We recently spent a week in India on a whirlwind trip... the so-called Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur. I *really* did not like the cities - Delhi in particular - but it was worth it to see the architecture at the historic sites.
The whole trip was planned to see the Taj Mahal, to finally tick it off my "must-see" list. I'd fully expected to be disappointed, but even with high expectations, it was stunning. Then there were all these other places, like Agra Fort and Qutb Minar that I'd never known about that were awe-inspiring too.
Anyway, as was usual, I was always looking out for ideas for Amherst:
Flower decorations on wall
These were at the Red Fort in Delhi. They were carved into the stone but I'm wondering *if* you got the right mould, whether you could do something similar, pressed into adobe. I liked the fact that they had detail but it wasn't ornate everywhere, just very simple and true to life shapes.
Single tiles as decoration
This is from a big arched gateway at Humayuns Tomb, also in Delhi. There was just a single panel like this at the top of each side. I'm not sure if originally there was decoration all over, but seeing it like this made me think that a way to stretch out our antique tile collection could be to place them in a similar way, set above doors either side of the wall.
Flying staircase
This is from Fatehpur Sikri. I loved the shape it made next to the wall. Obviously would only work for narrow staircases and probably violate all kinds of health and safety rules... but I still like the look of it.
Interestingly shaped pools and drains
This is from Agra Fort. Lovely shape for an ornamental pond. I don't have the slightest idea how you'd build it though if you didn't have a team of free stonemasons on hand. Perhaps make a mold in concrete and pour it in? It'd be a right pain though, so suspect this one will stay on the drawing board.
But this is much simpler... who said drain catchment thingies needed to be boring looking? This catches the water from the pipes from the roof, as a kind of mini pond, and then there appeared to be a place for water to drain out under the little central round bit.
The whole trip was planned to see the Taj Mahal, to finally tick it off my "must-see" list. I'd fully expected to be disappointed, but even with high expectations, it was stunning. Then there were all these other places, like Agra Fort and Qutb Minar that I'd never known about that were awe-inspiring too.
Anyway, as was usual, I was always looking out for ideas for Amherst:
Flower decorations on wall
These were at the Red Fort in Delhi. They were carved into the stone but I'm wondering *if* you got the right mould, whether you could do something similar, pressed into adobe. I liked the fact that they had detail but it wasn't ornate everywhere, just very simple and true to life shapes.
Single tiles as decoration
This is from a big arched gateway at Humayuns Tomb, also in Delhi. There was just a single panel like this at the top of each side. I'm not sure if originally there was decoration all over, but seeing it like this made me think that a way to stretch out our antique tile collection could be to place them in a similar way, set above doors either side of the wall.
Flying staircase
This is from Fatehpur Sikri. I loved the shape it made next to the wall. Obviously would only work for narrow staircases and probably violate all kinds of health and safety rules... but I still like the look of it.
Interestingly shaped pools and drains
This is from Agra Fort. Lovely shape for an ornamental pond. I don't have the slightest idea how you'd build it though if you didn't have a team of free stonemasons on hand. Perhaps make a mold in concrete and pour it in? It'd be a right pain though, so suspect this one will stay on the drawing board.
But this is much simpler... who said drain catchment thingies needed to be boring looking? This catches the water from the pipes from the roof, as a kind of mini pond, and then there appeared to be a place for water to drain out under the little central round bit.
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