It was with the doyen of period furniture, the late Mahendra Doshi, that I began my journey with antiquing. I had just moved back to Mumbai after a decade in New York, almost 30 and newly minted into my first job in the luxury industry. I was a second-generation antique hunter, my parents being firm patrons and friends of Doshi, whose advice was simple and wise: “Collect what thrills you. There are no rules. Invest in periods old and new. It’s a wonderful mix.” His words have stood me in great stead, from the first piece I bought—a 19th-century Dutch-Sri Lankan satinwood and ebony armoire—to today, when I am never scared to see if anything ‘fits’ my home. If I like it, it will fit. Just like that gorgeous armoire did in my one-bedroom flat over a decade ago.
As I sit on my Pierre Jeanneret Chandigarh chair, also carefully restored by Doshi, and look around my house, I think the grand old man of period furniture would give me a silent nod. Our living room today houses British and Dutch colonial furniture collected from master dealers and icons of the trade, such as Doshi, Laura Hamilton and Farooq Issa (owner of Phillips Antiques). Hallmarked silver flirts with ancient Asian ceramics as vintage textiles from Benares mix with South Asian contemporary art. An early-19thcentury brass-in-laid rosewood cabinet is flanked by ultra-contemporary works by Bangladeshi artist Ayesha Sultana. A pair of irreverent celadon garden seats handsomely perch themselves on a century-old crimson Persian carpet inherited from my grandparents. Casual kilims play with South Indian temple antiquities as other old ephemera and objets d’art pepper themselves carelessly across the room. It’s a space that still manages to send me into a magical time warp.
Denne historien er fra December 2021-utgaven av VOGUE India.
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Denne historien er fra December 2021-utgaven av VOGUE India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.
