ALLEM STUDIO

NYIGF Show - Jan 2012

2012-02-08T15:47:00.000-05:00

This was the first time in the past couple of years that we felt somewhat prepared. There was no last minute rushing, hair pulling and head slamming madness. Guess after 4 shows, we finally understood the priorities and did not fret the small stuff. So what if the walls had some marks, or the table has pen marks or we missed carrying 2 pillow designs - it was all ok. It was great meeting show friends and seeing some gorgeous new lines debut...and best of all sales were excellent. We made a lot of new clients, got reorders and it was really nice when people praised our line. Felt really good. Makes all the hard work so very worthwhile. Here are some of the pics of our booth

Oh and we still do need sales reps - If you are one or if you know of one who is looking for new lines, then please contact us at - contact@allemstudio.com

Asian

2011-11-17T11:31:00.002-05:00

Simple, Serene, Uncluttered, Peaceful.......

By Yang Liu

By Andrew Bordwin

By J Walker

By Marc Gerritsen

By Todd Sutherland

Vaulted Ceilings

2011-11-11T10:32:00.002-05:00

I'll let these pics do all the talking...

By Andrea Rugg

By Michael Robinson

By Michel Arnaud

By Alan Weintraub

By Elliott Kaufman

via Corbis

Picture Windows

2011-11-10T12:55:00.001-05:00

My office looks out to the street and then if I crick my neck a bit towards left I can see some fields, trees and if I really contort my neck and press flat against the window I can see some hills..........It's not a bad location except that I don't have a view like below.

By Tim Street Porter

via Corbis

By Michael Dunne

By Karen Melwin

By Fernando Bengoechea

Turquoise and Brown

2011-11-09T11:30:00.001-05:00

By Tyson Ellis

via Corbis

By David Clapp

By Neil C Robinson

By Marc Gerritson

DVF Studio by Michel Arnaud

2011-11-08T10:05:00.002-05:00

Did we tell you that we lead a parallel existence as an embroidery supplier for many a NY based designers. It seems obvious, but we're constantly amazed how their design philosophy dictates their interior design preferences.
Vera Wang's office is clean, minimal with textural elements added like string curtains etc.
Ralph Lauren's office on the other hand is as if you're entering the castle of an American Lord. Lots of plaids, deep colors, dark wood paneling, references of hunting, dogs etc.
Diane Von Furstenburg's office is just like her prints - colorful, irreverent and fun.
Here are some clicks of her HQ by Michel Arnaud. Enjoy !

Didya see those lips.....Do you think she owns the opposite building too ?

Monday Cheer

2011-11-07T09:33:00.005-05:00

Here's a bit of an eye candy to overcome those Monday Blues.
Let a beautiful day begin !

1971 pic by Berry Berenson for Conde Nast

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T18:17:00.002-04:00

Bedding Line

2011-10-31T18:14:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures of our Bedding Line.

Ginkgo Quilt and Sham with Alpana Mirror throw Pillow

Istanbul quilt and sham with Dots throw pillow

Matsya Quilt, shams with Surya round throw pillow

Samarkand quilt with pillowcase and sham and Surya round throw pillow

Fall Winter 2011

2011-06-16T01:52:00.004-04:00

New samples coming in any time soon :)

Did we tell you that we're launching a whole new bedding line this Fall. We're starting with Quilts, Pillowcases and Shams and then slowly build on it in a couple of seasons.

And there's another great news, we're getting our complete collection made by SEWA. It feels good that in whatever small way possible, our orders and products are providing a means of decent livelihood to women ....and the best part - no greedy middlemen involved.

So folks, keep checking in for our little sneak peeks and help spread the buzz around !

Horse Sense

2011-05-05T13:46:00.001-04:00

via

One reason why birds and horses are happy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses. ~Dale Carnegie

via

Feeling down? Saddle up. ~Author Unknown

via

O! for a horse with wings! ~William Shakespeare, Cymbeline

via

Good places make good horses - Black Beauty

via

Horse sense, n.: Stable thinking. ~Author Unknown

via

In riding a horse we borrow freedom. ~Helen Thomson

via

I'd rather have a goddam horse. A horse is at least human, for God's sake. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Chetak Pillow - www.allemstudio.com

All quotes from here

Allem Studio Pisces Indigo Pillow featured in Romantic Homes Magazine

2011-03-17T23:41:00.002-04:00

This is such an adorably feminine magazine. When they chose Pisces Pillows to be featured in their March 2011 issue, we wondered if our whimsically quirky coastal pillow would look out of place there. Not at all...turns out it looks mighty good there....and quite romantic. Thank you so much for featuring one of our best sellers.

Allem Studio Patola Pillow featured in Canadian House and Home

2011-03-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

Here we are in Canadian Press. Our first :) Thanks "House and Home" for featuring the Patola Pillow.

Prayers

2011-03-14T00:23:00.000-04:00

Everything seems so trivial and petty in comparison to nature's force and fury. It felt unreal to be sitting so comfortably in far end of the world while watching destruction unfold in Japan on TV..and then my 2 yr old grabbed the remote and changed the channel to local news where the city issues and problems seemed absolutely at odds with what was going on in the world.
Our prayers and thoughts go out to people affected by this disaster and hope that there is no nuclear leak on top of that.

Allem Studio featured on Gretchen and Aubuchon design

2011-02-11T12:19:00.001-05:00

http://www.gretchenaubuchondesign.com/post/3163061290/covering-last-weeks-new-york-international-gift#disqus_thread

Thank you so much Gretchen for your beautiful post!

New Products for NYIGF - Part 2

2011-01-20T17:49:00.000-05:00

CORAL, TRELLIS AND TURTLES

MAZE, TREES, MAGNOLIA, LEAF

NYIGF - JANUARY 2011 - BOOTH 7962

2011-01-20T17:13:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year, the show starts next week and as usual despite best planning, we're scrambling around trying to get everything taken care of last minute. For instance the catalogs - they were all designed and ready to go to printer's last year end November. Then our printer got unwell. So we went to printer no 2 , they sent samples and at the time of bulk printing told us they won't be able to print within the time schedule.....Blistering Barnacles !!! Finally we went to printer no 3 who's shipped the catalogs out today :) We should rcv them in time for the show else........ let's not think about it..shudder shudder !!
Speaking of shudders and goosebumps, we hope the weather co-operates during the show.

If you're attending, then please visit us at Booth 7962 (At Home - Javits Center).We shall be waiting for you with our smiles, beautiful pillows and colorful catalogs :)

Allem Studio Tuscany Placemats featured in Southern Living Magazine

2011-01-20T16:44:00.000-05:00

Southern Living featured our Tuscany Place-mats in the " Southern Hands monthly feature/Best of the South section". Thank you, we're grateful to be introduced to a whole new market.

New Products for NYIGF - Part 1

2011-01-20T16:16:00.012-05:00

Here are some pictures of our new Table Linen collection which were shot by a talented photographer - Daniel Robb. He's done a good job, don't you agree ?

TURTLES - TABLE LINEN - Runner and Place-mat in 100% cotton canvas. Napkin in 100% cotton poplin. Hand screen printed.

Runner size - 14"x90"

Placemat size - 14"x20"

Napkin size - 20"x20"

JAALI - TABLE LINEN - Runner and Place-mat in 100% cotton canvas. Napkin in 100% cotton poplin. Hand screen printed.

Runner size - 14"x90"

Placemat size - 14"x20"

Napkin size - 20"x20"

AQUA - TABLE LINEN - Runner and Place-mat in 100% cotton canvas. Napkins in 100% cotton poplin. Hand screen printed.

Runner size - 14"x90"

Placemat size - 14"x20"

Napkin size - 20"x20"

Allem Studio Pisces Pillows featured in Coastal Living Magazine

2011-01-20T15:14:00.004-05:00

Wow!! We're really thrilled to be featured in Dec-Jan edition of Coastal Living.

Thanks to the Coastal Living Team who had visited us at our booth in NYIGF last summer. Getting featured in their magazine has been a huge milestone for us and has generated a lot of interest in our products from retailers and consumers alike.

Tale of two cities - Montreal and NYC

2010-10-28T00:07:00.002-04:00

Going to NY - NYIGF

2010-08-10T20:47:00.000-04:00

If you're attending NYIGF, then please visit us at Booth 8051 (At Home)... There are no minimums if you order during the show.

Back from Atlanta

2010-07-29T22:50:00.001-04:00

Its been ages since we updated the poor old blog....... and...... after dusting those big fat cobwebs...what do we find ?? 5 followers....woohooo that's neat. Love you guys. Thank you.

So we're back from Atlanta show after showing our products at High Design...what an experience !! It was great ...and more so because we were soooo soooo close to Jonathan Adler, Thomas Paul....umm well stone's throw..........hmm a couple of aisles..................ok ok we were at the back of the hall and they were right in the front. Anyhow we were still sharing a piece of the high design real estate...that should count for something...right ??? :)

We made new friends - Alicia Klein of Alicia Klein wallets and Amit from 3 sprouts. It was lovely to chit chat and gossip about "somethings and nothings" with them....helped alleviate boredom when footfall was low especially during lunch hours.

The show was great ; opened many new accounts and most importantly got lots of encouragement and appreciation for our products.

So without any further ado, here are some pictures of the new collection. Hope you like them.

Best New Product Award (NYIGF)

2010-02-01T23:34:00.001-05:00

Our Madhubani Dancing Peacocks Pillow...

got the second place at NYIGF Best New Product Category in Home Accessories.

It feels great to be selected and recognized especially since it is the first time we're showing at NYIGF.
Thank You all judges and NYIGF, we feel really honored to have our product counted amongst the best.

NYIGF - Jan 31 to Feb 4, 2010

2010-01-31T00:15:00.000-05:00

We just came back from Javits after setting the booth up. It has been a very tiring couple of days starting from the Airport where security took ages and then flight got cancelled and then delayed. After landing in NY, we got to know our apt which we'd rented had a plumbing issue, so we were booked at the Time Hotel (...it was okayish....we certainly expected it to be better) and then there was a last minute package to be collected from ICC and then ofcourse the booth setting and again shifting back to the apartment, doing the last minute purchases for the booth and just when we thought we had everything under control, we discovered we had wrong visiting cards......so then off we went to Kinkos and got them printed....

So all in all, it has been a very hectic 2 days for us...

All's well that end's well - Right !! Ofcourse right !!

So visit us at Booth 7749 at Javits Center . We welcome you :)

Lovisa and Mitali

And they say Imitation is....

2010-01-26T10:35:00.000-05:00

.......the best form of flattery. How about downright cutting, copying and pasting ? Well, somebody has very neatly copied our entire post and added it to his blog. You can check it out here.
Thank You Deepanshu Mehta, we are mighty flattered !

We'll be exhibiting at The NYIGF.....

2009-12-09T23:52:00.000-05:00

......................................and our booth number is 7749.
2 sevens and a square of seven :) ....should be lucky !
Anyhow right now we're neck deep into loads of self inflicted deadlines. New clients to tap and contact, sampling, coordinating production and quality, strategizing our marketing and P.R., booth design, retail website, executing current orders…Amongst all this hyper busy-ness our poor uncomplaining blog gets sidelined.
So here we are blogging about our 2^nd tradeshow - NYIGF - The holy grail of all tradeshows.......ummMM......ok ok ...... in N.America at least !

If you can, then please do visit us. We’d be launching some new designs.

A sneak peek shall be posted on this blog soon, so stay tuned !

Have a good night folks and may you all have a rested and blissful sleep!

Once upon a time in Lucknow

2009-11-15T01:56:00.003-05:00

Lucknow was perhaps the most photographed city in India during 1800's and after seeing below images it would be easy to understand why. Lucknow symbolized the extreme decadence that was prevalent amongst the royalty. It was a life of unadulterated leisure and indulgence which sparked a cultural revolution of sorts. Beauty in all its forms was patronized by the princely nawabs. Courtly manners came to be known as "nawabi tehzeeb".

View of City of Lucknow - Sometime in 1800's (Unknown) via

View of Mohammad Ali Shah's Palace and Garden (Undated - Bettman) via

Roomi Darwaza (1870 - Samuel Bourne) via

Chattar Manzil (1870 - Unknown) via

Chattar Manzil and the Royal boat of Oudh (Felice Beato) via

Did you see that lovely fish shaped boat of a Raja - Could anything be more romantic that to travel in that boat on a calm Gomti river by night?

And now for some images of Rajas, Nawabs and Courtesans of Lucknow. The elaborate costumes and the jewelery are fabulous.......

Raja Lal Madho Singh - Talukdar of Amethi (1880 - Abbas Ali) via

Love his shoes - they seem almost contemporary !

Mirza Jafar Ali Khan - Tallukdar of Bihta (1880 - Mushkoor ud daula) via

.......and finally for some images of pretty courtesans. These ladies were extremely accomplished and educated. They learned and practiced classical singing and dancing, poetry, literature etc. Unfortunately some of the beautiful ladies below are un-identified.The pictures are taken sometime around 1865 by Mushkoor ud daula.

Check out the beautiful inlay work table and the mirror .... and ofcourse the jewellery.

Addha Biggan 1905 via

Mahemuneer around 1905 via

Mooshtari Jan around 1905 via

Mulka Jan around 1905 via

All the above 3 ladies have a very similar design on their lehnga/sharara. Perhaps this was the latest in fashion then.

Noor Jahan around 1905 via

Hope you liked this post. If you'd like to have some more information, please click here. It is a well researched essay on a famous and yet almost mythical Lucknow courtesan Umrao Jaan.

Allem Studio on Bolly Instyle

2009-11-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

Bolly Instyle is a blog about Indian inspired stuff - from clothing to accessories to jewellery to homes to decor to ...well everything ! Check it out for an instant fix of Indian chic and inspiration. Beautiful eye candy !
So, it felt great to be featured by Shital Taylor of Bolly Instyle here. Thank You !

Allem Studio on Once upon a Tea Time

2009-11-10T22:27:00.000-05:00

Though we're a bit irregular about posting on our blog (shame !! ;)...however we do make it a point to regularly check out some blogs that we have become fans of. Once upon a tea time is one such blog. So it was a real treat to be featured by Aditi at OUATT here. Thanks Aditi, your lovely words about our work made our day.

Allem Studio on The Deco Detective

2009-10-25T00:13:00.000-04:00

We've been so busy over the past months, that we didn't get a chance to update our blog and more importantly thank Trudi from the erstwhile The Deco Detective Blog. She wrote a lovely post about us here. Her new blog Beauty comma is all about things she finds beautiful and worth pausing a moment to admire. She has a great sense of design and we feel honored to be featured by her.

Thanks again Trudi :)

Diwali

2009-10-24T00:38:00.000-04:00

We're both based in North America and thus miss on the typical Diwali mood that prevails in India....However we do try our best to recreate the excitement to our best ability. We start with our Pre-Diwali planning weeks in advance. Decorations, Invitations, Card games, Menu, Give aways...... Should the seating be traditional and on the floor or should it be on chairs. A sit down dinner or a buffet....and finally every woman's eternal dilemma....What do I wear ??? So many decisions !! And it does not help that both of us are extremely picky......so if something has to be done, then it has to be just right and perfect. Oh our hyper maniacal twin households in Toronto and Atlanta and our ever sweet and understanding husbands :) What would we do without your respective calming influences?

Meanwhile in India.........
For weeks before the event, "Halwais" are busy preparing sweetmeats in anticipation of the Diwali rush. Our favourites ?? ..... Gulab Jamuns, Ras Malai, Ras gulla, Kaju Katli, Cham Cham, Kheer, Motichoor laddoos...mmmmmm
Well sweets are not the only things that make Diwali special, there are lights, Diwali prayers ......and......Fire Crackers. Yes ! Unlike here, people are allowed to light their own fire crackers in India. It is of course a very very unsafe practice. There have been plenty of accidents involving fire crackers and now it has become customary to wish each other by saying - Have a safe and happy Diwali !!

So how is Diwali celebrated at our homes ?
Diyas are lit....We make do with Tea lights

Rangolis are made...We substitute colored powder with glass stones or crochet doilies....

Of course food and hospitality remain traditionally Indian with loads of "Mithaas" (sweetness) in both.

And now for the pillow round up. To achieve an instant festive flavour in your homes, how about some Diwali themed cushions ? The little thatched hut in our Madhubani Hut Pillow is beautifully decorated with traditional wall art and lit with "diyas". There is also a teeny tiny "Rangoli" at the front entrance to welcome guests with.

And talking of Rangoli's, how about our Rangoli Pillow ? Bold, Bright, Colorful, Traditional...it has it all......all the ingredients of Diwali that is.

Hope this year brings you all lots of Happiness and Peace. May it bring luck to those who need it, may it bring joy to all. May it banish your sorrows.May it bring light and warmth.
Happy Diwali folks !!

Jaipore Pillow Collection

2009-06-24T17:12:00.001-04:00

This post is about our Jaipore Pillow Collection and the images from Jaipur city that determined its color palette.

Jaipore Lilac Pillow

Polished Amethysts, Turquoise inlay work bracelets, Minature painting of Shiva and Ganesha, Little boy Shiva, Hand painted ceramic plates...

Jaipore Saffron Pillow

Pretty tribal girl, Smiling man, Contemplative Sadhu, Antique jewellery in an antique pouch, A bright red Haveli door.....

Jaipore Relish Pillow
Savouries , Vanaspati tins, Tribal dancers and the Doorman outside the gates of city palace......

All pictures courtesy Corbis

Madhubani or Mithila Paintings

2009-06-23T14:23:00.001-04:00

5 Facts about Madhubani Paintings

Fact One
Madhubani art is practised around Mithila and Madhubani areas of Bihar, India (close to the Nepal-India border). Madhubani literally means "forests of honey" !

Fact Two
Traditionally this art was practised by women only to decorate their huts during religious and important occasions. Nowadays men have also taken up this artform and paintings are done on paper, cloth, canvas etc. But even though women in the villages around Madhubani have been practicing their folk art for centuries, the world at large has come to know about these women and to consider them to be "artists" only in the last thirty years. Even now, most of their work remains anonymous. The women, some of them illiterate, are in any case reluctant to consider themselves individual producers of "works of art" and only a few of them mark the paintings with their own name.
Kohabar", mariage ritual wall painting, in "L'art du Mithila" by Yves Véquaud, photo Edouard Boubat, Les Presses de la Connaissance 1976

Fact Three
Among the first modern outsiders to document the tradition of Madhubani painting were William and Mildred Archer. He was a British civil servant assigned to the district during the colonial era. The Archers obtained some drawings on paper that the women painters were using as aids to memory. Works that the Archers collected went to the India Records Office in London (now part of the British Library) where a small number of specialists could study them as creative instances of India's folk art.
What led the women painters to share their work with the larger world was a major ecological and economic crisis that resulted from a prolonged drought in 1966-68 that struck Madhubani and the surrounding region of Mithila. In order to create a new source of non-agricultural income, the All-India Handicrafts Board encouraged the women artists to produce their traditional paintings on handmade paper for commercial sale.
Few women artists who made this artform famous are Ganga Devi, Sita Devi, Shanti Devi, Baua Devi.

Ganga Devi

Sita Devi, photo Hervé Perdriolle, Jitwapur 1997

Fact Four
The colors used were traditionally derived from natural sources like plants, charcoal soot, ochre etc. Black color is obtained by mixing soot with cow dung.Yellow color is obtained from turmeric or pollen or lime and the milk of banyan leaves. Blue from Indigo. Red from Kusum flower juice, red sandalwood or rose. Green from the leaves of apple trees, White from rice powder, Orange from palasha flowers.

Wall painting made by Yashoda Devi, Madhubani, Bihar

Draft sketch made by Ganga Devi in her Notebook

Anonymous wall painting, Madhubani, Bihar

Painting by Ganga Devi

Fact Five
Madhubani paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs, and the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati. Natural objects like the sun, the moon and religious plants like Tulsi are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty ; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds and even geometric designs. Objects depicted in the walls of kohabar ghar (where newly wed couple see each other in the first night) are symbols of sexual pleasure and procreation.Legend says that this artform originated during the time of Ramayana when King Janak commissioned artists to paint pictures of his daughter Sita getting married to Rama

Painting of Krishna by Ganga Devi

Images and information courtesy following sources -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhubani_art
http://sita-devi.blogspot.com/2006/11/madhubani-art-legend-dead.html
http://mithila-wall-paintings.blogspot.com/
http://www.vl-site.org/india/mithila/intro.html
http://www.pinkmango.com/WhatIsMP_Tradition.htm
Ganga Devi - Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting by Jyotindra Jain

Allem Studio - Madhubani Pillow Collection

Madhubani Paintings is the inspiration behind our Madhubani line of Pillows. The theme of the collection is Monsoon season. It is during the Monsoon season that the Peacocks mate and perform their mating dance. Farmers welcome monsoons since the rains are the major source of moisture for their crops. Festivals such Teej (in Rajasthan), Sindhu Darshan festival (In Ladhakh), Ganga Dussehra festival (in Varanasi), Haradwar Monsoon festival (Hardwar) celebrate the advent of Monsoon season in India.

Hello !!!!!

2009-06-17T20:20:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

A big fat welcome to Allem Studio’s Blog. Thank You for visiting us here. We hope you’ll check out our website http://www.allemstudio.com/ as well.
This blog going to be a platform where we can share with you our experience of designing for Allem Studio….our inspirations…trials and tribulations of running a business etc ….etc and etc.
We started working on this first collection way back in the summer of 2008 and since then it’s been a whirlwind of a journey. We travelled to India for sourcing and sample development and were very lucky to get in touch with the right people. At this nascent stage of our venture, it was very important to work with a team which understood our current limitations but at the same time shared our broad vision for future.

So a big Thank You is in order for the Varada team (Meghaa, Bharatt and Poonam) and its kaarigars (artisans) !!
A special thank you to the 3 embroidery artisans - Rafeeq, Akram, Aslam….who worked patiently with us in all the embroidery issues. God knows how many options were tried out to get the right look and through it all they were very patient and helped us by coming up with their own very practical solutions and suggestions.

Thank You to all our family and friends who provided their suggestions , encouragement and criticism so we could improve.
Thank You to all who have received us so well over the last couple of months and have provided encouraging words.
Thank You Scott Chalmers for beautiful photography.
Thank You Suhail and Vikalp for working on the website.

Now before it starts sounding like an Oscar speech, we’ll sign off.

Allem Studio