INDIAN-INSPIRED THEME

India is a Country that I have loved for a long time now, I don't why really but as a child my siblings, cousins and I never used to miss an Indian movie. Those days it was shown by the TV channels as the Friday night movie and we were allowed to watch it by our parents primarily because it was not a school day the next day and also because hey didn't so much as kiss not to talk of doing more. So the parents felt it was a safe zone. I love it mostly because of the music. If I might add, when Nigerians first went into the movie industry, their films had music in them sung by the actors and actresses. It made it more interesting, wouldn't you say.I became obsessed with India after I visited last year up to the point of not just making their clothes and buying their jewelries to take home with me but also planning to incorporate it into my wedding theme. It is an amazing country really. 

Now for the real reason we are here, Indian interior decor. Wow! were do I begin? When you think of Indian decor, the words rich and luxurious come to mind. The main decorating colors are red (mostly the darker shades) and gold, with a lot of bling. Other colors are mostly in jewel tones, sapphire (blue), emerald (green), topaz (yellow), amethyst (purple) e.t.c.  I don't think I have yet met a group of people who love jewelries like the Indians. Well, maybe me. The next thing that you find with Indian decor is the textures and patterns. While the other Asians- Chinese and Japanese like the same red and gold colors, they prefer the minimalist approach, The Indian mostly go the other way. It is not enough to have regular cotton beddings, No! think of silk with either very beautiful designs or just go for the embroidered ones. The entrances (especially to major spaces like the living area) are built in the form of an arch. To add more texture, scallop the archs. You could have multiple. Wallpaper also gives you more texture.

You can bring in the lights with lots of windows but if you don't have the space, hang up a chandelier, remember, it's all about the bling. India is a country with many religions and as such you have a variety of artworks to choose from because they also love art. The commonest being the decorated elephant. Other items to use for decorations include; rugs/mats, vases and antique lamps, decorative plates, embroidered or beaded throw pillows.

There is the tendency to over do it with this type of decor so when your work starts looking tacky, know that you've veered off the right track and call for help. 

Happy reading...

Photos from: digsdigs.com; www.hgtv.com; thehomeforhope.com;