My Kinda Gal: Sudha

My loves, How are you? I'm having a ball here. Soaking in the experience, living in the NOW.........will be back in a couple of weeks and will have loads to share. For now, my wonderful, knowledgeable friend Sudha is filling in for me.....like the rest of my ever-expanding circle of friends(I truly AM blessed!) she is a woman of many talents--> fellow design junkie, environmental crusader, cook extraordinaire (samosas from the oven, people!!--she bakes the suckers!!! ), --you can catch up with her as she shares her passion for midcentury modern design, cooks up a storm or shares the coolest ways to protect our environment. Here's Sudha with her guest post.........

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A huge thank you to Gagan, for inviting me over to share my thoughts on Of Peacocks and Paisleys. I have made wonderful friends on the blog-o-sphere and cherish the time spent interacting with each one of them. Having said that, let me introduce myself.

Hi people, I am Sudha, a Design Enthusiast, who loves to research the hows, whys and wheres of furniture and design (among lots of other things!). My choices are very minimalist and are rooted on Refuse, Reuse and Repurpose fundamentals. Green living and an eco-responsible lifestyle is a major part of my life. I drew a blank when I sat down to write for a blog as versatile as P&P.  The thing is, I invariably end up talking about environment and green living in most of my posts. Keeping in tune with what I do best, I’d like to share a few of my *likes* in terms of using Jute as a décor element.

We are used to seeing jute sacks in grocery stores. And this how they look when up-cycled as upholstery. Coffee, potato and rice bags used wonderfully on furniture. Jute cloth, aka gunny bags or burlap cloth bring in a homey feel to the decor. They look equally good in a rustic as well as contemporary and modern setting.

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I love the use of jute rope for webbing on wooden chairs.......

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Affordable home goods; coasters, placemats, rugs etc

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Clothing, accessories and more…don’t you love this versatile fiber!!

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Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is one of the most affordable natural fibers and is second only to cotton in amount produced across the world. Woven jute is also known as gunny, burlap or hussien.

Why choose jute
Did you know that jute has low thermal conductivity, exceptional insulation and antistatic properties. Jute mesh or gunny sacks are also used to reduce soil erosion and water retention. (Unfortunately, synthetic materials are replacing jute or jute bags are lined with plastic / HDPE).

Environmental benefits

1. Jute plants clean the air and are said to release more oxygen when compared to other crops.
2. Growing jute has minimal impact on the environment as it requires very less fertilizer, herbicides, & pesticides (compared to cotton).
3. High production/growth rates and shorter crop cycles (100 days) make jute a very versatile and economical crop. Biodegradability of jute  is the most promising reason to choose jute.

Wouldn't it be good to think of ways and means to bring in jute into our lives and homes. Another reason  to support the Jute industry is  its socio-economic impact on the South East Asian countries which grow and export this Golden Fiber. Hoping that all you lovely readers would make well thought out pro-Earth choices - decor and otherwise. And remember,  green choices need not be the most difficult or the most expensive ones. It is all about the thought you put into your choices.

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Sudha, Thank you for your lovely post on jute. I'm a big fan of the raw unfinished texture of burlap and am totally enamored with the jute jewelry you showcased in this post. I want! :)

-Gagan