| | June 20218I n the present age, it is customary to find certain staple pieces of furniture in every household, across various socio-economic conditions. A basic bed, a cupboard, or chairs are found in almost every household, whereas more luxurious pieces like the armoire, bar carts, or a chaise lounge are seen exclusively in select households. However, there was a time when Indians did not use furniture. Houses across urban and rural areas and social classes did have sparse furnishings. There was no place for furniture in Indian households, which often surprised our European and Western counterparts. The Indian taste in furniture has been molded by the colonizers like the Portuguese, Dutch, and the British. When the Portuguese made their first contact with India, they were surprised to see that only mattresses and cushions were used by the common folks however, symbolic items like the throne were used by the kings and the queens of the palaces. So, one can say with absolute certainty that Indian furniture has its unique characteristics influenced by the western world. As the Portuguese entered India through the southern part in the 15th century, they were surprised to see that Indians did not use furniture. This put a damper on their plans to build residential buildings in South India. As a quick fix to this problem, the Portuguese brought furniture from their homeland and asked the expert craftsmen of India to replicate it. This style was soon dubbed the "Indo-Portuguese" style which was characterized by large cabinets and intricate carvings. In the 16th century, Mughals arrived in northern India and their trademark was seen in the use of heavy furniture made of dark wood that had inlaid bone or ebony decorations. Common furniture includes mirrors and writing desks. The "Goan Style" was also quite common in the southern part of India which was influenced by the Portuguese and was decorated with geometric or abstract inlays enlarged cabinets. The dutch came to India in the 16th century and brought their distinctive styles of making furniture to India. Just like the Indo-Portuguese style, it gave rise to the Indo-Dutch style of furniture in India. This style can be further divided into two subtypes. The first one had light-colored hardwoods with inlaid bone and incised decorations. On the other hand, the second group had been made with dark-colored wood like mahogany and ebony that had intricate floral patterns. This floral design was manufactured in Java which was a part of the Dutch eastern administration in India. Throwing light on the evolution of furniture within our country, especially in western India, states like Gujarat and Rajasthan have colorful paintings on furniture. Traditional designs and motifs are painted in bright colors to attract the customer, making it a staple in these states. Initially, most furniture was made of expensive woods, due to its high EVOLUTION OF FURNITURE IN INDIABy Gobind Kapur, Product Designer & Director, MAISON DU LUXEVANTAGE POINTGobind Kapur, Product Designer & Director
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