The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

We went down to the arty Kala Ghoda district on Saturday to catch a glimpse of the annual festival.

Despite the fact it was supposed to be in full swing from 2nd February, many artists seemed to be still setting up their pieces.  Some of the stuff was arriving in blue plastic bags and some of it was lying around on the ground.  Typical disrespect for things of supposed beauty!  Actually, between you and me, I didn't have particularly high regard for the art being shown around Rampart Street.  It looked more like a load of kids had gone crazy with used washing up bottles, some glitter and a stick of glue.  I do think that Indians excel at the traditional arts, and not at this modern interpretive nonsense.  But that's just my opinion. 

And I was delighted to see that 'Festival' was actually a euphemism for 'market' - for there was a whole avenue of stalls set up on Rampart Street selling Indian handicrafts!  Oh Joy!  Of course I couldn't resist a handstitched Kantha bedspread in a pretty floral/bird design that Mr Jules allowed me to buy (although he thinks it too 'girly' for the spare room).

We followed our morning of culture and shopping with a magnificent lunch at Khyber with MaximumCityMadam and her family.  The Chicken Mughlai was to die for!

Some images:

Hand-stitched bedspreads...yay!

Some NGOs, such as Akanksha have stalls at the Festival

Hungry Bum

We couldn't work out if these bins were part of the exhibition...or if they were still trying to clean up before the show

This 'sculpture' has glitter ball eyes that swivel and smoke that comes out of its nose.  

Pieces of 'art' arriving in blue plastic bags

I quite liked this Ambassador car with rupee mosaic

More bits of art lying on the floor waiting to be strung up

Art...or child's play?

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is on until 10th February.  There are many more exhibitions to see than the above displays in Rampart Street - other locations include Horniman Circle and the David Sassoon Library opposite the Jehangir Gallery.  A full listing is here. There are also heritage walks and things for kids to do.  Of course the best bit is the shopping.....

Magnolia Home Furnishing Store Mumbai (It's Fab!)

Two home furnishing store reviews in a row...what is going on?  Mumbai is on the up, that's what is going on.  Finally, we are getting  new and exciting choices when it comes to making our homes look nice.  And a very clever young lady (and ex-lawyer to boot) - Maulika Gandhi - has spotted a gap in the market for 'home-grown', affordable and stylish furniture. Today, and three weeks after opening, I went to visit Magnolia which is located just off Dr E Moses Road in Worli. 

The airy display space, divided up with floaty drapes - actually has room-sets - which is something you don't often see in Mumbai. And unlike some of the big colonial furnishing stores around the city, there is a distinctly young and 'unstuffy' vibe to the place.  What is even better, Magnolia is pitched at a more affordable level than the prodigious Goodearth.

There are several large made-up beds on show, quirky seating areas (such as the coffee table made from half of an old barrel with a piece of glass on top together with two stools covered with jute), and a few six seater dining sets.  There are also desks made from old sewing machine tables, men's valet stands (for hanging trousers and jackets on), sideboards, bedside tables and so on. The stock is noticeably unhomogenised - each display and each piece of furniture being different from the last.



Barrel coffee table with jute covered stools.  Too cool for school.

Some of the pieces are clearly up-cycled. So I like the fact that the Magnolia is also easy on the environment. Maulika tells me that all the furniture is made from solid wood, including recycled teak - which is also kinder on our forests.  Vintage style fabrics are also used in seat coverings and on cushion covers - I even saw a set of nesting tables (which I think had been made from the wood of old railway sleepers) with Kantha hand stitched fabric under their glass tops.  So unique!

What are also unique (and I couldn't resist buying one of these) are the old brass cooking pots and lassi cups that have been re-fashioned using brass feet - one of these lassi cups is now my new pen pot!  And that's not it for accessories - there are some beautiful Moroccan style table lamps which throw off sparkly lights, marble dishes, framed pictures (which would work very well in a colonial setting), Christmassy tea-light holders, wooden trays, satin bedspreads and cushion covers and some quirky industrial looking 'ornaments'.  Nothing is over-embellished - some of it is contemporary, some of it classic, some of it slightly steam-punk - I reckon there is something for everyone here.

Old brass cooking pots on feet - still can have many uses.  Piled high with oranges or lemons?

I could have waited until the New Year to post this blog, but as part of my Christmas Mumbai Shopping Guide, I think that the candle holders and the brass pots with feet are worth bagging in the last few days before the 25th of December.  Again, be quick!

Upcycled wooden benches with vintage patchwork fabric seats

I like this sophisticated bedroom set.

My new pen pot! (upcycled lassi cup on feet)

A Colonial Vignette

Elegant coffee table - 15,990 Rs

Sample Prices (excluding taxes):
Candle holder 590 Rs
Brass pots on feet: 400-5000 Rs (depending on weight) - my pencil pot was 690 Rs
Coffee Table: 15,990 Rs
Beds: 65,000 - 80,000 Rs
Lantern: 8,990 Rs
Cushion Covers: 1,100 to 1,800 Rs
Jute Stool: 6,990
Photo Frame: 690 Rs

Magnolia
3/C, Hansraj Pragji Warehousing, (Next to Durian Furniture)
LN Pappan Marg (about half way down, you'll see the sign)
Dr E Moses Road,
Worli Naka,
Mumbai 400 018

Tel: +91 22 24951020
E: contact@magnoliahome.co.in



Related subject: please see my blog about contemporary furniture craftsmen SOLLI Concepts here

Shop : Contemporary Arts & Crafts (Mumbai)

A new Mumbai home furnishings store discovery! I can not believe that in the six months I have lived in Mumbai, I have missed this golden shopping gem!  It was only when I went to visit the December Paramparik Karigar art exhibition with MaximumCityMadam - that I found it when she took me off on a flyby retail therapy tour that included CAC (!). 

Anyway, impressed by the store, I went back yesterday to pick up one or two extra decorations for our Christmas tree and to ask the store manager if it would be OK to take some photos and mention CAC on my blog.  He happily obliged.

I really do like this shop which is nicely laid out, spacious and airy. It retails a mixture of classic and contemporary Indian art and crafts (literally, per the name) but it also has a good selection of modern home accessories, suitable for anyone setting up a new home in town.  The merchandiser has lovely taste - everything is nice quality and colourful with some slightly quirky items thrown in.  The pieces of furniture include the odd armoire, towel stands, nesting tables, delightful carved mirrors and colourful painted benches and nightstands.  The art is well curated.  Currently, there are huge works of "Mata Ni Pachedi", (a form of Kalamkri art, but produced in Gujurat) as well as some pretty, smaller Gond paintings.

Beautifully curated selection of art

On the accessories front, there is an extensive range of cushion covers - some with black and white images of Mughal royalty (Mr Jules, who later met me in the shop liked those), some with applique details in softer pastel shades, rectangular velvet covers with pearl embroidery, and even some red and white American Shaker style cushions.  There are also quilted bed covers for about 4,500 Rs (the sort that you pay the earth for in Good Earth), as well as hand-embroidered throws from Kutch.

Mr Jules liked these fun sepia cushions

My obsession....hand stitched Kutch style throws.

There are accessories for every room in the house here - for the dining room, I found gorgeous bone serving spoons and forks, a myriad of table mats and napkins, funky lacquered and metal trays (from 2,250 Rs), loads of different wooden trays (some painted) and a good selection of candle holders.  The crockery is colourful and hard wearing, perfect for the Indian home.  For the bathroom, there are some classic soap dispensers, trays and soap dishes in stainless steel and mother of pearl.

Love these colourful, folksy metal cups

One thing I do find hard to find in Mumbai are decent table lamps at affordable prices. I found a good selection in CAC and may have to go back to buy one at a later date.  In fact all the prices at CAC are reasonable by western standards.

CAC is also full of great gift options - I wish I'd found this place in time for my Mumbai Christmas Shopping Guide!  Ideas include jewellery made out of metal and semi-precious gems (though not particularly unique), silk bags and pashminas, adorable Panchatrantra stationery, the aforementioned cushion covers, photo frames and tissue box covers in mother-of-pearl and small hand-drawn pieces of art.  I also really liked the large handmade dolls for little girls (currently reduced from 650 to 450 Rs). 

Contemporary Arts & Crafts Store Mumbai (CAC)

If you have chance to go this week, CAC have erected a beautiful Christmas tree in the store which is worth a look at and there are still some unique Christmas tree decorations to be had at 20-30% off. Be quick!

Contemporary Arts & Crafts (CAC)
Ground Floor
Taj Building
210 D, Naoroji Road, Fort
Mumbai 400 001
www.cac.co.in (website under construction)

There are also branches in Pune and Hyderabad, check the website above for addresses. The Mumbai store is around the corner from my favourite stationery store, Chimanlals.

You can find the very entertaining blog of MaximumCityMadam here

Textile Shopping Frenzy at Paramparik Karigar

It was my husband's birthday yesterday - so I decided to treat myself.  Ha ha.

My big shop came about after seeing a notification on beloved Mumbai Boss about 'Paramparik Karigar' - a textiles exhibition at Coomaraswamy Hall that was on this week.  I had been hunting high and low for some nice finishing touches for the sitting room and not wanting to pay the heavy prices at Good Earth, thought this might be a good place to fulfil my interior design ambitions.  The exhibition (well actually, sale) was held in two parts - the first being a sale of rugs, art, boxes and ceramics and the second part was purely textiles. Yes, I actually went back a second time.

Inside the Paramparik Karigar Exhibition

 

Fabulous, gorgeous brightly coloured sari fabric

You can even buy copper cow bells from Kutch.

I was not disappointed.  The exhibition was fabulous!  Rugs from Rajastan, silk paintings from Orissa, Madhubani folk drawings, boxes inlaid with silver, mother of pearl spoons...and then, kantha bedspreads and dupattas from Kutch, block printed fabrics from Jaipur and cutwork curtains and beautifully embroidered saris from all over India.  An absolute textile hoarder's paradise.  If I was handy with a sewing machine I would have bought so much more (Steph, you would have died and gone to heaven!).

Here are the pictures of the booty.  The living area in the apartment is really coming together now (except for that darned coffee table) ...so stay tuned for final pictures when I'm done.

Fabulous handstitched dupattas (stoles) from Kutch in North India.....all that embroidery is done by HAND!

A close up of that running stitch

This won't be to everyone's taste but I love this table!  The legs are made of ox horn
and the table top is inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

A cotton bedspread slung on the back of the sofa.  This was about £15 - 1,300 rupees

Gorgeous wooden bowls edged with mother-of-pearl (200 rs/£2.35 each, horn spoons 50 rs/60p each)

A new runner to divide the living from the dining area.  Nice muted colours.
This dhurrie - traditionally made with vegetable dyes - was 5,500 Rs/£65. Cheaper than Ikea.



I'm actually not so sure about this rug - the design is a bit gaudy.  
But it goes alright with our orange poufs (Pure Living)

Mother-of-pearl handled serving spoons atop a cutwork table cloth.  Table cloth was 1,600 Rs/£20.

Mr Jules is actually in Amsterdam on business at the moment, so the first he will know of these 'birthday presents' will be when he reads this blog! Thank you darling!! xx

Paramparik Karigar is an association of crafts people from all over India with the aim of keeping craft traditions alive.  They hold regular sales in Mumbai several times a year.  This exhibition ends on 15th September but they are due back on 12-16th December, so don't fret if you missed it this time around!  Details can be found here: http://www.paramparikkarigar.com/exhibitions.html

Venue:

Coomaraswamy Hall
Chhatrapatui Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghrahalaya,
M.G. Road, Mumbai- 400 001.