The Hindu Business Line : Period!

Nestled in a quiet corner of Kalakshetra Colony in Chennai is what looks like a charming, rather unkempt house, with furniture spilling into the garden and a big fishpond. Only an old wooden sign outside indicates what the house holds: Kipling & Co. Art is the answer to your craving for heavy hexagonal tables, carved almirahs and ancient curios sourced with care from tiny villages in Tamil Nadu, and from all across the country, and even Indonesia and China.

At Kipling you can take your pick from colonial and period furniture — from tables to cupboards to cradles — and old paintings and artefacts. There is a fixed base of about 200 regular clients, most of them expatriates. People also come from Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, says S. Gomathi, who co-owns the place with an American who divides his time between the US and India.

Gomathi deliberately picked a house to showcase the furniture in, because many people do not have a concept of how the furniture will look in a home. Besides, furniture like this needs a homely setting, she adds. "Some people come with a fixed idea of what they want to get, and others will just come and browse," says Gomathi, who has been in the business for eight years now. "But I know what the demand is likely to be, and pick up stuff accordingly — about 40 per cent of the time I know who I am buying for."

When a client is setting up home, she will often buy 15-20 pieces all at once. If someone is building a home, then she might pick up things through the year; otherwise, if she is simply redoing a bedroom or a guestroom, she might pick up about four or five pieces, at the cost of about Rs 50,000.

Gomathi allows the swapping facility to her customers. "If they return something, we will give them the same price or maybe even a little more — so it's truly an investment."

Once a piece is sold, she restores it for the client, taking into account where it is going and what it will be mixed with. "This furniture can be mixed and matched — even art deco can be mixed with modern pieces, and you can also mix different types of wood." A good percentage of her clients are quite aware of the value of old furniture and how to take care of it, she says; the rest she will teach. "But it is a learning process for us, too — our clients teach us things, sometimes."

Over the last few years, there has been a change in the make-up of the clientele, as well as the attitude toward antiques, Gomathi says. More Indians are getting interested in her furniture now. Earlier, while she had more old people, now she has many young clients, as well, who have developed an appreciation for old furniture and artefacts.

"A lot of people are becoming more aware of old homes and old furniture, and everyone wants to hang on to old stuff," Gomathi says.

"A few years ago, very few people wanted to keep their old stuff — now, people say, `why should this leave the country?' In fact, the younger generation actually appreciates their value more than the older generation."

Currently, old Tanjore paintings are riding a wave of popularity, Gomathi says; earlier, it was sofa sets and cupboards. "Antiques are not cheap — but there is growing awareness and appreciation for them," Gomathi says. "Today, there are at least 15-20 mini Kiplings in Chennai, put together by clients who got most of their stuff from here."

Photo by Bijoy Ghosh

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