Stylish Spaces

Arches in buildings and designs over the years have been attributed with a broad spectrum of adjectives ranging from majestic, towering, magnificent to cosily vaulted and warmly niched, just to name a few. Historically, arches have also been associated with triumph and sorrow, holy buildings and royal seats - they truly are a cultural and architectural triumph (apparently dating as far back as the Mesopotamian period)- I think primarily, because of the delicate structural balance of compression forces vying with each other to hold them upright but even more so because they are infinitely pleasing to the eye. For me personally, arches epitomise the charm of a place - whether they are eighty feet tall or eight feet low vaulted ceilings, in old buildings in Rome or new ones in Dubai - they give the place a definite character that would be sorely lacking without. There is something infinitely secure and serene about their soaring sinuous curves that defy gravity and raises the human e...

I can't get enough of his music - and I know what to reach for and listen to every time I am stressed, or tired or down trodden, or just want to get away from everyday chores and transend to a beautiful, wonderful place - and yes,  I have used the word " transend" because that exactly what Ludovico's music does, it speaks to your soul and carries it away on a beautiful melodious journey of highs and lows and sheer, utter bliss. There is something so pure, so true, so touching about the unspoken words and feelings his music conveys to your soul-  you can't help but be affected by it. Ludovico is a composer par genius - he has taken traditional orchestra and shaken it up a bit -  bringing in musical influences and instruments from around the world and blending them all harmoniously together to create amazing pieces that are a treat to listen to. He is also an amazing pianist, with dexterous fingers that sometimes hover over and sometimes linger on keys for just t...

Summers has one of two effects on people - they either reach for their whites and pastels in cool shades of aqua and green, trying to recapture the feel of cool summer breezes or they go all out and don their brightest, sunniest and loudest colours paying homage to the brightness all around.  Whichever one you choose to be - and I myself have oscillated between one and the other over the years - the pull of summer and it's affect on you is undeniable. The sultry heat, the welcome shade of verandah and trees, the pleasant, relatively cooler evenings all serve to bring out the best and the fun in you. You are suddenly reaching for tall cool lemonades, serving fresh exotic salads and having lazy summer Bar-be-ques with near and dear ones. Some of my best memories are built around these times - sharing laughter and stories late into the warm nights. Summer is the time when I am most tempted to revamp my home as well - small changes here and there that make a world of difference - ...

We all love a good moan - unloading our daily little misfortunes on our near and dear ones, things that went horribly wrong at work, traffic jams on the way or back, someone who let us down again, last minute, when we were so trusting and relying on their support - and that niggling pain in the back or neck or leg that we can't seem to shake off no matter what - and then there are the things that could go wrong (but haven't yet) and we can feel it in our bones the doom headed our way, like that dark thunderous cloud far off in the sky, that is surely going to pour down the minute we step outside our home. And all these tales of woes are not because we are jobless, or out on the street, or living in a poverty stricken shanty town, with no warmth in winter and no luxuries to speak of, no, these tales of woes are exchanged in comfortable homes, over sumptuous dinner tables and in front of warm fireplaces. Life to us has become one damn thing after another, to bitch and moan abo...

Maths has always held a certain fascination for me right from the start. To begin with, numbers were easier to write and read than words -ten numerals versus twenty six alphabets made maths a whole lot easier for a four year old- and as I grew older, its simplicity, truth and ability to lend a helping hand to every other conceivable discipline around, made me respect it even more. But of course, I hadn't thought this deeply about maths growing up - I just knew I liked mathematical reasoning - to me it seemed and looked like solving a puzzle- and every problem solved, gave me a certain buzz. As I moved past primary into secondary and encountered Algebra and Trigonometry and Calculus and Statistics, I was blown away by how in its guise almost all of world's major decisions are based - from how countries are run to how bridges and skyscrapers are designed and built. How nature and galaxies rely on mathematical ratios and how beauty, perfection and design need a helping han...