artnlight

When I last went to Chennai, my friend told me , "We will go to Madras Terrace House, I think you will like it". Whatever I expected, it was certainly not this traditional old styled home charmingly reclaimed to be the art and culture hub it clearly is. The contraditions add to the uniqueness, so there is Kolam on the floor, one of the strongest symbols of southIndian culture & there on the funk begins, brightly painted walls, kitschy art, tibetan accessories all fit right in. Its traditional red floor and sea green painted doors are witness to all sorts of creative events ranging from play readings to performances, art exhibitions to film screenings.

The brain child of eclectic and talented Kaveri Lalchand, The Madras Terrace House also has this store which houses fashion which includes the fun ‘K’ collection, a casual wear line designed by her, jewellery from all parts of the country, funky Janota shoes from Goa, wooden figurines from Indonesia, a tea-cup and saucer with Tamil alphabets embossed on the edges, and more. And this is not all behind the house, is the quaint and grungy 'Tea Kadai' which is a tiny cafe which serves a mix of chai (tea), muffins & local delicacies like wada and chutney.

You can also read 2 useful reviews here & here.

My Uncle in Chennai was really raving about Melanje and when we finally went I was charmed. Handpicked buddha statuettes, contemporary water hyacinth furniture and well displayed artefacts create a zen like atmosphere. Melanje is truly a melting pot of several easthetic cultures with buddhas from Thailand, artifacts from Indonesia, ebony heads and ostrich eggs from Africa.

Marble swans float gracfully in a frosted blue glass bowl.

I loved the gold painted lotuses on the wallThe omnipresent Ganesha makes his presence felt.

Love these ceramic butterflies

These are my favourite from the entire store- I want!!

The stairs had these stone statues all lined up

the log framed mirror is the piece de resistance

wooden ice bucket next to wooden bar cabinets

simple cardboard storage solutions

I saved this for the end. These are suspended candle holders.
And each scone is detachable so you can string 4 units for a really long line of lights or even have shorter units of 2 each. Ingenious and beautiful.

We walked out along buddha dotted entrance. I know where I will definitely go on my next visit to Chennai.

The glass door slides open to let you in.

On the far wall holds the signature with these dots forming a randomly beautiful pattern

Ecstasy’s design reflects a modern, minimalist aesthetic.

Loved this chandelier from which hang handwritten testimonies by customers

And finally the goodie counter where pastry is art and everything is placed to perfection

To Mickaël Besse, the chef, cooking is a personal philosophy, passion and way of life. Since he began his culinary career, the journey has taken him from his French roots to other European countries, the Americas, Asia and borders beyond.“My main motivation and focus is to arouse your interest and surprise your taste buds.”

Yummilicious cookie jars.
Needless to say, everything we ate here was created masterfully and with love and it completely showed.