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 ...

White has always been a scary prospect for me - both in personal attire and home furnishings -  simply because I am clumsy by nature, in addition to suffering from serious bouts of carelessness,  which invariably  means that white never stays pristine white on me or around me . And believe me I have tried curbing my genetic inclinations, but no matter how conscious I am and take infinite care, somehow from forces in action unbeknown to me, I always end up spilling something or other, marring the snowy whiteness. And just like things you know you can't have, being dressed in white from head to toe, looking ultimately cool and put-together day in day out is one of my ultimate fantasies.  I remember when my son Dan was in year 2, a new boy Alex joined his class. The class teacher, knowing my son as the shy, quiet one - asked him to buddy Alex for a week. Before the week was out, the boys became inseparable in class and on the playground - and I got to know Alex's m...

I have been watching the new series of Dragon's Den and one of the newest dragon on the block is Kelly Hoppen. It is good to see Kelly after such a long time, she looks wonderful for her age and still has her sharp wit about her. I first heard of Kelly some 15 years past when feng shui and zen living was a fad sweeping though the design circles and every other designer had something or the other to say about it. Kelly was one of those who not only embraced the trend whole heartedly but also appeared in many TV programs, magazines and coffee-table books advocating simple, no fuss almost sparse living spaces devoid of colour. I must confess, I like calm interiors, but I can't stand blandness in living spaces, because then it gets too clinical, too devoid of personality - so even though she became a big name back then, I never caught on to her style simply because it didn't resonate with me - But over the years my design ideas have evolved and matured as the...

There is something so pure, serene and calm about pastels - even the strongest and loudest of colours, the ones that if they had souls would be shouting from the roof tops, talk in hushed tones as pastels. They seem to take on an almost ethereal, elegant persona, where they exist to blend in, not stand out and yet in doing so somehow make more of an impact than their solid, concentrated form. That's why I love pastels - a room with pastels incorporated as a main backdrop or as accessories is a room halfway on its way to success - the other half of course depends on the decorators foresight and ability to pull different elements of the room cohesively together - whether they use the backdrop of  a pastel wall colour  or scattered accessories to do so.  A common mistake people make while decorating with pastels is having too many different pastels in a room together -its almost as if they cannot  decide which pastels to stick with and end up using all - I have b...

When you get to a certain age, thoughts of mortality become a near constant, if not constant reminder.  Suddenly you find increasing number of friends - some you grew up with and shared many signpost moments of yours and theirs life -  have serious health issues. Nearly all conversations with your parents involve visits to hospitals, doctors and medications.  People who were your rock, your generation, are dealing with loss of parents or spouses and are increasingly vulnerable needing your support. It is a poignant realisation that death looms ahead - not only for your near and dear elderly but for you as well.   Thoughts of life ending is a strange feeling to harbour - sure, it makes you fearful  - the unknown always does - but most of all it makes you question a lot of things you do on a daily basis - little things you sweat over that do not really matter in the grand scheme of things - and even more than that it makes you want to really live like you ...