[Cross-posted from my blog]

I kind of miss having a platform to talk about things that aren't my work, and I thought that posts about my home and kitchen at least would have a place here and make it somewhat more personal. After all they're the reason why I produce less work than usual!

I'm not really a fan of interior decoration in the sense of something an expert does for you. For me the whole delight of shaping up my home, as slow as  that has been, lies in gathering meaningful objects one by one so that I  live among things that mean something to me. This may not create a consistent theme throughout the house, but that in turn means I can change things around as needed or as whim dictates. And because nearly every object is meaningful, I feel like talking about them. This time around I present to you: the incense corner.

A secondary sitting arrangement in my sitting room, quite ideal for curling up with a book or dozing off.

The Persian cushions, which are antiques, and the Romanian  ones, came from my grandma, because grandmas always have the best stuff  to give you for your house. By all accounts they're the most comfortable seating in the house. Sitting on cushions on the floor is traditional of our regions but long-lost to a Western lifestyle, but I notice I, as well as many of my generation, instinctively seek that arrangement again in our houses, as it feels more cozy and natural – not  to mention cushions are easier to get out of the way while cleaning, and to move around.

The chestnut table is something I purchased recently for this specific use. I discovered this splendid little shop specialized in chestnut furniture and fell in love with its lack of parallels. I'm indulging in dark wood furniture because  the house is so light with white walls, and sparsely furnished. Otherwise it can quickly get oppressive.

The Himalayan Salt lamp  was a gift from a friend who's a frequent guest in my sitting room.I wasn't familiar with the concept before, but apparently the natural salt  gives off negative ions when heated, which counter the excessive positive ions generated by electronics and pollution. I don't know any more of the science than that, but it's wonderfully atmospheric!

The incense burner  was designed and produced by my friend Joseph Khoury from ex nihilo, a very creative Lebanese product design company. We burn an amazing amount  of incense in this house, so a serious incense burner that can hold a lot of ash was a boon!

The incense pot is  actually a vase made and given to me by the wife of my calligraphy mentor, in her own right a talented ceramist. I'm not much into cut flowers and didn't know how to use it (I hate leaving a beautiful object  in the closet unused), until I thought of keeping my incense reserve as  a bouquet rather than in a box. It's perfectly handy, and I color-code the incense with markers so I know what I'm burning. at the moment in my  reserve: sandalwood, saffron and orange blossom.

The "conference of the birds" box  was nicknamed thus because it irresistibly reminds me of the Sufi tale.  It's s beautiful lacquered piece my father found in Goa during a business trip. It's still empty because I think it should contain something special, and haven't decided what yet!

Hope this was an enjoyable read, and I'll see which part of my interior to share next