Three years down and #MyDesiSwag still runs strong! Okay, so we did take a short break to recharge ourselves for a bit. And we did change the format this year. With all that, I am very happy to bring to you all our special features of #MyDesiSwag 2020.
#MyDesiSwag 2020
For those of you who are new to it, let me go quickly introduce to what this hashtag is all about. Preethi and I started this hashtag party on Instagram about 3 years back. Every week we announced a theme. Participants clicked photos accordingly and shared these pics using this hashtag. At the end of the week we selected our favourite pic and the winner hosted the next week’s party with us.
The rules changed down the line. But let’s get to that later.
Week 1 – Chai For Two
Our very first theme of the week, inspired by our last winning pic of 2019 was ‘chai for two’. We loved this green corner created by Namrata. This is the perfect spot for a refreshing cup of tea in more than one way. Pic-of-the-week by @storyofherhouse
Week 2 – Birthday Messages For #MyDesiSwag
The second week was the second birthday of #MyDesiSwag and we invited all to send in birthday messages. This sweet message by Prachee spoke of everything that we wanted #MyDesiSwag to be when we started it, and deeply touched our hearts. Pic-of-the-week by @artbyprachee
Week 3 – My Most Cherished Space
Prachee also mentioned in her write up above that she was sharing with us her favourite corner of her living room. Which gave us our theme of the week.
Shailly said this serene study space was the most cherished space of her home for her. And we could see why. Pic-of-the-week by @decorbyshailly
Week 4 – My Study
Yes, that would be the obvious theme-of-the-week for us, wouldn’t it?
We couldn’t take our eyes off Kriti’s beautiful work space. We could almost sense the creativity bursting forth from it. Pic of the week by @karibykriti
Week 5 – Organised Chaos
We picked these words right off Kriti’s own description of her work space, and we had our next theme.
This calming pic by Naaz completely rang true with us. If there must be chaos, let it be green chaos, we say! Pic-of-the-week by @naaz_plants
Week 6 – All My Plants
That view of all of Naaz’s plants was a treat to the eye. We realised we’d be more than happy to look at everyone’s plants all week.
What’s not to love about this view of all of Shilpi’s plants? She has them on the floor, in planters, hanging from rods and ceilings and winding their way across her walls. Pic-of-the-week by @shilpshilpabhi.
Week 7 – Sun Kissed
Shilpi wrote with much love about the ‘sun kissed’ plant corner of her home. We loved how she described it and that became our next theme.
This sun kissed corner of Mini’s living room made us want to jump right in and soak in the warmth. Pic-of-the-week by @shutterbugmn
Week 8 – My Favourite Rug
The vibrant rug in Mini’s living room caught our eye and we had our next theme.
As Sash rightly said, “A rug in your room is as important as a sofa, chair or a piece of art.” The kilim in her living room made its presence felt for sure. Pic-of-the-week by @delishpotpourri
Week 9 – Holi Ke Rang
And then we landed up into the most colourful week of the year. Holi is certainly a great time to show off your DesiSwag!
Anupma did that beautifully and how. The solid blocks of color, the pattern and texture are all so delicious to take in. Pic-of-the-week by @anupmar
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Here is where things changed a bit. We realised we weren’t too happy with our format. Every week we introduced a new account to our audience. We loved this part. We ourselves had discovered so many new decoristas thanks to this hashtag and we loved sharing our finds with our community. It had always been a great boost for our winner too.⠀
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Rest of the week, we shared pics by participants without really focussing on our winner. This, we thought, was quite unfair. We wanted to share more about our winners, their likes and dislikes, their design styles and, of course, their pretty pictures.
And so #MyDesiSwag 2020 came about. We no longer select a winning pic-of-the-week, but an account feature-of-the-month. Every Monday of the month we share pics from our featured account along with interesting bits of information about our decorista so you can truly get to know her better. Our first featured account was…
March Feature – @hemalpaliwal
Hemal is an interior stylist and artist based in Nairobi.
She is an architect by training…
Click below to check out this amazing video to see another of her talents – single line drawing!
Hemal has travelled extensively with her husband.
And you can see her travel finds peppered into her beautiful vignettes.
Hemal has worked as an art historian, art curator and cultural expert. She now works on her passion for decor and painting watercolours.
On her feed, you will find a whole lot of charming vignettes from her eclectic home in Nairobi.
March feature for #MyDesiSwag 2020 – @hemalpaliwal
April Feature – @global__indian
Asha Raj’s style is truly desi with a clutter free approach and oodles of color.
Now living in Singapore, Asha’s style is earthy and rustic with Indian…
as well as south east Asian influences.
Asha’s dream home would be a farm surrounded by greenery.
She loves homes where there is a seamless blend of the indoors and outdoors.
Her home has a neutral base with pops of colour added through textiles and accessories.
This makes it easier for her to change the look when she feels like it.
She loves natural, sustainable and handcrafted materials.
… and has used them as much as possible in her home.
April feature for #MyDesiSwag 2020 – @global__indian
May Feature – @bhakti_achhara
If you are a sucker for Indian decor, Bhakti’s feed gives you a satisfying fill. The colors, patterns and warmth of wood is very traditional, yet fits in perfectly with the modern setting. ⠀
She shares her beautiful home with us from Nashik.
Bright colours give her positive vibes…
… and she loves them all!
She loves desi home decor…
… and loves collecting antiques.
Bhakti likes to keep her home beautiful and organised.
She also loves looking after her plants.
May feature of #MyDesiSwag 2020 – @bhakti_achhara
June Feature – @gogreenhomesheen
We loved the mix of Indian and modern, classic and quirky, rustic and polished, in Shweta’s home, and how every space looks simple and beautifully curated all at once.
Shweta’s style is simple, ethnic and affordable.
She has never believed in over the top extravagance.
Shweta strongly believes not everything has to cost a lot of money.
Her simple DIYs use everyday things you can find easily at home.
Some of her favourite DIYs – her home made lamp from a pickle jar…
And her antique bedside table, created by giving an old shoe cabinet a makeover.
Shweta loves everything desi, and that reflects in her home decor.
She says her home decor is as colourful as she is!
Shweta loves to give small, natural touches to her decor.
… so that her home feels personal.
June feature for #MyDesiSwag 2020 – @gogreenhomesheen
July Feature – @ruskathome
We love the earthy, warm vibes of Rashmi’s home in London, and welcomed her to host with us in July.
Rashmi’s affair with vintage furniture made her haul all their beautiful pieces all the way from India to UK.
Her love for wood and good design got her into DIY. Rashmi’s partner in crime is usually her husband.
Pottery, plants, wood, baking, antique hunting and crime thrillers are a few of her favourite things.
Rashmi’s love for plants was inspired, after marriage, by her mother-in-law. Her habitat is now a ‘jungle’.
She has always been fascinated by clay. Especially the process of shaping it into utilitarian or decor pieces.
She wanted to use the lockdown as an opportunity to better her skills and hopes to have a studio in the future.
Being born and raised in Mumbai, she enjoys organised chaos around her. She is now a full time home maker, mom to two teens and wife to a very supportive man who is also an amazing artist.
July feature for #MyDesiSwag 2020 – @ruskathome
August Feature – @layamakesthings
Laya’s beautiful home is in Toronto, Canada. Her simple, yet exciting home is filled lovingly with her exquisite artwork and wonderful DIYs.
Laya likes to think of her decor style as eclectic.
She absolutely loves wood and is a sucker for anything live edge.
She has an obsession for agate and crystals.
Anything that the earth marginally produces, inspires her.
Laya cannot get over how incredible nature is.
Her obsession with leaves is fuelled by just that – how different they can be and how complex in shape, colour and structure.
Laya has a slight obsession with vintage things.. especially mirrors.
Her three cats rule the house. They are all rescues from Chennai who moved to Toronto with her.
Some of her favourite painting ideas come to her when she is super stressed at work.
Laya loves cooking. In another life she would love to work in the food business.
August feature for #MyDesiSwag 2020 – @layamakesthings
September Feature – @spiceinthecity
We described Naina’s style as Indian meets Scandinavian with a touch of fairy tale magic. We love her photography as much as her beautifully styled home.
Naina lives in Denmark and loves minimalist Scandinavian decor, focusing on both form and function.
Her Indian roots dictate the use of brass and lots of plants to liven up the long, dark winters.
Naina loves the concept of reuse, or ‘genbrug’ as it is known in Danish.
She loves visiting flea markets to find vintage treasures. Her favourites are brass candlesticks and old leather bound books.
Naina lives in the land of ‘hygge’. It is taken very seriously there and helps to cope with the long, dark winters.
Her version of hygge is lots of candles, textured blankets, and lovely conversations over coffee or wine.
She has a pretty demanding job in the pharma industry and her home is the oasis she returns to. It is calm and cozy, yet invigorating, filling her with joy at every corner.
September feature for #MyDesiSwag 2020 – @spiceinthecity.
And There Is More!
With that Preethi and I, for the first time since we launched #MyDesiSwag, took a break. The lockdown was being lifted gradually and all the pending work that had been on hold during the lockdown months came crashing down on us all at once. We gave ourselves this break to be able to cope with that.
We did miss the hashtag party though, and so relaunched it with the New Year. Yes, #MyDesiSwag is back with a bang and it’s never to late to join. Follow the hashtag on Instagram to keep updated with how we are decorating our desi homes in all different corners of the world.
Click here to go through all the previous winners, and then share some pics of your own to join in. Look forward to seeing you on Instagram.
Until then,
Incredible post