Ikea - Portugal style!

I am not really a huge fan of IKEA furniture. I mean, there's nothing wrong with IKEA, I had a ton of their stuff when I lived in Seattle, and their store was 2 miles from home so any free afternoon I would go window shopping....to get some great design ideas. Their furniture is stylish and affordable...but...well....it's so IKEA! Its easily recognizable.....strong linear Scandinavian lines, easy-to-assemble looking, contemporary styled. It is a great place for families starting out and college kids!

But be that as it may, I LOVE their new IKEA family website and the Home stories section. You have to hand it to them, they know how to engage their customers and their marketing guy is a genius.

OK, enough blabbing! I came across this colorful psychedelic home in Portugal, and even though I do vaguely remember seeing it featured in other blogs a while back, I had to engrave it on my blog too. For those who haven't seen it, it is serious pink, eye candy and the color in the home will leave your head spinning for days!

The home belongs to Interior Designer Maria, in the charming little village of Sintra, outside Portugal. (If I had known I would have dropped by when I went to Sintra 2 years ago).

I'll let you read up on the design story and her ideas here. I just want to hurry up and post the pics because they are soooo lovely!

Got your dose of pink today huh? Maria is certainly not afraid of color!

Design theory in food!

Am guest blogging on Richa's blog today! Am so excited cos I actually get to blog on a seriously great food blog!


Have you heard of Washoku?

Did you ever look at the food on your plate and think how fantastic it would be to design a room around the colors on your plate? Or vice versa...have you ever looked at a bowl of creamy chocolatey Tiramisu and think how lovely a room would be in the same shades of cream, brown and espresso???


Well, think no more....go check out my guest post and tell me if you think I have finally gone off the deep design end here....

Architect profile - House and House Architects

I'm thinking of renaming this blog "Mexico and Morocco", because it seems to me that lately most of my posts have been "Mexican/Spanish or Moroccan-centric". Here I go again.


I came across House and House Architects today while surfing the web. And instantly fell in love with everything that Steven and Cathi House do. 


First of all, they do a lot of work in Mexico - anything Mexican or Spanish in my opinion deserves one thumbs up!
Secondly, they love and embrace color - 2 thumbs up.
Thirdly - their homes are deeply sensitive to light and movement and they are committed to sustainability. 3 thumbs up!
Fourthly - they throw in little pops of my favorite color - orange, 4 thumbs up
and finally
All their homes have a tiny bit of Moroccan inspiration. 5 thumbs up!!!


Take a look at some of the absolutely stunning homes they have designed. 
{WARNING: Picture heavy post!}

Casa Lluvia Blanca, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Casa de las Estrellas, San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

Casa Cabo Pulmo in the Baja Peninsula, Mexico

Casa de Buenas Alamas - Baja, Mexico

Casa Renamiciento - Rio Laja, Mexico

Francisco Marquez - San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

I spent a bulk of my day drooling over the pics. If you have a few hours to totally waste, then I suggest you hurry on over to this site and check things out. 
Happy Surfing!

Monthly wrap up???

OK, so like Patty's weekend wrap ups, I am going to do a monthly wrap up cos I have been completely MIA on my blog for way too long now. Maybe a sporadic post now and then, but for those of you who think maybe I fell off the planet....nope, I'm here. 


So I've been reading a lot, had way too many books collecting dust on the shelf. 

Loved this book, I cannot believe it took me this long to read it...its been around for years!

Great book, very inspirational on how women fought hard to go to school, get educated and start their own small businesses after the Taliban came into Afghanistan and tried to put a stop to all of that. The story focuses on the tailoring business started by one Kamila Sidiqui. An easy read.....but very inspiring!

Am reading this currently.....about an Indian girl who comes back to visit India after being away for 7 years in the US. She arrives right in the middle of the mango pickling season. I can so relate to this especially as it is set in the city I live in - Hyderabad!

Then I've been painting a lot, just gifts for friends......

Then I've been gardening a lot, the weather has cooled down and its perfect fall planting time. Fall? In Hyderabad? Yes, when the temp is 80 degrees F as opposed to 100 degrees F, that's Fall! 

I've been harvesting insane amounts of organic basil and making insaner amounts of basil/walnut pesto. 

As well as harvesting and eating ginormous amounts of salad

 Then I've been sneezing a lot because the allergy season really socked it to me this year. I fought it via steam inhaling and neti pot-ing, but that didn't work. Then I tried Allegra...that didn't work either. Then I tried Homoeopathy...no good. Finally after 2 weeks of sniffling and sneezing and congested insomniac nights, (I was getting to a point where it was dangerous to be around me), I called my good old antibiotic dispensing doc, he did the needful and after one day of his potent medication I feel terrific! In fact, almost giddily light headed.......(the last time he gave me something, the right side of my face got numb and on googling I found the medication was banned in developing countries!!!!!))). Really. 

Then I've been blogging a lot for Saffron Marigold. Well, change that....blogging a bit, but messing around with their gorgeous samples a lot. I took all their lovely voile curtain swatches and hung them up in my studio......not only do they look fabulous, they're easier to look at and feel and touch when I need to write a post on them.

Do read my posts on their blog when you have time, In fact, I just posted one on India and the significance of flowers in our daily life here.

So see? I have been busy......!