Tiffany Blue & Indian Design

Home is where your heart is.

That is what comes to me when I think of my friend, Sandra’s home.

Sandra, an American expat in Mumbai, moved here from New York with her husband and 3 daughters in 2011. She created her new home in Mumbai a true home away from home with Tiffany blue color and full of Indian design. She decorated her home with many Indian furniture pieces she purchased in Mumbai. Sandra says her home back in the U.S. is decorated with very natural and neutral colors. When she moved to India, though, she decided that she would embrace the rich colors you can find in India. This gorgeous home is the result of her creation.

When I first walked into her home, I instantly fell in love with this stenciled wall. Her hallway, living room, kitchen, dining room and family room walls are all painted in tiffany blue color which is Sandra’s favorite color (I love it, too!!). The front hallway wall has a shimmer coat to the paint which distinguishes the hallway from the rest of her apartment whilst capturing one’s eye with elegance.

When Sandra first moved to Mumbai, she knew that she would be in Mumbai at least for 2 years. She wanted to make her furnished apartment a true home. Despite the cost, she changed the carpeted floor to hardwood floor as she and her children have asthma and fill the living spaces with the items she and her husband purchased in India. While many unique and beautiful items are from India, the big pieces of furniture belong to the landlord, thus Sandra used her creative skills to add her own colors which many expats and people living in rental homes can appreciate and learn from.

I hope you will enjoy the virtual tour of her home!

Urli & Good Earth Lanterns

The pot on the floor is called urli/uruli which is a cooking pot from Kerala, South India. Sandra filled her two urli with rose petals. My another friend, Rachel, has an urli at the front door and filled it with water and flowers as well which I featured in the last post here. The two lanterns behind urli are from Good Earth. (Good Earth’s restaurant Tasting Room is beautiful, too!)

Jodhpur Trunk

The trunk is from Jodhpur which is also known as a blue city (just look up Jodhpur on internet. You’ll find the most beautiful images of the city with blue buildings!) and the second largest city in the state of Rajasthan in North India. I hear from my friends that Jodhpur is the city to find beautiful Indian furniture.

This trunk is also from Jodhpur.

Bar Cart From Oshiwara

The bar cart is an old antique cart which Sandra found in Oshiwara in northern Mumbai. Isn’t this wood carving work just beautiful?

Good Earth Candle Holder

I am in love with this candle holder which has the mixture of modern and contemporary Indian design with gorgeous rustic light blue paint. Sandra bought it at Good Earth.

Bean Bags & Instrument Toys

Sandra says she encourages her children to play instruments, so the only toys that are allowed in this room are toy instruments. The bean bags are from Bean Bag. A wonderful blogger Bombay Jules featured Bean Bag company in Mumbai “Who is BEANBAG” on her blog.

Couches & Chairs

She reupholstered the furnished couches into the purple colors and order made the white chair covers as the colors on the chairs did not go with the room. That’s the beauty of living in a city with affordable upholsterer.

Indian Window

This Indian window is Sandra’s most recent purchase in India which they plan on hanging on the wall in their home in New York after they move back. I think that will look absolutely stunning in their new home.

Kids Craft Table

This is a family area where the children watch TV and also work on craft activities. Colors and activities make it all fun to be home!

Marrakesh Tent By Haba

I thought that this tent was from India, but it was actually purchased and brought from the U.S. It is called “Marrakesh play tent” by Haba / Habermaaß which is a German toy manufacturing company.

Mothercare Toy Kitchen

This toy kitchen was purchased at Mothercare in Mumbai, India.

Kapla

I never knew about Kapla until Sandra introduced me to it. It is such a wonderful toy that promotes creativity and an activity. Kapla seems like a toy that a whole family can enjoy together. In fact, Sandra says she ends up playing with Kapla longer than her daughters sometimes!

Sandra and her family are about to finish their third year in Mumbai and sadly enough for me and my girls, they are moving back to the U.S. in the summer 2014. I wish I had gotten to know Sandra earlier, but the timing did not work out and the time slipped away.

It feels that one school year is too short to meet and get to know friends. My two cents from my own experience is that if you have a chance to get to know someone whom you like, grab the opportunity and invest your time with her/him. Sometimes you don’t even have the time to regret missing opportunities in a fast pace expat living in a mega city like Mumbai.

My warm wishes to Sandra and her family for their new adventures!!!