Yellow Brick Road

Yellow Brick Road at the Ambassador Hotel is the best place to eat after 1AM in Delhi. For all those people who don't know where to fulfill a late night coffee-choclate-biryani-fries craving, this place is a dream come true. Its also ideal for an after clubbing snack. Trust me there's something there to get rid off that impending hangover.

Colourful and vibrant, the striped yellow wallpaper immediately lifts your mood (and wakes you up if you're already half asleep). Add to this the vintage colonial posters, faux jaded furniture and yum food Yellow Brick Road is a must visit restaurant. My staple 3AM favourites are the Bull's Eye (People drive miles and wait in the lobby for this rich warm chocolate dessert topped with vanilla ice-cream), the Creme Caramel, Apple Pie and Chilli Cheese Fries! I also love that the menu is in the form of a newspaper.

Yellow Brick Road has been a staple late night eating spot for years. I've come here with friends, with parents, with boyfriends. I've spent hours (usually leaving at dawn) chatting and laughing over coffee and food. Infact, if I can't sleep I usually con someone into taking me here for a cup of coffee and some dessert.

Candlelight

Pigeons at Amer Fort, Rajasthan

Vintage Posters

I love interior magazines and blogs. I go through them, commenting silently in my head “perfect”! “Ugh!” “why didn’t i think of it!” “I have to try this out!” “Tasteless!” and so on and so forth.

I however have realised that I have a very specific taste when it comes to doing up my own home. India and everything Indian is always my main focus. The bright colours, myraid patterns, gold accents and rich textures are the focus. But I don’t want it to feel like a traditional “haveli” so as much as I can, I try to keep the colours bright but cohesive, the patterns and furniture minimal and the colours earthy. Matched with monotone colours, they provide a perfect blend of simplicity and over-the-top colour-motif madness!

The wall over my bed

Once the palette is set I go crazy with the walls. Bright vintage movie posters and ads! All sizes and shapes, draped with lights. The space is made so much brighter and looks surprisingly modern. Find them at vintage shops anywhere. If tou're from/visiting Delhi, they are easily avaiable in Hauz Khas Village!

Chalkboard fun!

Who doesn't like to scribble on chalkboards with coloured chalk?! They are my absolute favourite! I love cafes with menus written on the black board and sidewalk messages that have thoughtful little quotes. For some reason that dreaded blackboard always associated with math sums I couldn't quite see from the last row is never thought of. Though even then I did like to draw on those when the teacher wasn't around!

But back to this. When I shifted house a year and half ago with a very very close friend, we really wanted to do it up. Obviously since we were both fresh out of college working our first jobs we had to search for the best buys! She isn't much the "doing up the home" type person and I love love it! Thankfully she didn't mind when I started buying the unnecessary stuff!

I was adamant that we have a name plate and was looking for colourful, quirky fun signs everywhere I went, till i found this lovely white sign at my local Saturday bazaar when I was looking for something else. The market is right behind my college and was a stones throw away from our college paying guest accommodation but we never ventured down the dark, narrow street that mostly saw the likes of  rickshaw drivers. Except this Saturday when we went to buy boxes (we had bought some while we were in college and they had lasted quite awhile. Besides they were really cheap)!

Lying there in piles were these beautiful signs. About 120 rupees a piece. Now it adorns our front entrance with quirky messages, sometimes personalised and notes for visiting friends and family.