inspirational, intelligent, interesting miscellaneous varied topics to knock you out
Can you guess that it is innovative use of empty glass bottles!
This pictures are from eco-township Navadarshanam situated along the border of Thally reserve forest at Tamilnadu and Karnataka borders. Here an alternate way of life and working is translated in ecological living. The homes are built with Sun baked mud blocks for walls, terracotta tiles, red oxide and cement for flooring.
Terracotta and cement jaalis (lattice), recycled wood and bottles are used as design accents.
This flower arrangement has become piece of art and that is what Paula Pryke does. This is first floral art which I think has taken me to another level and has taught me something.
This sofa chair called facett designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec is my another favourite (It has to be white). I could cuddle up there for hours and feel nice.
And this Gregory Blain platform is what I want to think about. I want to think if it is practical in small spaces.
These 3 pieces make a perfect corner for me to meditate.
I would be posting design ideas in a series called MY NOOK for a corner, for each and every nook of my house and your house.
This is my first nook and I am nervous.
I would sit on la platforme and imagine I, and not the flowers; who is sitting on the sofa chair. I would definitely move my legs restlessly and the rest of magic would be brought forward by the dark ambience, the white and red contrast.
I think I would attain bliss. What about you?
One is going to get goosebumps if one see things materialized which one had talked so passionately about.
Parans, still seems like impossible but is what I dreamt of.
Four months ago we were moving to a place where electricity charges are steep. So we were thinking of alternative methods. One day I told my husband why can’t we store sun’s light, why can’t we store winter’s cold. The look on his face told me to stop farrying around my futuristic fairy tales.
I started to look for a solar air condition on the net and I stumbled upon parans lighting site. I was so tempted I even wanted to make dealership enquiries.
Parans lighting system can’t store light though. This lighting uses sunlight , optical fibres and prisms. This technology is developed in Sweden by engineers at the Chalmers University in Gothenburg.
See here how this unbelievable light work.
This technology provides natural light in energy efficient way. When parans’ people are coming to India?
And when natural cold can be stored too so that I get my natural air condition. Say what I am crazy. No, those days are not too far!
Take some marbles, take a mesh , take a stainer, take some beads and an energy saver light bulb; lo and behold, you are in for a poetic surprise.
Everyday objects are used with simple concept but amazing results. Georgios Ignatiou ‘s objects with light inspire me. Donot forget to see his site for those little lovely verses.
Are we really free? Why are we being watched over by cctvs? Are not we capable of watching our own steps? What is the cost of absolute freedom? What is being criminal? These are few of hundreds of questions I started asking when I saw experimental fashion designer Hussein Chalayan’s e t-shirts in his online shop.
I never thought I would feature a fashion designer in my blog. But his concept and questioning made me rethink.
When a design offers a solution it becomes beautiful and when a design poses a question it becomes compellingly beautiful.
These e t-shirts are awakening comments on our life and times.
I couldn’t write on saturday because of scary situation rains had posed which had Mumbai under floods. My daughters were held up for hours in school. No buses or local trains were running to their school’s suburb. Finally we could fetch them with the help of a taxiwallah who at every flooded point threatened us to leave us there only.
In our previous flat my husband had installed balcony window glass all coloured. That was his favourite nook for he enjoyed drizzle of rains with a book in hand. Now I wonder in Mumbai how many people are not able to enjoy rains and instead get scared.
First it was mangroves and wetlands which were reclaimed by builders and city planners ignoring the ecology. Now it is the turn of salt-pans area of Mumbai. The builders and city planners are running to grab and develope this area.
With hundreds of active citizens I am also scared to think how Mumbai would choke in coming years.
And how it changes interiors of low lying or ground floor homes. People this year have switched from wood to stone. They even have got marble beds made. A few have their rooms elevated by 1 to 2 feet. Traders have got 3 to 4 feet high wooden planks installed at the entrance of their shops as their check-dams.
And Mumbai fire brigade has acquired latest gadgets like these rocket launchers:
Which when fired give an inflated tube to target area to save people caught in floods.
Only if we stop tempering with ecology so much!
