Namaste Tower

The Namaste Tower which is due to open in Mumbai in 2015 will be a landmark building standing tall at 984 feet and 62 floors. It will be housing the famous W hotel, offices & retail spaces. The design is based on the 'Namaste' yoga/greeting gesture, where in the two wings of the building will look like  clasped hands... to greet.
What is more interesting is the skin of the building will have the traditional 'mehndi' design! It looks very nice in the computer generated images, hope to see it in real. Atkins  who have their hands on projects like Burj Al Arab, The Address, Dubai Metro etc. are responsible for this too.

The tower.

The two wings of the tower in a clasping position as hands in a namaste gesture.

All images from here.

   

Breakfast at Shakespeare & Co.

Saturday mornings are for trying out breakfast around the Jumairah area ....while the little one is in her dance class. This time it was at Shakespeare & Co. at the Village Mall. Luckily I had my point & shoot.
The place(though not my taste) has a very Cozy, old time shabbily chic Victorian  ambiance.Pastels and brights, frills, gilts, floral, laces, cameos, velvet, wrought iron, wicker......all give it a look of a cottage eatery or a patisserie from the Victorian Era. Let's  have a look at how they managed to get 'the look' here in Dubai.

The panels, lamps and the jars give the look in the patisserie 

The display of chocolates. Gilded brackets and stands are shabbily touched with paint to acquire the look. 

Ceiling adorned with golden picture frames washed with paint & some hanging lamps/chandeliers . 

Torn Victorian pictures of people stuck to one of the walls.

Victorian patterns upon walls & furniture.

This is a gilded sculpture which has been shabbily painted to give the desired look. You can see the gold peeping out at places.  

The furniture & furnishing depicting the era.

Apart from these, the outdoor seating is mainly wicker, wrought iron and endless striped & floral frills.

Kalamkari Throws

These Kalamkari hand painted cushion covers by artisans from Srikalahasti in Andra Pradesh not only look beautiful but also seem to feel comfy. Srikalahasti is a well know town for its ancient  temples and this traditional form of textile painting which originated here. These are available at Aalamwaar.

Bokja Designs

It is probably the most blogged design of furnitures. By designer duo Hoda Baroudi & Maria Hibri from Beirut, Lebanon.Termed eclectic it is a combination of vintage/traditional fabrics from along the Silk route. One can see lot of Suzanis used here.They sure do make an accent!  I liked the post in decor8 about it. Check them out here.
Available in Dubai in O'de Rose.  Also check the post in my other blog(Paisley)...here.

Wade off the evil with these!

I just happened to see these gorgeous pieces of table top accessories in Swarovski's  table calender yesterday and I was in awe with them!They are by London based designer Sebastian Bergne for Gaia & Gino. The design of these ceramic wonders is obviously the Turkish eye( meant to wade away evil) with black Swarovski crystals forming the core. These crystals give a sparkle to the eye...true beauty! I am sure these can add a luxurious charm to any home( they are pricey.....mind it). Check them out in Boutique1 in Dubai.

      I am sure replicas/copies will follow....Maybe I myself can steel the idea for a project at Cafe Ceramique!;-)

Art for your Couch!

It seems I just can't stop blogging about them.....yes that's right cushions again! Saw these ones....and kept seeing them with popped eyes! :-) This is what they call eye candy I think! These lovely embroidered cushions done by Indian artisans designed by Lovisa Shergill & Mitali Seth of 'Allem Studio'. The design studio is based out of  Marietta, Georgia(Anupu...yes... your neighborhood!;-)).
As they mention, the designs are unique, colourfull, vibrant and happy! Indeed a very good blend of old & new! They also have table linens.Check out their online store here. and their facebook page here. And yes do have a look at their blog.

My favorites are the round ones with camel, horse and ox.

Adding colors to home furnishings

Black Pepper design's new cushion designs do have a global appeal and sure to add glamor to any home! Their Masai collection have Masai portraits adorned with beads of cheerful colours. Though aesthetically they grade very high, I doubt the comfort factor. The " Indian Heritage " collection are equally beautiful! I guess just adding one or two cushions to   accentuate, leaving alone the comfort is ok.  

They can be found here.

Gilt Glass

Gilt glass or ceramics where never my favorites. With the trend for Moroccan and Turkish tea glasses & cups in the market I had to change my mind. Now when I look at these designs I am a total convert!

All are from Eisch.

Suzani

I am obsessed with this wonderful form of embroidery from Central Asia. In trend for quite some time, the work is every where! Furnitures, bolster pillows, throw pillows(cushions), bed linen, wall hangings, curtains/blinds, bags,shoes....to mention a few. The colours and patterns are so overwhelming! Want to know more about them?...Find it here and here.

Also checkout these on line stores...Usbek Crafts., Yurdan.com., Tessera & Material Recovery.

                                                                       From here

                                                                             From here

These from here

This chair has been given a new look!...From Design Sponge. It's amazing!

Love this ottoman!

Image by Sam Simon Upton

Image from here

Recycled Wine Barrels

These wonderful eco friendly home decor furnitures and accessories are made with recycled 
solid oak wine barrel staves from France.

All the above and many more can be found in Stil Novo Design.

Yellow and Grey

The combination looks very sublime....The colour yellow is so bright that it needs a colour to mellow it down. Grey does it for yellow! And yellow brightens up the otherwise dull gray. So they really compliment each other!
Here are some egs...

All above images from Martha's

via here

via here

The above pics from here 

The combination looks aesthetically so pretty, just love it!!!