Indian Art Gallery Wall: Kalamkari Painting | Luxury Home Decoration 2019

If you are a regular reader of 3D then you might be aware of my passion and love for Indian art forms. I have said it earlier also that I am creating a gallery wall in my home dedicated to various Indian art forms like Kalamkari, Madhubani, Warli, Pattachitra, Mural, Lippan, Tanjore, Miniature, Pichhwai and Gond to name a few. And you will be glad to know that I am creating it from scratch. I have decided to paint all the famous Indian art forms myself that I plan to put up on the gallery wall. Half of the paintings are already done still, long way to go but I am thoroughly enjoying this work in progress phase too. Can't express the excitement of painting and putting together these beautiful paintings to create an Indian art gallery wall in my home.

From now on I'll be sharing some important updates on how my Indian art gallery wall is shaping up. So first in this series is this beautiful Kalamkari Gajalakshmi painting. This is actually a print I won in a blogging contest ran by a very talented friend and fellow blogger Deepa Gopal, who paints really well. I must thank her as I just needed to fill the colours in the print and one more beauty is all set to add charm to my space.

This is Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari which is characterised by the excess use of red, green, blue, yellow and mainly figures of Gods with round faces, big eyes and stout bodies are drawn.  

Though I have worked with brush no. 0, 00 and 000 earlier too but this time I found it quite hard to fill the colours meticulously. The design was so intricate that I almost thought of using magnifying glass while filling colours. 

Here's a closer look for you to admire the detailing of this piece. Painting an intricate piece of art has always been equivalent to meditation for me. It was a soul-satisfying experience to paint this Kalamkari art print. Next, I am planning to paint Gond art and I have the canvas ready for it :)

Stay connected with me on Instagram for regular updates. Soon I'll be sharing the details on another Indian art form. 

Buddha Decor Ideas | Luxury Home Decoration 2019

Gautam Buddha, a founder of Buddhism,

 the middle way that is away from the extreme self-indulgence and extreme self-mortification. With his infinite wisdom, Buddha gave to us eightfold path to gradually attain the Nibbana, ultimate peace or the final goal of our life. I find his teachings quite practical for the householders like you and me who can't go and live in the forest in search of peace and to attain enlightenment. I strongly believe that if we follow, his teachings can lead us to the place where there is no more desires, no more distractions and no more unsatisfactoriness. Such is the power of his aura that just by looking at his pleasant smiling face and half-closed eyes one can feel the tranquillity. So why not incorporate Buddha in home decor and find that ultimate peace in your own home.

There are no hard and fast rules or guidelines to create Buddha vignette or zen spots. What creates the magical effect is Buddha statue itself. Place it anywhere and you can feel the peace and positive energy emanating from it.

It's Not About The Number Of Buddha Statues: 
Trust me you don't need a number of Buddha statues to create zen spots in your home (though the more the merrier). Play with your imaginations and let that creative juices flow to create that perfect Buddha vignettes even with single Buddha statue. I have quite a few Buddha statues and try to make the most out of them. This turquoise Buddha bust in below image is a gift from my younger sister. This Buddha bust itself has so calming effect on me that nothing more is needed to create a zen spot.

Add Some Flowers:
Though to enhance the beauty of Buddha vignette I placed some fresh flowers close to Buddha. Flowers add cheerfulness and remind us that what we have today may be gone tomorrow. 

Light The Candles: 
A tealight or candle can be used to make it a heartwarming sight. A light that reminds us that the purpose of human life is to serve and to be a light to enlighten others.

The Rudraksha rosary or mala is an addition to make the Buddha vignette more serene. Rudraksha beads have the power to absorb negativity and hence make the surrounding pure and positive.  

While shooting for this article I got some really amazing views of setting sun that made the images uncontrived and even more captivating. The image below is one such perfectly shot picture when the timing, angle, exposure and everything else was just perfect. 

Mind The Colours:
Second Buddha I have is this terracotta Buddha head which I painted in gold to give it an erroneous perception of brass. Gold paired with copper never fails to create the super luxe and happy combination. I love the contrasting qualities of both the metals. Copper gives the rustic feel and gold adds the touch of elegance. Mantra to create the pulled together Buddha vignette is to colour coordinate at least two or three different decor accessories and use one or two decor accents in contrasting colour.

In below image, blue wall is setting a perfect contrasting backdrop for yellow and orange blooms placed in the copper pot which are colour coordinated with cushion. Add some greens to complete the look.

If you are using too many contrasting colours then try to create a balance by using a decor piece that has either few or all of those contrasting colours in it.

In below image, the artwork in the background is creating a colour cohesive look as it has the green of the stained glass vase, the teal of the bird cage and the fuchsia of the flowers. Balancing act you see!!

Let The Creative Juices Flow:
I am prone to get bored of the same look and feel of the decor accessories around my home. Solution to this problem is, I change the look of that object by painting it in a different colour. And that's what I did with my terracotta Buddha. I painted it white.

Sometimes absence of all the colours (well I am talking about pigments and not the light) make the purest form of colour, white!! And white creates the most peaceful Buddha vignette. Try to create all white Buddha vignette and it will leave you spellbound. 

Intoxicating Aroma Is Essential Too:
Pleasant aroma evokes the senses and affects the brain. Surround yourself with some delightful fragrances in any form like aroma candles, reed diffusers, incense sticks or fragrant flowers to be more energetic, relaxed, calm and happy throughout the day and incorporating it in Buddha vignette is even more blissful.

The addition of fragrant flowers has a relaxing effect on mind and body. It is a natural way to evoke the state of well-being. 

And here is one more Buddha that I have, a brass Buddha head that I often use to create flatlays. 

Create Flatlays:

Flatlay is a term that is doing the rounds on Instagram for a while now. It is actually a picture taken from a bird's eye view to remove a sense of depth. Choose a beautiful background for the flatlay like a beautiful textile or a painting or a patterned paper or even a tile and place the objects that look eye pleasing from the top along with Buddha head. 

Here is one more flatlay, a simple one with minimum objects. Natural light is making all the difference here. 

Change The Look And Change The Spot:

Sometimes moving some stuff around can totally shift the energy in your house. If the Buddha figure was in living room earlier then try to change the spot and move it to foyer or garden or any other place to completely change the look and feel.
The resin Buddha in below image is again a gift from my younger sister. For the first few months, I kept it in my living room and when I wanted to see some change, I shifted this Buddha to beautify my garden.

When changing the spot doesn't work anymore, it's time to change the look of the Buddha Statue. The Buddha statue below is the same resin Buddha you have seen in above picture. I transformed it and gave it a completely new look. Now it has taken the centre stage in my living room again. 

With some tealights and my handpainted pot, this Buddha is enhancing the beauty of my living room infinitely. 

It was wonderful putting together this blog for you all. I hope you liked the simple tips and Buddha vignettes that I love to create around my home quite often. Let me know your views, I am all ears
!!
If you are craving for more images of beautiful homes then click here and if your hands are itching to try some DIY projects then click here.

Studio Apartment Tour: Kavita Shanbhag | Luxury Home Decoration 2019

How have you been my favorite people? 
I am back to blogging after a short hiatus. I was in need of a digital detox vacation with my family and my dear parents. And the best thing is, I planned it and executed it. It was quite satisfying and rejuvenating vacation. Now I have the home tours lined up for this month. And today on 3D you will get to learn how you can make use of every inch of space in a tiny apartment. Today's guest is joining us from Mumbai, a city where you can't imagine owning a dwelling with different rooms for everything. Kavita owns a studio apartment in Mumbai and sharing how she turned the house into a home.

Kavita is a special educator trained to teach children with special needs. She is an activist in the Rehabilitation field, founder & managing trustee of ChildRaise Trust empowering children & adults with special needs. She is a creative head of  www.childraise.com, writer on disability related issues.

I would like to share that Kavita has provided a toll-free disability helpline number1800-22-1203 so that you can share it with people who need any such assistance or guidance. 
Now let's take a look at her well organized and beautifully decorated studio apartment in Mumbai.

Describe your home in just a few words:

Kavita: My Home is my Haven & Heaven!

Whether your house is an apartment or a villa, its area and no. of rooms:

Kavita: We have three apartments in the same society in Matunga, Mumbai. Till my son got married 

we used to stay in 1 BHK flat. Handing over the bigger flat to the young couple, we, the senior 

couple moved to a cozy 225 square feet studio apartment in the adjacent reconstructed building. 

Tell us about yourself, your family and location:

Kavita: Hi!! Kavita Shanbhag here. Our close family consists of me, my husband Devrai (who started Lily Caterers, handed over his flourishing business to his team to manage & now a passionate traveller). His blog Devooswanderings is a place where he shares his travel experiences. My daughter is a veterinary doctor. she is married & resides in downtown Toronto with her engineer husband. My son is a market analyst, recently got married to a Sales Tax officer. 

For all three of us (me, my daughter & DIL), our careers being not from art field, doing handicraft, decorating, reading about art, designing & decorating gives us the creative happiness. We are a close-knit family, live and enjoy life with our extended family & a fantastic bunch of pretty interesting friends. 

We are fortunate to live in a very central place like Matunga Road (Western Line) in Mumbai. 

You will love it for the sheer fact that it is just 225 square feet at Matunga Road (west), Mumbai . And how we have made the most of every square foot. 

Previously, after returning from US my daughter, Preeti,  who is a veterinary doctor stayed in this cosy flat till her marriage and moving to Toronto. She designed the whole place. The first few snaps are when only she was staying there & used to run a home bakery unit as a hobby & passion.

Images that you see below are when Kavita with her husband moved into this tiny apartment and decorated it . 

What�s your decorating style:

Kavita: I don�t think mine can be named as any style by any standards. But I think I try to do maximum with minimum!

Where do you get the inspiration from:

Kavita: My inspiration in life has been my Mother. I admire her for her enthusiasm to do DIY greeting cards, writing small poems etc., giving personal touches to her home at the young age of 91. Since childhood, I have been watching her putting in her best efforts making four walls into a Home! I also like to browse design blogs like yours, design/ interior magazines, websites, sharing ideas with like-minded friends, love to visit people & see how they keep/decorate their homes, decor shops.

Which is your favorite spot in your home and why:

Kavita: My Mini Grill Garden! Love to have hot chai sitting on the granite bench & read a book with our pet cats Figo & Mia near me. It is just so calming!

When we moved in the studio apartment it was similar to like answering questions like �if you are stranded on an island what are the few things you would like to have�. So it was just the necessities & few aesthetic cute tiny little things around them. Exception- my husband�s dream recliner was on sale & he had to have it despite it being so huge. I didn�t want to oppose because that is the only furniture/d�cor thing he has ever wanted in the house besides of course his cookware. Secondly, it also serves as an extra couch/bed when fully opened. I think he will be flattered if that is called a statement piece.  Otherwise, mostly plants in different pots, shells, photographs, candle stands, fridge magnets from our various travels, the fabric blinds add the colour to my home.

What are your hobbies:

Kavita: Music, drama, watching movies, writing, any art form and yes travelling with my hubby.

Please give your valuable advice to d�cor enthusiast 3D readers:

Kavita: Go on arranging & rearranging till your eyes & heart tell you, �Yes...this is it!�

I hope you enjoyed this tour and got to learned some tips & tricks to decorate small spaces when you don't have the luxury to toss everything into a spare room. Thanks Kavita for sharing images of your beautiful home with us. We wish you love, luck & sunshine!!
For more such lovely home tours click here. 

What coming up next!! Stay tuned, it's a post on "Buddha Decor Ideas". Have a lovely weekend ahead!