then pleasing your own family.

 It is always exciting to think of a redo ... but soooo ... challenging to imagine all your collections from a new perspective.

So whenever ... it is that the renovations begin ... I know one thing for sure ... its time to create a neutral palate to come home to. The space I can come back to recharge ... can no longer be the reflections of the colours I work with all day.
Not sure if you have this situation in your life too ... but we interior designers sure have this funny predicament. And each deals with it in their own unique way.
 ... :)

Rajee Sood Design Studio's and the spirit of design ...

 A bit of tribal in me ... the free spirit ... the bohemian heart and love for all things eclectic. At Rajee Sood Design Studio's we love creating  and  designing  for the urban home ... all that comes, with so much story behind it. 

The embroidered patches have been a story in the making ... a while now. 

The looks we create fit right in ... in homes that are curated ... collected ... where memories are special and passion of the owners shines off every piece.

 As our collections at the boutique grow ... so do the possibilities of mix and match. The entire range of these cushions ...'The Gypsy Soul' ... is now available at the boutique. 

  Available as patches on our chevron jacquard's and also fully embroidered cushions with custom inserts. We pay great attention to details ... the finish  ... without impressing upon the work which is created by a craftsman from lands so far.

A collection of pieces that talk about the gypsy tribes that migrated over centuries ... in regions ranging from central asia  to the costs of the gulf of Kutch. Today the political boundaries separate them ... but their cultural practises and lifestyle still has faint and nostalgic strings attached to their past. And who knows it be our past as well ... all of us who come from this region at some geographical point or the other.

 Their are a few similar stitches ... in pieces that may be from Kutch and then a few from Central Asia ... the selection of bright colours ... at times almost neonish is uncannily similar.
The tassels that come from kuch had more felt like pompoms ... those from Central Asia had beads. As a layman working with pieces that are symbols of cultural heritage ... I love the journey to explore.

The use of silver metallic thread was abundant in Central Asian pieces ... the beaded edging is so intricate ... our modern city karigars refuse to do that kind of harrdwork. Ofcourse, we have the craftsmanship ... but in the fast paced city ... the craftsmen are also chasing quick work. Which makes such detailed handwork more special.

 The colour choices  ... talks of happy people ... the bunches of tiny beads ... make me wonder about the women crafting these details as they sit huddled together lost as deep in the craft they practise as they are in the gossip they catch up on.
These pieces most often are made of threads and fabric that are vegetable dyed ... so we take special care working with them ... lest the colour bleed and ruin the work.

When we get these patches they are not all in the pristine condition. And there comes in the hardwork that our city karigar's put in. Making a very detailed piece ... but crudely finished tribal piece ... into a piece with the finess that a urban home will enjoy.
Each piece that will make its way into your home ... has had craftsmen labour over it ... working and wondering what they may be fashioning. It started out as a piece of cultural expression in a far off remote region ... collected by traders looking for piece of exotica ... stumbled before the eyes of us designers ... tickling out creative souls and here we are bringing to you cushions ... that you can look ... love and admire ... discover your own tales every time your precious pieces are a conversation starter.

 These modern day heirloom pieces are a limited collection. So incase you are looking to have a peek at all our pieces ... drop by our boutique today. Or directly message us at rajeessodhome(at)gmail(dot)com. Ref. 'The Gypsy Soul Collection"

We are located at -

RAJEE SOOD HOME
C-42, Nirvana Courtyard,
Gurgaon - 122018
India

 Ph - 0124 4005007

( Enjoy the experience of shopping at the boutique homestore ... curated by an Interior Design Studio. Call our store to book an appointment today for a personal consulting session. For more details ... e-mail us at rajeesoodhome(at)gmail(dot)com )

# Indian Spring ... ;)

 It is always nagging me ... the thought as to why I have given up blogging. Time and again I do come back to try the same hand at it ... but something feels amiss. Well ! I get a lot of queries if I'll get back ...  honestly, I am going to give it a shot again.
So here goes ... sharing another of our rituals you all may be so familiar with. My lil' one and I are so crazy about getting the back flowers and twigs from our sojourns into the world outside... :) ... this time I got these gorgeous blossoms from her school ... yes, the entire school bag full of them ... :)
Here, in North India we have a very short spring ...  it starts on the Basant Panchami Day ( official first day of Indian Spring according to our lunar calendar) ... and we'll probably be done by a little into March.
But the blossoms on the trees around shall be spectacular ...  as these ... from the India Coral tree. Soon to follow are the Semul ( red silk cotton) ... Gul mohar ...  Laburnum. oh! ofcourse the Kachnar (Bauhinia) is blooming like crazy these days ... but I am waiting for that time when forests come alive with the Teshu (Flame of the forest).

Not sure why we jump from winter directly to summer ...  short but truly spectacular is our Indian Spring ... I suddenly have a new found fascination for this time of the year... :)
How about you ...  cause I know I haven't even covered half the blossoms out there ... I do find my self hastagging my posts with spring thoughts as #indianspring ... would love to bring more attention to this gorgeous time of the year here in India ... what do you think ... have you got some great #indianspring stories at your end ... ;)

Being Inspired .... :)

Texture on texture ... layering the lights ...

                                                    A bit of whimsy and tons of passion ...

 I hit upon a lovely article ... it sort of spoke what I feel ... in terms of entertaining ... yes, I am not the tissue paper, plastic ware and disposable thingie's kind of a person ... and many of us have loads of reason why we love it that way ... a passionate dislike for plastic being quite there on the top of the list ...

 ... aaaaanyways ... I really wanted to share it with many of my like minded readers ... but then me being me ... I like to share my own images ... so a quick dig into my archives and here pop a few shots from a shoot at a project of mine.

Even though this was a display set up.But seriously who doesn't feel awesome sitting at a table the hostess felt like making special for the company.For all the yesss 's out there ... do pop by and have a looky at this article ... here. As the it reads ... How To Host A Magazine- Worthy Dinner Party. ... ;)... be Inspired.

A Vignette in cream ... :)

For a very long time ... this table top was just not happening, as I would want it to look ... ;)... nothing but the tribal neck piece is new ... but then ... moment I was looking for that right place to keep my new piece ... wala ... the whole look just fell into place ... :) ... my collection of creamware jar's ... feels just right with the shells  and the jute runner ... :)

I agree there is something very calming about creams and whites ... and life is not complete without some greens ... ;) ... I do find myself drifting towards that colour palette these days ... :)) ... Oh! yeah ... rest assure my family is in emotional turmoil ... experiment time is never easy on them ... ;) ...

Ah ! the rod lying there ... don't ask me why ... but yep ... my next project is lined up ... ;)
Hope this is a tiny bit of sunshine for all my friends ... who keep telling me I haven't been busy with my camera ... :))

Gloomy days call for some ... flower love ... :)

 

The last time I did a post about Simi's home in Karachi ... I had a whole lot of readers signing in from Pakistan ... :) I was seriously bowled over by that.Over the last couple of posts its been fun watching many a sign in coming  from Tunisia ... A big hi to all of you out there ... Especially to Asma ... it's always great to hear from you ... :))

 

 ... soooo ... this post may be more about, I love flowers ... I love white flowers ... and I have super crazy fun trying on the tone on tone ... texture on texture... arrangements ... ;)) But I am not trying to break the chain of thoughts from the last post ... we are very much still on the coffee table ... just a more in detail ... sort of way ... ;)

 ... the fun of arranging with the same fav. flowers gets an extra zing if  I try them out into something(as in an arrangement) with a new container ... whoever told you flowers only went in the flower vase ... well ! sorry puritans ... :)

I am a person who loves to believe being organised is the way to be ... only I never remember where the hell I organised my things ... so if I use a lidded container it was not style to just have the lid over the side ... I knew I'd loose it if I put it away somewhere. But I liked it just the way in the end ... :)Looked like flowers just popped out and the lid slipped by the side ... ;)
As for those of you wondering how we go about using a wide mouth container ...There are a couple of tricks ... in this arrangement I used the oasis ( the green color brick thingy) that you see at the florist's place.But I made sure I cover it all with the flowers so it really looks all  .... uuuh ! la laa ... ;))
Back to the coffee table series soon ... and may be will share a bitty about that jute table runner of mine ... :)

Oh! that thing about ... coffee table styling ... :) ... part -1

... as I was going through my pictures of all the shoots I've done in the last 7yrs of blogging ... the ones I love the most are usually around the coffee table. The one above is what my coffee table looks like these days ... :)
Got me thinking ... oh ! yeah...  always looooved styling the coffee table. We all fig. out what we want with that piece of furniture that stands right in the middle of our drawing room. Some want it matching with the rest of the room furniture ... for some of us, its a love for a statement piece as our coffee table ... some of us like it bare ... and ... some of us (read me) ... loooove to have all that is so current in our lives ... our newest reads ... freshest flowers ... curio, that has my attention at the moment ... our latest collections of  itsy-bitsy thingies  ... gosh Sarah and I even love to see our latest rocks in a bowl at times ... :)
When my coffee table looks dull and boring ... its a constant nagging reminder to perk up ... pull up my socks and freshen it all up ... I feel it tends to radiate in my life too ... :))
So yup its not just my shoes ... my hair ... my car that reflect me ... hell ! even the coffee table says hello here is whats up with Rajee ... ;) Lol !

... my very first coffee table in my first home in San Francisco ... don't have too many pictures of all that I tried on it ... but oh! yeah ... it had to be some thing as in ... SOME THING ... even though it was being put together on a  ... no budget. Three African pots and a glass top from Pier 1 imports ... and I cherished it as a precious possession.
Styling a round table ... :) ... I can go on and on about it in circles ... ;) There are days you have the zing in you to try finding the symmetry ... the balance ... the focal point ... and days ... you go .. ' damn, it looks good so let it be' ... :))
Have a peek into the pictures from my archives ... of all the styling that has happened around that precious table in our home ... over the years ... ah! even the tables keep changing and now, I may be looking to change this one  ... ;)

... guess, we all define the status of our coffee table ... there is no two ways about what it is for and what you should do with it ... its yours and you fig. it out ... but one thing is for sure ... many a conversations do start from there ... :))
This monday morning ... just figured I'd stir up some of your thoughts ... would love to hear what you do with your's ... leave me a message ... e-mails... or find us on fb and feel free to comment there ... always love to hear your views ... this is part one of this series on coffee tables ... more eye candy from the archives in the next one ... :)

And while we are in the mood for talking and styling the coffee table ... drop by at our pinterest page and see all the inspirational pictures in my Coffee Table Styling, folder ... right, here.

Lets talk flowers on a chilly winter morning ... :)

On a chilly winter morning like today here in Gurgaon ... a little talk about flowers can sure perk me up. Anyways, it has been sometime we talked about arranging flowers.

 

Bunch of green mums at my florists looked very attractive. And knowing my love for miniature arrangements around the house ... just one bunch and I had tiny lil' ones all over ... :) Ofcourse, not to say that I have a separate set of straight white glasses only for this.

Everytime I go on without the flowers or green ... it feels like something is not quite o.k around the house. And moment I get even a small bunch  ... hmmm ... you always wonder," ... now why didn't I think of it earlier ..." .... ;)

 

... and if it feels right to me ... bunch up a few glasses together ... why ... cause I can and I love it ... :))

Hope you are getting into the mood to experiment with some new variety of flowers ... or try some tiny arrangements like these ... ;) It sure puts you into a comfort zone and no calories to worry about either ... and incase you are going to be really happy and start snacking ... hey! join the gang ... :)))))))))))))))))))))))

Thanks Casaviva ... :))

Since this image appeared on fb ... with me tagged by Ragini Singh Joshi (Creative Director Casaviva and Better Homes and Garden )... there has been an explosion of activity in my life(read fb life) ... ;)) ... I am going bonkers trying to make sure non of my dear readers or friends gets missed being thanked ... so in case I did slip ... THANKYOU ALL ... ;))))))))))))))

 

So having hung Ragini and Anuradha Varma (Editor Casaviva ) ... in the limbo for over a year ... I had to finally stop being jumpy and jittery about shooting my home and say 'Yes' ... gosh! I don't think I was so jumpy about a Yes ... even when I got married ...;)) ... ooops come to think of it ... he never proposed ... Wooh ! ... that is half a life time too late realising that ... Excuse me ... could you hold the line while I go confront Mr. Significant other ... ahhh ! on second thoughts I'll let this one pass. He'd probably show me his grey hair and tell me hasn't he's suffered enough ...;)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Oh! ... men ... I tell you ... they never stop complaining ... ;)

 

 ... well ! where was I  ... oh! yeah ... the home being shot ... so we pulled up our shocks ... shined up the shoes ... and tried putting our best foot forward ... ;) ...

 Ofcourse, you see my home in bits and pieces everytime ... a bit more, off and on in media features ... but this time its a LOT more than usual ... :))

Since, a lot of my readers overseas asked for an e-copy of the story ... ladies and gentlemen ... this is best of what I could come up with ... :)
I really did have a great time with the team while they where doing all the hardwork. Ragini ... Anuradha and  photographer Yashas Chandra ... guys ... thankyou ... you are wonderful professionals to work with ... would look forward to any collaboration in the future with loads of enthu ... :)

Time for a break ... :)

The last couple of weeks have been rather busy ... inspite of the fact that I keep repeating to myself ... I need a break ... I need a break ... I need a break ... ???? ... I need a break ... Boom ! that didn't work ... so some crazy deadlines ... issues in the form of right lighting ... clouds rolling in on the day of the shoot  ... some JPEG related issues ...  and tons of file sharing issues ... ofcourse this was all that Mommy fits in ... in the middle cake baking ... tons of sandwich making for school sharing... school homework ... getting creative with collecting scraps for lil' brats artsy projects at school ... sick canine babies ... maids planning their leave ... PHEW !!!

And I can't even get a book deal for that ... cause it is just a mundane life of every mom I know ... :) ... RIGHT !!!

Oh! then I finally gave the green flag to some wonderful people I had been hanging in the loop for  ... like eeeeever ... told them to come shoot the home. My exact words ..."Aaah! yeah  ... I think I am ready" ... what ??? ... what was I thinking ... so I spent the better part of last week and all of early this week ...fixing the house ... was pretty sure there was a shootable home under all that what a family does to any livable space ...;))) And guess what ... we cleaned up quite decent .... ;)))

So while the creative director and her photographer went clickty - click yesterday ... my aching bones were thrilled ... for I pulled off a cleaning spree that was much needed. ( o.k if I were you ... I'd stay away from my store room door ... ;)) ... )
LOL ! o.k jokes apart ... it was great fun and amazing working with the pros, I'd say ... I sure want to share a lot more about them, soon. Well ! as soon as I am officially allowed to. So you can look forward to what we did at the photo shoot ... :)) ... well this morning I couldn't help take a few shots myself ... my OCD kicked in ... ;)
And this is how the workroom cum studio looked like. Would love to share the other load of pic.'s that I personally shot ... but I am taking the day off ... or atleast what ever is left of it ... aah! who am I fooling ... ;))
So ... but ... you get to see them in a day or two. I'll be right back ... so  ... be back, yourself too ... :))
 

A home in Karachi ... :)

 Yes, I am aware I do have a lot of love pouring in from across the border and it thrills me to bits ... and a message like this has me in a pot pouri of feelings ... emotional ... nostalgic ... loved ... thrilled. Nostalgic, bit being more than anything else ... gosh! getting off track here ... ;))
So, here's getting to know Simi and falling in love with her home ...

Hi Rajee :) I am a regular reader of your blog and a gr8 fan of you. I was delighted when I read about sharing pictures of our homes. A lil' introduction of me ... I am a Pakistani fan of you , living in Karachi, my name is Simi. This is my home tour:)

As I mentioned ... I was super excited to share some of the homes that are beautiful but couldn't be part of the contest because of geo-political  reasons ...* grin* ... ;)) So here's Simi's home in Karachi ... :)

 

Not to difficult to fig. why I love this home ... ;) ... 'cause it is a home collected and created ... :))

 

 Simi ... I am in love with that orange table runner of yours ... ;)) ... (Simi mention's that it is a Sindi Rili work ) ... aaah ! on my 'I want list' ... ;) ... I can well imagine all my collector readers are going .... WOW! ... I want that too ... yep ! thanks Simi ... you are sending us all immediately to Google ;) ... I like to pinterest too these days ... :))

 ... that's one of her wing back sofa's upholstered in textile from Sind ... am I intrigued ... in love ... :)

 Don't miss her colourful lounge  ... I can't believe she still has potential to fill it up with so many more books ... :( ... 'J' ... Simi ... simply 'J' of you ...
;)

 I look at her staircase and with all the details she shared about her collected pieces ... my mind goes ... and that kilim ... tell me about that ... Simi ...???

 As Simi shared ... " An antique cupboard which belonged to my great grand father who lived in Kanpur. But thanks to my grand father who managed to bring this beautiful piece from Kanpur to Karachi :)"   ... WOW ! ...

 

 ...a powder room with Mohammadi tiles which Simi, bought from a century old house which belonged to a Hindu merchant who migrated to India at the time of partition ...

A reading corner with the Swati Kilim foot stool..  wow ! now I am very curious to find out what is the swati kilim ... :) ... does it have some thing to do with Swat Valley ... ???
That's that folks ... loved it ... drooled over it ... and got many more add ons to our 'I want' list ... :))
Hope you all enjoyed it too ... wow! house calling at Karachi was fun ... will sure look forward to more. Simi, thank you so much ... you really have an amazing home and collections and ofcourse, not to forget you are a great sport to share your home with us ... much love ... from Me and all my readers ... :)