NEUTRAL COLOR

 Hizi ni rangi zilizopooza... unaweza kupaka ukutani ama ukazitumia kwenye accessories ama sofas...etc....

 Hapa neutral color imetumika ukutani...na colorfull imetumika kwenye sofa na mapambo......na neutral color.. inakubali color yoyote ukitaka ku mix and match....

ART....

Niliipenda hii design ya mbao kwemye hii ngazi....hapa kwetu tunaweza.. ukipata fundi aliyetulia.... inawezekana kabisaaa.....

Our New Great Room ...

Greetings, friends!  

Here we are ... in an empty great room ... just as it looked right before we moved in:

And, here we are AFTER!  Welcome to our new great room ... all ready for Fall!  One of the first things we did was to have the hardwood continued in here.  It's all throughout the rest of the first floor, so, we decided to bite the bullet and had it done right after we moved in (by the same company who installed the hardwood on the rest of the entire first floor) ... this way, we knew we were getting the same "dye lot" as the rest of the rooms.

Do you ever let your rooms "speak to you" to let you know how they want to be decorated?  Well, I do ... annnnnd, apparently, this space told me that it wanted for me to trade out our wheat colored sofa for a white EKTORP sofa from IKEA ... to add white/beige buffalo check curtains (also from IKEA), along with bamboo roman shades ... and to throw in black accents!  

Colorful "Fall" pillows from Kirkland's (mixed with white/burlap trim pillows and a single burlap pillow from Pottery Barn) warm up the sofa.  An inexpensive throw (from IKEA) adds just a little bit of texture (and warmth on our now chilly mornings).

Simple Fall stems in a glass demijohn stand loud and proud on the sofa table.  And, I couldn't help but flank it with two chunky matching wooden corbels from Home Goods.

I traded out our gold and glass coffee table for our wooden one (from Pottery Barn) to help with the warm and cozy feeling I was going for in here.  (Again, the room "told" me to do this)!

And, here's our "revamped" Fall mantel (yes, I changed it again)!  

I love how crisp the black and white are together, paired with the beautiful colors of Fall.  And, because of this new color palette, I have a feeling I'll simply have to try my hand at a Halloween mantel this year, too!

Moving on around the room, you'll spy our TV ... the builder added an outlet and cable box above the fireplace, BUT, I'm just not a fan of having the TV over the fireplace if I can help it ... you guys know that I "need" that space above the mantel to be able to decorate!

I covered our torn up ottoman top with burlap and threw another comfy throw from IKEA on there ... it's all about the layers during the upcoming months, isn't it?

After looking and looking and LOOKING for nice black and white photos to frame, I turned to one of our "coffee table" books, which had pictures that I love!  Yes, I removed certain pages I wanted to frame (shame), BUT, I look at it as though now I'm showcasing the beautiful pictures instead of hiding them.  

I carried the buffalo check pattern to the other side of the room by folding extra fabric over the back of one of the wing chairs ... of course, I had to add an orange faux pumpkin and black book to balance the colors around the room!  

And, when you're sitting in that wing chair, this is your little ol' view ...

Of course, I had to mirror the photos that I did on the other side of the room on each side of our window.  It's all about "OCD balance" folks.

Just for grins, let's look again: 

AFTER!

Thanks for stopping by!

Our New Sunroom

Happy "almost" First Day of Fall!

As I watched our home "virtually" being built, one of the things I loved about it was the sunroom right off of the kitchen.  I remember thinking that if this house were ever to become "ours," I could see myself spending lots of time in this cozy space.

Fast forward a few months, now that the home "is" ours, and, I can honestly say that I do, in fact, spend lots of time in here ... either curled up with a great magazine ... chatting with family/friends ... or, even dozing off for an unexpected snooze (oops)!

Here is what it looked like while the house was being built:

Annnnd, here it is NOW, with a few familiar pieces and all ready for Fall!

Some of you may recognize my favorite fabric from our old home.  The chairs on the other hand, are new!  Well, new to us, anyway ... thanks to Craigslist, these practically unused and comfy IKEA  Ektorp chairs now serve as a place to just "plop!"  They're covered in light sage green slipcovers with cream piping ... and, they happen to match the green in the rug perfectly!  Yay!

The sofa table perched in front of the window holds a few Fall goodies, as well as a pair of lamps that used to be on our old screened porch.

While I played around with adding candle sconces and mirrors on either side of the center window ...

I knew when I stumbled upon these prints at HomeGood, they'd work really well in here for the Fall season!  And, at only $12.99 a print, I found this seasonal purchase easy to justify!

This little coffee table once sat on the screened porch in our old home ... thankfully, because of its petite size, I was able to place it in here:

My favorite wire tray from Pottery Barn sits on top of the table, filled with more Fall goodness:

Let's take one more peek at the whole picture ... 

BEFORE:

AFTER!  I can't wait to see how this cozy space evolves throughout the seasons!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Creative Connections: Maheshwari Janarthanan.

Let's talk about my next Creative Connection: Maheshwari Janarthanan

She is an illustrator, an artist.

I had seen her work featured by many of my fellow design bloggers.

Simple, playful, magical and dream-like illustrations with subjects ranging from nature's flora to people.

I was piqued by her description of herself as a dreamer, mother-earth worshipper and healer.

Lady in the water...

K+S Wedding Invitation...

I was in Chennai, India visiting family in July-August this year and remembered that Maheswari lived in Chennai. I dropped her a line to check if she would like to catch up over a cup of chai. She was happy to meet and even suggested the venue, which I blogged about here.

A petite young lady, soft-spoken with a shy smile is how I would describe Maheswari. I instantly liked her. 

Maheswari says, "I believe my work is a mix of fantasy, mysticism and magic. It's a platform where I am able to express my thoughts and ideas about myself, the world around me and the world I want to live in.

A place where I can create my own fairytale and escape into my wonderland."

Love Poems…

"I love drawing people and most of my sketchbooks are filled with them(mostly women)."

We (I also met another talented artist there) spoke about our lives as creative individuals, things all three of us were seen nodding at, things about following our unique paths, our passions and our work.

Dreamer Tote Bags…

Apart from being a talented illustrator, she is a Pranic Healer. I have immense respect and admiration for people who help others. In a world where everyone is out to further their own interest here is a person who heals, who thinks about others.

Maheswari says, "The Universe' is my greatest inspiration especially 'underwater life' and 'space' these are things that calm my mind. I don't know whether I make sense but these are somethings that makes me both dream & be in the present at the same time."

   

The Sacred Journey...
"This illustration is about our journey, our experiences through many lives, many births.
God – Birth – Life – Experiences – Death – Reincarnation – Enlightenment – Oneness – God
I believe it’s a cycle, a process. We go through different lives, different experiences. We evolve, we become enlightened. We become One. We become God.
We are God."

As I dive deeper into this divine sea of her work, I find shimmering pearls that touch my heart and let's me understand this mystical, magic gold dust scattering artist.

Tree of Life…

The awakening...

Self realization / Nirvana - 'Kundalini Awakening' also known as 'Serpent Power' & the Lotus symbolizes Wisdom/ Divine spirit.

The beautiful Maheshwari Janarthanan.

A small photo-shoot with the Love Postcards she gifted me. A tribute to this gentle-soul, talented illustrator, whose work seems simple yet so profound.

Love Yourself…

Dreamer Tea Towel…

Eat. Love.

Dive into Love...

A series of 4 brightly coloured coasters…

 I love Rumi's work and here is an illustration by a kindred spirit, Maheswari.

This very aptly describes the Creative Connection.

"We come spinning out of nothingness scattering stars like dust.
The stars form a circle and in the centre we dance."
 ~ Rumi

You can find her work in her blog little one's doodles
Follow her on Facebook here
( Images style by Arch and Illustration by Maheswari Janarthanan. They are copyrighted)

Creative Connections: Introduction.

Are we meant to meet the people we meet?

A question I have asked myself many times and every time it's a yes!

Through the world wide web I have virtually 'met' many multi-talented, creative people.
Photographers, Artists, Designers, Stylists, Bloggers, Potters and some amazingly inspirational people who just inspire by the way they live life.

While you follow these people through their http// addresses, you understand their style of work, their inspirations, their passions and when you meet or rather when you are meant to meet them in the real world the connection is instantaneous.
A Creative Connection.
A connection that enriches, brings happiness and inspires.

I have blogged earlier about my meetings with Vineeta Nair, Artnlight, Aarohi Singh, Art By Aarohi and Priya Sebastian, Priya Sebastian Illustrations respectively.
….and as I browsed through those posts I realised that one word that was repeated many times was connection!

So here is the new feature. Creative Connections.
Where I will be featuring a creative individual whom I have personally met in the real world.
Through my eyes. My perspective. My lens.
Here are some beautiful women, inspiring women through my lens.

Effervescent  Aarohi Singh...

Beautiful Vineeta Nair...

Lovely Priya Sebastian with her dramatic work...

Hope dear Rang Decor readers will connect for the new feature: Creative Connections!

See you soon!

( Images by Arch)