Wednesday, March 30, 2011

No kidding....


via beststuff.com


This could well be the x-ray of my stomach today...what with the India-Pakistan world cup semi-final coming  up in a couple of hours from now!! Even though my enthusiasm for cricket has ebbed over the years..there's nothing quite like an Indo-Pak cricket contest to get the adrenalin flowing! Since I'll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed for the outcome...it would be physically impossible to do a regular post today...Hope to have a huge smile on my face when I sleep tonight!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Agra chronicles- III ( Amarvilas)


In between Part-I and Part- II of the Agra chronicles, was the immensely memorable interlude at the Oberoi Amarvilas..Consistently rated among the leading resorts of the world, the Amarvilas offers a truly unique experience of  a private view of the Taj Mahal from every single room, suite, lobby, lounge and the bar...

After entering through an understated and almost nondescript entrance ....it is a short drive down to the second point of entrance where a pair of these intricately carved elephants in marble, stand guard with marigold garlands around their tusks and upturned trunks in a gesture of salute and a sign of welcome... beyond this point it is  beautiful amalgamation of Moorish and Mughal architecture wherever you look....begining with a magnificent open-to-sky courtyard of fountains flanked by pavilions ( since I took photos of that only at night, they appear later in this post )...




...it is a constant feast for the eyes as you take in all the beauty and gorgeous details as you enter the lobby..that's my boy wasting no time as we were being welcomed by the most gracious staff of the hotel...truly it is the people who make this hotel what it is ...an epitome of luxury and hospitality ...




As you look up, the stunning chandelier and even more majestic dome takes your breath away...




Here's another one in the bar area with the floor plan of the Taj Mahal serving as art in the background ...take  note of the ceiling that looks like beaten gold...




This is a section of the lounge where we waited for a few moments sipping refreshing welcome drinks...while our rooms were being given a final once-over by housekeeping...
...turquoise and teal dominate the color story throughout the hotel...beautifully interspersed with gold detailing...




It is from here that we got our first good look at the Taj..and to think that this view would be our constant companion for the next two days...doesn't get better than this....
If someone ever tells you that words cannot describe what you feel at the first sight of the Taj...just believe that...simply because 'It is true'...




This is the room we stayed in ...it is a standard room but no luxury has been spared..our kids had an identical room adjacent to ours...
An intricately hand embroidered linen panel adorns the headboard and beautiful carpet in cream and turquoise covers the teak floors...




A bone-inlay work desk ....



I forgot to take any photos of the bath but here are a couple that I took of the rest room in the lobby...with its stunning glossy teal walls...



...here again, with a touch of gold....




I absolutely loved this dainty gold console..isn't it gorgeous!!




Back to the room...the view from our balcony/terrace...it simply cannot be beat!!



A view of the terraced gardens to the right of the pool...




The hotel facade as seen from the rolling greens across the pool....




We spent many an hour splashing about in the gorgeous pool...or sunning ourselves on the deck chairs....






A close-up of the magnificent pavilion along the pool.. a perfect place for your evening tea and biscuit ,or beer and fries or better still.. wine and cheese!!




As the sun begins to set... the dancers come onto the platform above the pavilion and to the tunes of  traditional songs and music put up a beautiful show that is enhanced multifold by a truly unique backdrop....




..with every passing minute..as the sky constantly changes its colors and lights are slowly turned on....it only gets more beautiful...



..to a point where it is surreal...almost dreamlike ....






Breaking away from this spell-binding sight, we spent some time at the courtyard at the entrance as well..for something that looked impressive but stark when we first arrived in the afternoon...it glowed beautifully at night ...bathed in a beautiful golden beige hue...







After this little detour we came back to our room to find this lovely little table laid out in our balcony, amidst flowers and tea lights, for us to celebrate our 14 beautiful years together...truly memorable!!




I hope you enjoyed these chronicles...for me it was a beautiful experience, every step of the way.

For more images of the hotel and other information please visit here.

To read The Agra chronicles-I ( Taj Mahal ), please visit here.
To read The Agra chronicles-II ( Fatehpur Sikri ), please visit here .

all images by maison marigold


Monday, March 28, 2011

Just gorgeous..



alexander mcqueen via w magazine


 A stunning image to kick-start a brand new week..a longer lovelier post coming up later in the day...Have an amazing monday !!


Saturday, March 26, 2011

Why don't you...


via thelovelycolours.tumblr.com

Why is it that we remember to take photos mostly ( and some, only) on vacations..or special occasions....Memories have a funny way of fading with time and age..more so, memories of our everyday life....So,why not freeze frame more often and preserve the little vignettes of life for posterity.
May this weekend leave you with beautiful memories and moments to cherish forever!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

You had me at "hello"...


I just came across this gorgeous bath on elle decor website...with a plethora of antiques good enough to have a pride of place in one's living room...

Antique stone sinks, an Empire-style armchair, a gorgeous persian rug from 19th century, an 18th-century Florentine birdcage and 19th-century seascapes from Capri hanging on the wall...and that quaint little square bathtub in the corner..truly unique..


photo by simon upton for elle decor

...housed in a 16th century Italian palazzo set amidst vineyards, olive groves and the rolling hills of Umbria...it  belongs in an aparment full of history and style spanning 500 years.

To read the article and for a complete tour of the palazzo you may visit here.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Runway to room...


As a tribute to the legend that was Elizabeth Taylor, instead of an image from the runway, I am using a shot from her acclaimed movie, 'Cat on a hot tin roof' ...featuring the stunning Maggie, the 'cat' ,in the iconic white dress with Brick ( Paul Newman) in the background....if this image were to inspire  a room...




...it would look a lot like this... with soothing whites and greys and the lone cushion on the settee echoing the vivid coral of maggie's beautiful lips...


via elle decor

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The english rose goes silent....


 
"I've always admitted that I'm ruled by my passions"- Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor




They don't make them like that any more...she will be missed.

A whimsical wonderland....


If I were in Austin, Texas, at this moment...a walk down this whimsical path would be on top of my to-do list. But as luck would have it, I am a little over 8,000 miles away in Delhi!
This unique installation, led by textile artist Magda Sayeg covers trunks of all 99 trees that line the path to the Blanton Museum of Art, with colorful knitting yarns crafted by over 170 local volunteer knitters....


photo by shawn thomas via poppytalk

Since spring has only just set in...the colorful yarns in aqua / turquoise, pink and orange more than compensate for the lack of foliage and flowers and create an almost surreal atmosphere....


photo by shawn thomas via poppytalk

A volunteer dresses up the tree trunks...what a unique and generous idea of sharing beauty with everyone...


via knittaporfavor


The exhibition is on till  March 25...and I would suggest that you 'run, don't walk'... if you are somewhere close by. For details of the exhibition, please visit here.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Unusual inspiration - No country for old men...


I know I'm more than a couple of years too late to jump onto this bandwagon...but I got to see " no country..." only this past weekend! You must be wondering what is this crime-thriller doing on a decor blog with a motto that urges you to 'live beautifully'...but strangely this bleak, scary and relentlessly violent movie...left me with images other than those of  just blood and gore. It is a gripping tale indeed and I will not critique the storyline or the cast and their performances.( which were superlative, by the way)...what really left me spellbound was the cinematography, the shot composition  and beauty of the unforgiving desert landscape of West Texas..

From the opening scene, when Moss ( Josh Brolin) stumbles upon some dead bodies and a stash of cash, I couldn't take my eyes off the beautifully barren landscape and to add to the stark beauty of it were the Ford pickups in the most gorgeous of colors...this apricot - hued one, for instance...



via greyclouds.net

I love how beautifully the above image translates to this glamorous room....there couldn't be a greater contrast in the feel of the two images despite the presence of same colors down to  the little hint of green from the grass in the above image mirrored by the foliage in the vases below....


via thelennox.com

This collage of images from the movie depicts all the beautiful hues of blue and turquoise contrasting vivdly with the reds and orange... you can spot a couple more pick-ups in this image...a red and a soft turquoise...


afeaturefilm.blogspot.com

.. and if it were a room..It could end up looking a lot like this....


via apartmenttherapy.com

Finally...check out the color of the door of the motel room..what is it called...aqua-teal? It is gorgeous...I just couldn't get it out my head..and had to do a great deal of research until I found.......


 via greyclouds.net

....this...I dare you to find a closer match......I love the stunning contrast it makes with the red...really gorgeous..

via house beautiful

Since my husband, who was also watching the movie with me, did not notice any of these details till I pointed those out to him..it is quite possible that blogging has made me hypersensitive to finding beauty and inspiration in everything....even in places where one is least likely to go looking for them ! 



Monday, March 21, 2011

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Why don't you...


......wear all the colors of happiness...




via poppysmiles

A very happy Holi to those of you who will be celebrating and a lovely weekend to the rest of you!! May there be color and happiness wherever you are this weekend!!

Friday, March 18, 2011

A day of remembrance...

designed by julie thigpen

It is exactly one week since the deadly earthquake and tsunami hit Japan.. With the country still grappling with the magnitude of this disaster , the situation continues to be grim ...with the added fear of a  potential nuclear disaster lurking over its head. Today as many in the blogging world are observing a day of silence, I would like to send out an appeal to all of you to come forward and show support ...keep the the people of Japan in your prayers and make donations if you wish.  Here are a few links to the relevant organisations through which donations can be made:

http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org/
http://www.savethechildren.org/
http://www1.networkforgood.org/

Please share these links with as many people as you can( via facebook, twitter etc.) ...there always are those who wish to help but can't, simply because they do not know where to make that donation.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Just a little curious....

If you have ever left a comment on a blog..this  image would not be unfamiliar to you. We all know about  word verification and why it is necessary. I am just very curious to know how you respond to it.... do you simply type out the letters just as randomly as they appear...or do you try and form the word ( mostly meaningless, at times funny and at others obnoxious) in your mind as you type?



via majorityoftwo.blogspot.com


As for me, I always whisper the word  to myself while typing...it would be fun to know what the rest of you do!!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A touch of gilt....


All things gold and brass have been making their presence felt  in decor world  for some time now and 2011 is going to be no different. I thought I might as well share some of my favourite interiors with a hint of gold. I do have a tiny magpie hidden deep inside me...still my love for gold and  glitter is fairly restrained ...I like it best when it is used sparingly, much like a favourite jewel, as is evident in most of these images .....

 The first three images are a perfect representation of mixing just a touch of gold with a neutral palatte to enhance a room...gold works beautifully with the whites, beiges and black...


via casasugar.com

via citified.blogspot.com

via habituallychic.blogspot.com

A few gilded frames mixed with black and white frames add a little extra depth and interest to this gallery wall....


via desiretoinspire.net

a solitary gold bedside lamp is so striking against the blacks and greys in this decidedly masculine room.....


via apartmenttherapy.com

I have a weekness for book shelves and this gorgeous etagere would be perfect in a living room to display artbooks as well as works of art...

via plushpalate.blogspot.com

This elegantly ornate headboard is so beautifully complimented by the gold accents on the bedside table and lamp.....

via citified.blogspot.com

This is one of my absolute favourite kitchens and the gold/brass hardware on the pendants and cabinets only adds to its elegant appeal...

via clover magazine

Gilded mirrors are a wonderful way of adding some instant sheen and glamour to any space...be it a living room...


via littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com

...an entryway.....


via shelterpop.com

....a modern bathroom...


source unknown

......or a veranda.....

via designfabulous.com

A combination of gold and teal lends this home-office a very glamorous touch....


via parisapartment.wordpress.com

 I love the understated elegance of the gold-leafed coffee table and how it picks out the yellow of the drapes...


via clover magazine

This is one of my favourite home-office images and the pair of gold bookshelves totally make the room...

atlanta homes magazine

 A pair of gilt Pedro Friedeberg Hand chairs add a bit of whimsy and a whole lot of character to this living room in Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan's Palm Beach retreat....


via elle decor


When talking about gold touched rooms, how can one  forget the much blogged about and drooled over dressing room in Aerin Lauder's Manhattan home..with its circa 1970 gold-base Gabriella Crespi desk and gilded french chair it is way beyond gorgeous...


elle decor

 Finally...a room with a whole lot of gold but done so masterfully that alongwith the background and that amazing light fixture it looks like installation art!!


via taradillard blog


How about you...would you go with gold in your home?
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