Antiques steal furniture show

Furniture on display at the fair. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Sept. 9: Sleek and space saving furniture are out, antiques are in.

Fashion changes with season and so is the case with furniture. Taking a break from modern matte finished Chinese cupboards, almirahs and beds, people of the steel city were seen booking the traditional, elaborately designed furniture at the Woodland Handicraft Industries’ furniture fair at Muslim library in Bistupur.

The antique furniture from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have already carved a niche in the hearts of the customers for its design and quality.

“I like the design and royal look of the sofa sets. I bought a sofa set today. I want the beautifully carved almirah that I have seen here but I think I cannot accommodate it at my house,” said Ruma Hansda, who visited the fair today.

“These wooden furniture gives a distinct palatial look to the house. Seeing the response of the people we have increased our production. People do not mind spending for exquisite and beautifully designed furniture these days. The response to the fair was good last year so we have come down this year again,” said Masood Ahmed, the sales manager of Woodland Handicrafts.

The furniture has been designed based on Kashmiri art, Rajasthani art, Gujarati art, Portugal art and Mughal art. The carvings on the wood depend upon the art.

“The difference in look is due to the type of carvings. The carvings for Kashmiri art are more fine compared to the Portugal ones. In traditional furniture carvings narrate a story. We have modified the designs a bit to appeal to customers who want a touch of modernism,” said Ahmed.

The products are made of seesham or teak wood which adds to its durability. Apart from the royal looking sofa sets, there are wooden trolley, easy chair, study table, computer table, beautifully carved mirror consoles, dressing tables and crockery cupboard. The sofas with brass car- vings on wood and wooden inlay work are grabbing eyeballs.

“People have realised that the furniture made of Malaysian or Chinese ply is not durable hence they want to buy the teak and seesham wood products,” said Ahmed.

Taken from www.telegraphindia.com