Lower Parel gets yet another hi-end home decor store. The piece de resistance is a collection of upholstery from Europe's Designers' Guild, inspired by the official residence of Her Majesty and the works of art in the royal collection
Lower Parel gets yet another hi-end home decor store. The piece de resistance is a collection of upholstery from Europe's Designers' Guild, inspired by the official residence of Her Majesty and the works of art in the royal collection
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| Most cushions are priced between Rs 840 and Rs 1,680, and come with fillers. pics/Santosh Nagwekar |
A 16x16 cushion that lies on a shelf at Veaura, borrows generously from Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper. The focus is on the way the fabric is folded, rather than any external embellishment, and so the folds of the fabric create a gorgeous sunflower (Rs 1,625).
A distinct Indian influence is visible on velvet cushions emblazoned with ornate embroidery reminiscent of the Mughal era, and on some adorned with foil-printed Buddhas. A set of polyester cushions have been treated to resemble stone walls.
At the new home decor store that stands in a Lower Parel mill, the motley mix of inspirations is more than evident. Director Varun Valia says the store was designed to be different. "Even the name has not been taken from one language in particular," says the Kingston-business-school-graduate. He adopted the Greek term 'aura (which refers to that indefinable quality that sometimes envelopes a place or person) and added a 've' before it.
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"Ve is a Punjabi expression that's impossible to translate, but vaguely can mean, 'of' or 'to do with you'," he laughs. With European, American, Japanese and Indian fabrics and styles brought together under one roof, fusion is clearly the central theme of the store.
The Valias have been exporting cushion covers and bedspreads to a host of European retail chains and hotels for over 25 years. After a round of market research, they decided it was time to introduce an India-centric range.
Reversing their practice of draping Indian fabrics around Europe all these years, the Valias now present Mumbai with The Campanula Collection of upholstery fabrics (Rs 6,000 a metre onwards. No less!) from Europe's Designers' Guild, according to whose website the collection is "inspired by the official residence of Her Majesty, The Queen, and the Royal Family and by the works of art in the royal collection."
Their own brand also includes a range of Indian upholstery fabrics, priced at Rs 200 per metre, ceramic vases, priced available at Rs 7,000 onwards and table-runners, priced at Rs 1,500 onwards.
AT Raghuvanshi Mills complex, Lower Parel. Open all week, from 10.30 am to 7 pm. Call: 65165544.
