Why home buyers are travelling 35 kms out of Mumbai to do their houses

In Kasheli Bhiwandi nearly 35 km from Mumbai you can navigate between the living rooms of three countries Italy China and India Since 2006 around 40 furniture stores have made the stretch their homeThe first one to set up shop at a time when it was a jungle was White House with a 15000 sqft showroom It then opened a second 15000 sqft space for modular kitchens and even a massive warehouse in the same quadrant Owned by Amit Chheda the arrival of White House brought a flood of furniture stores to the hood In the last three years alone a dozen stores have opened their outposts with the largest one a 60000 sqft space called GampC Casa opening its doors two weeks agoAt Trezure the furniture has been sourced from Italian labels such as Casa Italia and Kelvin GiormaniEvery weekend about 20 to 25 customers chaperoned by their architects and interior designers walk the mile between Maubleacute Sanjar Trezure Empire T World Furniture and others During the week the place is bereft of customers owners and in some stores even airconditioning So much of the furniture comes from China that the area is called miniChina Broadly speaking the aesthetic can be described as moderncontemporary with several tieups with Italian labels Most Italian companies now have their manufacturing units in China says architect Monik Chheda coowner of GampC CasaI mean even the iPhone comes from China His brother Rajesh Chheda adds Italian designs have a few specifications in terms of fabric quality stitching concept the height of the sofa and so on that we want The duo stresses multiple times that they only deal in luxury premium products Its the kind of furniture you see in fivestar hotel lobbies or hoardings of residential projects that are meant to be aspirationalHowever after spending the day in Bhiwandi we do think you can find great statement pieces there without breaking the bank In a store called Selimoglu a Turkish label we discovered the most beautiful flowershaped centre tables for under Rs 40000 In Recliners India we sank into a recliner Rs 110000 that we could live in And in Bajoria Furniture a store dedicated to handmade Shekhawati furniture there was a bar cabinet Rs 42000 around which the happy and the tipsy could drool forever So heres a handy guide that would make your trip to the back of beyond easierAll the pieces in Bajoria Furniture reflect its Shekhawati rootsLooking Italy talking ChinaGampC Casa is so new that the swastika outside is still visible when we visit It opened on Shivaratri and is coowned by three brothers Monik Sachin and Rajesh As an architect Monik has designed the space to impress newcomers The size itself is astonishing the ground floor is spread across 30000 sqft with neat divisions he calls islands theres a first floor as well We have come up with a concept in which highend products are displayed in a premium way In these islands people can actually imagine their home which is a 1000 sqft space and how the combinations work They opened the store in Bhiwandi because walkins are comparatively higher here than any part of Mumbai The furniture market has come up over the years and the majority of the architects and interior designers have started visiting this area It has become the second ChinaIn fact the new trend is to visit China to source furniture which has malls as big as cities But the client doesnt always have the time to go there so they come here He believes that stores such as GampC Casa make the architects job easier This store is a USP for architects because they can work within the clients budget If people see these products theyll ask the homeowners Whos the architect says MonikMapRavi JadhavMaubleacute had an outlet in Worli as well behind Four Seasons Hotels which had to shut down because of the ongoing Metro work Even the showrooms next to us shut because there were few footfalls says investor Surendra Gala Without parking this business doesnt work Owned by Ellora Group which is largely into construction Maubles Bhiwandi outlet is spread across 22000 sqft In construction we had a problem getting quality products So we decided to start with one showroom before scaling up Its sofa sets are in the range of 26 lakh and the dining tables from 13 lakh When we came in this market was famous for lowcost products We were the first highend store to start in 2016 We have a professional team of interior designers who visit Turkey Malaysia and China to finalise the products Earlier he says things were unorganised But today were getting good interior designers visiting from across India This market has become Indias furniture hubWhite House was the first major furniture store to set up shop in KasheliAt Trezure coowners Parin Nishar and Nilesh Gala have sourced furniture from Italian labels such as Milano amp Design Casa Italia and Kelvin Giormani Our products are Italian in taste but at Chinese prices says Nishar They set up the store in 2016 in Bhiwandi because the rent is reasonable and the area that you require for the furniture is spacious Thats not possible in the city So logistically this is more feasible Trezure is spread across 40000 sqft and all of its products are from China We go to China three to four times a year I have an experience of 19 years so I know the taste of customers Its leather and fabric sofa sets are from Rs 75000 to Rs 500000 and the bedroom sets from 152 lakh We are a bit more expensive but we are brandconsciousRajesh and Monik ChhedaA touch of royaltyFrom Churu Rajasthan Virendra Bajoria and his karigars have been creating handmade furniture for the last 20 years But its only store in Mumbai Bajoria Furniture was set up in 2016 in Bhiwandi It specialises in Shekhawati furniture which turns sesame wood into elaborate intricate pieces With gold accents a mix of wrought iron and carvings of flowers ducks and leaves the diwans and cupboards are fit for rulers Sreekant Agarwal the manager says Its in the same style as the furniture found in Rajasthani homes The style is 100 to 200 years old In Rajasthan the districts of Churu Jhunjhunu and Sikar make up the Shekhawati region and the 3000 sqft store is a glimpse of how its people live All our publicity is via wordofmouth and we give a lifetime guarantee Only if you push this off the terrace of your building will it break It also has resale value Chinese furniture doesnt have thatSurendra Gala from MaubleA chair for comfortAt Recliners India sales associate Anwar Iqbal introduces every recliner to us as This is Rani Mukherjis chair this is Farah Khans It specialises in only its namesake product and sells to multiplex chains such as PVR Inox Cinemax and Insignia We have 80 per cent of the market says Iqbal In fact the seats in the Parliament are also their handiwork A few of the recliners we tried range Rs 35000 to a lakhplus were among the plushest seats weve been in A Delhibased company with showrooms in LA Dubai UAE and South Africa it even has recliners in threeseater sofas massage chairs and an autolift chair for those who cant get up on their own A touch we especially loved was the miniplex they have on the premises where you can check how comfortable your home theatre can beCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates