Sunday, September 30, 2012

the frieze story

mom hardly knew how to design the first years of her wedded life. she kept a clean home, utterly spick and span. after my brother and i had started school, she had lots of time on her hands, well, because of her efficient ways. as her Hindi improved, she made more friends and as our manners improved they called on a lot of people.

she told me, she realised that despite the more or less same furniture in all the Army accommodations in the various cantonments, the personalities of the owners shone through in little nuances. of course, in the end, there was not much difference, or money, but, there were still ways the sitting room differed.

cozy corner

i still remember the yak skin carpet and the Naga spears in one home, the colourful cushions in another and round paper hanging lamps in one dining room. my mother always, always turned furniture around. i seem to have inherited that trait.

in pursuit of peace

but, for some months now, i have resorted to arranging and re-arranging the top of the chest of drawers. its like my mantel, if you may. the frieze are proof of the passing seasons, collection of memories and sometimes, a window to my mood. here, are some snapshots in chronological order!

happily pink
the first time. the candle stands, planter, candles all were bought from our Muscat holiday.

trh 28july'11
a little diy to cosy things up a bit.

trh aug2'll
 the majestic leather case, also from Muscat.

put-things-back-
a little bit of colour to offset the teakwood.

day 16 ~ something new
when the three bloomed together, they deserved pride of place.

Untitled
for the son's fifth birthday.

the ever-changing frieze
when i started enjoying the permutation combinations, cliched that i am.

Untitled
the daughter's version of our family under the pretty rainbow.

to be alive
when a friend brought me flowers and i prolonged the goodness for almost another week.

DSC_0236
how it looks these days :)

8 comments:

Hindustanka said...

the home looks so cozy! great interior and the details for its unique look :) have a nice week ahead!

Shalini said...

Lovely to see the progression! I would love to meet your mom one day. I love seeing how people with the same furniture and apts make it look so different. It's an art.

Preeti said...

Hi Shilpa. Your pictures exude beautiful earthy tones. I particularly like the plant holder from Muscat and am a great fan of urlis. I think they make a beautiful style statement. Lovely pictures. I'm itching to rearrange the furniture at home as well. I have a couple of urlis lying in my cupboard. Hope I can find some place for them when I go on my reshuffling spree.

Shilpa said...

thank you all :)

Shalini said...

Why no more posts....it's been ages.

Shilpa said...

@shalini - i know. am trying to remedy the situation!

Saritha Thomas said...

the curtains in your sons room where are they from?

Shilpa said...

Saritha - i bought them on-line from Fabindia. they deliver in India within a week :)