I have been eyeing these shops in Bandra for over 1 and 1/2 yrs. ... the beautiful ornate frames were too tempting to resist ... and I knew the craftsmenship had to be from Saharanpur ... where is Saharanpur ... :) ... well ! you'll be forgiven to have missed that ... its a small town in UttarPradesh (one of the north Indian States) ... but its a town steeped in history and history that dates it back to Indus Valley Civilisation ...
This small ,dusty, polluted town ... is home, to one of the most beautiful woodworking styles of India ... the Anguri (Angur in Hindi means grapes and so Anguri ref.'s to grapevine) ... where the wood is carved into intricate grapevine ... in a melange of Mughal and Indian Styles ... (like in the frame I found above) ...
... my imagination was going crazy with the kind of possibilities with these raw pieces ... there aren't too many shops ... (if it was on your mind to ask) ... just about 9-10 of them ... but lovely workmanship ... I found myself gurgling with excitement ... ;) ... quite like my lil' Sarah goes in a toy store ... :)
... for many I meet, the possibilities of such pieces ... gelling in with different styles of interiors is a tad bit difficult to imagine. It's not so, you know ... innovative finishes, experimenting around a bit and wala ... :) ... check out some of the pictures I found for you ...
A similar carved frame with a white finish ... Hmmm ...
... Here's a picture of Designer Kishani Perera's work ... I am completely in love with her style ... absolutely ecelectic ... and in here I loved how she finished the mirror frame above the cabinet ...
Oh! these corinthian bases ... I think they were left overs from a table leg ... sigh!!! ... a failed attempt at bargaining ... O.K ,I own up... I think I was just being cheeky :) ... trying to strike a dirt cheap deal ... knowing I'm off to Delhi anyways so I'm in for loads more ... never mind loosing the deal here ... :)
... Ah! this chair here ... Sam was all ready to buy it ... :) ... wow can you believe it ... my Husband needs no prodding ... he's as addicted as I am ... infact he is quick to help, knowing bargaining is a loosing game for me ...
... the details of the chair back were really beautiful ... it can sure make such an interesting dining chair or even an accent chair ... a definite conversation piece though ...
... I walk into this next shop and there staring at me was this bed footboard ( behind it ,you can see what was the headboard... of that particular set) ... and instantly it reminded me of a similar piece Brooke Giannneti (from over at Velvet and Linen) has used in her bedroom ...
... I think it has distressed finish (I'll go back and check on her blog) ... I so loved what Brooke has done here in her room ... and the carved piece fits in so subtly ... and there's definitly great character added to the room with the piece ... do check out her blog ... I really enjoy her brand of designing ...
... a gilded piece ... I could fit that right in ... in an interior, done along modern lines ...
... I'd found this picture for the Adobe style, post I'd done ... and I remember how intrigued I was with the bed curtains hung from the carved piece ...
... looking around its amazing to discover what you'll discover ... from a console table to a cabinet ... or a door ... the frames are ofcourse .... GALORE ... :) ... just as are the options of what to do with them ...
... paint them a different ... color .... polish them an unusual shade ...
.... thought I'd add in some more inspirational picture ... just to poke you with some ideas from here and there ...
... Hmm ...mmm .. now what could I think of with that ...
... hanging them like that is the worst thing you can do to a person like me ... what with my obssessive compulsive disorder ... I can't just buy one ... and I hate to leave any behind ... Gosh ! I wonder if that's why God made me a designer ... 'Honey, go have fun ... you'll be a designer' ... wow ... I do love it ... thankyou dear God! ... :)
... and if I bought them all ... I'd probably do exactly what Kishani Perera did in this powder room ...
... I second this style ... sometimes ... I sooo ... love the frame as a piece of art by itself that ... I don't want it to frame anything ... just beautiful as it is as an empty frame ...
... for all those who aren't so sure how a carved piece would fit into a modern room ... well , I'd say fabulously ... :)
... or how about converting it into a conversational piece tray ... taa ... daa ...
... either which way ... you decide ... and in case your heart decides to make a trip and check out these shops ... well ! Here's where to go ... S.V road Bandra (W) ... its right off the exit you take on the Western Expressway to come on to S.V road (Bandra) ... to head onto Linking Road ... infact look carefully for some cane furniture shops and carved frames hanging around ... near a Mosque ... Hope you have a lovely time and remember ... there's nothing like a fixed price and there's no parking around either ... ;)
I'd sure look forward to hearing from you, if you enjoyed my lil' trip and hope you liked the Saharanpur Style ...