The influence of art deco in India cannot be overstated, as is observed in our extensive coverage of it's various manifestations, delightful crossovers, and overall charm. This curation of art deco brands consists of people dedicated to creating items that honour the spirit of this era of architecture, and will also fit right into your home. Whether it is a collection of prints or a chic teakwood side table, these stores are filled to the brim with an eclectic variety of items.
The Great Eastern Home
In the leafy neighbourhood of Byculla, removed from the art deco stretches across South Mumbai, an unassuming bylane leads you into a pocket of the city suspended in time. Here, in a former cotton mill, The Great Eastern Home emerges as a cabinet of curiosities—filled with antiques, collectibles, period furniture pieces and artworks that span both centuries and geographies. Difficult as it may be for any collector to play favourites, Anurag Kanoria, The Great Eastern Home’s founder, says, “We have pieces from various periods—Baroque, Rococo, Art Nouveau, etc.—but the Art Deco period is special for us.”
Housed within its rarefied repository are art deco treasures from Europe, India, Myanmar and other parts of the Far East. Kanoria’s favourites include an extraordinary Burmese bed held up by sacred dragon structures and a Scandinavian art deco cabinet finished with an exotic burl wood veneer and inlaid with bone, brass and mother-of-pearl. Other highlights include a Burmese dressing table from the late 1800s, with a three-mirror panel shaped in the form of a simple petal detail, likely inspired by the sunburst motif.
Original text by Nuriyah Johar, edited for context.
Zaveri Antiques
At Zaveri Antiques, the past is not only preserved, but also in constant conversation with the present. Their collection has been carefully curated by three generations of the Jhaveri family, which led to it becoming one of the most respected antique stores in Gujarat. The first generation of the Jhaveri family started the store with a discerning eye for items that were full of charm, culture, and character. The second generation of the Jhaveri family recognised the impact of the art deco movement in India, and expanded their collection to include art deco items and architectural elements along with their existing series of rare Indian Antiques. One of the core tenants of the store is to restore pieces with integrity, so that the essence and markers of the time period they come from is not tarnished. The third generation of the Jhaveri family has successfully brought the store into the digital age, while still upholding the store’s ethos of bringing the past to the present. Their physical store in Surat is a wunderkammer of Indian antiques and collectibles sprawled across three storeys. The store also has an exclusive showroom that showcases the store and the Jhaveri family's journey with art and history. As Prem Jhaveri—current custodian of the store— puts it, “The showroom is a living archive of pieces that have captured our hearts.”
Mahendra Doshi
The story of Mahendra Doshi began in 1937 in Rajkot, Gujarat. Born in his grandfather’s colonial bungalow amidst exquisite 19th century antiques and objets d’art, this was Mahendra Doshi’s subliminal orientation. In the 1960s, the family migrated to Bombay and a young Mahendra reluctantly joined his father’s construction business as an apprentice. On a site once, he saw a beautiful French-style Lady Petit bungalow in Breach Candy being demolished. He rushed in and was devastated to see beautiful Baccarat chandeliers, a large billiard table with ivory balls, and a mini theatre with fabulous Chinese embroidery work curtains being ripped apart and sold to junk dealers.
One thing led to another and soon he began seeking out old dealers in Chor Bazaar, Bombay’s “thieves market” famous for old scrap, to source rejected furniture for his new flat. He then hired a small team, led by Karsanbhai, a carpenter, who later became his righthand man, to repair and polish the sourced pieces. Once his flat was ready, Mahendra realised, much to his chagrin, that it was way too small to house all his painstakingly restored treasures. He placed a small advertisement in the papers for a sale of antique restored furniture. To his surprise, the crème de la crème flocked to his first sale, and the rest as they say is history. From small projects for friends to opening a warehouse-like attic space in the heart of Bombay, he became perhaps the most important dealer in India in period furniture across colonial, American, Chinese, art deco, midcentury and traditional Indian treasures.
Original text by Gaurav Bhatia, edited for context.
Viya
Vikram Goyal is the driving creative force behind Viya. His steadfast commitment to Indian craftsmanship and its preservation and proliferation shines through in the offerings of Viya . The store’s collections and items draw inspiration from the rich narratives of India, whether it be from our myths, fables, or collective imagination. Goyal’s keen interest in collective imagination also manifests into an interest in global culture, which leads perfectly to a tryst with art deco— a style that is global yet native to India. The Deco Dreams collection by Viya cements its place on this list of art deco brands. The series takes a significant amount of inspiration from the sharp lines and materiality of art deco. Some standout pieces from the collection include lamps that feature a terrazzo-like pattern and asymmetrical shapes protruding from the body of the lamp, along with a set of coasters made with brass and semi-precious inserts.
Camelot
In 1993, Camelot started out as a retail store that sourced and restored vintage furniture from across the country. Over the years, their restoration efforts led them to collaborating with architects and interior designers to produce and manufacture custom furniture inspired by the colonial and art deco time periods, as well as some contemporary pieces. Their extensive collection of original colonial and art deco furniture was built over the past 30 years by sourcing pieces from all over the country, including some very remote estates. One of the core pillars of the store’s philosophy is their commitment to sustainability. Most of their manufactured and restored furniture is made using reclaimed, recycled, or ethically sourced wood. For Camelot, providing people with furniture and pieces that fit into their homes is as important as preserving the vestiges of colonial and art deco furniture.
Taherallys
Taherallys started out as a single shop in Chor Bazaar in 1960, and over the course of 60 odd years it has become one of the most trusted sources of antique furniture and decorative items in India, including a robust clientele of Bollywood stars and international buyers. However, this family-run business did not start out with dealing in antiques, or even furniture for that matter. Taherallys started out under the name of ‘Ancient Cottage’, and they were the largest collectors and exporters of handis and bell jars. They soon branched out into collecting furniture as well, while still maintaining their extensive collection of handis. This endeavour led to the creation of their collection of art deco items, which were easily available in Mumbai due to the proliferation of that style in the city. Like many others on this list, Taherallys is also looking to make a pivot into the digital age, bringing art deco as well as other Indian antiques to the present.
de Gournay
As a wallpaper brand with an illustrious history, it comes as no surprise that de Gournay made a foray into art deco inspired wallpapers with their Deco collection. This collection drew inspiration not just from art deco, but also from the set design of Russian theatre in the 20th Century, as well as the works of designers like Armand Rateau and Jean Dunand. The Deco collection of wallpapers plays into the elegant symmetry and embellishments that are typical of the art deco style. Geometric metallic shapes are gilded onto coarse silk, which creates raised 3D lines that imitate carved wood or molded metal. Each one of de Gournay’s wallpapers is made with care by expert artists and artisans who possess a wealth of knowledge on the techniques, processes, and materials involved in creating such stunning wallpapers.
Diwiks
Diwiks is a curious operation. Its founder—neither a formally trained designer nor an engineer—chose to dive into the restoration of old radios and eventually to craft new speakers using reclaimed teakwood. Diwik Chhalani’s penchant for tinkering with electronics was instinctive, and his skills entirely self-taught. The result: beautiful teak-encased handcrafted 20th-century speakers with stereo set-ups along with Norwegian coaxial drivers. “My transition from restoring old radios to creating my own line of speakers began with an art deco building—Kastur Niwas—across my home. As it was being torn down, I salvaged materials and design elements that became the foundation of my work. Even today, all my high-quality Burmese teakwood comes from these disappearing structures. Many of my designs take inspiration from these art deco buildings, keeping a small part of their legacy alive,” he shares. Chhalani is now getting into console-style radiograms with built-in turntables, pushing the boundaries of functional design.
Original text by Aditi Sharma, edited for context.
Moorthys
Moorthys is a mainstay of the Indian artifacts and collectibles market, and has been around for close to 50 years. Their collection has been meticulously assembled over the years, ensuring that each piece acquired meets their stringent standards of authenticity and aesthetics. All the pieces in a Moorthys showroom are vetted to be originals from their respective time periods, as they do not purchase or produce replicas. The store mainly dealt with traditional Indian artifacts and colonial furniture, however the influx and influence of pieces made in modern styles like art deco could not be ignored. This led to the creation of Pooranawalla’s, a separate store, still under the umbrella of Moorthys, that deals exclusively in art deco furniture, as well as mid-century and Scandinavian pieces.
Saudades
Saudades is another atelier in Goa that deals with Indian artifacts and exquisite colonial furniture. This store also comes under the umbrella of Moorthys, and has been around for 25 odd years. It is housed within a magnificent 160-year-old Indo-Portuguese villa which has been restored by the Moorthys themselves, with Susan Pinto being at the helm for the last 23 years. Saudades was created by the Moorthys on the request of some of their clients at Jardine Flemming who visited Goa for annual conferences. Even though the store is geographically separated from Moorthys, and is its own entity in many ways, Saudades upholds the same meticulous and stringent standards of authenticity. Originality is integral to the operation of both stores, as is building confidence in the next generation of young buyers.
The Palace Atelier
The Palace Atelier is not just a museum store, but rather a concept store created by Princess Gauravi Kumari that aims to bring together Jaipur’s timeless craftsmanship and India’s modernity. The Palace Atelier has a wide range of items ranging from jewellery and bags to special items created in collaboration with artists and brands with a distinct voice. One such collaboration was done with visual artist Prathna Singh, who created archival prints that document the architecture of art deco cinemas in India from the mid-50s to the mid-70s. The series is called Jaipur Deco, and displays the delightful dialogue between the modern style of art deco and traditional Rajputana and indo-saracenic forms. The collection consists of a handmade box-frame that is inspired by old jewellery cases, and six archival prints. One can display them flat on a table, or hang them up on the wall using the hooks.
Rezon Silverware
Kalyani Chawla launched Rezon Silverware in 2017 with a vision of entering a competitive market to fill the gap in the luxury segment. Whether it's a table lamp or centrepiece, a caviar bowl or a flower vase, she wanted to create these decor items with a unique look. Chawla is a self-professed serial entrepreneur who also dabbles into brand marketing.
Rezon Silverware has a vast range of items for home decor and utility, making it a one-stop-shop for accessorising any home or workplace. Each piece is handcrafted with skills that require finesse and craftsmanship making it luxuriously perfect for its discerning clientele. Rezon Silverware’s lustrous silver products are crafted entirely by hand. Currently, their collection has two candlestands that embody the elegance of the art deco era. Both pieces are beautiful representations of the symmetrical geometry that is characteristic of art deco, and are must haves for any enthusiast.
Original text by Kriti Saraswat-Satpathy, edited for context.
Phillips Antiques
Located in South Mumbai, this antique shop boasts a lifespan that spreads across 160 years. Phillips Antiques is a family run business, with its current custodians being Farooq Issa and his sister Muneera Daya—the fourth generation to inherit the business. Since its inception in the 1860s, Phillips Antiques has been a supplier of luxury goods. In the 1950s, the store started to keep Oriental and European antiques, some of which were sourced from the collections of Indian nobility. The store’s collection continued to grow after the dissolution of princely states in the 1970s, and has continued to expand, with the launch of ‘The Planter’s Chair’. This store is dedicated solely to Indian furniture and architectural pieces from the colonial, art deco, and mid-century eras. One of the standout art deco pieces currently in their possession is a teakwood cabinet with a mirror. The store’s ethos is shaped by a love for the artistic and aesthetic traditions of India, and they hope to provide pieces that would seamlessly fit into a traditional or contemporary home.
Jaipur Rugs, one of the most prolific carpet makers in the country, also has some special art deco inspired pieces. For special nautical themed art deco artefacts, one can even look at The Hesperus Store.
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