Drama, Lighting and small spaces

Just back from our vacation in Barcelona and our first stay in a Loft Space. This gorgeous loft, full of light, in a totally renovated 19th century flour mill factory, in 'El Poblenou', Barcelona's trendiest quarter, was our home for more than a week and decisively stole my heart. The stay brought alive many musings that my mad-mind is muddled with every so often.  

Well into our 40s, we often deliberate on our retirement home. We have homes in Mumbai and Pune, but neither quite fit into the quietude, vibe or charm that our dreams of retiring in are made of. Having lived in some of the most beautiful homes in and around the country, we often find ourselves dial back into how we felt in a certain home or space, how we would monopolise some living areas or how certain parts of a home was left unused.These ruminations mostly veer towards how the best corners, spaces and cumulative good vibes of all these homes can help bring to life a Home, wishfully, by magic :)

While these musings are ripe again, the Loft crystallised some elements of such a home for me. Apart from some obvious take-aways like a home need not be big (which we will deliberately ignore in the final scheme!) Drama and Lighting are the two new entrants into my sensibility. And here I share some pics to tell you my story.

The Loft is on a high floor, truly luminous, with huge windows overviewing the city, with plenty of sunlight. Despite the ample play of natural light, the decor incorporated chic statement lighting that brought in drama and impact.

The quaint and ample sleeping space partitioned by a wall sized wardrobe

fully equipped compact kitchen space

The charmingly refurbished factory ceiling adds its charm 

And as you would have guessed, this up-cycled memorabilia 'n book shelf I intend to copy as closely as possible. Made of discarded wine crates!

View of the Torre Agbar and the Tibidabo Mountain, from the windows!

All photographs are clicked by me and copyrighted to www.limegreenwalls.blogspot.com

Of Makeovers and home love

Home makeovers exist in an ongoing, organic continuum.

In a satisfying way, only the homemaker knows what really is new and the newness.

It's in every art and accessory re-positioned, every wall modified, every corner re-jigged, every art put away and/or replaced, every cushion replaced, in short, every small detail added or removed.

Of course, the big modifications are more visible as also more demanding and time-consuming. They are very satisfying considering the havoc that was borne while the masons and carpenters were running amok. But for me these are relatively finite.

The infinite charm of the less noisy changes in a makeover is really what constitute the gooey, personal space of warmth and happiness for the homeowner. Well, to tell you the truth, it does big time for me!  And the flip-addictive-side to it is that it is never done; I am never truly able to commit on a given day that the makeover is done, or simply say freeze-frame!

Till the infinity lingers here's a #currenthomeview. Some select vignettes.

To tell you a truth : I have a grey fixation at the moment! All kind of Greys talk to me ; on walls, as upholstery, in flooring, as rugs. For now I've settled for this absolutely comfy pin tucked armchair! And thank God, my son loves this seat that's donning his comfort spot in the living area.

I have a grey fixation at the moment and a lots of colours to support the Grey:)

Before:

This Gujarati chair got placed in my bedroom

This beautiful sandstone Buddha bust : yet another at home but probably the largest we have. When N repeatedly insisted we get it, I only presented mild resistance! #whatsnottolike and that mirror frames him so very aptly. The search for a mirror was on forever; and as Murphy's law suggests found it at the most common, most underestimated place. All in all, it has all come together so beautifully.

You can see below the new textured wall - an audacious adventure for a home which has always believed in beige and cream for walls. And it looks so gorgeous : a sheer leap of faith.

And you can see the brand new entrance. I love how the door now stands grand and wide and lends fair gravitas to the entrance lobby.

This is what happens when both the homemakers have similar desires about their home. The bigger cog in the wheel to any move to minimalism is when both have similar aesthetics and urge to own. Both N and me fell in love with this chair at Sanskriti Lifestyle - Pune. Of course we brought it home with us.

Something about this Chair stole our heart : yet another addition from Sanskriti@Pune

All images are copyrighted to www.limegreenwalls.blogspot.com

Inspiration : Stunning glass sculpture

Who said you can't go ballistic in creating an office! Yes this is a private office designed by Oregon based Jessica Helgerson's design firm here at  http://www.jhinteriordesign.com/gothic-office. Stunning use of glass to create a visual partition to apparently create a 'feeling of separation' in a vast office space.

I am also stunned by the contrast with the untreated brick walls - simply theatrical impact! 

All pictures courtesy http://www.jhinteriordesign.com

Happy in 2013, a New Year

Hello there friends,

As always the first few days of this spanking new year are a whirr till I had to write down the date while filling up a certain form and wham! I realized I 'd forgotten to do one of the things that I'd always planned to do - post a New Year wish or just something that says that wishing everyone a fulfilling year has always been on my mind :)

2013, this is and should be a unique year in our lives as we get formal possession of our own Home sometime soon, than later in the year. Yes a big step for us wanderers who till now had reveled in escaping being tied-down to a piece of immovable acquisition! And so a lot of anticipation, castles in the mind and ideas swirling around creating fleeting images of how a nook, a wall would look and where to incorporate a certain something that both of us have always wanted, and zillion other visual ideas, vivid or otherwise!

So here begins a series of visuals that catch my fancy in the romantic hope of finding expression in some manner, even in a hint, in our Home and Yes the images will be in no particular order, sometimes reproduced for just the mood it evokes - enjoy !!

Oh the colors in this frame, how I hope to have some elegant pastels in some corners

Desperately looking for bookshelf ideas to house all the books that belong to the acquisitive us

All Images courtesy http://www.housebeautiful.com/