Life @ Kaustubha

Hello there! 🙂

Wishing you all a very happy new year 2018!!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am for the new year! With the new year comes a new look to the blog (did you notice that?) and a new post in a new category with a genuine attempt to keep up with my blogging goals. So here you go!

If you know me, or following me here or visited my home, you sure would know my love (or may be addiction) for home decor, organizing and cleaning. Can you believe when I say that my biggest stress buster is cleaning up or organizing something at home 🙂 [Yup, I always find something to do] So, I decided to share about my home decor, tips and tricks from around our home, “Kaustubha” (yes, we named our home). I know there are many many blogs, Youtube channels out there which talk about something very similar and honestly, I follow some of them too. But, home, decor and organizing are always unique to oneself and there is always something new to share, learn and be inspire.

After all, “The Dancing Lawyer” is all about Everyday Expressions that interests and inspires me!

First up here, why and what is Kaustubha?

Giving the home a name is a very beloved thing in many parts of India and it something me and my husband grew up with too. “Kaustubha” was the name given to my in-laws’ first home back in India and my husband was very excited to name our first home the same. I was very much on board with him for the sentiment and the name itself for it has a a lovely meaning. Kaustubha is the divine jewel (Mani) in the possession of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu wears this Mani in his garland near his chest (where his wife “Lakshmi” resides). The jewel has the beauty of lotus, radiance of sun and the most precious jewel. And our home is truly precious one for us 🙂 This beautiful name plate in orange (signifying positivity) is my dear brother and sister in-laws’ idea and gift which was made at a local store in Mumbai.

OUR ENTRANCE

Nothing beats the warmth and serenity of the home after a long tiring day or the comfort of being home even after a fun filled vacation(I felt this yesterday when I returned from a fun NYE holiday). I read it somewhere that the entry of a Home narrates the story of who we are and all the things we love. How beautifully said right? This was exactly what we aimed to achieve when we were setting up our entry way. To be honest, this entry foyer was one of the places we fell in love with when we were looking at this house before we made it our home. So here you go! Welcome Home!

At our home, both my husband and I enjoy home decor and it is very important that we both like (I should say love) everything we pick for the home. Though we don’t really have a particular style for our decor, we tend to lean towards the “traditional” decor with classic decor pieces. Brass is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of anything classic and traditional. So you would see much of that in the entry way too.

There is always one big thing that you want to have in your home. We may call it “priced possession”. This lovely swinging brass Ganesha is such one for me. I looked for this one for almost 2 months and finally found it on Amazon.in and was lucky enough to get it to the US right in time before we moved into the new Home. This piece was the basis for the entry way decor. Everything else was chosen to complement the beautiful swinging Ganesha. The gorgeous lamps (diyas) standing on the two sides of Ganesha just added to the vibrant look and feel of the statue.

According to me, fragrance and freshness are two important tenets of a welcoming home. There is no doubt that fresh flowers are the perfect sources of natural fragrance. I used an antique brass vessel from my aunt’s collection as a flower vase and I make sure to always have some fresh flowers in it. To also used a shallow brass bowl to put some dried rose petals which brings mild fragrance to the entry way.

It is very important to choose the right color theme but make it very subtle for the entry. Green is our very first choice as it goes very well with brass and it also signifies harmony and energy at home and we surely want anyone who enters the home to feel it. The antique table was a steal buy from the Cost Plus World Market. It was a result of our endless search almost everyday online and in stores. I cannot stop raving about the beauty of the fine art work on this table (reminds me of the temple architecture) which is the abode of our dear Ganesha. The table also has little storage which I use for stuff I need easy access to.

Though I love to keep it simple, a little pop of color is always great to the eye. The little bell on the wall (which was empty otherwise) added the perfect color to complement the set up. This was a gift and the moment I saw it, I knew where it would go (how awesome are such gifts).

The wall opposite to Ganesha is a huge one to leave it empty. We did not want have anything on the wall that over-shadow’s the beauty of the statute. Mirrors are the perfect choice of decor items which only adds beauty to a place and exemplifies everything that is around it. We found this perfect sized mirror with shades of green in Pier Imports (on sale..yay!) and that is it! The mirror is a reflection of our taste and our strength (family). We placed the mirror in such a place where the collage placed on the opposite wall is visible.

Last but not the least, we completed the look by placing a light colored rug with shades of green and light blue and was a easy pick from a departmental store.

With very minimal things, we were able to set up a welcoming, eye catching entry foyer which often turns out to be a great conversation starter for our guests. Last but not the least, keeping it very minimal gives me an opportunity to work with seasonal festive decor at the entry way. I am sure you will see this in many of my posts!

It is one thing to love doing something and totally a different thing to write about it. Hope you enjoyed reading this post 🙂

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead!

-Signing off

P.S: Thank you Kamma Klix for the beautiful pictures.