Wednesday, August 4, 2010

"Little boxes on the hillside...

How do you make your little cookie-cutter a home? Do you identify your residence by the walls that define it? Would "home" feel the same if you were to pick up and move to another corner of your street, neighborhood, city, country?  As someone who has moved most of her life, I find that "home" is as mobile as a turtle's shell...sure it is defined by the belongings that I have come to love (some lovingly carted across oceans and land, and some acquired along the way...each object has been gleaned and has some sort of history around it) (I have a terrible case of pack-rat-itis, and find it notoriously difficult to part with "stuff"!!!). But home is definitely defined by the lives lived within....by the human beings and relationships that inhabit.....

I'd like to share with you some corners from our home..these are some random shots of tabletops at home...

side table 1.

The table is lit from underneath with a small thrifted lamp. The deer I've had since college days...they've seen some pretty amazing places along the way...also seen in the background...our lucky bamboo that travelled ~1,800 miles with us when the moving company guy refused to take plants along in his truck. It was the dead of winter, and this resilient guy survived it all! We gave away most of our other plants, but hubby was determined to bring this along. I'm so glad he did! :) Also seen, my mom's old brass lamp- the peacock falls off, but I've fixed it with some thread &glue. Our Ganeshji, who made it across many miles with us on our last trip to India. Branches in the background---courtesy the many thunderstorms in our current neighborhood. :)

side table 2. you might recognize this from my header..

 The little bamboo box visible underneath the table housed an herbal tea set--a gift from my BFF. It said "numi tea" on top--the box was too pretty to throw away, so I covered "numi tea" with a black paisley (spray paint, zindabad (long-live)!!)

side table 2, lit up at night...

coffee table

(Yes, I know there's a crumply paper towel sitting in the corner---I haven't edited out the paper towel on purpose...I was cleaning the table, trying to get it streak-free...it's a part of life and I don't think things should be perfect all the time!!!) This is our coffee table...every object on it has a personal history..the acorns and pinecones travelled all the way from our previous home ( they have been collected by my child and I on our numerous walks around our little new england town...the shells were gifted by my sis, there's a little dried playdough star in there that my little guy had made for his mommy....the bowl itself was a parting gift from someone very close to hubby's heart........you get the picture!)

So there you have it folks...bits of our life, scattered on tabletops. I'm linking up to patty's blog for the tabletop linkup...


22 comments:

  1. That was indeed very sweet..
    i like the side table 2 very very much

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  2. lovely words Gagan and you home is beautiful.

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  3. lovely is just a word...cant tell u how homely the entire set up feels :)

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  4. I like all the table tops. My fav of ocurse is photo# 3.

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  5. Your table tops reflect your taste for fashion and art.. they look stunning! I loved the way you left the paper napkin on the coffee table.. it doesnt look straight from a decor magazine but very much from a sweet home where real people live.Homes usually reflect the personalities of the people who are living there, so you seem to have a beautiful heart and soul:-)

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  6. Lovely words Gagan and a very sweet home :)
    Your words are very much similar to mine!!....yes, I know the pain when the HOME is sooo mobile...when you HAVE TO move...yes, a lot...and yes,around the world to !!:(
    .. it is so notoriously difficult to part with your own beautiful 'stuffs'!!
    Loved your words and the homely decor :)

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  7. @Nisha, Anu, Sudha, Pree: Thanks a ton!! you're the best!
    @Padmaja: thanks for your kind words...I actually have a very wicked soul [ ;) !!!], but I love art and beauty!! Seriously, thanks for dropping by and your sweet comment!
    @Sanghamitra: I know this is a feeling a lot of us can relate to , especially those of us in the blogosphere...thanks for dropping by!!

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  8. i love how "real" your spaces are. theres nothing worse than walking into a beautiful home that feels impersonal. lovely post!

    xo Alison

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  9. Love the second pic :) And the warm , friendly style of your blog and images.

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  10. Oh. I love the scatter... I love everything about your table tops... Its gorgeous.. so full of warmth & love... Thank you for linking in.. You've made my day!!! :-)

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  11. @Patty: thanks for hosting the linkup...its so much fun to see other homes as well!

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  12. I just love little peeks into everyone's homes! Thanks so much for sharing yours. And thank you for the nice comment re: my "Jones" photo. That is one of my absolute favorite so I'm really happy you liked it too. :)

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  13. @FTRB: Thanks for dropping in and for your lovely comment! :)

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  14. Gagan, You maintain a lovely blog and your house is sooooooo beautiful...each corner depicts your personality and creativity..and I am definitely going to follow your blog.

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  15. @Shivani: Thank you so much for your kind words and welcome aboard!!

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  16. Yay for the lucky bamboo, and kudos to you for not hiding the paper towel :)

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  17. love the side tables.. great arrangement!!
    Thanks for stopping by and writing in kind comments on my blog!! I am glad you did that ... for I came across your lovely blog!!

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  18. @struggler: Thanks! :D
    @Akshatha: Thank you, hope to see you around here....:)

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  19. Only tabletops and I am already loving your style :). Gagan, you have fabulous taste ! And everything kept so well and look almost brand new! In a good way, not shiny :):).

    I love every picture and see that you are a great photographer too.

    I have missed so many posts while away but have read almost everyone now. Good to be back into the beautiful world of blogland thanks to peeps like you :).

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  20. @ Sans! The couches and the side tables are new...when we moved here, we got an additional family room, so the older couch was relegated there; and hubby had been lusting after leather furniture for so long, I had to give in. :) But the rest was up to me...I had to warm the space, so I used whatever warm earthy tones I had with it....most of the stuff you see on the tables has a history or is thrifted! :) yup, the lamp is a fabulous thrifty find.

    our other couches have been jumped upon and worse, but they clean right up, so thankfully none the worse for the wear!! :D (the coffee table from our previous home didn't survive--it was used as a launching pad by a group of young astronomers!!!)

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