Design find: Bokja at the Mint Shop

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I visited the Mint Shop in London recently and one piece of furniture caught my eye above all others. The Bokja Bean sofa – upholstered in a patchwork of traditional textiles is in one word - magnificent! I can assure you the photograph does no justice to it. Established in 2000 by Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, the Bokja brand is a wonderfully eclectic mix of traditional textiles and vintage furniture. Their flagship boutique in Beirut sits in the heart of a historic neighborhood called Saifi district that has recently become a mecca for designers. You can view beautiful photographs of the store here.

The two ladies share a passion for textiles from the Levant and countries along the Silk Route including India. Their focus on sustainability is reflected in the use of found fabric pieces, which are used by traditonal craftsmen to upholster the furniture. Hoda and Maria think of themselves as modern day Scheherazade’s spinning tales through their furniture and believe in making each piece a unique collage of different time periods, lands and moments of people’s lives. These one of a kind pieces are breathtaking and can create an instant focal point for any room by adding a splash of bold colour, texture and pattern.

Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri of Bokja

The Bean sofa at the Mint shop

All images courtesy the Mint Shop and Bokja.

Urban Trend - Knitting Grafitti

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Love love love the trend of knitting grafitti or yarn bombing! It is such a sweet way to add color and warmth to a dull grey cityscape. Walking along a big city street you would hardly expect to see electricity poles and telephone booths lovingly wrapped in knitting. It brings an instant smile to my face and not only brightens up spaces but makes them feel cozy and homely too. What's more it's completely legal, you cannot arrest me for knitting Mr.Policeman! 

Phone box cozy in Parliament square and 8-metre handknitted giant squid, made from 160 plastic bags, with Darwin at London's Natural History Museum

A knit grafitti inspired by the nursery rhyme 'oranges and lemons and a couple knitting a 'tree cosy'

All images from the new book Knit the City: A Whodunnknit Set in London published by Sommersdale and written by 'Yarn Corps' member Lauren. Check out their website www.knitthecity.com to find out more.

A little yellow pick-me-up!

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I have been working flat out on my thesis since a week. I'm mentally fatigued, my eyes feel gritty and tired and my neck feels frozen stiff. And to make it worse today was the dullest, greyest most depressing day in weeks. Guess it's high time for a pick-me-up and what can be better than a cup of Vanilla and Camomile tea, Shortbread biscuits and a bright yellow chair in my study. There, just the thought of that makes me happy.

 

      

Space for sunny Sundays

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We have been having such gloriously mild spring weather here in Cambridge. Such weather just begs you to be outside and its times like this when I wish I had a small outdoor space. Outdoor areas like decks and gardens are just perfect to while away sunny Sunday afternoons. Specially when this space is as beautifully done up as Veronika and Mark's home in Surrey. The multi-functional family dining area and workspace has big glass doors opening out to the deck which makes it perfect for al-fresco dining and entertaining guests. At the same time the soothing color palette provides a sense of calm and relaxation.

All images courtesy A new home in a new country from Ikeafamily.

Rickshaw recollections

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I was in Paris recently and spent an immensely enjoyable afternoon walking along the Champs Elysees, ogling the impossibly elegant window displays and enjoying scrumptious Ladurée macarons (more about that in a separate post). It was all fun and good but by the time I reached Place de la Concorde my sore feet reminded me how far I had walked from my hotel. Imagine my surprise then on coming upon a rickshaw, right under La Grande Roue! Talk about finding something just when you need it.

Parisian Rickshaw and my friendly driver

Tempted by the drivers friendly summons I went for a short ride on the Parisian rickshaw. It made me smile as I compared this comfortable rickshaw, smoothly gliding along the grand boulevards with the tangle, screech and jolts of a rickshaw ride in “purani Dilli” or old Delhi. My mind drifted to a hot summer afternoon – three girls crammed into a tiny rickshaw, hanging on for dear life as it maneuvers speedily through the narrow alleys. We wedge our toes tightly into the foot-rest, for we know that when the driver brakes sharply at the next obstruction, it is the only thing which will save us from toppling over.

A rickshaw ride is the best way to explore the sights, sounds and smells of any new place. You are on the street, moving along at a leisurely pace but at the same time you don’t need to worry about getting lost. Moreover, it is a green mode of transportation, reduces congestion and creates jobs. For this reason, the rickshaw is increasingly becoming visible in tourist hot spots of London and Paris.

An artist who like me seems to be completely enamored by rickshaws is Rajkumar Sthabathy, he has done a whole series of watercolors depicting this ubiquitous mode of transport on the streets of South India. I love the way he captures the colorful patterns painted on the rickshaws along with the burnt sienna of their rusting iron bodies. What makes his work take on a deeper meaning is the fact that he captures these strong hard workers in a moment of quite reflection, lined sun burnt faces telling a story of lives filled with endless toil. He depicts the rickshaw as a precious source of livelihood; the driver waiting alertly for the next passenger adds to the sense of anticipation in his work. I find myself waiting along with them, wondering when the next passenger will come along. Here is a selection from the beautiful paintings for you to enjoy. The rest of the collection can be viewed here.

    

A Green Prefab House by Nexterra

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Check out this stunning house, it is one of four prefab, contemporary dwellings developed by Nexterra Green Homes in Toronto and  designed by architect Ray Kappe. The house takes just 3 days to install on site!

The LivingHome boasts of 2132 square feet of open plan living space in addition to over 1000 square feet of basement, 1000 square feet of exterior multi-level decking and a two-car garage. A glass enclosed stair tower floods the house with light and reduces the need for artificial lighting. Responsible finishes are used throughout including locally manufactured, products such as recycled quartz counter tops, low emitting carpets, and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood for flooring.

Water-wise design is achieved through low flow, high efficiency and high-end plumbing fixtures, an on-demand hot water heating system, a rainwater catchment system and grey water ready considerations. The tight building envelope system features brick, FSC certified siding and a fiber cement composite rain-screen to keep moisture away from house. Topping it off is the green roof for reduced energy consumption and beautification.

Nexterra is seeking the LEED platinum certification for the houses in this project, which is the highest possible designation awarded by the United States Green Building Council and also available here in Canada from the Canada Green Building Council.

All images via Nexterra Green Homes, see more pictures of the house here. 

Madrona House in Seattle

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It is a horrible Monday again and I am sitting tired and bleary eyed on my desk. To add to my misery it is freezing cold and windy. The snow is melting to form muddy slush and I have reached the office skidding, slipping and risking my life on black-iced sidewalks. Understandably my mood is on the lowest possible setting and clearly I am in desperate need of some Vitamin D. Let's seek out some bright light filled spaces before I bore you with more melodrama!

This house with interiors designed by Seattle based Robin Chell Design provides the perfect antidote. It even has a cheery Mediterranean sounding name - Madrona, which conjures up images of beaches, verandahs, coconut trees and sun dresses. 

Designed by Bennet Lavacot Architects, this modern 3400-square foot home overlooking Lake Washington was designed to maximize the expansive views and encourage the interplay between the indoors and outdoors. It has a lush  courtyard and makes use of natural and honest materials like exposed concrete, natural stone, blackened steel and sustainable hardwood

All images via Robin Chell Design.Visit their website here.

The Charpoy reinvented

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It looked like a nice sunny day from my window when I woke up today and my first thought was to rush out and soak up the sun. I might not see it again for the next week I thought to myself. Sadly, it was a mistake not accounting for the freezing cold wind outside. It tore at my coat, ripped under my hat and turned my head into a block of ice. With watering eyes and running nose, I dashed back home to safety, like a child escaping from a schoolyard bully.

As I put the kettle on to boil my mind drifted to the countless January afternoons I had spent sprawled on the terrace of my house. With the Delhi sun warming me up and lulling me to sleep; I remember lazily cracking peanuts and dropping the shells on the ground under the charpoy.  As the memories slowly warmed me, I realized that a constant theme running through each one of them was the charpoy – sitting on it studying for the exams, dozing in the sun with my mom, helping her spread vegetables out to dry and so on and so forth. So what exactly is the charpoy.

The “charpai” as it is called in India, literally means “four feet”, and is a bed with a simple wooden frame onto which ropes are woven tightly. It is an age old and indispensable piece of furniture in most Indian households as people not only sleep on it at night but use it to welcome guests, eat a meal, read, spread spices out to dry or gather laundry after drying.

The charpoy’s USP is its lightweight and easy portability. It can be stored in an upright position when not in use hence saving space in the room or courtyard for other functions. Along with its diverse uses, it is an extremely hardy piece of furniture. Even when used daily both indoors and outdoors and exposed to the elements, the charpoy sustains years of rough use. The best thing about a charpoy is that just when you think it is on its last legs and beyond repair, a weaver can reweave it to transform its look and prepare it for years of use again.

I started wondering if the charpoy appeals to people nowadays as it used to and decided to do a spot of research- must say I was in for a very pleasant surprise. The humble charpoy is not only very much in use but has been constantly reinvented to suit contemporary tastes and styles. One of the designers to do so is Anglo-Indian design duo of Doshi Levien. Their version of the charpoy marries the skilled workmanship of Indian seamsters with Italian industrial production. The Charpoys are made using cotton and silk mattresses embroidered with the ancient Indian dice game of 'Chaupar'. I love products that fuse different cultures and design traditions and just had to share the pictures here.

Other interesting twists on the charpoy can be found at Jagmanja in the UK  

and Ouma productions in France.

How to design a room with a Autumn/Winter theme?

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It’s winter and I have this urge every evening to tuck my toes under me and curl up in a big armchair with a soft warm throw. Add to that a cup of hot chocolate and a good book and I am transported back to my childhood and Enid Blyton’s stories set in English cottages.

A traditional English room matches this mood perfectly. With its wood paneled walls, great stone fireplaces and cozy leather armchairs it is a perfect escape from cold weather. Cambridge University has many such beautiful rooms, which seem to be plucked straight out of Hogwarts castle. And it is simply wonderful to be able to wander in and sit next to the fireplace sometimes.

I have recently moved house and am using the elegant rooms pictured above as inspiration to transform my drab grey university apartment. Recreating this look in our homes is quite simple; we just need to deconstruct and understand its basic elements. Perhaps we can start by focussing on a single corner of the living room and make it cozy. Add an armchair, a stack of books, a tall lamp, throws and cushions in warm earth tones or a footstool to rest tired feet on, like this one made by Kiran Ravilious.

A heavy wooden chest of drawers can provide the same sense of backdrop as the wooden paneling in this Jonathan Adler designed room. A roaring fire is the perfect accessory to project all the warm colors – orange, red, amber into your interiors. But if you don’t have a fireplace do not despair. Grouping candle stands together, or a chandelier in bronze or brass can instantly provide that golden glow to any room.  

Top Tip:  Displaying fruits like apples and figs with walnuts and pine cones in a rough carved wooden platter is also a quick way to bring the seasonal theme into your room.