This week with ART IN THE WORLD OF INTERIORS article I’m taking you to our final destination of the series. So far we've visited 20 fabulous homes around the world and their owners who are passionate about art, especially mine!

Each home which we've visited has been unique, with it’s own style & character. From castles, through to period homes, cottages, flats,  terrace houses and semis. From cities, towns, villages and country sides across the globe… It has been an inspirational journey where we have explored different ideas and styles in interior design and discovered various ways of styling art in your home.

So here we are in the beautiful coastal city of Mangalore, India with Rashmi Kamath who lives with her husband Rajesh and their 2 cats. Their Maximalist Villa sits within a gated community and features a balcony from which they can enjoy the richness of the tropical climate.

Mangalore is home to the Hindu Temples of Kadri Manjunath, known for its bronze statues, and the 9th-century Mangaladevi Temple. Its Catholic sites include the Milagres Church, dating to the 17th century, and St. Aloysious Chapel, which features fresco paintings by Italian Antonio Moscheni. For inspiration from nature, Tannirbhavi Beach has breath-taking sunset views.

I've been following Rashmi on Instagram for few years now and I still remember then moment when I spotted two of my Polish folk scarves that I wear often in her home. I just haven't come across of a fan of Polish folk culture in India. Then I spotted few more items from my own home country in Rashmi's collections, but the biggest surprise was when I saw a painting of my home city of Gdansk hanging on Rashmi's wall. It turned out that Rashmi have visited my home town in one of her many travels and she is a fan on Polish folk culture and well as food! Rashmi is also a client of mine who has my art in her vast art collection. No surprisingly here she chose 'Fierce Foreigner' which depicts Polish folk costume and 'Mary' which is my take on the catholic icons which Rashmi also collects.

In Rashmi’s own words:

I am a maximalist , but I follow two styles that I love - dreamy and romantic shabby chic in soft pastels and bold bohemian with no rules, bright and loud colours and eclectic things. You will see the contrast on my feed @shabby_viola

-What inspires you when decorating your home and what has drawn you to your style?

We have travelled around 35 countries and I get so inspired when I see different styles of architecture, interior styling and culture. I love the history, typical distinct architecture, tribal art , folklore and culture of each place - the way they decorate restaurants in traditional ways, the way they serve, the specific textiles they use and the ambiance that you soak up makes me want to recreate it in my house. so I can cherish the memories. I have a strong desire to have a beautiful ambience around me and a home which makes me feel happy and special. Creating a beautiful ambiance makes me happy in general and I think we all seek this.

-Would you like to share few tips on how you choose art for your home?

We don’t have a hard and fast rule, we bought most of our art work from local artists when we travelled - either folk art, or a painting of a monument or nature that would remind us of that place. When I saw The 'Fierce Foreigner' by Marta, it reminded me of our trip to Poland and I remembered how hard it was for us to find the Polish folk costume as we loved it and wanted to buy it for our collection. Also we had started collecting orthodox icons after our travel to Eastern Europe and that’s how we were drawn to Marta's 'Mary'

- Do you choose art to go with your home décor or other way round?

Both ways - initially we bought a lot of what we liked without having décor style in mind, then grouped them together and decorated them in different rooms. However I also have urge sometimes to finish some corners, so I end up looking for art work that can go with rest of the décor.

- How do you arrange your wall galleries?

I like to have mix and match of things which gives 3 dimensional effect to my walls – a few paintings, ceramic plates, cherubs, masks and puppets. A shelf is a must as I can arrange some of my collections, books and plants, which creates depth. I also love to have lights hanging as a part of gallery wall or add some sconces if there is provision. 

- How do you chose a frame for the art and where you get your frames?

Sadly the place where I live does not have a lot of options for antique frames and I cannot really collect allot of them on my travels as there are limits on things you can carry. So unless they already come with frame, I use a local frame shop - I love their golden frame.

- Any other tips when it comes to styling art in interiors?

Be yourself - don’t follow a trend, but buy art that you really love and you will never get bored looking at it. An art work should talk to you when you look at it and trust me it does, haunting too at times - until you have it on your wall. 

I hope that you’ve enjoyed your 20^th visit with Lush Eclectic Art into the world of interiors and that you found the above tips and ideas inspiring.

https://www.instagram.com/shabby_viola/

This has been the 20th and last article in the first series of  ART IN THE WORLD OF INTERIORS. 

I've enjoyed working on those articles and I'm grateful to my lovely customers who took part and were generously invited us over for the virtual tours.

There is an abundance of fabulous homes which I will be featuring in the 2nd series which now will be published in 2021. 

For now, I'm taking a little break from new articles so I can paint more for my lovely clients.

Shop Rashmi's Lush Eclectic art here:

(click on the picture)