A fine balance

Long-time friends and now co-creatives, Haseena Jethmalani and Priya Aswani prefer to create pieces that people will talk about. Their personal style, too, mirrors this ideology, discovers Priyanka Khanna

- Priyanka Khanna

Just two days before the lockdown was announced, Haseena Jethmalani and Priya Aswani were scheduled to showcase the latest collection from their collaborative home accessory line, PH Accessories. The trunk show was cancelled, but the looming pandemic had a surprisingly limited impact on sales. “We gave it a shot and sold through social media and private face time with clients. The response was gratifying. A good sale is validation of your product, but especially so in these circumstances,” says Jethmalani.

The line is a “culmination of small ideas, inspirations and conversations that come about over long afternoons together; an idea that begins and continues with a dialogue with our craftsmen, resulting in a workable design,” says Aswani, who co-founded Studio Mumbai, an architectural firm, and now heads PA Works with architect Anand Patel.

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“A home should feel collected, not decorated,” is a mantra Jethmalani ascribes to. “There is much value in making simplicity significant,” she says, citing the Art Deco period as an important influence on their vision. Their tastes, Aswani adds, are quite similar and their experiences give them a unique perspective. “Haseena’s forte is to bring life and joy to the pieces, while my approach is more measured and conservative. It’s what gives us balance.”