Formany, exorbitantly priced luxury furniture especially
sofas are pass.However, plush, state-of-the-art couches continue to be in
vogue.Unlike the western countries, luxury sofas have a niche clientele in
Indiabut the demand of such high-end sofas is shooting up. Mushroomingfurniture
stores flaunting grand home furnishing bear a testimony tothis fact.
Bandrabased interior designer Akshika Luthra Hemani explains the growingdemand,
“The unavailability of good designs, growing awareness ofinternational
furniture brands along with availability of thecomplimentary accessories such
as lighting fixtures, soft furnishing,etc and of course an attitude to accept
the less conservative, hasopened up the market for high-end couches. In fact,
luxury sofas areconsidered an ideal combination of functionality and
aesthetics.”
Interiordesigner and proprietor of furniture brand Curiosity, Rakesh
Jeswaniconcurs with Hemani. He adds, “Lavish sofas are indeed cutting-edge
inthe market as people in the metropolis are becoming quite consciousabout
their home dcor. Easy accessibility to foreign brands such asFendi, Memento,
B&B, etc. is like an icing on the cake.”
The Highs and the LowsWhat
separates a high-end sofa from a regular or mid-range sofa? Is it the
material, craftsmanship, quality, or upholstery? The answer is a
combination of all of the above. Right from the craftsmanship to the
fabric, everything goes into the making of an exclusive couch. Interior
designer from Juhu, Sandhya Mane elaborates on the characteristics of
the plush sofas, “High-end sofas are better in terms of quality as well
as design. Generally, imported material is most sought-after for making
these swanky couches. It’s the brand that distinguishes the high-end
products.” These sofas are known for amalgamating the best of technology,
craftsmanship and finishing.
Current trendAtpresent, sophisticated Italian and German designs are creating a
buzzin the furniture circuit and most of the city-based furniture storesare
laden with Italian furniture. Cyrus Merchant from Yantra, afurniture salon (a
Birla lifestyle venture), point outs, “About fiveyears ago, Yantra was unveiled
showcasing their exclusive range of homefurnishings. This included Italian
furniture that is usually discreetwith clean lines and muted colours such as
brown, green, etc. Thesesofas have become the latest fad due to their fresh
designs and comfortlevel along with big throw pillows.” Yantra offers
internationalfurniture brands such as B&B Italia, Dema, Giorgetti, Rolf
Benzzand Kartell and many others.
Currently,contemporary and modern designs are catching the pulse of the
furniturecircuit, particularly luxury couches. “Unlike traditional
sofas,contemporary ones are not adorned with intricate work and are muchdeeper
with straight lines,” informs Roomi Maneck Shaw, businesspartner of Curiosity.
Althoughmost of the furniture manufacturers and designers give a green signalto
delicate designs, there are few who support high-end contemporaryyet classy
designs. Prashant Jethmalani from Colaba-based future store,Master Pieces
shares, “For luxury sofas, we focus on imperial lineswith Victorian and
European styles. We offer about 70 different kindsof polishes such as silver,
gold, copper, and a host of other colours.Such furniture pieces that are a good
blend of contemporary fashionmixed with classic values are identified for their
intricate hand-workand craftsmanship. And presently there is good demand for
thesedesigns.”
Utility or style?
Astyle statement is the first thing that crosses the mind while talkingabout
perceivably posh sofas. But, many people contradict this beliefby saying that
high-end sofas go hand-in-hand with utility and style.Jethmalani shares, “In
our store, luxury furniture is done in the old Burmateak wood, which over a
period of time looks like an antique piece.Thus, it is more an investment than
a mere style statement.Furthermore, luxury sofas are exclusive in terms of
looks and comfortas well.”
Myths and reality
Does size matter? - Luxury sofas have to be humungous in size.
Wrong, you can customise the shape, size and dimension as per your requirements.
Only a status symbol - Contrary to popular belief, high-end sofas are excellent
in quality as well as comfort level.
Confined to celebrities- Commonly, people believe that plush sofas fit into the
budget of highprofile people only. However, these days even upper middle class
peopledon’t mind extending their budget if it gels well with the otherfurniture
and compliments the overall look of the room.
Made to order -Many of us have a pre-set notion that branded luxury sofas are
notsubject to customisation. But, actually most of the stores customisetheir
furniture pieces according to the requirements of the buyer.
Price tagThe
cost of the high-end sofa is determined on the basis of the
customisation and fabrics used. It varies from brand to brand and from
sofa to sofa. However, the cost can shoot up, starting from a lakh of
rupees and the sky is the limit.
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