Mona in the Garden at Villa 178
Here I am in the beautiful garden of Villa 178 Phase I here in Bangalore. I look really spiffy in my sari and feel very proud because I tied it on for the first time myself and it didn’t come off. Tom and I have been busy getting our place decorated. It is twice the size of our flat in Weinheim, so there is a lot of space to fill up.
I was lucky to meet a wonderful designer and a great human named Saam Asghar. Her company, Roots, is one of those terrific places people get handmade furniture and lovely curtains, and fantastic stained glass and so on that you always read about. So, ha! I will be able to say, “Oh, I had it made” in my very best ladidah voice. Here are some pictures of interesting things I’ve bought with Saam’s help.
Howda
This is a howdah, the seat for an elephant driver. It will also make a great ottoman! The picture above is the howdah as it was before restoration. The next picture shows it after restoration.
Howda, all fixed up
This is a chakki (chucky), used in the olden days to grind grain. Now, we use them for coffee tables, foot stools and so on. We bought these two:
Chakki
The legs are really tiny people. Very sweet. Nowadays, Saam tells me, they make the chakkis out of PLASTIC!!!! ARGH
Here they are, restored and put into action.
Chakki turned footstool
I have really been shopping. I can’t possibly put in everything. Here is the last example, a Roman blind made out of a sari. We have a big two-story window on the staircase going up to the bedrooms. It must be 20 feet floor to ceiling. Impossible to figure out how to keep the neighbors from seeing you in your nudie-poohs or the sun from heating up the place. This is what Saam and I came up with.
Orange sari shade
There will be a swag on the bare rod, we just haven’t gotten there yet.
And last, one of my favorite purchases, an old mailbox from the Raj (when the Brits ruled). This weighs a lot! It is cast iron and is a safe place for letters, jewels, money, love notes, and baking chocolate (if you live with Tom).
No comments yet.