It should feel special to walk into special places. And a place that takes 24 hours to travel to is a special place indeed. Here’s what greets you when you arrive at the India pied a terre:
Here’s the story about the door: It is about 100 years old and came from a residence near Kanchipuram. Its height is low, in keeping with the tradition to bow your head as you pass through the door. On the top, in the middle, is a carving of Krishna with his cows playing a flute. In this role he is known as “Gopala,” or cow herder. The door was renovated by Muthu Handicrafts on OMR road on the outskirts of Chennai. The doorknocker is solid brass and is weighty — two pounds!
The side of the door facing the interior of our apartment looks very different. It has a country feel that fits with the design and decor that will be coming as we keep working on the place:
This is beautiful, Deb. Did you get it in Tamil Nadu ? I would love to know more …
Hello, thank you! Yes, it is from here: http://www.muthuhandicrafts.com
They are located in Chennai. They have a lot of old carved doors and they will do restoration work. The door was rough and dusty looking when it was found there, and if people like to keep it that way, that is fine, or they will clean it up and polish it as they did for our door. The side of the door facing the interior of the house is very different — it is basic plain wood with large ironware hinges.
I recently found your blog and you are doing beautiful work! It will be exciting to watch your progress! This is certainly not an easy road for us, I don’t write much about the difficulties we face but challenges are certainly there.
Absolutely lovely, and you rescued the beauty of what was once India for today.
Yes, it’s amazing to walk into a store in old quarters on India and find the most amazing carved doors inside that have always been there. These things must be preserved!
Oh that is out of this world! Beautiful Deb. #byw
Laura K Aiken
Thank you SO much Laura! #byw