All The Way From Antigua

Breathtaking inspiration from Luna Zorro

 

I stumbled upon Luna Zorro's Instagram account and fell in love with the colorful bohemian images. Take a look at my favorites:

Luna Zorro is a young furnishing brand founded and run by Molly Berry, who moved to Antigua two years ago. The search for the perfect bed cover is what triggered Molly to work with artisans and Mayan co-ops to create one of it's kind furnishings. Take a look at her store here and read more about Luna Zorro here. 

[All images: Luna Zorro's Instagram]

No-Mad On My Mind

It's a gorgeous summer day here in Stockholm, and after traveling around Europe last few weeks, I am resting my nomadic feet in a cozy garden cafe. Sitting here, as I check into my home on the world wide web, my little blog, it's but apt that I write about another nomad, a nomad that's my favorite home luxury lifestyle brand! A brand that is quintessentially Indian at heart yet enjoys & celebrates global influence when it comes to design and aesthetics. A brand that was like a breath of fresh air when it launched in 2014 and continues to be unique and refreshingly creative with not only it's collections but also in the way that it communicates with us.

[A beautiful space styled by Couleur Locale using No-Mad's furnishing]

Yes, I am talking about No-Mad, the brand that's 97% Indian and 3% Global. As I look around this lovely Scandinavian city, I can see No-Mad fitting in as seamlessly as I have seen No-Mad beautifying spaces in cities across India. It is this seemingly effortless 'citizen of the world' personality of No-Mad that resonates with me and it's many fans, who eagerly await each new launch. And how fabulously creative all the launches have been! From the time when I first shared No-Mad on An Indian Summer, No-Mad has consistently dazzled us with collections themed around colors or innovative product function or a traditional Indian artisan/craft skill. 

A significant part of this global Indian personality comes from the multi-cultural background and exposure that No-Mad's founders bring to the table. Anuj Kothari and Valerie Barkowski are passionate about good design and quality, and have the knack of elevating everyday use items to the next level by enhancing it's form, function and beauty. The latest range from their Table collection is a testimony to Valerie's incredible design aesthetics and Anuj's innate understanding of the environment and the market. And all this goodness is available, to be delivered to your home, across the world, via No-Mad's lovely online store.

And it's not only us, the design enthusiasts and customers who love No-Mad. Since the time of it's launch, No-Mad has received many accolades from the industry for it's products. The Isayu fabric, muddah stool and the thali trays have been awarded by EDIDA and GoodHomes has recognized No-Mad for it's range of Sahaj ceramics. All of No-Mad products are meticulously crafted by hand thereby encouraging the revival of the some key Indian craft skills and providing employment to artisans and craft workers.

I could go on and on about No-Mad...I did tell you that it is a dear favorite of mine! As I wrap up this post, I do have to talk about just how brilliantly No-Mad communicates with the rest of the world. The visuals shared by No-Mad via Instagram and Facebook are stunning and the stories these images tell make me feel as if I have been part of the creative cycle of a product and feel a warm connection to the brand. An innovative medium used by No-Mad is No-Mad Times that's a delight to hold and read. The great news is that you can request for a copy of the newsletter any time that you want! Just send across an email with your shipping address and No-Mad will be very happy to send one across [right now, to mailing addresses in India only]  

A special note for retailers, design professionals and No-Mad customers in the US and UK 

No-Mad will be participating in upcoming trade fairs and you can get a chance to see the products and interact with the team. Click on the posters below for more details:

[All Images: No-Mad. Creative Story Boarding: An Indian Summer]

The sun is still shining bright here in Stockholm. Talking about No-Mad has reminded me of home and India, and I can not wait to get back this weekend. I am bringing with me stories, pictures and some amazing experiences from my travels and the design event I attended. Will see you next week, sharing it all, alive and kickin' from India!

Celebrating With Gulmohar Lane!

There are some gifts that keep on giving. An Indian Summer is one of them. Ahem. Yes, the blog and I eschew all modesty for today. For good reasons, my dear folks, for very good reasons. One, we hit the 15,000 mark on facebook. Two, An Indian Summer and our instagram account got a sweet mention on Apartment Therapy. And Three, one of our favorite brands & friend Gulmohar Lane, is hosting a merry giveaway party right here!

Tis be the season of celebrations and Gulmohar Lane has put together the most glorious giveaway hamper for An Indian Summer readers! Since the last time I blogged about them, Gulmohar Lane has expanded it's repertoire of  beautiful & elegant products to now also include lighting, cushions and more handcrafted furniture pieces. I love the classic, vintage aesthetic of their product range! And not only can you buy their products online, but this weekend, you also have the opportunity to win this generous gift, lovingly put together by the good folks at Gulmohar Lane. 

 

The giveaway, open for readers from any where in the world, includes:

Gulmohar Lane Cushions  .  Gulmohar Lane Vintage Edison Bulbs  .  Gulmohar Lane Linen Bag with Leather Handles  .  Tea Kettle  .  Cups & Saucer  .  Chocolates! 

Yes, all this, to one fabulous reader, from any where in the world!

~ How to Enter ~

1. Tap into your hidden (or not so hidden) poet/lyricist/wordsmith, and pen a little ditty or a verse or a haiku or a paen or a poem, with the words 'Gulmohar Lane' in it.

  

[For my readers who don't understand Hindi, "Gulmohar" is the name of a flowering tree: Delonix Regia]

2. Leave your creative creation as a comment here on facebook and/or as a comment to this post.

3. To gain that extra edge, share the giveaway on facebook, instagram and twitter and tag 'An Indian Summer' & 'Gulmohar Lane'.

4. That's it! The winner will be announced on facebook on the 2nd of December.

See you again, on the other side of the weekend!

Gulmohar Lane: On Facebook, On Instagram, On Twitter

An Indian Summer: On Facebook, On Instagram, On Twitter

 

Let The Festive Time Begin!

The House Of Things, collectors, curators and purveyors of all things beautiful have grown by leaps and bounds since the last time I waxed eloquent about them on An Indian Summer. There is a gorgeous post coming up to showcase their seen and yet-unseen new collections, and to whet your appetites, here is a fabulous giveaway! Open for readers across the world, The House Of Things would like to kick start the festive season here in India, with sending this lovely handcrafted black marble platter along with two marble bowls to one very lucky An Indian Summer reader! And this is how you enter the giveaway:

~ To enter ~

Leave a comment here [on facebook] and/or on this post telling the good people over at The House Of Things, "What would you serve on this platter"

And that's it! Remember, this is open for readers worldwide and the winner will be declared on facebook on Wednesday - October 21st! 

Happy Festive Time, my lovelies! 

I love this time of the year :)

[The House Of Things Shop  | Instagram  | Facebook]

The Water Bearers

From Coppre

I am so happy to announce the launch of yet another fabulous new collection from Coppre, called the Water Bearers! Beautifully hand crafted, by the metal craftsmen in Tambat Ali, a small settlement in Pune, this collection is as much a decor statement as it is utilitarian. And that's not all! Traditional wellness wisdom talks of "Tamrajal" or "water ionized by copper" as having myriad health benefits. In ayurveda, water kept and had from copper vessels is known to be 'rich in antioxidants, kill bacteria, regulate thyroid, cure arthiritis, heal wounds faster, stimulate brain activity, improve digestion and beat anemia'. Phew! Something so pretty to look at and packed with such a punch! Drinking water just became way more cooler :)

The Water Bearer collection has Terracopper Jug, Terracopper Tumblr, Linear / Concave / Convex Tumblr, Bedside Carafe & Glass, Desktop Carafe and the Stepped Tray and you can shop for these and more from Coppre's repertoire right here.

~ The GiveAway ~

Coppre loves An Indian Summer readers and has gifted lovely products earlier as well to a few lucky ones. We are back with a giveaway and this time Coppre would like to gift one reader, anywhere in the world, a Desktop Carafe. This desktop carafe is beautifully finished off with handbeaten indentations of the Tambat craftsman and can be used both as antimicrobial packed drinking water vessel or as a flower vase.

~  How To Participate ~

1. Hop on to Coppre's website

2. Scroll down and sign up for their newsletter to get the the first dibs on all their exciting new launches & offers

That's it! 

Coppre will pick a winner from all the new subscribers who join their mailing list. The lucky (and henceforth very healthy) winner will be announced on facebook on Tuesday - May 5th!

Have a great weekend, folks! 

[All Images: Coppre. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Gulmohar Lane

This has to be a dream. Or so I believed when I saw Shweta Mewara and Saurabh Ailawadi's latest project called Gulmohar Lane. The name is evocative of the brilliance of gulmohar  trees in their full bloom on a summer afternoon, and the store, a brilliant collection of finest handcrafted sofas, coffee tables and home products. I am currently in the process of designing & styling a home in Gurgaon, a home in Goa and a wildlife lodge, and for me, it's a dream come true to find an exceptional online store like Gulmohar Lane for all my couch & sitting needs! 

Gulmohar Lane takes great pride in design and hand-craftsmanship of their products. Keeping a strong sense of aesthetics as the foundation, Gulmohar Lane's products strive to use materials that are sustainably sourced, are natural  and comfortable. One-of-a-kind shapes and silhouettes, used with fabrics made of natural yarns like linen and cotton and high quality material like foams, fibers and down feathers, all go in to make each furniture piece unique and beautifully functional. Gulmohar Lane strongly believes in supporting artisans, craftsmen and their crafts, and to that end, they work with a local NGO that is engaged in helping and providing education and training to the local artisans.

Taking their philosophy of high quality, aesthetics and utility online, Gulmohar Lane's online store is such a pleasure to browse through and shop at. Along with the many very well designed furniture pieces, Gulmohar Lane also offers easy customization options where you can choose the size, fabric and the fill. While it takes 4-6 months for Gulmohar Lane to go through conceptualization, research, prototyping before a product is finally passed to be made available on their website, they are committed to deliver your specific requirement within 7 to 45 days, depending on the product category. Gulmohar Lane takes care of delivery and the delivery cost, and also offers to ship samples of the fabrics to the customers so that they can get a feel of the fabrics.

The lovely couple working hard behind the scenes to bring this superb furniture to us, combine their creativity and past experiences of working with some renowned brands to Gulmohar Lane. Shweta, originally from Jodhpur - Rajasthan, is a fashion designer by education and her special interest and expertise lies in home textiles and print design. Saurabh, a NIFT graduate, has worked with many international brands. Inspired by the works of design stalwarts like Timothy Oulton, Laura Ashley and Charles & Ray Eames, Shweta and Saurabh leverage the skills of fourth generation sofa karigars (craftsmen) to design & create contemporary functional masterpieces. 

Gulmohar Lane is indeed the best that has happened to the online design & furniture space in the recent times. More power to Shweta and Saurabh for following their passion and for us to reap the benefit of their vision!

Find Gulmohar Lane here:

Webshop  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  |  Instagram

[Images: Gulmohar Lane. Creative Storyboading: An Indian Summer]

P.S: Yes, I was in Shweta's city - Jodhpur, last week! I went scouting for various things for the wildlife lodge project (more on that soon!) and spent my days walking through miles and miles and more miles of warehouses stocked with an assortment of furniture, antiques, decor items, rugs - you name it and we waded through it. A successful work trip it was, that unexpectedly metamorphosed into me zipping through the streets of Jodhpur on a fancy Harley Davidson, and finding myself at the beautiful Bal Samand Lake Palace at a Harley Davidson Bikers Party one evening! In Jodhpur, of all the places! The last thing I would have expected! All my travel and trips these days seem to have a surprise built in and I am now bracing for the next one coming up next week! Oh, and also, I am just about done with the clean up of my instagram account and will be opening it up very soon for followers. Join me right here!