Bringing India to Europe

If you live in Milan, Florence, Rome or Madrid, please raise your hand. And, if you love all things Indian, raise your other hand. This post is going to make you happy. Very happy. For I am sharing Lisa Corti's fabulous line up of Indian furnishing, furniture, garments and pottery - a store that is located in your very own city! So read on. And yes, you may put your hands down now...unless you can scroll using telekinesis ;-)

Others, i.e. non-residents of above mentioned cities: Do not despair! Lisa Corti's goodies also retail in other European and American cities. I guess that leaves folks from Asia Pacific..well, India is just a flight away anyway! And for us in India, more inspiration on what to look out for the next time we go shopping. :)

Regions/Cities in India from where Lisa sources (and designs) her products

Posters of popular Hindu deities as pop art

Cotton cloth from the south of India

These curtains remind me of sarees worn by nuns (in Calcutta)!

Stock up on colorful cushions and pillows for upcoming autumn and winter months

Lovely dresses for kids and us

Great inspiration for India inspired kids room

The stores look lovely too!

[All images Lisa Corti]

And one more..

Is one blog ever enough?

Can I say that I lived happily after if I had only one blog?

Do I feel satisfied sharing only interior decor inspiration?

The answer to all of the above is a resounding No!

You know what is coming your way, right? :)

A brand new blog!

'An Indian Summer Likes'

Nothing fancy. Just an online scrapbook of things I like - art, jewelry, photographs, music, poetry, books, furniture, rooms, humour, DIYs, dresses, accessories, cats, illustrations, recipes, typography...anything that catches my eye! While I will continue sharing interior inspiration on 'An Indian Summer', for all of you who have liked what I have liked, hop over to An Indian Summer Likes for more of my likes! Yikes! Early morning blogging can lead to a gross lack of creativity when it comes to writing. For a non-morning person like me. So go ahead, count the number of 'likes' in this paragraph, and tut tut away. You won't tut tut away when you see what I have in store for you in the coming days on this blog and also on that blog! Hah!

And while I am on the topic of talking about me and my blogs, let me share with you another way to connect. You can now connect with 'An Indian Summer' on Facebook! I finally figured out the network blog thingie on facebook, and put this blog up to be networked. So, if you are on facebook (and if you are not, My God, how come?!), connect with An Indian Summer and other people with similar interests right away! You can do so by clicking right here, or by clicking on the facebook networked blog widget on the left sidebar [right below the An Indian Summer gang widget]

Follow 'An Indian Summer' on Facebook

And by the way, Good Morning to all you early peeps up and awake right now! And Good Night to folks on the other side of the ocean - Go sleep! Now! :)

Kishani Perera

I stumbled upon Kishani Perera's portfolio and liked her way of incorporating Asian and Indian touches to primarily western interiors. Her designs very nicely illustrate the fact that oriental influence on design does not necessarily need to be over the top. Kishani has a bunch of interesting projects as part of her repertoire and she loves to use resources from around the world to bring an distinct interpretation of style to her client's homes. Here's a look at the designs from her portfolio that I liked :

Very simple and elegant arrangement on a side table. I really like the vase - reminiscent of traditional Indian pickle/chutney holders called 'martbaan' (in North India). Readers from India: I would love to know what are these called in your region :)

Old wooden chests work very well as a table

Traditional Indian furniture painted in bright colors add a touch of quirkiness to this room

Bright 'sindoor' holder from Benaras on the centre table. These are available in many different sizes.

I like the cosy warm feel of this room with a 'diwan' style sofa and bright cushions

Like the wooden wardrobe at the back

Isn't the wall color brilliant! The fabric on the bed has a design similar to that found in handloom fabrics from North East India

Love that quaint chair!

If those lamp bases are made of stone - then they get added to my wishlist immediately!

Another set of artefacts put together for a very elegant effect

The 'jharokha' style bookcase!

[All images: Kishani Perera]

~ Stuff launching and happening ~

It's time again for me to share with you the work of some incredibly talented people, products from some unique shops and new launches in the world of design and style blogs! A big thank you to all these wonderful people who have graciously emailed me links to their work, for it to be showcased on An Indian Summer. A whole bunch of more creative links and showcases are coming up next week!

I Me Am Designs

Chetna Vij Sharma, the brain child behind this design firm, is a graduate from The Pratt Institute, NY, and has been working as a graphic designer in India. Look through her portfolio to view some very creative print, interactive and styling projects. She has also launched a line of kitschy Indian bags, boxes and wrapping paper.

Ching Teoh's art work

Ching, from Malaysia, is a self taught painter. Her rich and vibrant paintings are inspired by colors, beauties, patterns and textures of nature, and reflect a multi-cultural influence. See more of Ching's work on her site and you can buy the paintings from her etsy shop.

Eva Hanusova

Eva, from Czech Republic, became fascinated with the handmade jewelry world while taking classes at School of Visual Arts and Parson School of Design in New NY. Besides working on her jewelry line, Eva also designs home accessories and dabbles in the world of folk art using primarily chalk pastels and acrylics

Not your grandma's needlepoint!

Laura's brainchild, Not your Grandma's Needlepoint is unique, whimsical one of a kind, canvas design. Using her photographs as inspiration, she has created customized canvases by borrowing fantastical imagery from a variety of pop culture influences, including pop art and sixties psychedelia - bringing the traditional craft she loves so much into a contemporary context.

Linda Arthur

Linda, a self confessed textile junky, is an artist from Canada with a passion for painting. Do look at some of her brilliant work on her blog..

Milgayi Style Diary

Milgayi is an premier image based directory of fashion and lifestyle web sites dedicated to South Asians worldwide. Sudeepa Khanna, the creative woman behind Milgayi brings to the readers the finest web links in various categories such as world-class South Asian designers, exquisite apparel, beautiful home decor, and timeless jewelry

DecorStyler

Décor Styler is a log of interior design trends and ideas, focused on inspiring the finer things in life!

Bloom.acious Cafe

Bloom.acious cafe is a spot where readers can get ideas and info about a range of subjects, as well as post updates about design/lifestyle projects they are working on. Readers can also start a group that focuses on their favorite topics, or join one that has been already started and add ideas and information there!

Maharani Wedding Blog

Maharani Weddings is a majestic blog soley dedicated to the elaborate, detail-oriented Indian bride. Conceptualized by Shawna, this blog bring you the most opulent ideas and unique vendors all with style!

Home Addict

Home addict, has been conceptualized by Caroline Gauci, a French textile designer working with weavers in Cambodia and Thailand on Ikat textiles. Following fair trade principles, her creations are modern, with graphic designs, using age old weaving techniques.

Design and Asia

Falling for the charms of Asia, Amandine and Sacha, a french couple, launched Design and Asia, an online 'traveling boutique'. They travel for months at a time in search of new products that come from all four corners of Asia. Each item is found with special care and is shaped by best artists, each item is unique and made in the rules of a responsible and ethical trade

Terra Furnishings

Terra Furnishings support an eco-conscious lifestyle and like to work with people who share a similar philosophy. They welcome the opportunity to work with design professionals and provide industry incentives to assist with your client and project needs. Do check them out - they are offering a discounts for retail showrooms/stores & can do wholesale pricing on many of our products.

Teo Jasmin

Teo Jasmin is an interior design company based in Paris. They have an eclectic collection of furniture and furnishing, each inspired by a geographical region or city. Check them out for their interesting use of photographic prints..

Sixx Design's Book Launch

Downtown Chic, co-written by husband and wife team, Robert and Cortney Novogratz of the NYC-based firm SIXX Design, has been launched. For over more than a decade, this young, hip and artsy couple has developed and designed many unique properties in Manhattan, rebuilt entire city blocks and turned funky into fabulous, with every detail considered and executed with the utmost taste and luxury. See all on their site and the book!

Eye Candy Alert...200th time!

This, is my cheesy way of announcing the 200th post on An Indian Summer! I have had a superb time sharing and talking to you via my blog, and I hope to keep doing so for many more delicious years to come. You gals, and guys, rock! Really! Warm or Cool bear hug (choose based on your local weather condition) being transmitted to you, like right now! Followed by a quick thank you peck on the cheek! :)

This being the 200th post and all, I have gone a bit overboard. Which translates into a lot of eye candy of design and style that I find myself drawn to these days. And I found all of this on one incredible photographer's site - Jordi Canosa. The fact that the images also had shades of India and Morocco, here and there, made it all even better :)

Starting with some dreamy salón de siesta!

above: this work is known as bhandej or bandhini...tie and dye

Now some living /sitting areas..

Some bathrooms..

And other details..

Time to step out of these beautiful rooms, and say Ah! :)

[All Images: Jordi Canosa]