Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The hallmarks of a home today are trendy, earthy and global. From parquet to pottery, Bangaloreans are not just buying homes; they are putting themselves into every wall. We went out into the market to discover what the colours of fall are doing to the Bangalore home
His bathing companion is the bathtub. Ergonomically designed, spacious and comfortable, the shower panels have eight nozzles for a soothing hydromassage, a static shower head with adjustable spray modes to relax and rejuvenate him and a multi-use pullout shower. With nude portraits and a sea goddess for company, time doesn’t hang heavy on him.
Her indulgence is on all things earthy. With walls so dazzling, you will have to put your paintings in the cupboard. She doesn’t believe in the spit-and-polish look seen in most homes. She feels more at home with her blue bathtub in the centre with a Moroccan theme: black textured stone wall-finish, flower cases and bottles. Not to mention, a Moroccan hookah and a Chinese pot in her bedroom.
He lends an artistic grace to the long corridor connecting the bedrooms: paintings and carved wooden frames and brackets on the wall. The dining room with different seating arrangements revels in wall-mounted paintings and art pieces.
Her bedroom’s yellow walls have matching upholstery and bedspread making the banjara cushions and pichwai mounted on the wall more striking. The cushions are made of an ikat saree, adding richness and vibrancy to an otherwise empty room. A small dining table in the corner of the kitchen creates its own artistic space with a Satish Gujral-crafted teaset placed on it. If the bathrooms are peppered with tiny collectibles, the balconies are full of potted greenery and terracotta images.
His bedroom walls say it all in orange. Because colour therapists claim it’s supposed to shore up the immunity system and stimulate digestion; frees emotions, enhances self-esteem and allows one to be more forgiving.
Her bedroom’s all yellow because it’s bright, happy and stimulating. And experts believe that it improves memory, judgement and the capacity for decision-making.
He sings the tune of Cane and Able. Not the kind that goes apart within a few months, but ones that are dust-resistant and easy-to-maintain (they just have to be wiped with a dry cloth). And guaranteed for eight years. He opted for the plain cane furniture in combination with wrought iron and rubber wood. And to complement are a whole range of accessories like baskets from Malaysia and lampshades from Assam.
And certain things never go out of style. Like Stanley Italian leather. In over forty colours, four textures and a finish that lasts, it’s one of the largest stockists of genuine Italian leather in the country. Not to mention, it’s one of the several companies putting up their products on show and sale at the 6th annual Society Interiors Expo beginning on August 8 at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. Others in the fray from Bangalore include Mirage Life Style, Faberage, Designo, LG Air Conditioners, Sunrise Sales Corporation (sanitary ware), Coir Board (mattresses), Semens – Olive & Pine (kitchen appliances), Godrej & Boyce (home furniture), Millennium Lifestyle (kitchen appliances), Bathla Aluminium (ladders), Hydrobath (bathroom accessories) and Lmarks (motorised garage doors and gates), among others.
Says Aby P Dominic, who is in charge of the exhibition: “People have become more design-conscious. Glass and steel is more popular now than wrought iron and steel. Spanish furniture (Hurtado) and German modular kitchens (Poggen Phol) are also very popular today.”
Sample the increase in lifestyle stores of late and you will get the idea. Whether it’s Cinnamon, Brahma, Grasshopper, Eka or The Bombay Store. Says Dominic: “Even Lifestyle and Shoppers’ Stop have a separate section on lifestyle. Today, people don’t even need an architect because they are so aware of the brands. Earlier, our exhibition was mostly aimed at architects, interior designers, builders, exporters and decorators. Today, 50 per cent is aimed at the end users.”
It’s a world built on themes: Rajasthani, European, Victorian, Italian. “People prefer futuristic designs that are clean, uncluttered and more of white,” says Dominic. “Our target audience is between 25 and 45 years and we expect about 30,000 people at the four-day exhibition. We have mailed invites to 25,000 people in our database which include celebrities, politicians and various club members.”
Most of the goods in the market today are from Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Italian markets that offer reasonable quality at decent prices. But when it comes to international brands, there are certain disadvantages. If the after-sales service is appalling in some, others are not tailored for the Indian weather that parties in suspended particulate matter and related paraphernalia. Not to mention, the heat. So if the surface of a smooth computer cabinet acquires a rough exterior, you know why.
The prices can reach the heavens. Living room sofa sets range from Rs 20,000 to Rs 5 lakh; bedroom sets from Rs 14,000 to Rs 8 lakh; bathrooms from Rs 14,000 to Rs 15 lakh; lighting equipment from Rs 20,000 to Rs 7 lakh; furnishings from Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 lakh; Wooden flooring to Italian marble from Rs 150 per square metre onwards.
With spaces that breezily converse with each other, wall-to-wall windows, studio lights, low-lying beds, beanbags and parquet flooring have become the new-age ways of beating stress.
And some of the brands ruling the marquee in the home décor segment include Camel, Litolier, Pinnacle Saporiti, Gautier, Sauder, Springwel, Fordham, Karat, Kaldewei, Villeroy & Boch, Lauret, Pergo, Vista, Featherlite, Durian and Soft Plus among others.
Look carefully at the Picasso sofa series by Featherlite and you might see New York in the picture. Or London. Or Zurich. Or Hongkong. Or Singapore. Because the avant garde furniture is what stylish offices around the world pick from; whether it’s bent wood technology, single piece moulded plywood or the riot of colours to choose from.
Then again, designer cubicles and Italian chairs might not amount to very much in the dark. And that’s where downlighters, studio lights and reflectors come in. How comfortable you want to be is a question you can answer.
Ask the people at Bathline Studio on Lavelle Road and they will tell you jacuzzis and shower cubicles rule. Not to mention the Temple showerdome that looks like a glass elevator. Says interior designer Ruchi Agarwal: “Glass enclosures with shower cubicles as against the normal acrylic is the new trend today. And compared to the regular unicolour wash basins, what’s preferred now are colours like pink and blue.”
Says interior designer Sathya C Vagale of Furniture + Fixtures in Jayanagar 2nd block, who individually sources materials from different countries: “It’s a lot of chrome, glass and steel. No longer do people prefer wood that’s been there for several decades now. And the less wood we use, the more trees we save.”
The bestsellers at his 9,000 square feet showroom have been sofas from Pinnacle Saporiti that range from Rs 40,000 to a lakh. The unbranded steel beds start at Rs 8,000 and dining sets at Rs 29,000. And they are all knock-down furniture, perfect for people on the move.
The art of drawing attention has a simple rule. Create points of pull. The kinds that search out your eyes and say, ‘excuse me’. Casually look through the stunning range of home décor items at your neighbourhood store or at the interiors fair and get pulled. Because your home décor defines the person you are, the work you do and the company you keep.
Now you know where to head to make a statement.
TRENDTALK
Italian sofas and marble
German readymade kitchens
Hand-crafted furniture
Glass and steel creations
Glass mosaic and thermal roof tiles
Stained glass windows
Wrought-iron staircase
Frosted glass-shuttered cupboards
Low-lying beds
Parquet flooring
Glass basins
(First published in City Reporter, 2003)