Look back here to see why I’m making moodboards of how we’ll decorate the apartment’s rooms. Today, the entryway …
First, imagine you’re walking or riding the streets of a major South India city surrounded by heat, humidity, humanity and honking. Constant honking.
Then tall black iron gates swing open and shut behind you, protecting you from what’s beyond (make sure no goats get in). You now stand surrounded by gray concrete compound walls, in a shadowy concrete carport under a multi-story building. Watch where you step, you might trip on a piece of rubble.
Head toward the left, to the stairs. You can see the curly railings. Go up one, two, three flights, to the top floor. By now you might be panting and sweating, especially if you’re carrying something. Careful if someone just washed the tiles outside their apartment door, the water might make the steps slippery.
But now, before you, stop a moment and behold …
The door opening is only about 5 feet high. Most people must stoop to step through.
Once through the tiny fairy tale door, a cool quiet apartment with soaring ceilings lies before you. The entryway is calm.
To your right:
To your left:
I’m going for a look with slight rustic elements here because the back of the main door is pretty rough. That’s the actual main door in the moodboards above.
A lot of people visit for various reasons through the day, but few go into the living areas. It’s customary for many visitors to meet by the main door. So this area will have a bench and chairs. I’m not a fan of lining furniture up against walls, but they will be here because although it’s a 10′ by 10′ space, it’s a pass-through space not a go-around-furniture space.
I love these woven Savafieh chairs and blogged about them before.
Something like these chairs would be cooler in the entry. This area might be warmer and more humid due to fewer fans in this area, and it’s around a corner from the a/c units. I didn’t want an ugly blocky modern a/c unit installed above the antique door.
There are also fewer fans here because I insist on hanging a row of three clear glass Hundi lanterns from the ceiling instead of fans here. There will be floor fans in the entry if needed to supplement a/c.
I’m also thankful to the Indian design blog Sound Horn Please for sharing the door art by K.R. Santhana Krishnan (you can see a piece in the moodboard above). His paintings show Indian interiors viewed from entrances. Perfect art for an entryway. I will definitely have to get one of his paintings when we’re in India.
For links to elements in the above moodboards, visit Olioboard here and here.
Part 3 with more rooms coming awhile later. I haven’t thought through some other rooms as much yet!
