Chitra Seetharaman’s Home Tour: A Global Eclectic Heaven with a Desi Spirit

Hello There! Hope you all enjoyed the Spring edition on the blog where I got together a few and hugely talented women across the globe to share their favourite ways to ring in this lovely season!

Today, lets set sail for discovering yet another stunning abode, a home that exudes a cauldron full of understated style and sophistication, a home that’s filled with happiness, joy and laughter, a home that’s warm and inviting, the home of Chitra Seetharaman.

Ensconced in one of the beautiful suburbs of Chicago, Chitra, her husband, and Sahaya, their gorgeous 21 month old daughter have made this beautiful place their home. Chitra is a full time IT professional, a Business and Quality Analyst to be precise, but recently also became an Accredited Staging Professional ASP®, an accreditation in home staging, which she says is the first step in chasing her dreams and it doesn’t come as a surprise that home staging is her passion.

Chitra says – “I’ve “staged” and decorated my room/ home ever since I can remember. Back then, I’d love to dress my room up and wow my friends and family. That has since evolved and though I still play “ home dress up”, I do it on a professional level. My home is an outlet to all my pent up energy. I decorate, organize and clean my home like therapy 🙂 I move furniture around and change my décor on an almost weekly basis. My family (husband and daughter) has been so accommodating to all this madness 😉 but  I’m sure bae thinks I’m a crazy person at times but hey I wouldn’t blame him”.

Well, Chitra, you had me at that cerulean blue door and the white wreath. But it was this image of her entryway foyer that made me connect with Chitra on Instagram (@artfullystagedabode). Her ability to perfectly balance Indian decor elements with the global eclectic is what truly makes her home stand out!

As you saunter down her home, you will come across an abundance of colours and Mother nature. Plants form an integral part of her decor and she takes pride in having a green thumb. The Ganesha statue was a housewarming present to Chitra from her maternal grandmother who she is extremely close to.

Chitra believes that each room radiates a certain vibe and there are no set rules; the theme is ever changing. She loves to go with the flow of her heart and tries to weave a story in each corner of her home.

The formal living room is the zen corner in Chitra’s home where she unwinds after a hard day’s work with classical solo piano or Celtic music and a cuppa or a book in her hand, while adding a small fountain to create the perfect ambience. Swathed in neutrals, she tries to break the monotony with fresh flowers, plants, and eclectic cushions (and in this case, a fuchsia throw). The centre table takes the centre stage of all decor drama and undergoes transformations every now and then. From this…

To this…(a simple change in the flower arrangements can make a world of difference!)

The mantelpiece is also an interesting potpourri of charming, rustic decor elements bustling with lanterns, ginger jars, vases/planters, and chalkboard panels. Oh! and did you notice that lovely little ladder with a throw carelessly perched over it? Didn’t I say charming?

The family room is where all the action happens and its also characteristically different from the living room. From the conventionally formal and neutral shade spectrum, we are ushered into a zone of laid back seating and a kaleidoscope of colours! Chitra loves meeting and greeting everyone here. She says – “Because of my little one, this space isn’t always organised, but I love my perfectly imperfect home!” Well, with those elaborate multi hued cushions and Ikat drapes, organisation isn’t really the first thing on my mind!

The global eclectic magic is wowing us here again in this corner of the family room, where Chitra has effortlessly blended her book collection with her travel finds, interesting masks, and of course her favourite accessory – plants!

The other corner of the family room sports a beautiful arm chair and a couple of open ladder bookcases which are rather interesting as their contents keep changing depending upon the mood of the home owners 🙂 From books and plants to lanterns, keepsakes and little memorabilia from their travels, these shelves can accommodate a world within themselves!

The kitchen is the heart of the Seetharamans’ home and Chitra likes to keep it simple and clutter free.

Chitra reveals that her dining room is still evolving and she would like to keep working on it. I love that bright ray of sunshine streaming in through the window, lighting up the dining space and that curry leaf plant is just gorgeous! Don’t you agree?

Having grown up in a religious family, where praying together as a family was the norm, she has certainly followed the tradition in her home and is passing on the same values to her daughter. This prayer room has all the conventional elements found in a South Indian Pooja room  – brass Vilakkus, Ashta lakshmi deepams and beautiful kolam too. Chitra comes here to reflect and rejuvenate.

Coming to the master bedroom that borrows its shade card from the colours of the peacock, I am smitten with this four poster beauty! Don’t we all just love four poster beds? It instantly reminds me of the old world charm and of Harry Potter too !

I loved this carved mirror and the surreal effect this blue lamp leaves in this corner of the bedroom.

The guest bedroom is like an empty canvas that Chitra loves to experiment on all the time! She is a people person and loves being a gracious hostess. Interestingly, this room was the first of all rooms that she decorated when they moved in 3 years ago. Those woven baskets on the wall are rustic enough to draw the eye. To make her guests feels special and welcome, she adds a dash of fresh flowers or uses lovely linen sprays. (Her go to fragrance – Jo Malone which has some amazing room/linen sprays that last long).

Her daughter’s nursery also sports a neutral colour palette worked upon by pretty pastels. Chitra is anxiously waiting to wave her magic wand in this room once the little one outgrows this space!

That’s the backyard or how Chitra refers to it as her own little ‘oasis’. Her husband and she have put in a lot of TLC into this space to make it look this spectacular. Chitra says – “Plants are like babies, you give them some love and they love you right back”. Well, I couldn’t have put it in a better way!

Chitra Seetharaman’s home is a shining example of how well you can mix the old and the new, the East and the West, the rustic and the sophisticated, and the simple and the bling in a perfect harmony to create a truly global eclectic decor! Hope you all liked this home tour! Your comments are welcome with an open heart and a practical mind 🙂 Cheers!

(All images published in this blog belong to Chitra Seetharaman and may not be replicated or reproduced without prior permission. Text copyright: A Cauldron Full of Love)