How about experiencing the sights and sounds of the distant Bali Islands and the beautiful country of Thailand right at your door step?
A trip to Woodapple, the avant-garde curio shop at Jawahar Nagar, is enough to transport the shopaholic in you to an enticing world of art and crafts. From the hand-painted blue pottery to the sandstone wall clads, each one of them has a story to itself, a story of precision and craftsmanship.
Being a travel bug, it was during one of her leisure visits to Thailand that Leena Francis came upon the district of Ching Mai, the unofficial capital of northern Thailand, replete with an age-old tradition of glazed pottery making.
“Considered one of the best in the world, I took an instant liking to it,” says Leena, who makes it a point to visit the place at least once in six months to enhance her collection.
The blue pottery displayed at her shop in a variety of shapes is a pointer to her taste in choosing the best.
The subtle shades of blue are interspersed with rich green of Celadin pottery, another speciality of the Ching Mai region — the striking green a sign of adept craftmenship done by mixing wood ash to the glaze. Blue glazed pottery preferred by many interior designers nowadays has a special place in styling a home.
“A connoisseur in blue pottery can make out the difference between the expensive and less expensive ones instantly,” says Leena. The artifacts, each unique from one another, can brighten up any corner of a room.
A set of bronze wall clads shaped as a leaf, one of Leena’s favourite, catches one’s eye for the way it lights up a huge wall with a set of lamps. But even more amazing is the real looking little cacti that can deck one’s portico or window sill in a jiffy.
The handmade plants look so real that you are tempted to pinch them and find out if they are artificial or not. Another show stealer is the animal figures in sandstone.
“My Siamese cats have a lot of takers,” says Leena, showing us a set of three sandstone cats with a tinge of glaze. Colours play an important role in adding value to Leena’s display. The yummy deep red cherries displayed on a green ceramic plate says it all.
Another interesting item is the set of wind chimes from Bali. If the bird motif chimes give out a tingling sound, the one with bamboo reeds transport you to a thick forest.
The other objects that stand out for their elegance are handpainted lamp shades that come with tripods, bamboo partitions, wrought iron pot holders and stylish jute bags in different size and hues, making the curio shop a fascinating place to visit.
