Saturday, August 30, 2014

Do the Labels on Wine Bottles tell a story?



At international airports, after taking care of my Duty Free shopping business, I usually find myself winding my way to the liquor and tobacco shops; not as much to shop but to check out the nice looking bottles, especially the Vodkas and Liqueurs besides the Remy Martins. On one such occasion, transiting through Doha, it was the turn of wine bottles. While there isn't much variation in bottles but most have very characteristic labels. I am wondering if one can predict the bouquet by the label......but then that will be another full fledged exercise. For now, it's these interesting labels which the shop manager very kindly gave me exactly five minutes to capture on my phone.

Wonder what the enthusiasts feel about this....




Luxe living

Simplicity 

Attitude


Need more


For an outdoorsy occasion


Old world charm


Hard to nail


Good things do last

Travel in time

Plain business


Life goes on and 'gems' just happen

Brighten up winter days


Typography matters


Add caption

Gold work such as this, quite an exception

Love how the pen struggled in Boecklin!

Good old


Monday, April 21, 2014

Exquisite pieces of antique furniture: Taj Khazana and Great Eastern Home

It's true that all things (the nicer ones for sure...) need an appropriate background for the finesse to shine bright, especially if it is furniture with history and lineage. Taj Hotels recently hosted a traveling GRAND TRUNK SHOW that had exquisite pieces of antique furniture that brought back vignettes of history and nostalgia. Conducted by a Romanian architect Alexander Doleo the show was one wiff of fresh air in the city.


Restored Italian Gilded mirror  console for the "parlour"


Over a 150 years old Chinese Bridal bed

A restored ancient oriental chest
Antique china in almost mint condition
Besides the Easel and Coffee table we love the miniature chair

Yes, we have seen many copies of this classic design


Remember the days of Dinner Wagons! Nostalgia revisited

a peep into the collection


The Show started its journey from Falaknumma Palace in Hyderabad to  Delhi and then onto Mumbai.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Frame that Window!


This camera might be a bit unwieldy but the view is captured well. .Something like this is easily doable and inspiring to wake up to





Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Studio Mumbai's installations at Swiss Embassy

Architecture was the main theme for the Swiss Embassy's 50-year celebrations. The Embassy building built soon after the Chandigarh experiment, at the time when the India International Center was taking shape; is a landmark in the modern Indian design aesthete. Only understandable then, that Studio Mumbai was invited to demonstrate the building blocks of its design thought process, as a stellar example of contemporary Indian architecture.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Finds at ACETECH Mumbai 2013

ACETECH Mumbai just got over today. I wasn't sure what I was going to find there this year but here is what I came away with...

The VIP enclosure special installation was quite neat
A SICIS mirror can add a lot of drama to a plain powder room.
Though not totally new, these ornate tiles at Bhogilal Westend are impressive.


















































Kohler has these new gold plated faucet sets. In three finishes,  these plated faucets come with a 12 year guarantee. 

I think the previous picture with gold plated faucets came as an addition to this gold, black embellishment on a vintage look basin set, also by Kohler.
An installation for people to sit around and chat. 


Vitra's Istanbul collection by Ross Lovegrove. Seen here is the wc and the shower cubicle.


The washbasin of the Istanbul collection- moulded all so gently!

Vis-a-vis concept installation won them the Gold award
what's a garden setting without some light...
The stall was a show stopper
Wooden wash basins...anyone?
Shower tub from Colston
Klove, the lighting designers now have an addition- that of stone installations
Trust some talented designer to turn things around!
The Armani collection at Kohler, very new & fresh!
Double fired clay which forms these bathroom smarties has bakelite tops in exactly the same finish...Armani at Kohler
3D effect on stone- from Klove
Backyard pools for kids have come a long way from the inflatable ones.
Underlit semi-precious stone floor
A covered outdoor kids' pool
Vis-a-vis installation was hard to put out of mind!
Howz this for a shower cubicle with three jets on either side!....cool!