Modern Rustic Indian Design Home

This modern rustic Indian design home was the last home that I got to shoot before leaving Mumbai, India in June, 2016. This gorgeous home belongs to my American friend, Anne and her family, that I had a chance to know in my last year. The photo shoot took place about a month before my departure. I wanted to edit and post these photos on my blog sooner, but the big move took over my life. Then the transitional stage between Mumbai and my current home in Northern Virginia totally dominated my time. I am very excited to be able to present Anne’s home finally on my blog. It has been in my mind for too long.

I met Anne shortly after having returned to the school year in 2015 after our second summer break in Mumbai. I remember spotting her because I liked the way she dressed. She looked very stylish. I also remember that she and her husband were the friendliest new family that I saw at school on the day of a new students orientation. It turned out that our girls became friends quickly and they wanted the moms to meet. Thanks to our girls Anne and I quickly became friends. As you can see from her home, she has an eye for design and I admired her talent.

Anne’s home to me is a beautiful melange of modern American home with rustic Indian design. With her magical touch, somehow the rustic Indian design which can look rather traditional got fresher and contemporary look. She also embraces the colors in India which is the opposite of how I decorated my home in India. I find her home very attractive. It is amazing how she tied multiple colors into the space and still managed to make her home look unified and organized.

She’s very creative and artistic as well. There are many things that she purchased at local antique markets and shops in Mumbai that she painted herself to give her touch and tie it into her theme. I think all the expats out there can learn a lot from how Anne decorated her home. It is hard to decorate residences overseas. Almost all expats rent their homes and there are many challenges because layouts vary from country to country based on climates and cultures. Sometimes layouts don’t make sense. You also have a limited resource to decorate and it’s not easy to find decor in a brand new city in a foreign country. You also always have in the corner of your mind that it is your temporary home.

This home was not decorated in a day or two or even in a week. Anne spent many days searching and painting. There is a lot of love and energy that she poured into creating this stunning home away from home. I hope that I can convey how Anne’s way of decorating her home inspired me through my photography.

These prints in the photo below are from Kulture Shop in Bandra West, Mumbai.

If I am not mistaken, Anne painted the cow head decor pieces next to the doors shown in the two photos below.

Anne bought two elephant ceramic statues in the photo below and painted with white and gold herself. They are absolutely gorgeous. I told her that she should have her store. I know many expats would love to buy her finds.

Anne also painted the wall painting shown in the photo below. She needed something in the space, but could not find exactly what she envisioned. Thus, she bought a canvas and painted it like a painting that she saw and was inspired somewhere. I also own the same baskets from IKEA placed under the bench. Baskets are wonderful items to bring overseas to use as storage.

This door shown in the photo below is another one of her work. She found this door at Oshiwara Antique Market in Jogeshwari and painted it herself. I love her choice of colors and how she made it look rustic.

The white photo frames on the shelves shown in the photo below are from Contemporary Arts and Crafts in South Mumbai. I didn’t visit the store until after I had seen these photo frames at Anne’s. At the beginning of my time in Mumbai I saw My friend carry a bag from Contemporary Arts and Crafts store which looked very stylish. I even took a photo of the bag to get the address and took a mental note to check it out, but I never did until I saw the frames. I purchased 4 photo frames for myself. It was such a shame that I didn’t go there till then. Maybe it was good because I could have made some damage in our bank account.

I hope you enjoyed my blog post. I finally feel settled in my new home and regained my energy and motivation to blog again. It feels good. I left Mumbai in mid June and since then this international relocation felt like an obstacle race. It was a fun and exciting one, but it tested my patience and physical fitness. It is hard to believe that almost 5 months have passed. I still catch myself trying to figure out many things and get adjusted to my new routines as I had to transition from a life with two helpers and my son in a preschool to a life with no helper and my son at home all the time. Please don’t get me wrong. I am not complaining and I love my new life in Virginia. At the same time, I do reminisce about the wonderful time I spent in Mumbai.