MOSAIC Mural Execution

Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. This art which was traditonally seen in Roman Cathedrals has now become very popular in interior designing and can be seen in restaurants, hotels, residences, bathrooms etc., As a designer, I love this art and feel that any place can be instantly transformed to create a colourful and bright look. Suits all styles of decor.... be it country, dramatic or classic....

I am proud to feature a mosaic mural work by my students. They have designed and executed this work at the college premises. Here are a few pictures of the same.

This is a contemporary style Ganesh measuring 4' x 4'.

I must say, I am proud of my students for working on this for 2 whole days from start to finish. Hope you all liked it !!!!

Experience France in India.....PONDICHERRY

Pondicherry, is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four regions, and named after the largest region, Puducherry.

Take a close look at the names of all the streets...........they start with Rue De La ....

French influence

Pondicherry still retains much evidence of its history as a French colony. The design of the city was based on the French (originally Dutch, the plans of Pondicherry dating from the end of the seventeenth century (1693-1694) are preserved in the National Archives at The Hague) grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The entire town is divided into two sections, the French Quarter ('Ville Blanche' or 'White town') and the Indian quarter ('Ville Noire' or 'Black Town').

I loved the use of colours. While you can see bright hues of yellow on one side, you will also see the subtle and subdues hues of grey and blue. The stone floored steets look truly french

Notice the shape of the windows with the close knit railings in blue. To read more on Pondicherry, please click here.

Sir Terence Conran.....and maximum utility

When designing a piece of furniture or deco accessory, it is but natural for a designer like me to quickly browse through some important books to draw inspiration from. I am currently working with students of interior designing guiding them through the design process of some multi-utility products....to be more elaborate.....thinking on how to maximise the utility of a piece of furniture or an accessory and make it more multi-purpose rather than single utility. When doing this, the first thing that struck my mind was that I have to give due respect and credit to this amazing personality Sir Terence Conran, whose books I would rather call holy.

For most people in this industry, Sir Terence Conran is a very familiar name.....but for those who dont know..............here is a bit...

Sir Terence Orby Conran, FCSD, (born 4 October 1931) is an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer.

Conran's first professional work came when he worked in the Festival of Britain on the main South Bank site, he left his college education to take up a job with Dennis Lennon's architectural company, they had been commissioned to make a 1/4 scale interior of a Princess Flying Boat.
Conran started his own design practice in 1956 with the Summa furniture range and designing a shop for Mary Quant. In 1964 he opened the first Habitat shop in Chelsea with his third wife Caroline Herbert, which grew into a large chain selling household goods and furniture in contemporary designs. In the mid-1980s, Conran expanded Habitat into the Storehouse plc group of companies that included Mothercare and Heals but in 1990 he lost control of the company. His later retail companies include the Conran Shop and FSC-certified wood furniture maker Benchmark Furniture, which he co-founded in 1983. To read more, please click here

I specially love his style of writing. Any common man with absolutely no knowledge of designing can understand his clear and precise sense of writing. Pictures are big and clear. I love his books namely; How to live in small spaces, Storage, DIY, Kitchens and many more... He has made contemporary designs seem so light and easy. All the accessories, furniture and design layout that you see in this post are personally done by Sir Terence Conran. his post

This is just a bird's eye view of his works......... it is humanly impossible for me to showcase his works in a single blog post. His books illustrate the maximum use of small spaces. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I was excited writing this.

CHITRSANTHE 2010 today ...... at the Chitrakala Parishat

Hi Readers,

For all those who reside in Bangalore and are únaware of the happening of today..... here is some news !!!!! If you are an art lover and want to have a colourful day today...........please visit the Chitrasanthe, which is an exhibition organised by Chitrakala Parishat. This exhibition showcases various mediums of art under one roof. Artists young and old, students and professionals, rich and famous will exhibit their talent here. If you are lucky, you might get a wonderful piece of art which you were dying for at a very affordable price. So, Join in and enjoy.............!!!!!!

CHITRA SANTHE – “ART FOR ALL”

VENUE: Chitrakala Parishath on Sunday, the 31st January 2010 at Kumara Krupa Road, adjacent to Hotel Ashok, Bangalore.

Time: 9:00 am to 8:00 pm

For more info & pictures of Chitrasanthe, please log onto http://chitrasanthe.com/

STOP !!!!! don't decorate.....just take a bite of these Cushions & Accessories.....

Everytime, you visit my blog......you are always reading something about interiors. But this time... hold your breadth to some unusual stuff. What you will witness now are some ordinary cakes in extraordinary designs.....take a look at it yourself !!!!!!

This post of mine is only to show that creativity has no bounds....... Dr. Seuss once said "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!"

CAKES, CAKES, EVERYWHERE ...............................but don't feel like taking a bite......... admiration is the word....

Pablo Picasso once quoted "There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun" (all images from internet)

Figurines in colourful stones on the streets of MAHABALIPURAM

Mahabalipuram was a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It is believed to have been named after the Pallava king Mamalla. Read more here.

I found some lovely figurines in stone sold by some vendors on the streets of mahabalipuram. These can form a part of your south indian decor scheme. At very affordable prices, they are beautifully carved out in all kinds of stones (variuos colours). I also found out that there are some exclusive shops in Mahabalipuram where you could get made to order designs.

Visit Mahabalipuram for one of those exquisite pieces....

Glimpses of DakshinaChitra....PART II

What you will see in this post are some pictures from the Kerala section, Karnataka Section and TamilNadu Section of DakshinaChitra. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, we could not cover the AndhraPradesh Section. Hope to go back again someday....I would like to keep the details of these sections a mystery as it is best to discover it oneself. Enjoy the pictures.

I hope you have enjoyed the virtual tour of Dakshinachitra !!!!!!