THE TROUBLE WITH PAINT COLORS....

THE ART OF CHOOSING COLOR

Southern Chateau

Today, I'm addressing a challenge a lot of us have. 

Whether we are using a fabric swatch, a photograph, or standing in front of hundreds of little colored squares

there is one thing we all face when decorating, or redecorating our homes.... 

TROUBLE PICKING PAINT

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DRIFTWOOD

GRAY AND BEIGE ARE FRIENDS

Skagway, Alaska

Driftwood store front

I took this photo while cruising the beautiful waters of Alaska.  I could blog on and on about the colors of the water, the mountains, the glaciers, the sky....and I probably will, one day.  Alaska - incredible scenery and fun little towns like Ketchikan and Skagway, where I couldn't resist this little building completely covered in lovely, soft gray driftwood.... charming, isn't it?

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Warm wishes on Vinayaka Chaturthi..my daughters way

Wishing all loved ones and my dear readers a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.
Wishing you moments as sweet as his Laddus..
Interest,love ,dedication and concentration of my seven year old ,with my help she makes a small beautiful white clay Ganeshji..and some violets from the garden .

a painting drawn by my daughter(form the archives)

an attempt by her in making ganeshji with white clay

Thanks to Shalini,my dearest friend  who gifted me some clay and we were waiting for a good opportunity to open the packet.

Published-Thank you Prismma!

Thank you Prismma for the wonderful opportunity being given to me for showcasing my small and simple decorations for all your viewers across the world.Here you will find many a decorations with flowers

Prismma Autumn edition..Sep/Oct 2012 page 82-90
Link to the article:here
All images in the article copyright Lakshmi Arvind

Published-Classic Courtyards

I really don't know why courtyards fascinated me from childhood and they still..These fascination lead me to a point when I plan my home now,incorporating these spaces at many levels,rooms less and these spaces more..Many thanks to all the great architects who have influenced me like Geoffrey Bawa,Bill Bensley,Laurie Baker,Revathi Kamath .Those amazing spaces have influenced my life in many ways.The dream of starting a decor blog started with the love of courtyards.The Mangalore tiled roofs ,the rain that flowed into the courtyards,the light and shades,the light that fell into the room at various times of the day... I can say so much ,they interest me in various levels and I have seen many a courtyards till now.I have travelled so much in search of courtyards and their spaces 

When Savitha Karthik of Deccan Herald contacted me for an article about the courtyards,I readily agreed.I had researched much about the courtyards and had enough images in hand.As written in the article,courtyards are getting revived these days by architects and they are finding ways to incorporate these spaces and giving different meanings to it at different levels...

Traditonal Kerala houses and courtyards within them

courtyard inside the MG Haveli,Ahmedabad

inside the Nadine Le Prince Havei,Fatehpur

inside the Diggi palace,Jaipur

inside the twin HAveli in MAndawa

haveli in shekhawati

Nadine LE Prince HAveli,Fatehpur

All images shot by Lakshmi Arvind

Arts and Crafts of India-Blocks,Prints and Patterns

Journeys into Jaipur always has helped me search for the old blocks used for printing..Each journey has gifted me one or two blocks.An arrangement on the side table where the blocks stood along the fiery Red Hibiscus flowers.This morning waking up to the withered and fallen flowers was a sight. Blockprint cushions and bedsheets always had a soft corner at our home.The Indian touch lended an air of elegance in the rooms...

All images:LAkshmi Arvind.please dont use without permission

PRIVACY ISSUES

FRENCH DOORS AND SLIDERS

(for Lynette)

Houzz

I love rooms with french doors.  There is something fresh and appealing about a room filled with open-pane doors, a welcoming to the outdoors and the wonderful light-filled rooms they create.  I love photos of rooms with rows of french doors, like the one above - lovely views - open and unobstructed.  You can see the green of the gardens beyond, the flowers, the sunshine...  the neighbors.

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GOOD GREIGE CHOICES

SUMMER.... WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?

This Summer season has flown by so quickly

and I've barely mentioned gardens at all

(probably because I have been trying to ignore the awful state my own garden is in)

But I do have the pictures I took of the garden at Ward and Child, a rather wonderful home decor and

garden shop I try to stop by when I visit

Salt Lake City, where my mother lives.

and I really loved this unique and musical water feature there

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