Realm of Regality: Gargi’s Noida Home

While the unseasonal rains cooled down my city last night after days of heat, I was busy taking in the aroma of wet earth, and watching my plants swaying exuberantly in the breeze, as if thanking the rain Gods to have given them relief from mercurial temperatures. Thank you all for liking my first travel outing on the blogwagon about the quaint, coastal town of Fort Kochi. In case you missed out on it, the link is here.

Today, we are en route to Noida, where Gargi Khosla, an interior designer & vaastu consultant gives us a tour of her rich, regal, neo-classical home, draped in painstakingly handcrafted statement pieces and restored artefacts and fixtures. One of the perks of Gargi’s corporate life has been extensive travel which enriched her horizon with friends, souvenirs, experiences, and design inspirations from around the world. She incorporated all these in her home in Noida when she moved here 10 years ago.

Situated on the first floor of an independent bungalow, her spacious home has four bedrooms, a wonderfully green balcony and a terrace.

The entryway cheerily greets you with a stunning Tara idol, lots of greens and blossoming beauties and makes for a delightful welcome making you wonder what else is in store for you.

As you peek into her living room, you get a dose of Gargi’s sophisticated abode replete with global influences, like these tiny masks picked up on her trip to Sri Lanka or most of her furniture with Queen Anne style legs which taper elegantly and are slightly curvaceous towards the ends.

There are three focal walls in the living room – one of them, has been accented with dual tones of burnt orange and metallic gold and is adorned with mud artworks from Porbandar, Gujarat, also popularly known as the ‘Lippam Kaam‘.

Adjoining the textured wall is a plain wall celebrating a visually bright art work by a Goa based artist – Sonia Rodrigues Sabharwal. The painting is a part of a meditation series and was an instant buy due to its originality and colours portrayed in it.

Bright yellow cushions complement the teal blue sofa very well and look in sync with the focal wall behind.

The wall opposite to the painting contains an art work which Gargi considers her most prized possession; it is a single stitch cross scenery artwork which was painstakingly embroidered by her mother over a period of one year. Each thread in this gorgeous piece is counted and then embroidered. Take a closer look:

With a creative streak in her, Gargi has been designing various spaces including both residential and commercial, salvaging old furniture from homes; like this tall cabinet on the other end of the living room is a vintage piece which is almost 100 years old and was restored to perfection by Gargi.

She also crafted a multi-purpose cabinet to match the overall facade of the tall cabinet as they are both placed in the same room.

A self-confessed fan of solid teak wood, owing to its sustainability and strength, Gargi prefers either crafting furniture herself or handpicks them from all parts of the country.

Also, she stresses on the functionality factor in decor, hence her mantra is simple – ample space for air circulation and creating stylish corners in one’s home which reflect the personality of the individual, like this stunning console table with pretty curios adorning it. I loved the carved serrations that run throughout the wooden fabric in this table.

The dining area looks opulent yet sophisticated and reminds you that this family not only shares day-to-day experiences and funny anecdotes with each other on this table, but also dines regally.

I love the fact that Gargi takes effort to set this space so perfectly with fine porcelain and cutlery, and matching place mats and napkins, with candles to set the mood for evenings.

Warm wood and absolute cleanliness completely define the kitchen space too and you instantly feel welcome and stress-free here. No wonder then, that Gargi happily dishes out scrumptious treats for her family and guests alike.

The guest room is simple and pleasing with colourful cushions, and patchwork bedspread, evoking a sense of warmth and comfort.

Gargi is an avid gardener and relishes her time in her expansive balcony, where she has created niches and sit outs for taking a moment from her busy schedule.

These bright green wooden cut-outs were done by her and look beautiful with bright petunias filling up the voids inside. Gargi says, because of these rings in her balcony, her home becomes conspicuous from a distance 🙂

A few takeaways that I could get from Gargi’s home:

• Don’t follow decor trends blindly; create corners slowly over the years with things that make you happy. You might stumble at first, but sooner or later, you will redefine those corners yourself with rich experiences, travel souvenirs that stole your heart, and memories that you swear by. Those corners will have so much character that you will warmly smile every time you pass through.
• Solid wood is not just a charming proposition, but also a sturdy and long lasting material that can be used creatively and judiciously in homes.
• Up-cycling and salvaging antique and/or vintage pieces not only lend a charismatic aura to homes, but also save the environment from further desecration.
• Hope you all liked this mini home tour. I would love to hear your feedback. Have a great weekend ahead! Till we meet again.

 

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