Aubrey Recipes: Home decor

Writers Juli 12, 2019 0

As I write this, I am sitting in the late afternoon sun gleaming on the gazebo on our deck. Sun’s rays are warming my face as the crooning of birds in the surrounding ravine and the gentle occasional breeze are accompanying me. It’s a cherished moment of calm that is making me feel that I am in heaven literally and literary. The only side effect of summer is, I catch myself smiling more and feeling increasingly carefree during the longer days of the season.

Summer is at the very heart of any Canadian, just because we have only handful weekends to enjoy summer here in Toronto. And to make the best of it, we spend pretty much every minute possible outside in our staycation (a.k.a. our backyard). This year also, with the hint of summer, we have been totally plugged out with our outdoor surroundings on our deck.

But to extend the time we spend in the fresh air; we have created the ultimate outdoor oasis under the deck including an inbuilt BBQ station with an actual hammock because sometimes the simplest summer pleasure just come from swaying away on the hammock outside after dinner ;) . Never did I think I would enjoy an outdoor project as much as I have worked on our interiors but looking at it now, it is our perfect private spot to unwind.

As an extension of our household, investing in the backyard of our dreams has enhance our quality of life and the value of our home. For our easy bare feet walking we have invested in stone interlocking from the front drive way to most of the backyard.

One of my favorite thing about summer is to take advantage of the beautiful weather by dining outdoors! Given a chance I leave no stone unturned in styling my tablescapes, be it indoors or outdoors. Let the creative juices flow and make this summer the best summer ever for your outside entertaining.

Since summer style is all about ease. I have fun with no rules approach while creating tablescapes by mixing with colors, patterns and not to forget food and wine.

When planning an outdoor space, it’s important to think about your own lifestyle and how you will be using this space. You should think of your exterior space as an extension of your home. We like to layer our outdoor spaces in a way that feels comfortable and practical for personal use or entertaining friends. For the very same reason, designing an outdoor in-built BBQ was an exciting moment for us.

At times dealing with it seemed like a myriad of decision and rules so daunting but thankfully my expert BBQ loving husband tackled the task with ease. For smoky and flavorful meals, we also installed a smoker/broiler. For handling food or cleaning up as the party unwinds the built-in sink is just perfect in our outdoor BBQ station.

Who says we vegetarians don't enjoy BBQ? Here is just a glimpse of our veggies getting ready for grilling. From grilled veggies to hot dogs and from garlic breads to burgers...our outdoor food fare runs till quite late.

Now with a practical, livable space under the deck our outdoor entertaining is a breeze. No matter if we are having some family over for an impromptu BBQ party or are prepping for a Canada Day bash for the group of friends, the pleasant weather under the shade of our deck and relaxed vibe gives us the chance to interact and connect.

I am honestly not much of those green fingered types who love to tend to their flowerbeds all afternoon. I am in tune with throwing down a pillow and soaking up some rays with a good book here taking the advantage of the surrounding scenery and the view...so if you need me I am all settled here for this summer :). Until we meet again dear friends, enjoy your summer just because summer is too precious to spend indoors....toodles!

Writers Mei 23, 2019 0

Beautiful home has a certain magic, it imposes you, it makes you sit and stay a while. The objects of the home literally call you to reach them, touch them and inspect them and get to know them a little more. Such homes where heirlooms and antiques mingle with a sure outcome of a deep sense of personal satisfaction are my absolute favorite to feature here.

Bask away with me today in one such easy going yet undeniably stylish home that has evolved over time with different generations of a family members adding their own layers.

Meet Rupaa Ramkumar from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, whose home is a bit like her own autobiography which reflects her passions and interests. Born and brought up in Calicut (Kerala) and now married and settled in Tamil Nadu, Rupaa is lucky to have an influence of both states’ traditions. Her home has been a bit of balancing act while juggling between the goodness of two states.

If you are a lover of all things vintage and traditional then this is the area where you can really give your leaning a free rein. Knowing her taste and choices, Rupaa has subtly accented the rooms with art and objects that echoes splendors of classical architecture. The tanjore paintings, brass accents and colonial style furniture....makes your eye linger instead of racing to the view.

Rupaa knows styling is often about finding a common ground and a relationship between pieces weather that can be a color, a texture or simply your own taste. A carefully thought out and deliberately uncluttered display of brass pieces adorn Rupaa's home in every corner. Expect some high-voltage thrills as we move forward with her collection.

By glided opulence of tanjore paintings, Rupaa has marked her creative streak on every wall of the home....yes, all of the paintings are wholeheartedly done by Rupaa. You are about to witness her handmade collection that includes Makhanchor Krishna, Lakshmi, Meenakshi Kalyana , Venkatachalapathy, Shiva Parvathi, Krishna with Rukmini Sathyabama, and Ramar Pattabishegam.

Rupaa proudly deposits all the applauses for her art work in her compliment account. Fueled by all the accolades Rupaa coins: “It all started with Tanjore painting class when my daughter started the school many years back. Now I am so passionate about making these paintings for our home to cherish year after year by adding each and every unique art piece! We had a master named “Anandhan” who used to come to Coimbatore from Chennai to take Tanjore painting classes and it’s from him I had learnt this art. I get pleased beyond the measure when guests compliment me looking at these paintings.”

Moving forward, these humbled brass pieces are Rupaa's proud possessions. They have been collected from different hunting grounds and as described by Rupaa, they are a period of collection. It is hard for her to pass up on one-of-a-kind pieces.

Rupaa sums up: "Right from Delhi to Ooty, I have purchased many brass items. These have been collected for many years ! Where ever I go if something catches my fancy, I would get that and add in my collection."

There is a peacefulness to a space where material repeat from room to room, the key is to mix them a bit differently each time. Rupaa’s small personal touches bring charm to every setting. Every vignette here is bursting with freshness while flowers and plants are adding a hit of glamour and pretty color.

A closer look at her brass ladies here.

Greenery has a way of livening up any room but pairing them with these barnis makes an ethereal otherworldly feel. The timeless feature of these ceramic jars was an obvious choice when Rupaa elegantly outfitted the greens reminding of her grand mom using the same barnis in her kitchen. She simply feels transported to that era looking at them.

Rupaa has left this age old 'Pallankuzhi' game shine by devoting an extra special spot reminding her of childhood days. To my surprise and probably to yours....I have never played this game, strange, isn't it? The beautiful cow plate is from Trove Craft India.

Consistent classic look is carried forward in the room with these pillars. With ingenuity and willingness she has inserted them honoring her connection with them. Rupaa shares a beautiful story of those pillars and painting above it: “Touch wood”! Me and my husband Ram have respect for each other’s taste in decoration! So when I particularly wanted to have 2 pillars with wood, he made efforts to go to a place in Kerala “palakkad” from where he got these pillars from and fixed it! Above of the pillars we have a glass painting of tulip flowers! And now the only thing I want is to bring some Kerala mural painting at that place!

Here is a closer look at the carved pillar and Rupaa's elegant temple room. This emotionally engaging and deeply spiritual place is just perfect to relieve the hurly-burly of everyday life. For better continuity with the rest of the ambiance Rupaa has updated the space with cherished keep-shakes and old favorites - where they both happily coexist.

The furniture pieces evoke an emotional response and that Rupaa likes to be reminded on an every day basis. Every furniture piece has myriad set of emotions and they hold high regards for her family. She claims these ancestral furniture pieces are to be centuries old, made of pure rose wood....no wonder they have earned their keep.

Zula is absolutely pivotal to the heart and soul of any South Indian home. It definitely adds a bit of a zing to the entire interior. This envy inducing handsome piece establishes a decorative tone by simply being attuned to the surrounding. Adding more Rupaa sums up: “I believe each antique piece will speak for itself and so does my brass zula, which has Ganesha, Pavvai Vilakku, elephants etc. We also aimfully repurposed the door of an old home as the base of zula.”

The classic traditional vibe eases its way through the house eventually touching every room and corner. Keeping the demands of modern living intact, her home still owns a charm of an old era with mishmash of unrelated things.

It doesn’t take much to please a Canadian like me when it comes to an outdoor scene like this. Where we reside, the color therapy is often grey and this lush green view is a perfect retreat for my eyes. As I appreciate the view, my envy is taking a back seat. The sweet cushion in this neatly manicured space adds the rustic feel where I can tumble all day ;). Her home and plant babies have managed to garner enough attention on her growing feed of Instagram, do check out her feed.

Right from the childhood days, Rupaa had the flair for gardening. She proudly points that her greens are instilled very deep inside her blood just like home décor and no one can separate her from plants! So it says it all how much she loves them! A varied array of plant holders are pulled together to make a gorgeously eye-catching decorative scheme.

Packed with heirlooms, hand me downs and collected objects Rupaa’s home is full of character and love. It boasts big-time personality thanks to carefully curated accents, including her own artwork that speak to precisely who she is.

As we end this well curated and beautifully designed home, wishing Rupaa and her family all the very best of love, luck and happiness in coming years. Thank you Rupaa for inviting us to your home virtually, I thoroughly enjoyed this collaboration with you and your beautiful home.

That's it folks for now, shall be back soon with another home tour...until than, stay connected on social media, toodles!

(Images are from Rupaa's home. Please do not use the images without the prior written permission of the home owner and Pinkz Passion however, you may re-pin them from Pinkz Passion's Pinterest account)

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Under the Deck (Tour of in-built BBQ)

Easy going yet undeniably Stylish (Home Tour of Rupaa Ram)

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