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An Indian Summer in London!

On Sunday 2, September, Regent Street - London, will be celebrating its annual festival which this year will be themed, ‘An Indian Summer.' The street will be transformed into India for the day with India's incredible colors, crafts, music, dance and creativity being showcased.

I, unfortunately, have nothing to do with this 'An Indian Summer' ... I am just quite kicked having found my blog's namesake! [courtesy my sister in London, who by the way, is supposed to be preparing for her final thesis submission and not surfing the net for festivals to attend! ;-)]

You can find more details on the festival yahan, yahan aur yahan. (Translated from Hindi: here, here and here)

So Londoners and people visiting London - do drop into Regent Street's 'An Indian Summer' on Sept 2nd, and let us know of your experience by dropping in a comment on this post!

Engineers to Designers?

Prateek Jain and Gautam Seth met while studying chemical engineering at university. Good that they met since this partnership resulted in Klove Studio. Self taught glass blowing artists, Prateek and Gautam combine glass with different mediums like stone, metal and wood to create what can only be called Art!

Klove Studio enables people to translate their vision of spaces around them into reality. All the products are designed to inspire and complement aesthetics....as you can see below:

(All images courtesy Klove)

Time does fly!

2 whole months! Wow!

And what a journey it has been!

marthastewart.com

♥ Came to know how good it feels to share! Share design inspiration, ideas and thoughts, beautiful images, great products..

♥ Learnt to appreciate new and different designs and styles. I have started appreciating creativity more than ever

♥ Realized that work and hobby can go hand in hand. My day ends refreshed even after 12 hours of intense corporate work because of 3 hours of inspired blogging!

♥ *Met* so many, absolutely adorable people! I now have a new group of friends across countries, all connected with a common passion!
Thank you ♥ - fellow bloggers, my readers, regular commentators - it has meant a lot to me to be able to share with you and *hear* back from you!

What to look out for on An Indian Summer:

* I plan to introduce some regular features. Like - presenting the best in Travel and Vacation (place and design) every weekend, with focus on Asia

* I would like to start showcasing talent from Asia; Specially closet artists, designers, photographers and crafts people

* And, I am very excited about a venture, which is slowly and steadily moving from the idea stage to implementation stage! Give me a couple of more weeks before I let the cat out of the bag...
Ok, I can't keep it all secret and hush-hush (see above bullet point about 'sharing'!). Will give you one Hint: Have you always been charmed by traditional and contemporary Asian arts, crafts and products, but did not know where to find one which is of impeccable quality and good design?...Well well, I just might be able to help you with that! :-D

Keep visiting An Indian Summer and you will come to know how and when!

Warning before you read any further...

Proceed at your own risk, for...

You might drop everything you are doing right now and get that ticket to India!

I almost did!

Not the ticket since I AM in India,

but pack a bag and grab the husband of mine

For this place is perfect for romance

As also for single romanticists!

So while you are trying to get the best fare,

let me take you on an e-visual treat of

Aman Bagh, Alwar (Rajasthan)

You are greeted by old forts, rocky hills, desert vegetation and village belles

with camels thrown in for good measure

A beautiful temple for a humble prayer

Before you are transported, Raj style, to The destination

Oasis in the desert?

Enter the pillared corridor

Courtyard in sandstone and pink marble (called makrana)

Greeted by an elegant peacock

This will be your boudoir for the days to come

Wash away your stress in midst of muti-hued marble

(This one is for you, Maryam...)

Refreshed, step out into the many courtyards and gardens

Gravitate towards the pool



Ah... so inviting on a warm day!

And then dusk falls.

Amanbagh slowly takes on a new character...

Perfect for the cuppa of evening tea

Followed by a perfect dinner beneath the stars,

with your personal flute player

Various moods of Amanbagh

Amanbagh, set in a verdant oasis of palm, eucalyptus and fruit trees, pays elegant homage to the architecture and design of India’s golden age. Evoking the palatial grandeur of the Moghul era in its domed cupolas and inner courtyards, the use of makrana (pink marble) and sandstone recalls the palatial haveli mansions then favoured by nobility.

Amanbagh is a secluded and luxuriant; offering visitors the opportunity to discover and explore the fascinating remnants of an extraordinary local history, as well as the colourful culture and wildlife that flourishes today.

(All images from AmanBagh)

Question...

How do you (ahem) change clothes in this room?

Answer: Well, you don't! You step outside the room and then change clothes!

Not that I am complaining..

(Breathtaking image by photographer EdwardPfeiffer)

Can some one please...

... get me my glass of wine?

How I wish to laze in the sun under the shade of wisteria

Home Portfolio

St. Charles Street

While on the subject of the Merchandise Mart bridges, I just happened to run across these photos of St. Charles Street, the block of which is centered in the photos above and below disappeared several years ago with the construction of the very mediocre ballroom and parking garage block for the Renaissance Hotel. While I was thrilled to see the former Statler rejuvenated as part of the hotel, the new building to the west leaves a lot to be desired, mainly in terms of how it interacts with the street. The retail spaces appear to be an afterthought to plug the left over spaces. Mostly though, the removal of St. Charles Street created a super block that inhibits connectivity in this part of downtown.
While buildings dictate the character and feel of an area, the streets of a city and their layout play an equal or greater role in how a city feels, its walkability and scale. Standing in the middle of St. Charles in the block where the garage/ballroom now stands, the view east shows how St. Charles Street was first interrupted in the mid 70's with the construction of the Mercantile Bank Building (now US Bank) (more on that block in the next post). The two blocks east of that were taken in the 80's for St. Louis Center, the One Financial Plaza building (formerly Edison Bothers) and another parking garage. The faces of all of these blocks today suffer from a major lack of vitality that is crucial to the success of any urban center with maybe the only exception being 10th Street Italian and the recently opened Time.

A little bit of India in my life...

A little bit of colorful furnishings by my side!

A little bit of fab furniture is all I need!

A little bit of Myakka transforms my home!

with due credit to Mambo No.5 ;-)

Myakka, based out of UK, is a store which will help you set up a little bit of India in your homes. The above range of absolutely beautiful furniture and furnishings is straight from select manufacturers in Rajasthan, India. The furniture is all made of Indian Rosewood (Sheesham) and Acacia. What I love about the furniture is the straight clean lines which makes it fit so well in contemporary interiors.

And the best part is that Myakka believes in supporting society and the environment and is also an accredited importer and member of Fair Trade.

P.S. : The name of this store is intriguing! The word 'Myakka' is a hindi word and denotes 'a married woman's parental house'. So if a married woman is going back to her parent's home, she would be going to her 'myakka'!

Pronounced: 'My Ca' (ca as in car)

Intéressant!

When I'm feeling blue...

... all I have to do is take a look at you

then I'm not so blue

When you're close to me

I can feel your heartbeat

I can hear your breathing in my ear

Wouldn't you agree

Baby you and me

Got a groovy kind of love

We got a groovy kind of love

We got a groovy......

You know how it is with some songs ... it is not possible to sing just one line...you have to keep singing till some one shuts you up! Well, this song falls in the above category for me!

By now, you would have had a pretty decent guess about today's post... today being a Monday just might have something to do with the choice of color!

Knock knock...

Flickr_Josiehen

May I come in? 2global

Thank you! I can wait in this luxe sitting area...

Samode Palace

... Or, the verandah would also do

Ahilya Fort

Let me calm my senses in this tranquil room Nilaya

And, dream a multi-hued dream in this roomDeogarh Palace

Soak my tired feet in this sea of a bathroom.

Aseascape

And, what treasures does this chest hide? Home Portfolio

What? My elephant and mahout are waiting outside? Flickr_mbollino

Where? Ah yes, if I look up from this window, I can see them..Robert Harding_Bruno

I will now step out before the gate closes
Flickr_zamzam


And before leaving, if I may sit on this chair and...
Trek Earth_Jos Jansen


.... take in a final breath of blue! Flickr_Robenejay

(mouth shut illustration by bz)

(Images primarily from India, Morocco and Greece)