Stylish Spaces

On a recent visit back home to see my mum, I sat out on the verandah of her home everyday after a leisurely breakfast, to soak up the gentle sunshine, smell the first blush of orchids and sprouting pine cones and have relaxed conversations with mum and catch up on all the family news and gossips I had missed out on. And these mornings were  interrupted on a daily basis - by neighbours passing by, who seeing us on the verandah would pop in for a quick hello and chat - or my sisters on their constant mad rush between dropping kids off to getting groceries and on the way to or back from gym - interruptions that were welcomed and became highlights of our time spent on the veranda. And the magic didn't stop there because out of nowhere one of my mum's helpers would make tea and bring it out on a tray, proper brewed tea is a teapot covered with teacosy which tasted so much better than the quick kettle and tea bags I am used to at all other times of the year. Time spent on that ve...

Nature's glorious spring is in the air - it may be cold, it may be wet in most parts of the world, but there is no denying the colours sprouting all around that herald spring - a tiny blossom, a small green leaf on a winter worn brittle branch, renewed vigorous chirping of  birds - all a lesson of hope and new beginnings. After all nature has no qualms starting afresh each time, why can't we? So, sweep out the past, the miseries, the misfortunes, the lingering illnesses and your cluttered rooms and take a step forward to a blank canvas - where you are the artist of your life. And now is the grand time to fill that canvass with colour - colours that make you happy. Fill it with things and places and people who have a purpose in your life, who will help you be the best of who you are. The first blush of spring always takes my breath away. I love the fresh, cool air - I love the gentle sunshine that warms your core and makes you feel glad to be alive. I love the pink and w...

My 15 year old daughter got me hooked on a daily dose of Audrey Hepburn's old classics over the spring break. It all started quite innocently with Roman Holiday - that I recommended she watched to unwind along with a hot cup of cocoa one evening (she is studying for her exams in May) - and the next thing I knew she was mentioning one daily over breakfast each morning,  "had I watched Sabrina or How to steal a Million or Breakfast at Tiffany's or Charades ..." And of course that started a nostalgia for old movies and  an obsession for all things Audrey.  I had forgotten how naturally chic and elegant she was, in the way she spoke, carried herself and dressed - of course her dresses in the movies were customised to the character she played, but even in her off-movie pictures, she was always dressed with understated elegance and oozing charm that was her trademark.  This lady epitomised refinement - in attire and character,  and despite being immensely ...