Natural décor brings to life, experiences—of walks in woods, of the songs of  birds at the break of dawn, of the gentle rustle of leaves in the wind and the sounds of rocks and stones beneath our feet on forest trails. Collecting memorabilia from  nature reminds us of holiday experiences and makes for  extremely elegant natural décor—becoming a visual portrait of travel.  The pictures here are from work that uses natural memorabilia collected by clients or myself on travels around India.

Pine cones from the Himalayas, drift wood from a river in Gujarat, dried stalks of grass  and bullrushes from the plains and flowers from  travels—collected and reused remind us that nature is elegant, powerful and beautiful in the quietest of ways.

Natural memorabilia can  last long– sometimes as long as the memories from where they were collected. Memories that take us back, in the midst of a beloved morning-room or study, when we tend to step away from the daily grind, perhaps with a smile, remembering how an item from the natural world made its place in our homes.

Words: Sugandha Das and Shivani Dogra

Images: Shivani Dogra

Natural Memorabilia in picture 2 right and picture 3 left collected by Shagun Bharghava and in picture 3 by Renu Dogra