Dora's Unique Touch

My Home : Showpieces

2012-01-31T10:13:00.000-08:00

Home Decor : Corners of my home

Well I love collecting knick knacks wherever I go. It really spices up the corners. Our home sweet home is very special for us. So these small efforts really makes a huge difference.

I collected this two from Kolkata. These are made of clay.They sit on my dresser and make me feel good every time I look at them.

I got the two red butterfly hooks and hanged the hearts I got as gift. They set the mood of my bedroom . Aren't they romantic....

This blue jwellery box rests on my dressing table. I keep my cute small earrings in it.

This crystal couple rests near my lcd on a glass stand in my bedroom. Its a watch cum night lamp. It sparkles blue shades at night and is a feast for the eyes. Again...I find it very romantic.

Lord Sreenathji painting adds a special touch to my drawing room wall. I collected this from Nathdwara, Rajasthan.

Leave comments friends if you like it.

Bedroom Interiors in the hilly terrains

2012-01-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

Bedroom Interiors

We just came back from a holiday from a hill station up north. I really liked the interiors of my hotels. We stayed at two places.

The first one had wooden interiors. The contrast color curtain added character to the room.

The second hotel had nice white interiors and gold hued curtains. The whole interiors gave me serene and beautiful ambiance. And I must add the view from the windows was breathtaking.

Interior was simple yet elegant. I really liked the big cushions the bed.

Personalized my work area: Cubicle Decoration

2012-01-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

Cubicle Decoration: Beautiful Work Place

We spend a huge amount of time in our work places. So it deserves to be beautiful isnt it. My office is a lovely place but I wanted to personalize my cubicle.

I wanted to feel really good while working. So I added some stuff to my cubicle to make it look less techy and more comfy.

Well I love painting, so added some bright colorful paintings on the walls of my cubicle. I did this using acrylic colours in my free time.

Added some paper cut flowers, again very bright in color. And yes lots of dolls, small or big. most of them are gifts and I collected some of them from various places.

These identical twins are my favorite.

This water sipper I bought from a mall. The cute cartoons really uplift me.

This is how my cubicle looks. :)

Terracotta

2012-01-13T03:16:00.000-08:00

Terracotta : For Interiors of your home

Hi friends I am so glad to be back to blogging after a long long time. Lots of changes came into my life. I got married, so naturally got so geared up in doing my interiors. Along with I have been helping some other friends in doing up their homes.

Though everything else is in continuation I am back to my lost love i.e is blogging. I am very fond of Terracotta. I have used many terracotta pieces for my home as well.

Terracotta is a unglazed ceramic material made of natural clay. It has been used for construction and making decorative arts pieces since ancient times in cultures around the world.

It is nothing but baked clay which is basically red in color.

Decorative flower pots, water vessels, along with sculpture such as the Terracotta Army are very popular in terracotta art.

Well-suited refined clay is partially dried and molded into the appropriate shape. And let me tell you it looks amazing. You can paint it in whatever colors you feel like. Add your style to it and put it in any corner of your home. It really looks awesome.

Alpona art to decorate the floors

2011-02-02T01:07:00.000-08:00

Bengali traditional art - Alpona for floor design

Alpona is a a Bengali art form that originates from villages which is believed to bring good fortune to our homes .It can be seen in most of the Bengali homes during festivities, ceremonies and celebrations.

Alpana is a term that has been derived from the word in the Sanskrit language, alimpana, meaning ornamental plastering.

This art is basically a style of decorating and designing the floor with beautiful patterns. The medium used for these patterns is the staple food of Bengal that is rice paste. But nowadays some other mediums are common too like acrylic, paste of chalks and so on.

Gradually it has become one of the most popular floor decoration method. It is also known as rangoli in some parts of India.

The designs are symbolic and common to the entire country and can include geometrical. The drawing is spontaneous and the art is passed on to the women folk from their elders.

So why don't we try it sometimes on some ceremony and festival. I am sure most of the Indian ladies are acquainted with rangoli or alpana. Lets try out some time and i m sure you are going to love it.

The Indian Sari for interiors

2011-01-24T01:27:00.000-08:00

Indian Sari can do wonders

Well sitting at home on weekends, lots of ideas keep coming to our minds. I had an encounter with a nice idea recently. All of us do have some n number of saris. Some of them we have stopped wearing.

So instead of throwing them out can we use them artistically? Of course we can.

What about making some nice cushion covers, wall pieces, pillow covers, bedsheets and even table cloths out of them. Yes we can do that, and they can look ravishing.

Stitch at home or get it done from a tailor. Add your own style to the designs and make whatever you like from the sari.

We can select some very colorful saris and turn our interiors more appealing and elegant.

So lets try it out friends and if you like it do let me know.

Lamps to add style to your Interiors

2011-01-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

Lamps and Interiors

Hi friends , its been many days since I wrote my last blog. Some work kept me lil busy. But now i m back in action.

This post of mine is dedicated to my love for lamps.

You can easily say I am fascinated by lamps. Lamps give you a whole new experience and atmosphere. Be it any size shape or color I just adore them.

They bring a special sence of warmth and a nice aura to our homes. I feel the interiors is incomplete without reference to lamps.

For any living room A lamp brings in a new defination to design. It can be a contrast to the walls of the living room. This can work as color balancing effect.

If the living room has a soft color theme then a soft coloured lamp can make a soothing effect.

For bedrooms too I generally prefer soft colured lamps. But a bright contrast lighting can also do wonders.

Apart from the colour that the lamp provides, the designs also matter a lot. There are lot of interesting designs in different shapes and sizes available in the market.

So for your home you can opt for a unique design. This adds your inner style to your interiors. So, not only different colors but also the forms, materials and sizes can be considered while choosing a lamp for your home.

Ofcourse the tradition lamp style also works but we can try out some new modern designs as well.

Cane Furnitures

2010-02-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

Interiors with Cane

Cane furniture of India combines simplicity and comfort, with high aesthetic appeal. It gives a very simple yet lovely ambience.

Recently i came back from a small holiady at lonavala. The guest house furnitures inspired me for this blog. Most of the furnitures were in cane and it looked amazing.

Today, bamboo is used in almost every type of furniture, like chairs, tables, sofas, stools, shoe racks, bookshelves, cabinets, beds, couches, recliners, and so on.

The cane material is then woven into a mesh which is stretched over the furniture’s fame.

The flexibility and strength of bamboo have made it very popular choice for making furniture.If taken care of durability is also strongly present.

Its attractiveness is increasing at a fast pace nowadays. From offices to homes to restaurants to shops, it is being used in each and every place.

Athough it is natural in its appearance, lends a very modern and trendy look to the entire décor. The durability, low weight, easy maintenance and environmental-friendliness of the furniture further add to its charm.

Lord Krishna as Shreenathji

2010-01-29T22:54:00.000-08:00

Shreenathji - Nathdwara

Shreenathji Temple

Shreenathji is a form of Lord Krishna with his small finger up holding the Govardhan parvat(hill).Krishna is God’s perfect manifestation. At Nathdwara lord Shreenathji is being worshiped at the haveli. It is one of the biggest pilgrimages in India.

Nathdwara is located in the Rajasmand district on the banks of the river Banas in Rajasthan in India. Many times people just call the town as "ShreeNathji". All roads lead to the Haveli of Shreeji which is central in location.
The word 'Nath' maens 'the Lord' and 'Dwara', which means 'gate'. It is surrounded by the Aravali hills and its scenic beauty is beyond words.

Shreeji's town wears a white washed look. There are paintings on every house and wall, it is a very typical look that the entire town of Nathdwara adorns.

A very important shopping is for the paintings of ShreeNathji. Hundreds of shops are there with every mood and dress of Shreenathji painted.You will definitely get painting of your choice. Th karigars (artists) also use stones and pure gold paint to complete their Shreeji paintings. Another form of painting is called pichwai, which is an elaborate painting done on cloth depicting various past times of the Lord. The variety of different paintings is just amazing.

One painting is never enough and even a glance at the various shops is mesmerizing.
So please go ahead and visit Nathdwara you will surely enjoy the trip and don't forget the paintings.

Madhubani Art

2010-01-23T04:44:00.000-08:00

Traditional Indian Art

India has a rich cultural heritage.The Indian folk paintings, their styles and patterns are as diverse as the Indian nation itself
Folk art paintings are an artist's expressions in pictorial form. Madhubani paintings are folk paintings from Bihar in India.
This art specialization get passed from generation to generation.

The theme is usually epic narratives from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and so on. These also depict the daily village life, social customs, rituals, birds, animals and the elements of nature and earth. Madhubani paintings use very vibrant and natural colours and papers, clothes, leaves, earthen pots, mud walls, etc are used as canvas.

Nowadays madhubani art is also available on shawls, sarees ,cushion covers, wall hangings and wall paintings...

Diya - the earthen lamps

2010-01-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

Decorate with Indian style

Interior design is all about making our home sweet home a better place. I like doing it in innovative ways with a distinctive Indian touch.

We all love decorating every nook and corners of our homes dont we.. Lights always give a warm feeling. We like putting in lamps and candles in our living rooms. We all know about diyas - small clay lamps mostly used during diwali.
But we can use diyas in our day to day life.

Personally i just love lights and i love doing it with diyas. We can get some colorful bright diyas with any design we like and enlighten our living room.It gives a lovely effect.

Or we can get plain clay diyas and colur and design it ourselves. Put in some beautiful color and design with a contrast colour. We can even add some sprinkles of zinc and glitter.It is even better.

So just try it out. Bring in some diyas and light it up and put it anywhere you like on some colorful thali or just a corner table and enjoy the effect...

Wall Decor Styles

2010-01-08T23:03:00.000-08:00

Interesting wall designs

Everyone of us like our home to be beautiful in every way possible.While designing the home decor walls are an important segment. The color and look of the wall enhance the decor. So I am suggesting some ideas to give a wall a excellent look.

Wall art is a great way to dress up a room and bring a mesmerizing effect.
There are many ways we can do so. We can find some lovely art pieces in different design styles to suit our home decor.Some beautifully crafted art pieces can bring in a lot of change on the look of the wall.

Wall paint is another option. Any pattern in the contrast color to the wall looks great. We can try it on a patch of wall.

An easier option is also there. Get yourself some nice wall stickers in contrast colors for your wall. Easy and cool....right.
So we dont need to spend too much time and energy. Just get the stickers with our favorite patterns and colors and paste it anywhere we like.

Kalighat pat - Art of rural Bengal in India

2009-12-31T04:06:00.000-08:00

West Bengal is an integral part in my life..Most of my school holidays comprise of memories of different parts of bengal where my relatives are scattered.

Bengal is famous for its contemporary art and vibrant culture. Kalighat Pat is one of its art forms. Maa kali is the most worshipped goddess in west bengal. Kalighat is known for centuries old Kali temple.

In 19th century some migrant communities of painters setteled around kalighat. They developed the Kalighat Pats which has been a great influence on modern bengali art

Pats were paintings with a distinguished bengali style with bright colors and strong lines. These pats, wood craft and the lithographs depicted the social life during those days. Vegetable colours and water colours were used.

The pats are now available in the land of Midnapur where artists and their works are in great demand. Most of their works are exported in many countries.
A pat on our wall can become a exclusive art piece isn't it. So what say....

Chandua: The Indian handicraft

2009-12-17T02:34:00.000-08:00

India land of colors

As I am a frequent traveller, I have travelled to many appealing places small and big accross India. Pipili is one such place. It is a small and colorful village in Orissa nearby puri.

Well it is a village of handicrafts. And what do they do? They have a distinctive style of applique embroidery .You will find a whole lane of shops selling chandua. The view is extremely colorful and happy.

It involves embroidering and stitching of small pieces of colored cloth with the theme of flowers, animals, village scene and traditional Indian designs on cloth.

This appliqué patchwork have varied categories like Garden Umbrellas, Wallets, Wall Hanging, lampshades, Pouches & Bags. Nowadays it has been diversified into bed sheets, cushions covers, file folders and so on.

If u ever visit the place puri which is mostly famous for the centuries old Lord Jagannath temple and a electrifying beach, pipili is a must see too.It comes on its way if u go by road , just an hour from puri.

And i bet any art lover will love this colorful place...So go ahead and bring back colors of India to home :)

Interiors For singles

2009-12-11T04:54:00.000-08:00

Looking out for a good interior designer? Why dont you start it yourself.Save money invest time

Lets start with the interiors of a home for single women. Well ladies what do we like our home to be when we come back after a long tiresome day ,comfortable and soothing isn't it.

I suggest first we should consider the colours we want our home to reflect.

Colors For Interiors

I suggest our bedroom should have a very soft colour,I like pink so i can go with my bedroom being colored in baby pink.But there are so many lovely colors like sky blue, peach, light purle ond even white or any soft color we like.

While our living room and dining room can have a bright or peppy solid color to cheer us up. We can select a sunny yellow, a bright pink, peacock blue anything that we like and that makes us happy while spending some leisure hours.

The kithen can have sophisticated look, here again we can select a light shade with glossy or shiny appearence.I prefer a glossy offwhite..but there is no end to colours, so let your imagination fly.

Last but not the least the bathroom can have a color with a cooling effect. Anything like a blue, light purple or any cool color will suit right.. what do u say about your choice.

As we are done with the colors now comes the furniture. So living alone doesnt mean we dont need beautiful furnitures. so what are the priorities you are looking for in your home?

Warm and Cosy Interiors

Living room

If we like a warm cosy home we can get ourselves a small cosy arm chair or a bright colourful couch. We can have some small pillows and cushions to increase the comfort.

A small beautiful glass side table will add a extra ting. A white transparent glass or a black one or anything you like .

Now it can be accessorized by beautiful lamp - colorful and bright or candles with artistic candle stands . Designer candles alone can also look very pretty.

The center table can be of medium size with a strong wooden base. We can also have small art peace with a transparent glass top. Or a bright solid color table in contrast to the color of the room.

It can be accesorized by a metallic bowl having scented water flowers and floating lamps.We can also have a transparent glass bowl with bright fresh flowers and floating candles.

Dining Room

Now for our dining space a small table with two or three comfortable chairs is more than enough.We can choose solid colored furnitures.

It can be accesorized by hanging ball lamps , or miniature plants on table or simply a fruit basket and crockery or a beautiful flower vase.

If the living room is small we can put a big mirror on the wall to give a illusion of space.
We must avoid too many things on the wall for less spaces. Now if we have a large area then wall art will help a lot. I will cover wall art in my following blogs.Some beautiful paintings can give a exotic look.

Bed Room

Next we come to the bed room. For a cosy look we can have a medium sizes bed with soft bedcovers, flowing curtains of full length. We can even have a bedskirt around it.

One mini side table with a simple solid color lamp shade , ofcourse the color should be in contrast to the room's color.
Then comes the dressing table, I feel dressing table with a solid color will go completely with the look along with a tool. we can keep a cushion on top of the tool.

Bed room wall can have small paintings or family pics which makes you happy

hmmmm sounds good insn't it.