Nestled in a curve of Nandidurga Road is a charming two-floor house, the entrance to which is flanked by two six-feet tall metal frogs with the demeanour of a gentleman’s gentleman, holding a salver for cards. That should clue you in to what you’re likely to find inside this gorgeously appointed home improvement store: old school charm with whimsy.
These folks scour beautifully built pieces with solid craftsmanship and give it a new lease of life. Furniture with distressed paint jobs done just so – that is something they are great at. They also have a lot of antique looking prints on various surfaces, varying from bottle openers to clock faces. Another area they make look easy is reusing genuine antique pieces: old doors that would have once graced a Chettinad house for instance, now find themselves recommissioned as a table top. Every piece here has been curated and crafted with an eye for beauty. The animal motif is strong in the candle holders, table ornaments with pieces like hens shaped out of wire. You will find many ancient looking distressed painted windows, which open to reveal mirrors.
The colonial looking clocks. There are plenty of lampshades to choose from, be it lovely old-fashioned ones or contemporary ones, with wire shades and bicycle parts. There are tables of varying sizes and uses, with sewing machine bottoms. There are breathtakingly beautiful shelves with heavy old-fashioned doors that creak as they open. You know, the kinds where, on a rainy day, if you part open the mildewy coats and step in, you might step out of Narnia? Yup, exactly.
